Meatless Monday with Goat Cheese, Red Pepper and Spinach Quiche in Quinoa Crust

Hello and thanks for stopping by the Miratel blog for a Meatless Monday vegetarian recipe share. The Meatless Monday pledge aims to reduce meat consumption 15% by eliminating it one day per week to preserve the health of the planet. Miratel supports and promotes this great movement at its Toronto call centre and  letter shop mailhouse as part of its CSR business strategies to spread awareness of the connection between food choices and the environment.

On the menu tonight is Goat Cheese, Red Pepper and Spinach Quiche in a Quinoa Crust which is a twist on the classic quiche that is healthy, gluten-free and comes in at just 262 calories for a quarter of the pie. If you are not familiar with quinoa, it is a super grain because it is a perfect protein and not a carbohydrate. However, it can be a bit daunting to try but today’s recipe easily works it into the crust. Our recipe comes by way of Marilyn Smith during an appearance on the CityTV’s Cityline with Tracy Moore.

Goat Cheese, Red Pepper and Spinach Quiche in Quinoa Crust Ingredients (serves 4)

Pie Crust:

• 1/3 cup (80 mL) quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 2/3 cup (175 mL) water
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) non-hydrogenated margarine, melted, divided
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) pasteurized egg whites – found by the shelled eggs
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) freshly cracked pepper

Filling:

• 3.5 oz (100 g) goat cheese cut into small pieces
• ½ cup (125 mL) diced red bell pepper
• ½ cup (125 mL) tightly packed chopped baby spinach or arugula
• 4 omega-3 eggs
• ¼ cup (60 mL) pasteurized egg whites – measured in a glass measuring cup
• ¼ cup (60 mL) water

Directions:

1. Place quinoa in a small pot, add water, and bring to boil, cover and cook over medium/low heat for 15-20 minutes. The quinoa is done when the grains are translucent and all of the water has been absorbed. Fluff with fork, remove from heat and let stand covered for 5-10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 °F (200°C). Lightly brush inside of a 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate with a little bit of the melted margarine, reserve the rest and set pie plate aside.
3. Place cooked quinoa in a bowl and mash with spoon.
4. Stir in eggs whites, pepper, and the rest of the melted margarine, mixing well. It will look pasty, this is a good thing.
5. Transfer quinoa mixture to pie pan and using a spatula or your fingers (hope you washed your hands) spread mixture evenly across the bottom and ¾’s of the way up the sides of the pan to a thickness of approximately 1/8- inch (3 mm) thickness. This is slightly tricky, just do your best.
6. Filling: Place goat cheese, red pepper and arugula into the pie crust.
7. Whisk together egg, liquid egg whites and water and pour over cheese and vegetables.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 21 to 24 minutes or until the egg mixture has set.
9. To serve: Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Feel free to substitute with vegetables you have on-hand or that you prefer so be creative and enjoy this healthy, gluten-free meal with a lightly dressed leafy green salad and crostini.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday website and join us in taking the Meatless Monday pledge today. Spread the word at home and at work to promote CSR business initiatives and make your green call centre, office, factory, shop, restaurant or salon even greener.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.