Quinoa Quiche

I mean, who doesn’t like a recipe whose title starts with two Q’s?! How fun! I adapted this recipe from one I found on A Year in the Kitchen and I thought it turned out really well! It had great flavor, and my kids really liked it.

• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup chicken broth (or water, vegetable broth, etc.)
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1 large bunch spinach (Maybe 4 cups or so fresh baby spinach. Or, use about 1/2 package frozen spinach–if you use frozen be sure to defrost it and squeeze out the excess moisture before adding it.)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small leek, thinly sliced (If you don’t have leeks, green onions are great substitutes)
• 2 tsp dried dill
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 4 eggs, beaten

Place quinoa in small saucepan, and toast over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until almost dry. Add chicken broth and salt. Cover, and bring to a boil. Leave covered, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a steamer basket, or a large pot if you don’t have a steamer, heat 1 cup water and add spinach. Tossing frequently with tongs, cook the greens 3 to 5 minutes or until wilted. Allow the spinach to cool and the squeeze out all excess water. Transfer to a cutting board and chop into small pieces.

Over medium heat, sauté onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. You don’t want the onions to brown, so keep the heat pretty low. After about 10 minutes, reduce the heat to medium low and allow the onions to carmelize (stirring occasionally).

While you are waiting, mix together the quinoa, spinach, leeks, dill, and feta cheese. Add the carmelized onions. Beat the eggs and stir them into the quinoa mixture. Transfer all to a 9″ pie pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Drizzle pie with  remaining 1 tbsp EVOO, and bake 20 to 30 minutes more, or until golden brown.