The women in my family recently enjoyed a Mother’s Day tea hosted by my youngest sister.

As we chatted, soft piano music tinkled in the background. We nibbled an assortment of special tea treats at a table bedecked with china, an heirloom tablecloth, and glowing candles. Everyone contributed selections for the occasion, such as finger sandwiches, tarts, scones with Devonshire cream, fruit, and crème brulee.

It can be challenging to prepare heart-healthy options for events like this. I brought Cooking Light’s Crustless Smoked Turkey and Spinach Quiche. The recipe includes a combination of eggs and egg whites, evaporated skim milk, fat-free cottage cheese, regular Swiss and reduced-fat cheddar (I used fat-free cheddar), smoked turkey (I used turkey bacon), and other ingredients. The recipe was flavorful and light. Without a crust, we saved additional calories and fat, but we didn’t miss it. The first step in the recipe is to sprinkle ¼ cup of the shredded Swiss cheese in the bottom of the pan, followed by the lightly browned turkey and onions, so the quiche had a crust-like bottom.

I later realized the turkey bacon increased the fat content compared with smoked turkey, so I tried the recipe again for dinner using smoked turkey. Although my husband and I liked this version, I think I enjoyed the turkey bacon more. However, I’m not sure the bacon is worth the extra fat grams.

As I try more and more reduced-fat recipes, I suspect that the key to delicious dishes is to occasionally make the most of a small amount of flavorful regular ingredients by combining them with low-fat and reduced-fat ingredients. However, I’ve also found that reduced-fat ingredients can be very good in many dishes. As I continually work to trim the fat from our diet, I carefully weigh the options.