Mini Mushroom and Sausage Quiches

I've always had pretty good luck with recipes I've found on Yahoo! Food, so when I came across this one the other day I wanted to try it out right away. End result: The mini quiches turned out amazing, and I immediately deemed the recipe share-worthy. :) The only thing I would add to it, though, is salt. For me, these mini quiches will come in handy when I need a relatively healthy breakfast option (i.e., NOT muffins or Mickey D's) after using the gym at work in the mornings. (In fact, I'm enjoying some for breakfast right now.) They'd probably make a good snack or an appetizer item, too. Oh, the possibilities! The one problem I did run into was that my local area supermarket apparently doesn't carry turkey breakfast sausage, so instead I had to use the only other kind available (pork). Don't let the mini size deceive you, they were more filling than I thought. And they're just 115 calories per quiche (OK, probably a little higher when made with pork).

Mini mushroom and sausage quiches. Too bad I lack the photography skills to make them look like this. But they TASTE good!

Here's the recipe, with minor modifications:

MINI MUSHROOM AND SAUSAGE QUICHES

Ingredients:

• 8 oz turkey (or pork) breakfast sausage, removed from casing and crumbled into small pieces
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions
• 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 5 eggs (egg substitutes, like Egg Beaters, work as well)
  
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup 1% milk
• salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325 degrees F. Coat a nonstick muffin tin generously with cooking spray.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Add oil to the pan. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl with the sausage. Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in scallions, cheese and pepper.
3. Whisk eggs, egg whites and milk in a medium bowl. Add salt. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each cup.
4. Bake until the tops are just beginning to brown, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Place a rack on top of the pan, flip it over and turn the quiches out onto the rack. Turn upright and let cool completely.

Yield: 12 servings

Additional tips from Yahoo:

• A good-quality nonstick muffin tin works best for this recipe. If you don't have one, line a regular muffin tin with foil baking cups.
• If making ahead, individually wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove plastic, wrap in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds.

Nutrition info (per serving): Calories: 115 kcal | Carbohydrates: 2 g | Dietary Fiber: 0 g | Fat: 7 g | Protein: 10 g | Sugars: 1 g

Link to the original recipe:
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/eatingwell/408/mini-mushroom-and-sausage-quiches