Real Brentwood Dieters Eat Quiche

OK, the quiche they eat isn't quite authentic. Real quiche calls for eggs and milk or cream in a pastry crust with some goodies like cheese, veggies and ham thrown in. Mmm. Phase One of the Brentwood Diet permits only eggs and vegetables. And definitely, any kind of crust is out. It involves the "F" word--flour.

So, perhaps a baked omelette or faux quiche might be more appropriate a name for the crustless concoction that true-blue Brentwood Dieters might indulge in during the first phase of the diet. Here are some recipes:

FAUX QUICHE PHASE ONE:

• Preheat oven to 350˚

• Lightly grease a 9" cake or square pan with olive oil

• Chop and microwave 2 or 3 kinds vegetables for few minutes. Or cook them in chicken broth and reduce the liquid. For example: onions, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, garlic, etc.

• Put pre-cooked vegetables in the prepared pan

• Beat 6 eggs, add pepper or spices to taste and pour on top of vegetable mixture

• Cook for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown and the middle is done. 4 servings

FAUX QUICHE PHASE TWO:

• Use recipe for Phase One, but if you'd like, saute the vegetables in a little olive oil. Also, once in a while, consider adding in a few ingredients forbidden in Phase One, like:

• Grated cheese such as cheddar, goat, gruyere, monterey jack, etc.

• Chopped ham or prosciutto

• Chopped sausage: chicken, turkey, chorizo, Italian

• Crumbled bacon

• Splash of skim milk

Of course, these ingredients (except the skim milk) contain scads of sodium and saturated fat, so use sparingly.