A Light Quiche.

For a nice summer lunch at home, try a vegetarian spread of onion quiche and fresh salads similar to what you might find in small restaurants in the south of France.

When I recently served this menu, the quiche was such a success that it made me wonder why this once-popular dish had fallen from favor. Quiches can be served as hors d’oeuvres, a first course or the main dish and can be served hot or at room temperature. Quiches look rich and heavy, but I lightened this one as much as I could without compromising its taste.

Two French-inspired salads of haricots verts and French green lentils served alongside the quiche make an appealing plate.

If you want the meal to be more substantial, consider cold roasted chicken or marinated shrimp or scallops on greens. Add a slightly chilled light red wine, a crusty baguette with sweet butter, a bowl of cut-up melons and crisp cookies and you’re all set. This menu can be served buffet or family-style.

OLD CANNES HARICOTS VERTS SALAD

Cooking the beans uncovered in rapidly boiling salted water retains their bright green color. Drain them immediately after cooking and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and preserve the color. This salad is best made just a few hours before serving.

1 pound haricots verts (French green beans), stem ends trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 teaspoons red wine vinegar

4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup minced, peeled, deseeded tomato

1/4 cup torn basil leaves

8 pitted Nicoise olives, cut up small

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add beans and cook, uncovered, until barely tender, about 3 minutes after boiling resumes. Drain in colander, then rinse under cold water until cold to touch.

Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, tomato, basil, olives, salt and pepper to taste in 2-quart bowl. Add green beans and, using hands, toss until well-mixed. (Note: can be served immediately or can rest at room temperature for few hours. Before serving, stir well and adjust seasoning.)

6 servings. Each serving:

81 calories; 281 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 1.12 grams fiber.

FRENCH GREEN LENTIL AND CARROT SALAD

Other lentils may be substituted for small French green lentils; just be sure to cook them until tender but not at all mushy. Carrot juice moistens salads in a flavorful way and reduces the amount of oil typically used. Freeze excess carrot juice in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, pop out the juice cubes and store them in an airtight plastic bag in the freezer.

1 1/2 cups green lentils

3/4 cup thinly sliced baby carrots

3/4 cup thinly sliced small green onions, white and light green parts only

1/3 cup carrot juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

Put lentils in 3-quart saucepan and add 6 cups water. Bring to boil and simmer, uncovered, until just tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well. (Note: Cooking liquid can be frozen and used in a soup base.)

Transfer hot lentils to large bowl. Add carrots, onions, carrot juice, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

(Note: Salad can be served hot or at room temperature. Before serving, stir well and adjust seasoning. If storing overnight, refrigerate lentils, let them come to room temperature and mix with remaining ingredients a few hours before serving.)

6 servings. Each serving:

215 calories; 210 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams protein; 2.84 grams fiber.

SWISS GRUYERE ONION QUICHE WITH CHIVES

Using 1% milk instead of heavy cream, less cheese over the top and egg substitute for whole eggs reduces the fat in this quiche. Side by side, the quiche baked with the egg substitute was every bit as good as the quiche made with eggs.

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 onions, halved and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 cup 1% milk

Egg substitute for 4 eggs or 4 eggs

1 pie crust pre-baked in 9 1/2-inch tart pan with removable bottom

3 ounces Swiss Gruyere cheese, finely shredded or chopped (about 3/4 cup)

2 tablespoons snipped chives

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. When hot, add onions and cook, stirring often, until slightly brown, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir until well mixed. Stir in milk. Cook over medium heat until creamy and thickened, about 20 seconds.

Put egg substitute in 2-quart bowl. (Note: If using whole eggs, whisk until fluffy.) Add onion mixture in small amounts, stirring well after each addition.

Ladle mixture into pre-baked pastry in tart pan. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top. Garnish with chives.

Place tart pan on baking sheet for easy handling. Bake at 350 degrees until puffy and browned around edges, 35 to 40 minutes. (Note: Bake few minutes less if using whole eggs.) Let rest 10 minutes at room temperature if serving hot. (Note: Quiche can also be served at room temperature.)

Remove collar from tart pan and slide quiche off pan base onto serving platter. Cut into wedges.

6 servings. Each serving:

73 calories; 271 mg sodium; 2 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.16 gram fiber.

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Kitchen Tip

Use a refrigerated crust that just fits in a 9 1/2-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Once it’s centered in the pan, lightly press it into place. Use a fork to prick the bottom and sides of the crust. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with beans, rice or pie weights to keep the pastry from slipping down in the pan during baking.

Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake at 450 degree10 minutes. Carefully remove the lining and its contents from the pastry. Continue to bake the pastry until the bottom is lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes longer. I prefer a black steel tart pan because it browns the pastry better than an aluminum tart pan.

* Claudia Grau blanket from Freehand, Los Angeles.