Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

Ever since my school days I really wondered what my carnivorous egg-loving friends enjoyed so much about quiche.
Being a vegetarian, I never dared to take a bite to find out;) I hated it when the caterers at school breakfasts, parties and events would INSIST that the quiche was “vegetarian”. I’m happy that now I have crossed a simple thing like quiche off of my bucket-list.

I’ve been day dreaming of eating a quiche for breakfast for two weeks now. I’m not sure how I got the urge! I think I’ve been reminiscing on an amazing vegetarian quiche my friend Dimple once made. (Hoping when she reads this she will send us the recipe) I’ve decided that I have to me more generous with myself in order to connect with my readers! In that case….I have to confess that her quiche was SO good, I think I may downed one too many slices in the backseat of her car while travelling to Tzaneen. ( Half the tupperware,maybe?)
Gluttonous , I know.

This was my first try at an adapted, “healthier” version of an egg-free quiche.
I’m really thrilled that the crust has NO butter in it – cutting back on all those delicious calories of flakey shortcrust pastry that we all love.
I made the crust using whole wheat flour, a little bit of brain ( to make it seem EXTRA healthy) and some olive oil. I think thats quite a win if you’re trying looking to cut down!

prep time: 20 minutes (work effectively!)
cooking time: 30min serves : 6

Ingredients:

For the pastry:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup plain flour
2 tbsp wheat bran ( you can add wheat germ too )
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water – must be very chilled ( I added a block of ice to my cup)
1 1/2 cups of rice or baking beans

For the filling:

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp green chilli
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp olive oil
+-4 cups chopped, uncooked spinach ( I estimated a big bunch )
1 1/2 cup chopped portobellini mushrooms ( or any mushrooms you prefer)
2/3 cup ricotta cheese or crumbled paneer
1 cup cheddar cheese
2 tbsp goats cheese or feta
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp reduced fat fresh cream
2 tbsp corn flour
black pepper
salt

Method:

For the Pastry:

Mix the flour and salt together.
Add the olive oil and rub through until completely combined.
Gradually and slowly ,add the water and combine until the mixture sticks together when pinched.
On a floured surface, roll out the crust until its about 7mm thick.
Gently lift and shape it into a tart tin.

Prick holes into the crust. Cover with a sheet of baking paper. Firmly press the rice down. This is to make sure that your pastry doesn’t rise during baking.
Bake at 180 degrees for 20minutes. Remove the rice and baking paper and bake for a further 5-7 minutes.

For the filling:

It would be a good time-saving idea to prepare your filling while the crust is baking.

Roughly chop the spinach. Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the cumin and chilli and fry until sizzling.
Sauté the spinach and mushrooms together until they’re just cooked. Don’t aim to wilt till dead here!
Add the nutmeg, a good amount of black pepper, and a tiny bit of salt to taste. Cook for a further 5minutes.

In a processor, or by hand, mix the ricotta, milk, cornflour and cream together. You can add a touch of paprika to this mixture like I did! I just couldn’t resist. Add a pinch of salt too.

Once your crust has cooled slightly, spread a little bit of cheddar cheese to cover the base.
Add the spinach and mushroom filling, and top with the creamy ricotta mixture.
Sprinkle a bit of pepper and finish with a final layer of the remaining cheddar and feta.

Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before digging in!

By mistake, I doubled the quantity of the pastry dough. I think it turned out to be quite a great idea – I made some extra filling so that my family can enjoy a slice of quiche and fresh green salad for lunch tomorrow!
The more time the quiche has to rest, the better it sets.

A really good “make – ahead” dish for busy people like you!

P.S…I’ve corrected the ONE spelling mistake I made in this post for my observant friend Misha. ( Yes I made sure I counted) 🙂

Sunday Scones with Cinnamon Cream

If there is any reason to wake up on a Sunday at all…it’s breakfast!
Breakfast is my FAVOURITE meal of the day.

During the week I’m usually pressed for time ( I need to wake up earlier!..something else I should work on!)
I mostly manage oats, a little bit of fruit and tea in a mug on my way to work.
If there were ever a drink-tea-and-drive contest, I’d win. I’ve mastered the art of non-spillage and perfect timing on my way to work, finishing an almost bottomless purple mug of my favourite masala tea.
On weekends, I can’t resist the urge to indulge in breakfast, more than any other meal.

My dog has recently learnt how to wake us up at 6am with constant desperate barking. He needs his morning fix of paw paw before he takes his mid-morning nap.
This morning, he couldn’t resist the smell of fresh scones in the oven, and waited patiently while maintaining this expression:

How can one say no to this face??

These scones are really quick to make! I’d suggest making a double recipe to last you through the week:)

Ingredients: Prep Time: 15 minutes Baking Time 15 minutes Makes 15-18 scones

2 cups plain cake flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into cubes ( I used unsalted but I’m sure salted will be fine)
3/4 cup buttermilk, chilled + 2 tbsp for brushing over

Method:

In bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles soil.
Add the buttermilk and stir until the dough comes together in a ball. If you need extra liquid, add a tablespoon of milk.

On a lightly floured surface, gather the dough into a bowl and knead gently for two minutes. The dough does NOT need to be smooth at all,rather just combined.
Lightly roll the dough into a circle about 14mm thick. Cut dough into 7cm rounds with a lightly floured cutter. Place on a greased baking sheet about 2cm apart, and brush with buttermilk.

Bake until golden brown, for about 15 minutes.

I couldn’t keep myself away from the scones as soon as I took them out of the oven.
I was almost heartbroken when I realised that we were out of strawberry jam and fresh strawberries!
I think that qualifies as scone-sin!

Before my family arrived for breakfast, I quickly whipped up some cinnamon fresh cream to go with the scones.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup fresh cream
2 tbsp castor sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Whip the cream at high speed until it is soft and cloudy. Gently stir in the castor sugar and cinnamon.

Spread generously over a hot scone and be elevated to sunday breakfast heaven!

Simplified Palak Paneer

I’ve been meaning to post this for atleast a month..while I was still fasting for Shravan.
Finally, I had the perfect opportunity to publish this post yesterday for all my fasting friends, until I realised that my images were “missing”.

This morning I found my fourth memory card in the depths of my boot…*ashamed*. I am SURE there are a few ungodly things hiding in the dark corners of my car…I am really hoping to resolve my car-storage issues this week!

I am totally bored with potatoes, moriyo (samo) and sabudana ( sago/tapioca). It reminds me of tasteless mush that I often ate on fasting days while growing up. It takes a skilled cook to actually make those dishes taste anything but bland! ( Yes, I know…fasting is not meant to be tasty!)

I made this healthy, delicious Palak Paneer on Ekadashi some time ago.

Ingredients: Preparation Time: 10 minutes if you are really slow :p Otherwise 5. Cooking Time: 10 minutes

A big bag ( 250ish grams) of fresh baby spinach.. sorry, I don’t measure these kinds of things. I judge according to how many people I need to feed;)….just being honest!
1.5 cups cubed paneer.
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp green chilli
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1 tsp salt ( more, or less..to your taste!)
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tsp khas khas ( white/opium poppy seeds)
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1.5 tsp dhana jeeru ( ground cumin + coriander)
1 tsp red chilli
1 tsp taj masala ( cassia/cinnamon powder)

2 tablespoons of reduced fat fresh cream

Method:
Wash and spin the spinach. Make sure there is MINIMAL water/moisture left on the leaves before you continue.
Blitz in a food processor until a fine consistency is achieved. I like to stop JUST before it turns into a puree. You can add a tablespoon or so of water to help the process.

In a deep frying pan or a wok, heat the olive oil. Add the cumin, khas khas ,chilli and ginger until you can hear that delicious sizzling sound. Add the cashew nuts and fry until golden. I love to add a little extra! Add the mint leaves and fry for about half a minute.

Stir in the spinach. Add the remaining spices, and simmer on medium-high heat for 7 minutes.
Add the paneer, then reduce the heat and add salt and fresh cream. Simmer for 3 minutes.

My sister made these VERY healthy , gluten free bhakhris (flat bread) made with Rajigra flour, to go with this delicious palak paneer. I promise to add her recipe soon.

I know sometimes ingredients are difficult to find. Use vegetable oil or butter if you’re out of olive oil.
Use ricotta cheese, or even haloumi cheese for a nice change, if you can’t get your hands on paneer.
It was such a refreshing change from the usual potato-heavy dishes eaten on Ekadashi.
Serve hot, with a squeeze of lemon!