Spinach Quiche with a Twist

One of my favorite things to make for a different dinner is a quiche. It's one of those one-pot meals whose ingredients can be fully planned or can be whatever you can find in your fridge. Using leftovers and having some quick recipes on hand is a must around our home, as not all our meals are gourmet!

A few years ago, I tried making a "crust" out of quinoa for a deviation from the normal quiche recipe. I did this for a couple of reasons: it's an easy way to include some whole grains into this dish; most pie crust recipes are far from healthy with their fat content; and I just don't like rolling out the pie dough! I know, I know... there's store-bought pie crusts out there - I use them sometimes, but I try to limit my processed purchases.

Making the crust was about the easiest thing a person could do in the kitchen. I simply made the quinoa on the stove according to the package directions and then had my 2 year old daughter help me press it firmly into our pie pan.

I then sauteed a few ingredients I had in my refrigerator, such as olive oil, garlic, onion, broccoli slaw, a package of frozen spinach, and some leftover spicy meatballs cut into small pieces. After sauteing, I melted some swiss cheese into the mixture to make it follow more classic recipes.

Here is my quinoa crust filled with the vegetable ingredients, just before adding the liquid egg mixture. I loosely followed this quiche recipe I found on allrecipes.com, mostly paying attention to the egg/milk ratio that is poured over the vegetable filling.

Our family loves this easy meal that includes some of our leftovers. As a bonus, it gives me peace of mind that my family is consuming a meal balanced with whole grains, protein, vegetables, and healthy fats.