Primal Quiche

I like quiche. Quiche makes great leftovers and travels well in lunchboxes and 'chilly buns' to work. Quiche is an easy fridge to plate in 0.3 seconds leftover easy lunch  or snack at home.  My Grandma, Gran and Mam all made quiche.  Pre primal quiches ended up being off the menu.  The traditional method using wheat flour can cause heartburn (acid reflux), and then the low fat fad meant that the butter laden short pastry was off the menu for a long time too.  But now quiche has made a come back to our dinner table. 

It's a hit with the kids, we usually serve with some chips (which are really just potatoes with skin on cut into wedges, smothered in coconut oil and baked in the oven) and salad, or coleslaw.  I think it is reasonably low carb since the pastry contains almond meal and coconut flour and lots of good fat with the coconut oil.  The filling contains eggs so good fat with great protein and the variations are endless so it can suit a dairy free or vegetarian diet too. (Side note: the research I have seen says that vegetarians will thrive on a primal diet if they are lacto-ovo vegetarians, that means they eat dairy and eggs.  Nutrients rival full paleo omnivore if fish and shellfish is eaten too.)  I sometime have a few sweet potato 'chips' with this or just a big side of salad.  With all the fats and protein in the ingredients it is a very filling dish, without much of an insulin spike and crash thanks to the different flour.  If you know differently then please comment below.

Short Pastry (adapted from Pete's Family Food book page 147)

Ingredients
100g (1 cup) almond meal
100g (3/4 cup) coconut flour
60g (1/2 cup) arrowroot or tapioca flour
3/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
250ml (1 cup) chilled lard, ghee, coconut oil or butter, I use butter
2 eggs

Method

• Combine the almond meal, coconut flour, arrowroot and salt in the thermomix 10 sec/speed 4.
• Add the butter and process until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.  15 sec/ speed 5.
• Add the eggs and mix well to produce a soft dough 20 sec/speed 5.
• Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and sandwich between two sheets of baking paper and roll out.
• Chill in fridge while you make the quiche filling (that's the pastry, not you)

Quiche Filling Ingredients (adapted from Adina's recipe)
6 slices of bacon (optional, I prefer without)
1 onion
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups of cream, or any milk
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of grated full fat organic cheese
1 tablespoon of arrowroot

I make this part on the stove and oven.

• Pre heat oven to 165 degrees and grease your quiche dish with coconut oil or butter.
• Fry bacon and onion in coconut oil or ghee, set aside.
• In a large bowl mix together cream, salt and eggs, stir in bacon and onions.
• In a separate bowl toss cheese and arrowroot together and then add to the egg mixture. Be sure to mix well.
• Roll the pastry out into the quiche dish and blind bake for 10 minutes, using baking beads.
• Pour quiche mixture onto baked pastry.
• Bake for 40 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
• Let stand for ten minutes before serving.

In this picture I have added sliced tomato on top of the quiche mixture.