Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Portable quiche


 I am always looking for different snacks to make for those inbetween hours -- after breakfast and before lunch and inbetween lunch and dinner. I wanted something more substantial than just fruit and yogurt...

Vegetarians who are not careful can become deficient in B12 vitamins. The sources for B12 are eggs, milk, yogurt and cheese. The body needs 2mg of B12 every day. One egg contains .9mg, 1 cup of yogurt or milk contains .6mg and a slice of cheese contains .2mg. (These numbers come directly from my dietitian.) So I decided to make quiche to boost the daily B12 quota.

A word about the crust: it is not a traditional quiche crust. I made the whole thing whole grain and with olive oil, so that there are no bad things to worry about here. I got the crust recipe from one of my favorite blogs Chocolate and Zucchini, but I use all whole grain spelt flour instead of a combination of whole wheat flour and white flour -- you decide. My crust is certainly tender and firm, but holds the moist filling well and keeps it fresh.

You can add any filling you like: mushrooms and onions work well together but today I used onions and yellow bell peppers. Designate some time to make these, put some in the freezer and pack some for your snack time!




Quiche
Makes 12 mini quiche or one 9-inch tart
Crust adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini

Crust:
250g (2 cups) spelt flour
1/4 cup olive oil or canola oil
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 - 1 cup cold water

Filling:
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 cup cheddar or Herregård cheese, grated
1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 tsp herb de provence
1/4 tsp (or less) red chili flakes
1/4 tsp salt
A dash of black pepper

1. Make the crust: In a large bowl, add the flour and salt and rub the oil in with your fingers until it looks like oatmeal. Add the water just until the dough comes together. Form into a ball.

2. Roll the crust and fit into the mold of your choice, whether it's muffin pans or a large tart pan. Chill for an hour.

3. Make the filling: Add one tablespoon olive oil to a pan and sautee onion and bell peppers until soft. In a separate bowl (preferably with a pourable spout) beat together the milk, eggs, herb de provence, red chili flakes, salt and pepper. Grate the cheese in a separate container.

4. Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Add the chilled crust to the hot oven and bake 10 - 15 minutes until cooked and dry.

5. Raise the heat to 400F/200C. Add one tablespoon of the vegetable filling, followed by one tablespoon of the grated cheese to each muffin mold crust or arrange all the vegetable filling, followed by all the cheese to the bottom of your 9-inch tart crust. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the top.

6. Bake 10 - 15 minutes until set and golden on top.

7. Once cooled, store in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer.

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