"Best Ever" Quiche

There is something fundamentally comforting and delicious about a big fluffy slice of quiche. They are incredibly easy to make and, if you load 'em up with greens instead of bacon, they're healthier than you would think. I have fond memories of mini quiche at my grandma's house every Christmas. She always had them catered in, so I assumed they were this super difficult, expensive endeavor. I felt kind of cheated out of years and years of quiche-making when I finally attempted one and it was no big deal. Traditionally, quiche is made from wheat dough pie crust, eggs & cream, plus "fillings" - i.e. cheese, bacon, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach... Ours is a little more Spartan, but it still hits the spot when you find yourself in a quiche-y mood.

INGREDIENTS:

• Potatoes - the amount is going to depend on the type & size - we've used 6 medium white potatoes or 8 small red-skinned potatoes; peeled & grated
• safflower oil
• sea salt
  
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup rice milk
  
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• lots of kale (one bunch from the grocery store is good; I've been using the kale fresh from my garden and it has been wonderful - I highly recommend growing your own food whenever possible)
  
• handful of mushrooms, sliced
  
• one onion, cut in half and finely sliced
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Peel & grate potatoes
2. Fry them in safflower oil like hashbrowns - fry on one side, letting sit for a few minutes getting golden, then turn over.
   
3. Push hashbrowns down into a greased glass pan (we use an 8x8 pyrex or a round casserole pan - whatever you've got on hand will be fine)
4. Saute onions & mushrooms in safflower oil, sprinkle with sea salt; let them cook down until the onions are nice and soft
   
5. In a mixer (or with a whisk), blend eggs together on high until eggs get frothy. Add a pinch or two of sea salt and black pepper as it mixes.
   
6. Add rice milk while mixer is running. Add nutrional yeast. Mix for a few minutes more.
7. Prepare kale by ripping leaves off of stem (like you would chard or spinach). Rip or chop the kale into small pieces.
   
8. Layer kale over potatoes.
   
9. Pour eggs over potatoes & kale.
10. Sprinlke with nutrtional yeast, covering the entire top surface - this will give you a "cheesey" coating on top

Bake at 375*F for 45 or so minutes. Start checking on it around the half hour mark. Every oven and bakeware combination is different. You will know it's done when it's fluffed up and the top is "set" (firm to touch).

Serves 8, theoretically. The four of us can easily polish off an entire quiche for dinner.

ALTERNATIVES:

• Add 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• Try adding bacon or sausage
• Try subbing the rice milk for maybe 3/4 cup chicken stock
• Instead of kale, use chard, collards, spinach, turnip greens or any other green (or combination of greens)
  
• Use broccoli instead of greens
  
• Experiment with different potatoes/combinations to see what you prefer
• Instead of potatoes, use sweet potatoes
• Try using lots of different mushrooms plus a well carmelized onion or two