So here I was, on a Friday night, with no plan for dinner. Apparently my usual meal planning ways had failed me. Hubby and I had no plans, and I didn’t have a soccer game that night. Still, there was some food in the house, so I nixed the idea of grabbing something on my way home, and instead decided to do what seemed the best plan of all:
I winged it.
With some leftover sweet potato puree (sans maple syrup) that needed to be used, along with some eggs and a bit of fresh Mexican chorizo, I started to develop a plan. I grabbed random ingredients in hopes of making a pie crust of sorts with the mashed sweet potato, with little-to-no idea whether it would actually work.
What I wasn’t prepared for was how well it actually did work! (This isn’t something that usually happens with experimental gluten-free baking – typically you have to tweak, tweak, and tweak some more to get something just right.) This crust isn’t a typical flaky pie crust. In fact, it’s rather bread-like, almost akin to a pizza crust in texture. (which ought to be my next experiment – sweet potato pizza crust!) It baked up well, so I proceeded with filling it with eggs, cooked chorizo, and swiss chard. Back into the oven it went, and what emerged was quite lovely indeed.
This quiche is perfect for a brunch or weekend breakfast, or alongside a salad for a light dinner. Personally I just ate two slices and called it dinner that night. What I was particularly fond of, however, was how well the leftovers were. I could reheat a slice for breakfast the following morning and it was delicious – the crust didn’t suffer in the least. This was a pleasant surprise, and ensured none of this quiche went to waste.
As we typically end up with leftover sweet potato puree, I’m sure this crust will reappear in some form again in the near future. Of course, I’ll be certain to share with you the successes. Until then, I hope you enjoy this simple quiche.
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Chorizo and Chard Quiche with a Sweet Potato Crust (gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free)
For the crust:
2 egg whites
1 egg
1 T psyllium husk powder
1 T ground flaxseed
1 c sweet potato puree (follow instructions on how to make sweet potato puree here, omitting maple syrup)
2 T coconut butter* (also called creamed coconut or coconut cream concentrate)
1/2 c white rice flour
1/2 c blanched almond flour (I used Honeyville)
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t baking powder
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a glass or ceramic pie pan and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add the psyllium husk powder, flaxseed, sweet potato puree and coconut butter (warm this a bit if it is too hard) and stir until well-blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the rice flour, almond flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until well-blended. Transfer the dough to the pie pan and press out evenly. If the dough sticks to your fingers, oil them with a little olive oil before pressing.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before filling.
For the filling:
6 oz fresh Mexican chorizo (not dried/Spanish chorizo – and check labels. I find that the chorizo purchased at the butcher’s counter is gluten-free; the cheap stuff found in the prepared deli meats section usually isn’t.)
4 large leaves Swiss chard, stems and leaves chopped
6 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
Meanwhile, while the crust bakes, heat a large skillet to medium heat and add crumbled chorizo. Brown until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Add the stems of the Swiss chard and sauté for a minute, and then add the leaves, sautéing for another minute. Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Once the pie crust is cooled, add the chorizo-chard mixture to the crust, spreading out evenly. Season the beaten eggs with salt and pepper and pour over the chorizo-chard mixture evenly.
Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the eggs are completely firm and no longer wobbly in the center. If the edges of the crust begin to brown too much, you can cover the edges with foil. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then slice to serve.
Serves 6-8.
*NOTE about creamed coconut/coconut butter/coconut cream concentrate: It’s all the same thing; it just depends who makes it. Let’s Do Organic calls it creamed coconut , Artisana calls it coconut butter, Nutiva calls it coconut manna , and Tropical Traditions calls it coconut cream concentrate. Lexie of Lexie’s Kitchen made some from scratch. I have used several of these brands with success, and have even made my own. Any of those will work just fine in this recipe.
