Monday, April 16, 2012

Broccoli Cheddar Quiche


I'm off the Virginia countryside for a self-imposed writing residency, where I will be finishing my new book. I can't believe that it's already here!

Though I am sad to leave Los Angeles—and especially my husband and the Adorable Monster—I know that I will enjoy visiting my parents. Also, a change of scenery will be good for my brain.

I'll be gone for about four weeks, but of course I will be blogging in residency, as I always do. I have plenty of fabulous recipes stored up for your viewing and cooking pleasure. So before I get on a jetplane tonight (I'm writing this on Sunday before I leave, but it will post on Monday morning), I wanted to write up this week's recipe.


I made this Broccoli Cheddar Quiche for a lovely weekend brunch. But it's also great for lunch, dinner, or leftover. While we are all familiar with quiche recipes, mine is slightly different for a few reasons. First, I used unsweetened almond milk in place of milk or cream.

For the crust, I used a mix of half whole grain spelt flour and all purpose flour. And instead of making the dough with butter or shortening, I used extra virgin olive oil, which came out fantastic. I based my olive oil crust on this recipe from Chocolate & Zucchini (a great blog that I stumbled across while googling). But you're welcome to use whatever crust recipe floats your boat.

This is a great vegetarian dish, filled with protein and healthy vegetables. I'm even packing my last piece for the airplane. Serve it along with mixed greens tossed with good olive oil and sea salt.


Broccoli Cheddar Quiche
Makes one quiche
Baking time: about 45 minutes
Vegetarian

Ingredients
  • 1 recipe for olive oil crust or whatever crust recipe you prefer
  • 8 large eggs, preferably organic free range
  • 2 cups broccoli, finely chopped
  • 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)

Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Transfer the pie dough into an oiled pie dish and form the crust. 
  3. In a cast iron skillet or heavy-bottomed saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until beginning to soften (about 4 minutes). Add the garlic and saute for one more minute. Then add the broccoli and saute until becoming tender. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and almond milk. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese and the broccoli-onion mixture.
  5. Pour the filling into the pie dish. Sprinkle with a little smoked paprika (optional).
  6. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving. Enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. hello! thanks so much for this recipe (and for the link to that olive oil crush, yum)! towards the end - you mean "bake" for another 25 min, right? not turn the temp back up?? just making sure! THANKS!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for writing in—yes i mean "bake" for another 25 min. Updating the recipe now! xx

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