Spinach Feta Quiche with Quinoa Crust

  

Recipe from Cooking Light

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 4 (9-inch pie plate)

If you have cooked quinoa in the freezer, thaw it overnight in the fridge and you’ll be just about set to make this delicious quiche. 

Crust

Cooking spray

2 cups cooked quinoa, chilled** (I used “tricolor” quinoa to change up the color, but regular white/cream colored quinoa will work just fine.)

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large egg, beaten

Filling

1 teaspoon canola or olive oil

½ onion, thinly sliced

1 (5 oz.) bag baby spinach (Try other veggies such as mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, etc.)

½ cup 1% low-fat milk (I used unsweetened almond milk.)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

4 large eggs

2 large egg whites

1.5 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (Blue cheese or goat cheese would taste fabulous as a substitute.)

Preheat oven to 375F.  Coat the bottom and side of a 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. 

For the crust, combine the quinoa, pepper, and egg in a bowl.  Mix well.  Press the mixture into and up the sides of the pie plate.  Bake at 375F for 20 minutes; cool.

For the filling, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add oil and onion.  Sauté 3 minutes.  Add the spinach and sauté for 3 minutes, or until wilted but still bright green.  Remove from heat; cool.

Combine milk, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, eggs and egg whites in a bowl.  Whisk well. 

Arrange the spinach mixture in the crust; pour egg mixture over the spinach.  Sprinkle with feta.  Bake at 375F for 35 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Cut into 4 wedges.

Nutritional Information:  (1 of 4 wedges) 282 calories; 11.6 g fat (3.8 sat. fat; 3.6 mono. Fat; 1.6 g poly fat) 17 g protein; 28 grams carbs; 5 grams fiber; 243 mg cholesterol; 4 mg iron; 552 mg sodium; 172 mg calcium

** How to Cook Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) Just 1 cup of uncooked quinoa will yield almost 4 cups cooked. (Prepare a batch and then use half for the recipe above.  Freeze the other half to use for another recipe.) Here's what you will need to cook the quinoa: 1 cup  uncooked quinoa; 2 cups water for cooking; a sieve; water for rinsing; a saucepan with a cover and a kitchen timer. Place 1 cup of uncooked quinoa in a sieve (strainer.) Quinoa has a bitter coating (called saponin) that must be rinsed off.  An effective method for rinsing off the bitter coating is to place the quinoa seeds in a fine-meshed strainer and run cold water over the quinoa while gently rubbing the seeds together in your hands. Place the rinsed quinoa in a saucepan and add 2 cups water. Bring the cooking liquid to a rolling boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer. Place a tight-fitting lid on the saucepan. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. (Set a kitchen timer to 15 minutes so you won't forget to check for doneness.)  Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork.