Recipe of the Week - Caramelized Onion Quiche with Whole Wheat Crust

I’m pretty set on owning chickens one day for this reason:  there are only 3 of us now, but we all love eggs, and we tear through a carton like nobody’s business.  This quiche is one of our favorite things to eat.  It’s super filling and makes a great dinner entree!  The whole wheat crust is also easy and tasty, and you mix it right in the pan.  You can take the time to sauté the veggies to give them beautiful color and flavor, or you can just add them raw.  Both will be successful!

Easy Whole Wheat Crust (taken from “100 Days of Real Food;” see link at end of post)

1.5 cups whole-wheat flour (I like to use whole white wheat)

1/2 cup oil (canola, olive, melted butter; I use olive)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons milk, preferably whole (I use coconut or almond milk)

In a 9-inch pie pan, combine all ingredients and mix with a fork. After mixing well, use your hand to form a ball in the pan and then press into pan. Bring it up on the sides and pinch the top (with your finger or a fork). Then mix and pour quiche filling right into the raw crust.  No more dreaded pie crusts!

Carmelized Onion Quiche (inspired by “The Urban Poser;” See link at end of post)

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1/2 cup coconut milk (or other milk of your choice, dairy or non-dairy)

2-3 Tbls chopped basil (or 1-2 tsp. dried)

1 medium sized onion

1 bell pepper

1/2 Tbls coconut oil or olive oil

1 medium sized tomato

6  green onions

4 large garlic cloves

1/2 tsp coarse ground black peppercorns

1/2 tsp coarse ground sea salt

Optional cheese, meats, olives, etc.

For the quiche:

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a large bowl beat together the eggs, milk, black pepper, chopped basil and salt and set aside.  Letting the egg mixture get to room temperature is preferable.

Thinly slice the onions and caramelize them in a pan with the oil.

While the onions are cooking cut the tomato in half.  Slice one half and set aside to place on top of the quiche after it’s assembled.  Chop the other half and set aside to add to the egg mixture.

Next, slice the green onions into narrow strips and dice the garlic.  When the onions are done, fry the garlic in the leftover oil until crispy, then fry the green onion.

Add your half a tomato, half the onions, garlic, and half the green onions to the egg mixture.  You can also add any other veggies, meats, and cheeses that sound delectable!  Pour into the pie crust.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  You may want to place the pie pan on a baking sheet if it is really full.

After 15 minutes, remove from the oven sprinkle the leftover tomato, onion, green onion.  Return to the oven and bake until just firm, another 15-25 minutes.  Make sure the center is done by jiggling the pan a little.

Let the quiche cool for a few minutes to finish setting.

Crust:  http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/04/26/quiche-with-a-super-easy-whole-wheat-crust/

Quiche:  http://urbanposer.blogspot.com/2011/08/soppressata-caramelized-onion-and-green.html

Recipe of the Week - Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

I was determined to have my traditional Green Bean Casserole this holiday season, even with my milk allergy.  I was very excited when I came across this Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe to make it possible!  I’m still not one of those people who wants to pour it over everything, but I do like the occasional creamy vegetable bake.  Even if you’re not sensitive to milk, this recipe will help cut back on the fat and salt content.  Hmmm…now I need to pull all those old family recipes back out that I had given up.  The wow factor: it’s very simple to make! Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups cold unsweetened alternative milk (cashew, rice, soy, almond, coconut—I’ve made the twice and I recommend the coconut milk way over the almond milk)

2 Tbsp. flour (can use rice flour for gluten free option)

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. oil

¾-1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. onion powder

Generous pinch of garlic powder

½ cup canned mushrooms (pieces and stems), drained

Directions:

In a small saucepan, whisk together all but the mushrooms until smooth.  Stir in the mushrooms.  Place the soup over medium-low heat and whisk continuously until the mixture thickens significantly, about 10 minutes.  Remember, you are looking for a very thick, condensed cream of mushroom soup consistency.  Once complete, it will weigh out to roughly 10 ¾ ounces or 1 ¼ cups.

Use in recipes as you would the original.

Condensed Cream of Celery option: Briefly sauté 1 cup of diced celery in 1 tsp. of oil over medium low heat, just 2-3 minutes.  Add the celery to the original recipe in place of the mushrooms.

Recipe taken from the book “Go Dairy Free.”