Spinach Artichoke Mini Quiches

This recipe was inspired by the Spinach Artichoke Baked Egg Souffles at Panera Bread. I modify it based on what I have in my pantry or refrigerator at the time, and you can certainly adjust the amounts of the vegetables (or the types, for that matter) depending on what you have on hand. To make the recipe lighter, you could substitute half and half for the heavy whipping cream (also good if you're the type of person who likes h'n'h in your coffee and doesn't feel like purchasing an entire pint of whipping cream to only use half of it).

1/4 cup onion, diced

1 tsp. garlic, minced

1/3 can (about 1/4 cup) artichokes, chopped

1/2 cup fresh chopped spinach or 1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach

1/8 cup sundried tomatoes, diced (or roasted red peppers work well)

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

salt and pepper (to taste, but you'll probably want to start with about 1-2 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp. of pepper)

8 eggs

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 cans crescent rolls

For the filling, saute the onions and garlic in a frying pan with 2 T. butter or margarine over medium heat until soft. Add the artichokes, spinach, tomatoes or red peppers, and red pepper flakes and continue sauteing until everything is cooked, approximately 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs and whipping cream until combined. Add the parmesan cheese and the vegetable mixture.

Dusk a working surface and roll out the crescent rolls into one sheet. Cut the sheet into approximately 12 squares. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray, and loosely arrange the crescent roll squares into the muffin cups (1 square per muffin cup). Pour the quiche mixture over the crescent dough, filling each muffin cup approximately 2/3 full (the quiche mixture will puff slightly while cooking. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes, removing them when the dough is beginning to turn golden brown and the egg mixture is set.

If you're having trouble with the crescent dough browning before the egg is set, you can microwave the egg mixture prior to filling the muffin cups (just be sure to use a glass mixing bowl for the egg mixture). Microwave it for 1-minute intervals, stirring between each interval, for approximately 5 minutes. On the other hand, you can pre-cook your crescent dough slightly (3-4 minutes) prior to filling them with the egg mixture. Pre-cooking the dough will allow it to puff slightly and keep the croissant texture, even after you've added the egg mixture.