Paleo Grain-free Quiche with Spinach and Shiitake Mushrooms

Quiche is one of my favourite healthy comfort foods because it is so satisfying, filling and nutritious at least when its grain-free that is. Packed with vegetables and eggs it is high in protein and fibre, vitamins and minerals.  The great thing is that you can swap out the vegetables and herbs making a different tasting dish every time. It’s a good way to use up left over vegetables as well and it can be pre-cooked, sliced and frozen so it’s ideal for meal prepping too. We generally have this for lunch with a raw salad on the side. It can easily be packed in your lunch box for work, school or a picnic.

In this recipe I have added onions, spinach, shiitake mushrooms and eggs. The base is made from almond flour and coconut oil.

Why Shiitake mushrooms? Although you can replace them with any other mushroom I choose shiitake for their health benefits. Not only do they lower cholesterol but they also help fight cancer (according to the American Cancer Society) and are packed with antioxidants.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cooking time 45 minutes

Total time 55 minutes

Ingredients

Crust:

 

2 cups almond flour

2 garlic cloves minced

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp thyme

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1 tbsp water

 

Filling:

1 medium onion

1 tbsp coconut oil

125g fresh shiitake mushrooms

150 g defrosted spinach or 200g fresh spinach

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper

6 eggs

 

Method:

 

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees celcius. Make the pie crust first by putting the almond flour in a bowl and adding the garlic, salt, thyme, water and melted coconut oil. Mix well. Spoon the dough into a 9 inch (22cm) pie tin lined with baking paper and press down with your fingers and spread the dough over the whole surface making sure to form a little edge around approx. 1 cm tall.

Place it in the oven and allow to bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.

 

While the crust is baking prepare the filling. Chop the onion finely and sauté in a pan with the coconut oil. Chop the mushrooms and spinach and add to the pan. Cook for 10 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and the spinach is wilted. In a bowl whisk the eggs with salt and pepper and add the vegetables from the pan. Mix well.

Once the crust is finished remove it from the oven and pour in the egg mixture. Place in the oven again for another 25-30 minutes until the egg is solid.

 

Let it cool before removing from the tin and slicing. Serve with some hot chili sauce if desired and a fresh organic salad.

 

Alternatives:

 

Mushrooms and spinach can be replaced with broccoli, peppers, leeks, bacon, asparagus, olives or courgettes. You can add herbs such as parsley and coriander. You can add parmesan if you like but I prefer to keep mine dairy free and it tastes great anyways.