Spinach-Tomato Quiche with a Quinoa Crust

June 17, 2013

The spouse and I find ourselves increasingly cutting back on meat and eating more vegetarian meals. So I am always surfing around the internet looking for interesting recipes that include quinoa and/or beans.

This dish began when I surfed onto the “Gazing In” blog where author Sarah had created a toil-free quinoa crust while developing her Spinach Quinoa Quiche.

How, you may be wondering, can a crust be toil-free? Here’s how: By adding uncooked quinoa to a liquid mixture where, during cooking, the grain falls to the bottom and thickens. Neat, huh? I also found that the quinoa crust kept thickening even when quiche leftovers took a time out in the refrigerator.

Sarah’s recipe looked good and easy, but it didn’t suit someone with lactose sensitivity who was dieting. Thus began my adaptation: Using non-cow dairy products, switching to liquid egg substitute, cutting back on the cheese, and making up for the missing cheese by adding pizza sauce for a tomato flavour, etc.

So, here it is—a tasty, dieter’s vegetarian dish that’s easy as pie…er, quiche!

Makes 4-8 servings, depending on whether the quiche is used as a main or side dish. 

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• ¼ cup chicken broth, optional
• 2 cups liquid egg substitute (8 eggs)
• 2 cups baby spinach, packed tightly (Chop if leaves are large.)
• 1 cup alternative milk
• 1 6 oz. can of pizza sauce
• ½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• ½ cup sheep romano, grated (or parmesan if you can handle it)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Spray the inside of a 2-quart covered casserole pot with cooking spray.
2. Put the pot on medium heat, add onion and garlic, and cover. (The cover will hold in the steam and condense liquid back into the pot. But, if you need more liquid to keep onion from burning, add chicken broth.)
3. Stir onion and garlic occasionally and cook until the onion is soft. Remove from heat.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, milk, and pizza sauce. (Alternatively, you sprinkle the cheese on top.)*
5. Stir in spinach along with the cooked onion and garlic.
6. Add the rinsed quinoa, and mix. Then shake the mixture gently to start the quinoa heading downwards. Don’t worry if a few remain on the surface. (The original recipe says to also “lightly rap dish on counter a couple of times to settle the quinoa,” but I didn’t find this necessary.)
7. Taste, and add salt and pepper if necessary.
8. Pour mixture into the casserole pot.
9. Cover casserole and bake in 350° F oven for 50-60 minutes or until a knife, inserted in the centre comes out clean. (If you’ve sprinkled cheese on top, take cover off after 45 minutes and cook for 15 minutes uncovered.)

*The first time I made this dish, I sprinkled the cheese on top and had a thicker quinoa crust; the second time (photo), I mixed the cheese in, and the crust was thinner. Hence, I am guessing that the strips of grated cheese caught some of the quinoa and stopped the grains from falling to the bottom.

For Weight Watchers: Total point count for the dish is 16 points on the PointsPlus program if using a milk whose point value is 2 points per cup.

• 4 servings: Each serving is 4 points.
• 6 servings: Each serving is 3.6 points.
• 8 servings: Each serving is 2 points.