Mushroom Goat Cheese Quiche

Today is an important day no matter where you live. In the US I believe it’s called Veteran’s Day, in the UK and Canada we know it as Remembrance Day (other names include Poppy Day and Armistice Day) – whatever you call it, the important message is to remember. Take a few moments today to think of the sacrifices made by our ancestors who fought in any of the numerous wars, and to think of those still fighting in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq right now.

Here in Canada we have a public holiday, and ceremonies are held throughout the country. At 11am we have two minutes of silence to pay our respects to those who have fallen while serving their country. We also wear poppies, positioned on the left side of our clothing so they are worn over our hearts. These are usually widely available after Halloween and are worn in the first weeks of November.

I grew up in the Cayman Islands, which also commemorates Remembrance Day as it is a British territory (for how Cayman marks the occasion, click here).

I really like the idea of public holidays as not just days for celebration (Fourth of July! Canada Day!) but also for solemn occasions, as they remind us to just take a moment out of our crazy, hectic go-go-go lives, to reflect. Reflection can be a good thing. I don’t believe in living in the past but there is a lot to be said for having respect for where we’ve come from.

I don’t want to dwell on this for too long, but wanted to open with that note and I’m curious to know what people’s thoughts on this day of remembrance are. If any of you had parents, grandparents or great-grandparents who fought and died in any of the wars, feel proud that they helped provide the freedom that we enjoy every day.

Now onto some food! For today’s recipe, I promised you my mushroom goat cheese quiche when I first blogged about it on Wednesday in my What I Ate Wednesday post. I keep my promises!

You all know I love quiche, but the last quiche recipe I posted had totally different flavours. My leek, roasted red pepper and gruyere quiche was more summery, and this mushroom goat cheese quiche has richer flavours that are perfectly suited to fall.

If you love goat cheese (like me!) and love mushrooms (like me!) you are guaranteed to like this quiche, but the magical thing about this recipe is that even mushroom haters love it.

I can’t explain it – it’s chock-full of mushrooms, so should seem like a mushroom-hater’s nightmare. But I have given this to a few mushroom haters and they all love it, including my mom, who will somehow find the two or three mushroom pieces in a vegetable stirfry and pick them out. Go figure!

Also, this is a milk-free quiche. It instead uses a LOT of eggs, so it is really high in protein! Enjoy…

INGREDIENTS (serves 6-8)

1 frozen pie crust (use gluten-free crust if prefer)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and diced small
2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
8 eggs
2 tsp oregano
6 basil leaves, fresh, chopped thinly
Sprinkle of nutmeg
Salt and black pepper
100g goat cheese, crumbled (you can use any strong flavoured cheese here if you don’t like goat)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400F to pre-bake crust. Cook crust according to package instructions, then remove from oven and cool.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan and add shallots and garlic, sauteeing until cooked. Add mushrooms and cook until browned and soft.

3. Whisk eggs together in bowl and add herbs and seasonings.

4. Sprinkle goat cheese into pie crust, add mushrooms on top and then pour over egg mixture.

5. Reduce oven to 350F and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until cooked throughout. Enjoy!

Nutritional information per slice if serving 6: