Although it may seem pumpkin season has departed us all, do not be deceived. The unique and flavorful delicate winter gourd still fills my kitchen and can certainly fill yours.
Life doesn’t just have to be about pumpkin spice in November. Pumpkin deserves a name all year round!
I was gifted with the opportunity of creating a “Pie in the Sky” for a dear and delightful friend of late.
Pumpkin Sage Quiche was created.
She first provided me with her one pumpkin leftover from the garden bounty earlier in the season.
I tossed and turned over how I would mix and match flavors.
Sage came to mind.
oh, and bacon, of course…
Pumpkin Sage Quiche
1 cup cooked pumpkin (either freshly roasted of from the can)
6 pastured eggs
1 cup swiss cheese, cubed into 1/4 ” chunks
1 cup baby spinach
1 Tbs. grassfed butter (Kerrygold, of course)
1/2 red onion, diced
2 Tbs. fresh sage, minced
sea salt and pepper
1/4 cup + bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 Paleo Pie Crust
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add onions, salt and pepper and sauté until translucent. Add sage and continue cooking until crispy. Add additional butter (or bacon grease) if need be. This mixture needs to be “juicy.” Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, cheese, spinach, and salt and pepper. Once the onions and sage have cooled to a reasonable temperature, add to the bowl and mix.
Fill the pie crust with the goodness and pop in the oven for about 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and topped with the bacon crumbles.
Allow to cool and continue to “cook,” (eggs will continue to cook for a few minutes once removed from heat).
Serve plated with some extra veggies and enjoy.
Oh, man, that sounds delish’! Love that you’re using a Paleo crust, but c’mon, I’m no butcher, baker, or candlestick maker. Can we buy already made Paleo crusts somewhere here in Wetsville, USA? Thank you.
Oh Greg, you make me smile and giggle! You are indeed, it seems to me, a bit of all three! Honestly, you are a true “kale convert,” after all. In fact, I do remember hearing you to be claimed as “John the Baptist” in some small circles. You can do anything, including candlestick making!
In any case, I suppose you could go for a crustless quiche in this situation. However, such an idea would never suffice for my tasting buds and palate. I’m a girl of talent AND texture. I need some substance and crunch! If you were simply aiming to avoid the evils of gluten, I know for sure our local Whole Foods in the Pearl carries the Whole Foods Bakehouse Gluten Free Pie Crust in the frozen area of the bakery department. I do not know, however, the ins and out of flavor and formula. It could be a hit and it could be a bust – risky, indeed. Thus, my crunchy cravings would most certainly salivate over a simple pulse or two of a mixture of oven roasted pepitas and almonds. The salty scrunch and the nutty deliciousness of such a base would truly be divine. The trick, though, will be maintaining that crunch through the egg baking process. Now I’m thinking what might be even better… a crust first created from some pastured bacon bits and the pulsed nut and seed mix. Oooh, that salty sweet beneath the savory quiche will be simply divine! So, here goes…to toast the nuts and seeds, preheat the oven to 425. In a glass baking dish, add 1 cup pumpkin seeds and 1 cup almonds. Toast for about 5 minutes. Stir. Toast an 5 minutes more. Stir. Finally, toast 5 MORE minutes. Remove from the oven and toss with 2 Tbs. Ume Plum Vinegar (nice and salty). Mix that up with about 4 strips of perfectly crisped bacon, chopped into bits. Layer into a glass baking dish and then continue to bake for about 10-15 minutes, until nice and crispy. You’ll need to drain any excess fat or pat dry to ensure the crust really becomes “crusty.” Once cooled, top with the quiche innards and bake again. If you need to eliminate the bacon from the quiche itself, feel free.
Let me know how it turns out. You’re the MAN!
It was delish. This was another sky in the pie that Ashley so shared. I can say I am loving my lunches right now.
Lunch for you, anytime!