Spinach Artichoke Cauli Quiche

Trying out a new varity of my favorite (and original ;) cauli quiche recipe. Craving spinach artichoke all week, decided to blend the two into one of my all time favorite things, cheesy juicy cauli quiche recipes. One that is (in my opinion) much simpler to make than old fashioned carb-heavy dough bases out there. You dont have to worry about over mixing, precise baking instructions, just throw in your favorite ingredients and know they will bake together into this fun mixture that could serve as a meal for two (with leftovers) or a great dish to bring to share.

INGREDIENTS

Cauli Crust:

• 1 cup cauli rice (1/2 head cauli, minced, baked for 5 min to release moisture)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, 8 Tbsp) butter

• 2 to 2 1/2 Tbsp of water

• 1/4 c parmesan

• 2 eggs (could be egg whites egg yolks, or whole eggs. Great to use up whats not used in other recipes)

• 1/2 onion, copped

• Salt, pepper, cayenne, nutmeg

Quiche: 

• 1/2 cup, packed, finely chopped artichoke hearts (fresh or canned packed in water)

• 6 ounces cooked spinach (if using frozen, thaw first), squeezed to remove excess water (wrap in clean tea towel or several layers of paper towels and squeeze), finely chopped

• 1 Tbsp butter

• 1/2 cup minced shallots

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

• 4 eggs (large)

• 1 cup milk

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

• 4 ounces goat cheese or mozzarella

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 2 Tbsp minced chives or green onion greens

METHOD

Make the dough for the quiche crust: Turn oven to 450. In a blender, combine roughly chopped fresh cauli, and fill blender with water. Pulse a few times to mince the cauli into small bits, about the size of rice. Pour the water cauli mix into a cheese cloth, and squeeze out water. (Try to get all moisture out!)

Lay cauli spread out evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for about 5-10 min, until edges start to brown. Scoop about 1 cup of the cauli rice into a large bowl. Save the rest of the cauli rice for leftover meals.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cooked cauli, eggs, parm, and whatever spices you like. Pour into prepared baking dish (lined with butter and sprinkled with parm so nothing sticks to the pan. Place in oven, turned down now to 350. Bake 10-20 min, until edges browned and crust can be lifted out of pan without falling apart.

Now to make the batter, start cooking down whatever veggies you want in your quiche. I like to butter up some onions, garlic, and throw in the spinach to cook down a few minutes until golden brown. Add this to your milk, eggs and other ingredients. Once base is ready, simply pour on top, and allow to bake until toothpick comes out clean!

Serve with side salad, as a side, or as main dish. <3