Dishing Up the Dirt

Sweet Potato Quiche with Quinoa Crust

In a couple of weeks our chickens are getting 40 little sisters. It’s going to be an adjustment for sure but we are really excited. The chicken tractor is built, the electric fence is easy to move around the fields and we cannot wait to offer more eggs for our customers in the 2015 season. Tumbleweed Farm’s soil is pretty excited for the added nutrients as well.

Even though it’s been pretty cold outside our hens are still laying eggs regularly. I’ve loved having all the fresh eggs at our fingertips and often eat a poached egg with my lunch daily. However, we’ve recently ended up with so many eggs that a big quiche or frittata is in order on a weekly basis. Thankfully, we’ve loved making egg dishes on the weekends so we can eat leftovers for lunch all week long.

When Taylor began working on the mountain this winter we made it a priority to have Sundays be our day to spend quality time together. We’ve started a new tradition of whipping up spanish coffees and enjoying a giant brunch on the weekends. Last weekend we savored a farm fresh quiche and spanish coffees while organizing our 2015 farm season. It was a productive yet relaxing morning. Although, if I’m being completely honest I’ll admit that there were a few moments of stress while placing some of our farm supply orders. As it turns out, ordering thousands of dollars worth of farm seeds/equipment isn’t exactly relaxing (even when you’re wearing your PJs!). Thank god for the spanish coffees!

Anyhow, the weekend turned out to be a success and this tasty quiche was a highlight. I love the quinoa crust which was inspired by Closet Cooking and the simple flavors of the sweet potatoes, cheese and fresh thyme. This is my favorite kind of brunch but I also love eating a slice of quiche for dinner with a side salad. This recipe is very flexible and you can pretty much add any vegetables you have on hand into the mix. Go wild! I hope you all enjoy this as much as we do.

If I could write you all a prescription for Sunday morning it would be to slow down, stay in your pajamas for as long as possible, pour a cup of strong coffee (or a spanish coffee) and enjoy a lazy morning eating great food and sharing a tasty beverage with someone you love. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato & Goat Cheese Quiche with Quinoa Crust

Prep Time: 15 minutes    Cook Time: 1 hour    Serves: 6

For the quinoa crust:
  • 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 egg
  • pinch of salt and pepper
For the filling:
  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium-sized sweet potato, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 leek, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme + additional for garnish
  • 5 eggs (organic, free range or farm fresh preferred)
  • 1/4 cup milk of choice (almond, soy or dairy)
  • 4 ounces goat cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
  2. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa can easily be fluffed with a fork. About 15 minutes. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
  3. Mix the cooled quinoa with the egg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Press the quinoa mixture into a lightly greased pie plate. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  4. Increase the oven temperature to 425F degrees. Toss the sweet potatoes, onion, leek and thyme with olive oil. Place on a prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven until fork tender. About 15 minutes. Toss veggies once halfway through cooking. If the onions begin to brown too quickly remove them from the oven earlier.
  5. Reduce the oven temperature back to 375F.
  6. In a bowl mix the veggies with the eggs, milk, goat cheese and a little salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the quinoa crust and place back in the oven. Bake until golden brown and set in the center. About 30-40 minutes.
  7. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide. *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. *Cooking times will vary depending on your ingredients and specific oven.


Leave a Reply

19 thoughts on “Sweet Potato Quiche with Quinoa Crust

  1. Heather says:

    Hi Andrea! Huge fan of your blog, I love all of your recipes and as an aspiring farmer truly enjoy reading about the growth of your farm. I already drink my fair share of irish coffee, but what is spanish coffee?! Sounds intriguing. 🙂 Thanks!

    1. Andrea says:

      Girl! You need to get on the spanish coffee train. It’s a cozy cocktail and we make ours with 151 proof rum, triple sec, kahlua and brewed coffee. You wet your rim, dip it in sugar and light the alcohol on fire. Then pour in your brewed coffee. It tastes great with a little whipped cream to top it off. It’s truly magical! If you google spanish coffee you will get a lot of recipes. Cheers!

      1. Heather says:

        Woah! Glad I asked, definitely trying that out asap!

  2. AshleyL says:

    How do you heat this up for leftovers? I love frittatas but I feel like they never reheat well.

    1. Andrea says:

      I don’t typically like to reheat egg dishes. I love eating my leftovers at room temperature. I suppose you could place a slice in the oven at a low temperature-like 225F and heat for about 15 minutes. I hope this was helpful!

  3. Lovely Muse says:

    Love your idea and it looks so yummy! To try, definitely.

  4. mary ann says:

    I look forward to pics of the new additions to the family! Spanish coffee. . .sounds really good. . .but after a few cups, God knows WHAT I’d order! 😉

  5. Andi says:

    I’m so inspired by your recipes….thank you!!

  6. I love your Sunday prescription. And this frittata looks amazing!

  7. What a gorgeous looking quiche. I’m jealous you get to collect your very own eggs each morning. 😉 I’ve never made a quinoa crust, so I must give it a go. Glad the 2015 planning is behind you. Planning is stressful while it’s being done but feels so nice afterwards once I know everything is in place.

  8. Casey says:

    I would love to take this quiche to a friend recovering from knee surgery! If I wanted to take it to her only partially cooked, do you think that would work? Assembled, but she could finish it next morning . . . Or am I heading toward a disaster (which I’ve been known to do – not much of a cook – depend on wonderful recipes like yours!)? Thanks for any guidance you might provide.

    1. Andrea says:

      I’m not quite sure. I’d recommend baking the curst for the first step (for only ten minutes) and then roasting all the veggies together. then mix the eggs, veggies and cheese but keep them in a separate bowl. I’m worried about letting the crust get too soggy if the mixture is left to sit for a day or two before baking. Have you friend pour the mixture into the curst and bake in a 375F oven for the recommended time. BTW sending good healing vibes to your friend for a speeding recovery!

      1. Casey says:

        And THAT, dear Andrea, is why I love your recipes and your website 🙂 Great suggestion! Thanks so much!

  9. How exciting with the chickens. My husband loves chickens and grew up with a couple as pets. . .but we are city slickers now so no chickens for us. I usually make my quiche with a spelt berry crust and love the crunch it brings. I have never tried quinoa but would love to see how it compares versus the spelt berries.

  10. Sara says:

    Hi! I just found your website, and I must say, I’m kind of obsessed! I think this is the only quiche that has ever caught my eye, and I’m dying to make it to be honest. We often cook a bunch of quinoa to use in several different recipes, so I was wondering how much cooked quinoa to use in this recipe (instead of uncooked)? Thanks!

    1. Andrea says:

      I’m so happy you found the website! Thanks for the sweet comment. For this recipe it should be about 2 cups of cooked quinoa give or take a bit. I’ve only made this with uncooked quinoa but I believe it doubles when cooked so 2 cups should be about right! Let me know how this works for you. We love it!

  11. Rachel Taylor says:

    Thanks for bringing this into my life! Swapped goats cheese for feta, but otherwise copied the recipe exactly. It was great hot, but out of this world cold the next day.
    Could you tell me how long you think it would last in the fridge? I’d like the rest for my lunch at work on Monday, but not sure if it would last that long.
    Or, could I freeze it?

    Thanks,
    Rachel

    1. Andrea says:

      I’m so happy you loved this as much as we do! I think this should last about 5 days in the fridge give or take. I hope this was helpful! Happy cooking!!!

  12. Rachel Taylor says:

    Perfect, thanks.

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