Quiche With A Twist

Well it has been awhile since my last blog entry, and I do apologize to all my fans and followers for slacking in this department. Life has it's curve balls and I've been in the middle of one after another for a few months now. Thus resulting in my social media life being put on the back burner.

But I am back and I am bringing you an amazing and simple recipe that will blow your minds with how tasty and yet still allergy friendly it is. Kids and adults alike, will be begging for more. I left the house this morning at 7am, and did not return until 4:45pm. Between pickups and drop offs, swim lessons, playdates, pool time with cousins, grocery shopping, and tears ... I had a FULL day and yet when I walked in the door at 4:45pm, with tired kids in tow, I still managed to whip this quiche together in 15 min, placed it in the oven at 5pm and dinner was ready at 6pm. PIECE OF CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I can do it, you can do it.

Before I continue, let me just put the disclaimer out there, that a lot of the recipes I post are gluten free or dairy free. And not because it's the latest trend. Or because it's lower calories, or healthier for you. Granted, all those statements are true. But they are not the REASON I cook this way. The reason (in short), is because 3 years ago, I got diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (a gastrointestinal disease that stems from Irritable Bowel Disease) and after a year of popping pills to subside the symptoms related to this disease, they became ineffective and the doctors began talking about removing my colon and reconstructing my intestines. At age 28, I was like "NO THANKYOU", I would like to keep all my inside parts, please, and poop like normal people. lol. I asked for prayer for healing and guidance and by listening to God's voice, I went the food and diet route, and met with an amazing nutritionist (a miracle worker!) who restored me back to health through herbal cleansing and put me on gluten free diet. At first it was torture, but as I saw my body get back in shape, my digestion problem disappear, and my energy return, I was hooked. I will never go back. And only because I want to keep my colon.

Okay, back to the Quiche Recipe. I am apart of an amazing moms group at the Movement Church that meets during the morning hours (which means brunch foods are served, yum!) and a few of the moms there have food allergies as well. Knowing from experience what it's like to show up at a group function and not be able to eat anything, I wanted to be sure I brought brunch items that were allergy friendly, so that those moms could enjoy some food too. And selfishly, so that I could also enjoy a meal with my friends without the words leaving my mouth, "I'll just have some fruit, thanks". ;-)

And then I began to experiment. Growing up in Germany, "Quiche Lorraine" was a staple. Popular, tasty, and everywhere. A friend gave me the recipe and I've held on to it all these years. It made the big bucks in Sweden when I worked at a Swing Dance Camp as the baker in their cafe and restaurant.  I added to it, spiced it up with some cinnamon, used tofu once or twice, added veggies of all different kinds. Even went to the extent to come up with what I called a "Pizza Quiche", with tomatoes, pineapple, ham, and cheese. I was like Miracle Max from the Princess Bride, only instead of dealing with bringing the dead back to life, I brought food back to life. It was so much fun. Of course it was. I could eat anything back then. I could eat food off of the ground and not get sick. I could participate in pizza eating contests and win. My record in college: 13 pieces of Dominos pizza in one sitting. Oh yeah. Wonder why I had problems with my GI Tract later on in life? Go figure.

Alright, back to the Quiche Recipe ... again. For real this time. I volunteered to bring a brunch item to our moms group last week and spaced out and forgot to shop for the ingredients I needed. I had planned to make a french toast casserole. That didn't happen. The night before I was freaking out, trying to figure out what I had in my pantry and fridge and realized that I had all the ingredients for a quiche. Not only that, I had dairy free and gluten free substitutes (almond milk, rice cheese, and tofu cream cheese), and I got so excited I could barely sleep. I was going to defy logic and make a yummy Quiche that even someone with as many intestinal problems as me, could actually digest it, and enjoy it! And here it is:

2 Pre-made Gluten Free Pie Crusts from Sprouts (they aren't "in season", so you have to ask for them)
4 Eggs
1/4 cup of Sweetened Almond Milk
1 carton Tofutti Cream Cheese (from Sprouts)
1 package shredded Rice Cheese (from Sprouts)
1 red Bell Pepper, chopped
6-8 Mushrooms, chopped
1/2 an onion, diced
dash of salt
dash of black pepper
dash of cinnamon
dash of Mrs. Dash

Preheat Oven to 325 F. Mix all ingredients in order, and pour into 2 pie crusts. Bake for 50-60 min and let sit 10 minutes before serving. Serve alongside a fresh salad or soup.Or by itself. It really is a meal in itself.

If you need more spice to every meal (like my husband), you can add a little Chipotle Tabasco to the top of the Quiche before consuming.

Enjoy!

P.S. If you aren't gluten or dairy intolerant, you can use normal pie crusts, a small carton of heavy cream instead of the almond milk and cream cheese, and regular cheddar cheese instead of the rice cheese.