My Version of Quiche, A Recipe

Sure, quiche can be creamy, cheesy, sickeningly decadent. But it can also be healthy, full of veggies and protein, and remain delicious.

I usually make quiche without a crust, but per husband's request i have used some leftover pie crust (flour, salt, shortening and crushed pecans). You can do this without a crust, just spray pan well with non stick.

I'm lucky enough to have a garden brimming with (not frozen thank goodness!) tasty veggies and herbs, as well as 4 prolific chickens in the back yard. All the ingredients i need, except the milk or cheese. I have so many herbs to choose from, it's a difficult decision - but since i usually flavor things with sage and rosemary so i think i'll mix it up and flavor this dish with cilantro, spinach, and sorrel.  This could also be healthier by using just egg whites, and by omitting all cheese and crust - but really a little cheese is too yummy to be missed.  I'll try and spare myself the extra calories by serving the husband most of the quiche and eating my quiche along with a garden fresh salad. We'll see how THAT goes.

Not So Evil Quiche:

• 4 Eggs
• 1 cup milk
• herbs: about 1 T chopped cilantro, 2 big, chopped leaves sorrel, dash cumin and chilly powder
  
• broccoli, florets and/or greens about 1/2 cup
  
• onions, i used onion greens, about 1/2 cup
  
• 4 leaves or more  spinach
• 2 large leaves kale
  
• 9 cloves roasted garlic, or fresh garlic
• salt and pepper
• diced hot chillies, i used 2 habaneros
  
• small red potato, microwaved
• cheese, any kind about a handful. I usually use less, but i was being nice to the hubby
  

Since i'm using a pie crust i'll start by rolling it out thinly and lining a 1.5 quart sized pyrex dish (you could use a pie plate to form a thinner quiche, maybe shorter cooking time). Next I chop up all the veggies to be similarly sized and quickly saute them in a smidgeon of olive oil or nonstick spray. Saute just until onions soften a bit and greens just wilt.
Scramble the eggs with the herbs and milk, add the sauteed veg and pour into the pyrex dish on top of the crust. I cut up some melty polish cheese into small chunks and dropped them into the mixture fafter pouring to be sure they're equally distributed. You can also shred some on top.
Bake at 375 for about 30-40 minutes. I baked for 20 minutes then switched to the convection setting and baked an additional18 minutes. This quiche was pretty thick so i wanted to be sure and solidify all the egg.
Doneness can be tested by poking with a chopstick to see if egg goo comes out, and by squishing the top to test resistance. Edges should brown and the eggs should puff up and bounce back when you press down.

Apologies for the crappy finished product pic: Chuck was about to start and we were hungry!
The quiche was quite delicious and super satisfying. My salad hit the spot and my wedge of quiche was followed up by only another tiny piece with a piece leftover for my breakfast this morning.

NOTE TO SELF for later: next quiche i'd like to try a pesto quiche. Have plenty of pesto in the freezer,  i think that could be deeelicious.

What's your favorite quiche recipe? Do you prefer vegetarian quiche, quiche with meat, decadent or low fat?

Homemade Sour Cream

• 2 cups fresh cream, preferably raw
• 2-3 tablespoons cultured buttermilk
• sprinkle of salt

• Boil a canning jar to sterilize. Mix the cream and buttermilk together and pour into warm jar, mix hard and sit at room temperature overnight or until thick to your preference. Keep well covered and store in ridge up to 3 weeks. Can be mixed with spicy or other yummies to make a flavored dip, or added last minute to dishes you want a bit creamy.
  

PS: update. I skimmed this cream off myself. turns out it wasn't totally just cream.... so my sour cream isn't exactly creaming/thickening at this point --- but hopefully it will at least get a tangy sour taste so that i can mix it into things.


I belong to a local raw milk co-op: we get raw milk from a dairy in Schulenberg who raises pasture fed jersey cows. Organic goodness.  Since reading parts of Nourishing Traditions I have decided to radically change our diet. I have long preached eating as much homegrown, whole foods, as i say "eating close to the earth." But when i really thought about what we eat most often, i come up with : soy milk, tofu, cereal, canned beans, lunch meat, and purchased veg/chicken broth, low fat honey mustard salad dressing. These are overly processed things treated with chemicals and high heat, even when i buy as organic as possible. So what will i be doing differently?

To start with : lots of fermented foods. Kim chee using whey from cheese making and yoghurt making, cultured milk products from raw milk, soaking grains in whey and making my own warm cereals, sproating more grains, making my own ketchup, mustard, and mayo from homegrown tomatoes, mustard seeds, and chicken eggs. I also whipped together some very simple salad dressing: some fresh herbs in a bit of olive oil and a mixture of red and white vinegars. That's just a start. I'm motivated and ready to plant some mustard!

First thing i'm trying with this batch of raw milk is sour cream. I skimmed the cream off the top  so that our drinking milk will be lower fat. With the cream i will add a bit of cultured buttermilk and let sit overnight to produce sour cream. This isn't the same as the stuff you buy in the store as it is cultured and more alive. Won't be for cooking but can be added last minute to things to cream them up a bit and add some good milk without as much lactose that i can't digest.

I highly recommend chicken Nourishing Traditions out of your library - it is truly inspiring!  It reminded me of so many things i used to know and practice, and gave me some better information on some of the pieces of knowledge i had but didn't know how to explain to others.
Fats must be consumed to help absorb good vitamins and minerals and make our body function. Raw milk when cultured is a great source of good enzymes and vitamins that are more easily digested than pasteurized milk not fermented. I need to be eating more balanced whole things to be getting all the good things my body needs, and to help wash out the bad things like heavy metals that have found their way inside me.