Sunday
Crustless Quinoa Quiche
This crustless quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) quiche is wonderful for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. It is equally enjoyable cold or hot.
It is super easy to throw together because you don't even have to make the crust - and trust me when I say you won't even miss it! I served it to my friend at a picnic in the park one lunch time. She had never heard of quinoa before and loved it. This quiche is a great way to introduce quinoa into your or your family's diet because you don't even notice or taste it (not that it tastes bad!).
Nutritionally speaking, quinoa is a super food. It has an almost perfect ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats which means that it is great for those who need more protein in their diets or those looking to lose weight. Quinoa has been described as one of the best sources of protein you can get from a plant source. Quinoa is also considered to be a complex carbohydrate and provides the body with daily fiber, antioxidants and vitamins such as magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus and B2. Quinoa is also gluten free.
Quinoa can be used as a direct substitute for rice, potatoes, or even pasta. It has a slight nutty flavour and a unique texture.
Feel free to change the vegetables included in the quiche mixture but be sure to put the cherry tomatoes on top - they provide a wonderful sweetness to the quiche.
What you need to serve 4 people:
- 6 eggs
- 3/4 cup Greek yoghurt
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 4 mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups spinach or kale cut into thin strips
- 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, each tomato chopped in half
- salt and pepper to taste
- butter or oil for cooking (I used coconut oil)
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and grease a quiche dish with butter or oil. Rinse the quinoa, add to a saucepan and then cover with the stock. Bring the stock to the boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook until all of the stock has been absorbed and the quinoa is cooked.
While the quinoa is cooking, add some oil to a frying pan and saute the onions and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add the spinach and mushrooms and stir until the spinach has just wilted. Set aside to cool.
Whisk the eggs with the Greek yoghurt until frothy. Add the spinach mixture, parmesan cheese, cooked quinoa, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper and mix until well combined. Pour the mixture into the greased quiche dish.
Carefully place the cherry tomatoes seed side up all over the top of the quiche and place it in the oven. Cook for approximately 45 minutes until golden.
Make it Naughty: add some tasty cheese and bacon pieces.
If you would like to see a video on how to cook quinoa, there is a quirky video available here - http://vimeo.com/21870705.
Sources: 1, 2, 3
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