a little healthy-ish vegi quiche
Normally I'm a big old chicken when it comes to baked goods, but I went out on a limb to make a nice vegetarian dinner that doesn't FEEL vegetarian. I can saute my savory little heart out and make an apple compote the kills men, but baking is scary. Plus, the Boy and I are trying to lose some weight, so how can I make something like Quiche (cheesy, eggy, baked-in-butter-crust goodness) into something kinda healthy?
First, the crust. I used a super-simple one with a super-secret ingredient--Chipotle powder, for a little kick and a lot of smokiness.
Combine in a bowl:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I got some durum flour, which is finer, so if you've got whole wheat pastry flour it's great! If you're not hot for whole wheat, you can replace this with plain old white flour)
1/2 cup white flour, minus 1 Tbsp psyllium husk powder (optional, for some fiber and softness)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
Cut in 1 stick of unsalted butter with a fork, and, once it's in bits smaller than your thumbnail, mix with your hands until it's at a fine crumb. Sprinkle on 1 Tbsp of cold water and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle on another tablespoon and mix. Add more cold water as necessary by the tsp until the dough gets sticky and forms one mass. Wrap it up in plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge for at least an hour so it cools enough to roll out.
And then the filling! (This is the point where you put your oven on 350 degrees.)
Whip up, in a bowl, until uniform in color (i.e. until the sour cream disperses):
1/4 cup lite sour cream
4 small eggs (or 3 large eggs)
1 tsp salt
Pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
2 chopped scallions
Chop up 12 oz of mushrooms and 2 small or 1 large onion; saute until well caramelized in olive oil, add salt & pepper to taste, and allow to cool.
Pop open a can of artichoke hearts and drain thoroughly. Cut each in half and dry each with a paper towel. Really! Get these dry, or else you can end up with some pretty grody soggy crust. Toss these into the crust first. Top with the mushroom mix, and then add on top of THAT your cheese of choice--I went with one package of pre-crumbled goat cheese. Pour the egg mix on top, and gently move the other fillings around with the fork so it can permeate the layers. Squish down the top so it's flatter, and no cheesy bits will toast up.
By now your oven should be warm. Is it? Pop that bad boy in and let it hang out for about a half hour, until it's completely firm (think scrambled eggs--you don't want to eat raw egg, after all).
While I know it doesn't look like much, I can assure you it was AWESOME. I'm not going to refrigerate it so the crust doesn't get soggy--and honestly, I don't think the leftovers will last past tomorrow morning's breakfast!
From random
First, the crust. I used a super-simple one with a super-secret ingredient--Chipotle powder, for a little kick and a lot of smokiness.
Combine in a bowl:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I got some durum flour, which is finer, so if you've got whole wheat pastry flour it's great! If you're not hot for whole wheat, you can replace this with plain old white flour)
1/2 cup white flour, minus 1 Tbsp psyllium husk powder (optional, for some fiber and softness)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
Cut in 1 stick of unsalted butter with a fork, and, once it's in bits smaller than your thumbnail, mix with your hands until it's at a fine crumb. Sprinkle on 1 Tbsp of cold water and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle on another tablespoon and mix. Add more cold water as necessary by the tsp until the dough gets sticky and forms one mass. Wrap it up in plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge for at least an hour so it cools enough to roll out.
And then the filling! (This is the point where you put your oven on 350 degrees.)
Whip up, in a bowl, until uniform in color (i.e. until the sour cream disperses):
1/4 cup lite sour cream
4 small eggs (or 3 large eggs)
1 tsp salt
Pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
2 chopped scallions
Chop up 12 oz of mushrooms and 2 small or 1 large onion; saute until well caramelized in olive oil, add salt & pepper to taste, and allow to cool.
Pop open a can of artichoke hearts and drain thoroughly. Cut each in half and dry each with a paper towel. Really! Get these dry, or else you can end up with some pretty grody soggy crust. Toss these into the crust first. Top with the mushroom mix, and then add on top of THAT your cheese of choice--I went with one package of pre-crumbled goat cheese. Pour the egg mix on top, and gently move the other fillings around with the fork so it can permeate the layers. Squish down the top so it's flatter, and no cheesy bits will toast up.
By now your oven should be warm. Is it? Pop that bad boy in and let it hang out for about a half hour, until it's completely firm (think scrambled eggs--you don't want to eat raw egg, after all).
While I know it doesn't look like much, I can assure you it was AWESOME. I'm not going to refrigerate it so the crust doesn't get soggy--and honestly, I don't think the leftovers will last past tomorrow morning's breakfast!
From random