Artichoke and Jalapeño Savory Pie

Gluten-free pasta pie, a savory and delicious frittata style dish.

Happy first weekend in March! Spring is in the air. To celebrate, here's an eggy, savory pie for the coming greening season, spiked with the kicked-up heat of jalapeños. It's a hybrid of traditional kugel, quiche, and pasta frittata. Kinda postmodern eggilicious. And the best part is, it's a super easy recipe. Perfect for a light brunch, a weeknight supper, or any time you crave huevos. Which is less fraught with guilt, now that the Powers That Be have decided eggs are not the enemy they once touted. Especially if you use organic eggs from humanely raised, vegetarian fed free-range chickens. Happier eggs contain higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene and vitamins A, D and E, it turns out. Which makes this frittata pie idea a nutritious way to use up leftover gluten-free spaghetti. 

Your mother's pasta frittata, this isn't. Your mother didn't make you pasta frittata? Babycakes! 

What are you waiting for?

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Purple Potato & Carrot Quiche

A gluten-free flourless quiche with purple potatoes.

Purple Potato and Carrot Quiche Recipe

A small brown bunny hopped by the casita early this morning. Fruit trees by the Chama River are blooming, laced with soft pinks and cream. Spring is arriving in tiny steps. I found some young purple potatoes at the market in town this week. Slim crisp carrots. Organic eggs. Perfect ingredients for an easy spring supper.

After five years of making flourless quiche recipes, I no longer miss the pie crust I used to love. This surprises me, but I'm not unhappy about it. Quiches filled with roasted vegetables are beautiful. Every slice reveals its own mosaic of edible jewels embedded in a creamy custard. Purple, yellow, green and orange. The colors of spring.

First, roast your veggies:

3 baby or smallish purple or blue potatoes, sliced into wedges/slices

2 small gold potatoes, sliced into wedges

1 medium carrot, peeled, cut into thin sticks

A handful of small broccoli florets

Half a medium zucchini, chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

Toss the veggies and garlic in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper; roast in a 375 degree F oven until fork tender, about 40 minutes or so. Remove and set aside. Keep the oven on.

Prepare the custard:

5 large organic free-range eggs

1/2 cup Half and Half, sour cream, or milk

Pinch of fresh grated nutmeg

Whip the custard ingredients with a whisk till frothy.

Grate your favorite cheese: Swiss, cheddar, Gruyère - it's all good. You'll need about a cup of grated cheese.

Lightly oil or butter a 9-inch pie plate.

Spoon the roasted veggies into the plate and arrange them evenly. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Pour the custard over the veggies and cheese, allowing it to seep in and around all the vegetables.

Options:

Add a half cup chopped sweet onion to the roasted vegetable mix.

Add some chopped chives or spring onions to the custard.

Add a tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs to the custard - parsley, marjoram, or basil.

Bake the quiche in the center of the oven till set and golden, about 25 to 35 minutes. Test doneness with the wiggle method [jiggle the pie plate a bit to see if the center shimmies; if it does, cook for five more minutes] or if it's very close to done, insert a small thin knife into the center - if it emerges clean, you're good to go.

Set the hot quiche on a wire rack to cool a bit before slicing and serving (this allows for a more precise slice).

Serve with a salad of baby spring greens and glasses of crisp white wine. Raise your glass and toast spring.

Serves 6.

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Crustless Quiche with Roasted Vegetables

A slice of gluten-free quiche loaded with roasted vegetables

Crustless Quiche with Roasted Vegetables Recipe

A short and sweet post today. Last night I made more roasted vegetables than we needed- just so I could use them today in a quiche. Nestled good-for-you goodies baked in a creamy, cheesy custard. What's not to love?

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Gluten-Free Potato Frittata

Whenever I roast potatoes I make extra. That way I'm sure to have some yummy leftover morsels to play around with the following day. The night before I roasted Yukon Gold, red and blue potatoes cut into wedges and tossed in olive oil, sea salt and Old Bay Seasoning. The leftovers were perfect for a crustless quiche or baked frittata- an easy and simple way to make a savory gluten-free pie.

Roasted Potato Frittata Recipe

How relaxed and laid back easy can you get? Whisk a few eggs with a little sour cream. Grate some Jarlsberg. Chop some parsley. Whisk the custard and toss in those leftover potato wedges you roasted last night. Dinner in a New York minute.

Light olive oil or butter, as needed

About two cups cooked seasoned potato wedges

1 1/4 cups shredded Jarlsberg

5 extra large organic free-range eggs

1 heaping half cup of sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

12 grape tomatoes, halved

1-2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil or butter a nine-inch glass pie plate.

Arrange the potatoes in the bottom of the pie plate. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese.

In a large mixing/measuring cup, whisk the eggs with the sour cream till smooth. Add almost all of the parsley [save a little to decorate the top]. Pour the egg mixture all over the potatoes.

Dot the top with the halved tomatoes and remaining parsley. Using the back of a spatula, lightly press down all over the top surface to encourage the egg custard to seep in and around the potato wedges. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan.

Bake in a hot oven for 35 minutes, until the frittata is set and golden. Cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Serves 4 to 6.

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Roasted Vegetable Cheddar Quiche

Gluten-free crustless quiche with roasted vegetables.

Roasted Vegetable Cheddar Quiche Recipe

I know what you're thinking. What do I do with a bowl of leftover roasted vegetables? Make a flourless gluten-free quiche, Darling. Forget the crust. You won't miss it. This little lovely is savory and perky all on its own. It's low in carbs. So what's not to love?

2 cups roasted vegetables (I used a medley of broccoli, zucchini, carrots, garlic, sweet potato, peppers)

4 oz. aged Cheddar cheese, grated

4 organic free-range eggs, beaten

1/2 cup light cream, Half and Half Cream (or non-dairy sub)

A pinch of nutmeg

A pinch of Old Bay Seasoning

10 sweet grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Chopped basil or parsley

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9-inch glass pie plate.

Layer the roasted vegetables in the bottom of the pie plate (I layer the potatoes first.) Scatter most of the shredded cheese over the vegetables.

In a large 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup, or mixing bowl, use a fork to beat the eggs with the cream, and add a pinch of nutmeg. Pour the egg mixture all over the veggies and cheese, allowing it to seep in. (I lightly press down a bit with a thin silicone spatula to make sure the custard mixture sneaks in to all the nooks and crannies.)

Press the cute little halved tomatoes all over the top; sprinkle a tad more of the remaining cheese; dust lightly with basil or parsley.

Bake the pie in the center of a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, or until the center of the pie is set, and the edges are turning golden brown.

Set on a wire rack to cool for five minutes before serving. This allows the pie to settle, and makes it easier to slice and serve.

Serves 4 for dinner; 5-6 for lunch - light and tasty with a side of crisp greens or fruit salad drizzled in a raspberry vinaigrette.

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Karina's Notes:

Light cream has fewer carbs and almost no lactose, and makes a smooth and rich custard.

If you must be dairy-free, try using plain non-dairy yogurt and shredded vegan cheese.