Happy 1st of May!! Can't believe how fast we flew through April! And how amazing it is to see all the spring flowers finally in bloom. Such a pretty time of year! All right, enough talk about the weather (you'd think I was at a cocktail party or something!) it's time for another edition of Famous Fridays and today we celebrate Gina Homolka, the amazing woman behind the Skinnytaste blog and recent author of The Skinnytaste Cookbook. If you're not familiar with Gina, she's a self-taught cook and mom who is passionately devoted to creating healthy, low-calorie and most important of all, great tasting food. Today's Crustless Swiss Chard Pie is a great example of that. In no way does it taste like "diet food" but at less than 150 calories for a very generous wedge, you can enjoy this guilt free whenever you want and even have room for a little dessert!

Gina's recipes are all based on Weight Watchers points and she makes a real effort to use only natural, seasonal ingredients, so if you're trying to slim down for the coming summer months, or just trying to eat a little bit healthier, you should definitely take a look at her cookbook and blog. I love so many of Gina's recipes that tt was hard to pick just one to feature today, but I'm currently fixated on this crustless veggie pie which has all the best parts of a quiche without all the fat and calories. It's full of so many things I love--swiss chard, onions, cheese and it is super easy to make too!

You start by sauteing an onion and and then adding in the swiss chard.

Then you mix together the egg/milk/flour batter, add in the cheese, stir in the cooked swiss chard/onion mixture, pour the whole thing into a pie plate and bake it for about half an hour. 

Now that the weather's getting warmer, this is great to serve as a light dinner with maybe a side salad. It also makes a wonderful ready-to-go lunch if you have any leftovers (you can actually double the recipe and cook it in a 9x13 pan and threaten those with the pain of death if they don't leave at least one large piece for you to enjoy the next day!!) It would also be great for a brunch--cook the whole thing the day before and then just reheat it. Whatever you decide to do with it, just make it and you'll keep getting skinnier and skinnier, which is a really nice thing to contemplate! Have a great weekend and spend some fun time in the kitchen!

Skinnytaste's Crustless Swiss Chard Pie-Famous Fridays

Makes 6 servings

Prep Time:  20 minutes; Bake Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of Swiss Chard, washed well to remove any dirt or grit
• 1 large onion, halved and cut into thin slices
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup grated light Swiss cheese (you could use light cheddar instead)
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 cup skim milk
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 large eggs, beaten

The Recipe

1.  Preheat oven to 400ºF and spray a 9 inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.

2.  Cut the leaves away from the chard stems. Finely chop the stems then stack the leaves on top of each other, about 6 at a time, roll up and slice into thin ribbons.

3.  In a medium skillet, melt half a tablespoon of the butter over low heat. Add the onion, a pinch of salt and pepper and saute for 8-10 minutes, stirring every now and then, until onions are tender but not browned. Then increase the heat to medium and cook for another 8-10 minutes more until onions are caramelized. Place in a large bowl and set aside.

4.  Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter to the skillet and increase the heat a bit. When butter is melted, add the chard stems. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until tender, stirring often. Then add the chard leaves and cook until wilted for a couple of minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss then into the bowl with the onions. Add in both cheeses and mix well. Set aside.

5.  Into a separate medium bowl, sift the flour and baking powder. Add in the milk, olive, eggs and more salt to taste. Whisk mixture well and pour into the bowl of swiss chard and onions. Stir together and pour into the prepared pie plate.

6.  Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted into the pie's center comes out clean. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving and slice into 6 wedges.

7.  Pie doubles well--cook it in a 9x13 baking dish instead. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days and reheated in the microwave or oven.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from The Skinnytaste Cookbook by Gina Homolka.