Spinach Quiche

The great thing about this recipe is that it's not only fabulous as is, but works great served in mini form. So it's perfect served as a holiday gathering appetizer or simply served from the pie plate as a meal in and of itself.

I love a dish that can be enjoyed equally at any time of day. And that's exactly what this is. A family favorite, this quiche always gets rave reviews whenever I make it. I originally pulled it from here but have since made my own modifications. If I'm serving this to my family, I like to use whole wheat pastry flour (soft white wheat) for the crust. If it's for a crowd, I'll occasionally tread over to unbleached white flour. Bob's Red Mill provides excellent products for both of these.

Above I mention making mini quiche. If you're up for that see the note below. It's definitely a fun one and they turn out fantastic! (Plus you get that wonderful feeling of accomplishment when not only do they look great, but the entire plate is gone in minutes and your guest are asking, "Did you make these?!" Really, could there be a better culinary feeling?) Whichever way you choose, I hope you enjoy. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:
1/2 c. milk (of choice; I use homemade almond milk)
1/2 c. almondaise or olive oil mayo 
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp. sea salt
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz. mozzarella, shredded
10 oz. fresh spinach, finely chopped
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 nine-inch pie crust, see below

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Whisk together mayo and milk. Whisk in eggs. Add salt and cheese. Set aside.
3. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add in spinach and continue cooking until spinach is slightly wilted. (Note: If you choose to skip the sautéing for ease you can. This is actually what I did in the photos you see. Which is why the spinach looks so fresh. However, it just didn't quite have the same flavor to me.)
4. Transfer spinach mixture into egg and cheese mixture and mix well. 
5. Pour and spread into baked pie crust.
6. Lightly cover with foil. Bake for 45 min. Remove foil and bake another 10 to 15 min until lightly browned on top.





Easy Pie Crust


Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour (soft white winter wheat)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
4-5 T. cold water

Directions:
1. Blend flour and salt together in a bowl. Using a fork, add butter and blend into flour and salt mixture until mixed well. (Note: I've using two knives to do this as well as a pastry cutter, the fork seems to work the best and cause you to not over work the dough once you add the water. Which overworking will lend toward a more dense and not as flaky crust.)
2. Add cold water and mix again with fork.
3. Form into a ball and roll out onto floured surface.
4. Transfer to pie dish.
5. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

Miniature Quiche
If you'd like to make these in mini form, simply do the following:

1. Make twice the dough. Follow dough recipe and instructions and place in mini muffin tin pans. Bake at temperature directed but decrease the time to about 6-8 minutes. Simply watch until you see that nice golden look as pictured above.

2. Fill the mini crusts with quiche filling to the brim of the crust (literally it only takes a tablespoon or so) and bake as directed but, again, decrease the time to about 10 minutes, depending on your oven. Again, just look for the filling to rise, puff and turn golden and you're done.