Spinach Mini-Quiches (To live for!!!)

[Carmella]

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w281/Carmella_Soleil/Raw%20Main/MiniQuiches2W.jpg

These are, hands-down, my most delectable raw creations as of yet. Don and I were both astounded at the result!

As I had yet to find a spinach quiche recipe that we really like, I decided it was time for me to come up with one of my own. Most quiche recipes call for psyllium as a thickening agent in the filling, which gives it a slimey texture that we don't particularly care for. Size was another issue, as a big quiche makes too much for the two of us. So I settled for mini-quiches instead.

Spinach Mini-Quiches

Crusts
I experimented with two different kinds of crusts as a base for the quiches. One is the ever-versatile calzone crust from Alissa Cohen's 'Living on Live Food'. The other is also found in Alissa's book, and is the crust from Elaina Love's Spinach Mushroom Quiche.

Crust #1 :
From the Spinach Mushroom Quiche recipe by Elaina Love

3 medium sized yellow zucchini, chopped (about 3 cups)
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 cup olive or coconut oil/butter
1 cup flax meal (about 3/4 cup whole seeds, ground)
1 cup soaked almonds (about 1/2 cup before soaking for 8 hours)

1. Blend the zucchini, sea salt and oil until zucchini is smooth.

2. Add the almonds and continue to blend until the entire mixture is smooth. You may need to use a spatula or celery stick to get the mixture to blend.

3. Pour the blended mixture into a bowl and add the flax meal.

4. Here is where I deviated from the original recipe. Using a muffin pan lined with saran wrap, I formed the batter into mini crusts. I put about a couple of tbs of dough in one of the muffin cups. Then, spread it thinly with a wet spoon (makes it easier to work with) and my fingers, all along the bottom and sides. After a few hours, once the outside shell was dry, I simply pulled on the saran wrap and gently turned the shells over onto the mesh to finish dehydrating.

If you'd rather go for larger sized quiche, just follow Elaina's original directions:

Shape into 4 pizza shaped crusts on dehydrator screens covered with Teflex sheets. Dehydrate the crusts at 105 degrees for 4 hours.

5. Remove the Teflex sheets and continue to dehydrate until the crusts are hard. It may take 8 or more hours altogether.


Crust #2: Calzone Dough
From Alissa's 'Living on Live Food'

4 cups Sprouted Buckwheat
1 1/2 cups Soaked Flax Seeds
3/4 cups Olive Oil (1/4 cup works good!)
1 1/2 cups Carrots
2 Cloves Garlic
1 teaspoons Curry
1 teaspoons Rosemary
1 teaspoons Thyme
2 teaspoons Sea Salt

Grind the carrots in food processor. Add in rest of ingredients and blend well until reach dough-like consistency. Mold the dough in muffin pans lined with saran wrap, as described above. Dehydrate for a few hours, and then gently turn onto the mesh to allow for the bottom of the shells to dry.

Carmella's Notes: I halved the recipe as it makes quite a lot of dough. Alternatively, you could make the whole thing and shape whatever excess dough into pizza crusts or make them all into mini shells and freeze them.

The crusts on the way to the D. You can see the Calzone Crusts in back and Elaina Love's in front. I also did a couple with only grated zucchini but they didn't turn out so well:

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w281/Carmella_Soleil/Raw%20Main/MiniQuicheCrustsBefW.jpg

Here they are, freshly out of the D:
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w281/Carmella_Soleil/Raw%20Main/MiniQuicheCrustsAftW.jpg

Quiche Fillings
I also tried a couple of different quiche fillings. One is based on RawGuru's Kale Patties recipe listed above. The other is a recipe I've come up with.

Filling #1: Spinach Almond Filling
Adapted from RawGuru's Kale Patties

2-3 cups spinach (I also used a little collard but you don't have to)
1/2 cup fresh herbs (parsley, dill, or cilantro)
1 clove fresh garlic
2 tbs. almond butter
5 tbs. almond pulp, from making almond milk
1 fresh tomato
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Crystal Salt

A few mushrooms marinated in a little oil and tamari, Nama Shoyu, Braggs or salt, chopped up

Place the almond butter and tomato in a food processor. Process until mixed. Add in the rest of the ingredients (except for the mushrooms). Taste the filling mixture and adjust seasonings.

Put some marinated mushrooms at the bottom of the shell crusts. Pour filling mixture on top. Decorate with a few mushrooms and dehydrate for a couple of hours at 110.

Filling #2: Spinach Velvet Cream Filling
2 avocados
4 cups spinach
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tbs olive oil
3/4 cup zucchini, roughly chopped
lemon juice, to taste
1 or 2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt or more if needed
Pinch of nutmeg (optional)

2 tbs soaked sun dried tomatoes, chopped (optional)
A few mushrooms marinated in a little oil and tamari, Nama Shoyu, Braggs or salt, chopped up

Blend all of the ingredients, except for the sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms, until smooth and consistent. Add water if too thick. If desired, fold sun dried tomatoes into spinach mixture.

Put some marinated mushrooms at the bottom of the shell crusts and pour filling on top. Decorate with a few mushrooms or chopped sun dried tomatoes. Refrigerate for up to 4 hrs or serve immediately.

The Mini-Quiches would also make fantastic finger foods for parties or potlucks.

Enjoy!

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w281/Carmella_Soleil/Raw%20Main/MiniQuicheForkZW.jpg

[Veganforlife]

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oops, sorry, but my mouth is drooling all over my keyboard - WHOA! They look amazing!

Thank YOU for sharing!

[Conscious Midwife]

Lovely

OMG

Now if I would spen more time in the kitchen and less on the 'puter I might be able to be this creative too.

Thanks for sharing

MY DEHYDRATOR should be here soon!!!

[Ertarox]

I emailed you but it's best to post here. Pls share with me again how to hollow out the crepe shell!

[jocelynAZ]

Wow, Carmella!! These look awesome!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Another fabulous recipe for me to try. Golly...my list of "to do" recipes is growing each time I visit this board! But I'm definitely not complaining! ;)

Veganforlife ~ You cracked me up with your response! LOL!! Too funny :D

[wyjoz]

Carmella you outdid yourself this time. Can I move in;PLEASE? I'll pay room and board! I want to eat everything you make; especially these little quiches ! RAWgards Joz

[wyjoz]

Yes, please, how did the shell hollow out? Joz

[RawFoodieMom]

Wow, those look so amazing!

Carmella, you're a raw food chef goddess, girl!!

Thanks for sharing!!

[Mishka]

Carmella~
I've been wondering where you've been on the board (haven't been around as much)...now I know...creative genius was at work;) veggie juice flying in the kitchen..hee hee.

The quiche looks wonderful. Which crust and which filling is your favorite and why? And I was also wondering have you tried freezing the whole thing or just the crust? It would be a good thing to make in advance for a party if it would freeze! Thanks so much for sharing.....
Mishka

[Nini]

Wow!! Carmella, thank you for sharing this.

[Carmella]

Gee, thanks you gals! You're making me blush! lol

lifeAgift,
Your comment made me smile...
(Now if I would spend more time in the kitchen and less on the 'puter I might be able to be this creative too.)

...That sounds just like me! I'm the one who's been complaining lately about not spending enough time in the 'other part' of the kitchen (my Mac is there too! lol)

What can I say, I was on a roll that day!

Ertarox,
Thanks for pointing out that my instructions weren't very clear about how to make the quiche shells. I'll go change my original instructions...

Here's what I did: I put about a couple of tbs of dough in one of the muffin cups. Then, spread it thinly with a wet spoon (makes it easier to work with) and my fingers, all along the bottom and sides.

I had also a second technique which I intended to try but somehow forgot about half way through. (Too much on my mind I guess! lol)

I spread the dough in little circles on the teflex sheet, using a glass upside down to help me make them uniform. (sorta like a cookie cutter). I dehydrated them for a few hours, then, when came time to turn them over onto the mesh, I was gonna transfer them to the muffin pan. It's worth a try as I think it would be less laborious than the other technique. If you try it, please let me know what you think!

And Joz, come on up! We'll find room to tuck you somewhere in a corner... lol

[Ama]

Carmella... I'm on my way... don't let Don eat the last one!

[Ertarox]

Here's what I did: I put about a couple of tbs of dough in one of the muffin cups. Then, spread it thinly with a wet spoon (makes it easier to work with) and my fingers, all along the bottom and sides.


Okay, so, this sticks to the saran wrap "walls" and stuff, no holes or sliding, etc?

My pizza crusts would do this, surely, because they are stickier. Is that the secret? Stickyish dough (Yes, I invent words).


- :eek: -
WHAT ABOUT MAKING IT CORN BASED (SUPER PLIABLE) AND USING A REGULAR SIZED BOWL? COULD THIS BE A TACO SALAD SHELL???? QUITE POSSIBLY?

[Carmella]

Oops! Can't keep up with your comments... :D


Carmella~
I've been wondering where you've been on the board (haven't been around as much)...now I know...creative genius was at work;) veggie juice flying in the kitchen..hee hee.

The quiche looks wonderful. Which crust and which filling is your favorite and why? And I was also wondering have you tried freezing the whole thing or just the crust? It would be a good thing to make in advance for a party if it would freeze! Thanks so much for sharing.....
Mishka

Oh, I know! I've been missing not spending as much time on the board too, but my 'blogventure' is taking a life of its own. Between that and uncooking, it's keeping me pretty busy.

OK, about which one I like best? That's a tough one! They were both incredibly tasty. I seriously don't think I could pick one.

I loved both crusts, although I gotta say I was quite impressed with Elaina's crust. It is so light and really reminiscent of a 'cooked one. I'll be using her recipe as a base for all sorts of savory and sweet pies, I can tell!

The fillings are quite different. The one based on RawGuru's recipe has more of a 'cooked' look and taste because of the dehydration.

The Spinach Velet filling is more 'fresh-like' and wouldn't keep as well. Probably a couple of days top in the fridge. It wouldn't freeze well I don't think.

As for the rest, just go for it! You could totally freeze the crusts on their own. The dehydrated quiches would also freeze well.

Hope that helps...

[Raw Creator]

Carmella,

Was thrilled to see another scrumptious recipe from you - I just know it's tasty! These are superb. Thanks for the suggestions.

:)

[Carmella]

Ertarox,

I had no difficulty with the dough sticking to the walls at all. Yep, your pizza crust dough would work as it is very similar to the calzone crust in terms of texture.

Here's a close-up so you can see the crusts better (hopefully!)

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w281/Carmella_Soleil/Raw%20Main/CrustsCloseW.jpg

"WHAT ABOUT MAKING IT CORN BASED (SUPER PLIABLE) AND USING A REGULAR SIZED BOWL? COULD THIS BE A TACO SALAD SHELL???? QUITE POSSIBLY?"

Absolutely! See, that's what I love about raw foods. You can get so creative! This recipe is already mutating into other awesome possibilities! Yay!

[Mishka]

Carmella~
Thanks for the info...I'm going to make them this week. I'll let ya know how they turn out. It's kinda weird...we must have been on the same wave length cuz I've been thinking about quiche this week. So this is exciting to me that I can do this and be raw!!!
I appreciate your generous spirit :)

((hugs))
Mishka

[spicyfull]

Thanks for Sharing............

[Little Mango]

My next stop=Canada!!!!!!!:D

[Carmella]

Mishka,
Don't you just love it when creative energy just criss-crosses like that?

Let me know how your quiches turn out!

Hey, come to think of it, why don't y'all just come on down (or up!) and we'll have a big gigantic quiche party? lol

[lavendarJ]

Carmella have you tried this with the filling "warmed" in the dehydrator and then placed in the shells and served that way?

[Carmella]

Yes and no! lol

The Spinach Almond Filling I did assemble as a quiche and put in the D for a couple of hours, although you could probably leave it longer too (or less as it's equally delish as a spread).

The Spinach Velvet filling has an avocado base so, I guess you could warm it up first in the D, but I'm thinking that you might lose some of the beautiful bright green color. (But hey! I might be wrong!) If you try it, keep me posted!

[Tirza]

Carmella, I have some of those silicone muffin cups that take the place of the little crimped muffin paper liners. I wonder if those would work for this instead of using the plastic wrap? When you take something out of them you kind of almost half turn them inside out. I am wondering if that would destroy the crusts or are they flexible enough at that half-way stage to survive that kind of handling?
Thanks

[star1919]

Oh Carmella... Magnifico! Thank you sooo much! Love spinach quiche... and these are greaaaaaaat! :D

[Carmella]

Hey Tirza,

I was wondering whether you were gonna see this thread as I know you, too, have been thinking about making quiche.

I'm having a hard time picturing how the silicon cups work so it's difficult to give you an accurate answer. Elaina's crust is quite thin and fragile so I don't know if it could be handled without damage. The calzone crust, on the other hand, is much sturdier so it might be able to take it. I'd recommend you experiment with a small amount maybe.

The other way to get around this would be to try the other technique I suggested earlier on this thread. Shape the dough into small circles on the teflex sheet and dehydrate for a few hours. Then, instead ot turning onto mesh, line into muffin pans. I haven't tried it but I think it might work.

[Mishka]

Carmella~
Just got all the ingredients, and going to put some almonds on to soak tonight so I'll make the crust tommorrow. I'll let ya know how it comes!
I'm so completely burnt out on cashews right now ( too much raw ice cream and choc. chip cookies) So this will fit the bill perfectly for something speacil. I like to eat simply mostly , but with a little something extra here and there. I need to learn how to post pictures of what I've made!!
And btw...loved your ode to greens...at the sunny raw kitchen!:) Never tried a blended salad before either!
kit,
Mishka

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Wow. Just wow. Can you say YUM?! Serisouly. I'm, like, drooling all over the keyboard. Is it possible to crave something you've never tried?:p

[wyjoz]

I'm, like, drooling all over the keyboard. Is it possible to crave something you've never tried?:p

Yes it is: and we have all done it. Joz

[Carmella]

Hey Mishka,

How did your quiches turn out?


Carmella~
I need to learn how to post pictures of what I've made!!
And btw...loved your ode to greens...at the sunny raw kitchen!:) Never tried a blended salad before either!
kit,
Mishka

Most definitely! We want to drool over your raw creations too!

We had a blended salad again tonite. I think I'm addicted to the stuff! lol

Imagine that! Craving green mush!!! What's happening to me?!? :confused: :p

[Petals]

Those look yumo. Are you taking orders?

[Mishka]

Carmella~
The crust is in the dehydrator at this moment...got a little destracted with the kiddos today, but it's finally in there! So I'm planning on having that for dinner tommorrow night. It seemed fairly easy, except I was getting all OCD on wanting the little pastry cups to look perfect. It was hard getting them to shape with the saran wrap shifting under them. (thanks for the water and spoon advice!) I kept thinking there's gotta be a better way...then when I had finished I wondered if greasing the pan with olive oil would work the same or if it would ruin the taste or texture...do you think that would work? Can you tell I don't like saran wrap...lol!
I'll take a picture of them, and see if I can figure out how to post it.

Oh, and I also made the raw croutons...and for some reason the flavor brought me back to a flavor "remembrance" of pizza. I don't know if it was the nutritional yeast flavor with the italien seasonings or what but ...yum that tasted good. I also made the batter for some raw chocolate cookies, but I decided to freeze them into balls cuz of everything else I have in the dehydrator. And my dh and I had some like that after dinner, and we both thought they kinda tasted a bit like tootsie rolls (just not quite as hard). Hit the spot.:p

Gotta try that blended salad...I loved all the green on your site. Must be the Irish in me! hee hee...Where's the rainbow and pot of gold me gurl?

[Carmella]

Hey Mishka,

Spreading the dough into the cups is definitely the most time-consuming part of the recipe. Did you read about my musing on a different technique (towards the beginning of this thread)? I'll be giving it a proper try next time I make them and let you know which technique works best.

Oh, and about an alternative to the saran wrap, how about parchment paper at the bottom and oil on the walls? i think that could work. (I'll add it to my "to try" list.

Can't wait to see your pics! Yay!

[Mishka]

Carmella~

The countdown till dinner... ETA..2.5 hrs :)
It's all in the dehydrator looking yummy! I took some nibbles and it tastes great! I made 12 muffin size quiche and 2 round ones (the about 6 inches in diameter). I didn't do the fresh filling, just the dehydrated one this time. And I'm putting one of the big crust in the freezer, and filled the other one. That way I can see if it tastes good after being frozen.
I'll take a picture before we gobble them up...right now they look just like yours. I didn't use dried tomatoes, just put a marinated sliced mushroom on top. Looks pretty :)
What are you having for dinner? Do you freeze a lot of food to make it convienent for you and Don?
Warmly,
Mishka

[Carmella]

Yay! That's so cool! Sounds like you'll be having a feast!

Which crust did you use again?

We had mini pizzas (again!) on Ertarox's marvelous veggie crusts. OMG! They were even more delicious than the ones we made earlier this week! (If that's even possible...)

When I fire up the D, I like to fill it right up and make a bunch of goodies. It's a little intense but it does save a lot of energy in the end. It's not that much more work, really, to make say, a couple of different crackers or pizza crusts, once the FP is already out and dirty. I usually keep one-meal's worth out (except for crackers, breads or cookies) and freeze the rest.

That way, I get to have a big uncooking day perhaps once a week or every 10 days to replenish the basic supplies. The rest of the time is just assembling the meals and doing the no-brainer stuff like soups and salads.

Freezing gives us the flexibility to decide at the last minute what we're gonna have for supper. Raw Fast Food! lol It's what has made staying raw possible for us really.

Speaking of uncooking, tomorrow will be the day! (Yay!) I'm planning on working on a bunch of chocolate-based desserts for a post I'll be doing on 'Celebrating Easter in the Raw'.

There's so many recipes I wanna try, it looks like we might have to eat nothing but sweets for a few days! (Arghhhh! Life is tough! lol)

Can't wait to get your quiche report (and your pics!)

[Davylp25]

Okay Im lost... What the heck is a Quiche? haha

[carolg]

OMG, what did I come back to. Man alive, Carmella, my plane is leaving for your house in 6 hours. Please pick me up at the nearest airport. Yes, I will eat whatever you serve. I'm easy to please.

Thanks for sharing. Absolutely beauties. All of your sharings is so wonderful. My keyboard is a mess because of these creations, but happy to wipe up my mess. Kidding.

carolg

[Carmella]

Hey carolg,

I was wondering where you've been hiding...

Davyl,

A quiche is a French dish (as far as I know) and is a sort of savory pie with an egg-based filling, usually made with spinach or ham and cheese.

But once again, the raw version is leaving the SAD one to bite to dust.

[Mishka]

Hi ya Carmella~

The quiche was wonderful! Yummmmmmeeeee! :)
I used Elaina's crust. They were very filling, I actually ate a side of spinach salad, and then 3 of the muffin size quiche. Totally over ate, and my stomach felt it. Phew... I'm still getting used to the whole raw food thing. I can't eat as much raw food, as cooked food. Get way too full. I am going to freeze a few of the quiche, so I can see how well they come out after being frozen. I'll let ya know.
Thanks again for sharing such a beautiful and tasty recipe!
I couldn't figure out the picture thing, but I could email you a picture if you'd like?
Oh...we all really like the mushrooms down on the bottom of the quiche, it was a fun additional flavor and texture! Like you had mentioned...these crusts would be wonderful for all kinds of savory pies. Oh the possibilities. I'd really like to add something with olives in it.

I'm going on a picnic with friends today after church, and am going to bring a "couple" to share. My one friend was like...do you have enough for everone?? And I was all...,"No!" Felt like a little kid saying..."Mine!". I guess I don't want to throw pearls before swine so to speak and not have people really appreciate them. But I'd definitely make these for my next raw potluck.
One of my friends that eats a lot of raw came over last night for a few minutes and tried one...and she loved them too. It's so nice to have something look so good and taste good:)

Cheers with quiche,
Mishka

[Carmella]

Oh wow! This is awesome! I'm so glad the quiches turned out so well and that they were such a hit.

I know, so many possibilities for these crusts... I'm in the process (as in right now! he he) of trying a sweet version for little ganache and pecan tarts, using coconut oil and some agave. Will try the other techniques we've been talking about for the pans...

Oh, and yes please, send me some pics. I'll explain to you how to post them here too.

A picnic, eh? Don't you just love Spring? We had our first picnic of the season yesterday too... ;-)

Have a wonderful day!

[Ingenue]

these look soooo amazing. *drools*

[Carmella]

Funny you should bump this thread up right now as I just made these again yesterday, experimenting with a new pesto crust recipe. Delish!

I have also been using a different method for making the mini-shells which I find much simpler and easier.

- Scoop about 1 1/2 tbs of batter on teflex sheets. With a wet spoon or spatula, form into uniform circles of about 3 " in diameter and roughly 1/8 " thick. Dehydrate for 3 hours or so at 110, until the top is dry to the touch and the circles can be easily peeled.

- Gently peel a circle off onto one of your hands.

- Place on top of a muffin cup, 'wet' side up.

- Carefully push the circle of dough onto the muffin pan, then press with a wet spoon or your fingers to even the dough out.

Notes: If the dough is too dry and difficult to manage, simply spray a little water to moisten it, wait for a few minutes for it to get absorbed then proceed. Also, if the dough breaks while shaping the shells, no worries, simply spread a little dough over the hole.

- Dehydrate for another 6 to 8 hours, until completely dry.

My latest batch of mini quiches with the velvet filling...