a story about a quiche

a couple of weeks ago, jared was out of town for a few days and i was left flying solo...no big deal as keeping myself occupied has never been something i struggle with. i really value my time at home and have been busy cooking, knitting, working on that neverending quilt, and taking some nice long walks with freddie.

because jared is vegan, most of the meals we eat at home are also vegan. i do eat eggs and dairy and will add cheese to my burrito, or have eggs for breakfast, but mostly we eat the same thing. i really don't mind this and over the past almost eight years i've gotten so used to cooking and baking vegan that i find myself confused on the rare occasions when i venture to make something that's not. since i've been pregnant, though, i've been eating a lot of eggs. both because i've been craving them more and for the necessary protein boost. so when i found out jared would be gone this week, i immediately decided i would make a quiche in his absence. i even went all out and made myself a crust from scratch!

let me tell you a quick story about my relationship with quiche. i don't remember ever eating it as a kid. it's possible we did, but i don't recall. in middle school, on the night of my first sleepover at my new (and current) best friend's house, her mom made us a quiche for dinner. i was a shy kid and too nervous to say that i didn't like quiche (even though i just had it in my head that i wouldn't like it). later, charlotte told her mom this story who of course thought it was adorable and hilarious. i was embarassed, but 18 years later it's one of our favorite cute-julia-kid stories :)

in college, quiche quickly became my go-to meal to cook. i'd buy the frozen crusts at the grocery store and throw in a pile of shredded cabot seriously sharp cheddar and whatever veggies we had lying around. the original recipe i followed was for the mushroom swiss quiche in the moosewood cookbook (one of the very first cookbooks i owned and used myself) but i never used swiss. i think i brought quiche to every single potluck i attended in college and shortly thereafter (charlotte's mom reveled in this development).

fast forward to me marrying a vegan and i don't think i've made a quiche in eight years. not that i have never had the opportunity in that time, it just hasn't occurred to me like it did this week. but it did. and it was delicious. like i said, i mostly just wing the recipe and i didn't write down any exact measurements. like i do, you can use whatever veggies you have around, this recipe was based on what was taking up space in my fridge this week. i was also super happy that i thought of all the 1/2 pint jars of roasted herbed cherry tomatoes that i put in the freezer last summer. they were a delicious addition!

veggie quiche
(adapted from the moosewood cookbook)

pie crust (homemade or store bought is fine)
a few handfuls of spinach
1/2 lb of chopped mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbl olive oil
3/4 cup roasted herbed cherry tomatoes
enough shredded cheddar cheese to cover the bottom of the pie crust (about 1/2- 3/4 cup)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbl all purpose flour
paprika
salt and pepper to taste

preheat oven to 350. saute the garlic, spinach, and mushrooms in a pan with the olive oil. add salt and pepper (and any other spices you like, thyme is good here) to taste. while the veggies are cooking, whisk together the eggs, milk, and flour. spread the shredded cheese to cover the bottom of the pie crust. depending on how cheesy you want your quiche, you can really pile it in here, or just spread a thin layer. spread sauteed veggies on top of the cheese. pour the egg/milk mixture on top of the veggies. it will fill in all the empty space. sprinkle some more paprika and kosher salt on top and bake for about 40-45 minutes.let it cool for about 15 minutes (or longer- this can be served at room temperature or cold if you like). enjoy!