Sweet Potato Quiche

Quiche has always been one of my favorite breakfast treats. I largely avoided it because it was so unhealthy. Do you have any idea how much butter is in quiche? Not to mention the heavy cream. A while back I was looking for a recipe for gluten free quiche and found one Paula Dean had posted that used hash browns for the crust. Obviously since it was Paula Dean it wasn't healthy, but it sure tasted good!

I've been reading all sorts of recipes lately that use sweet potatoes (yams, because they're orange) with eggs and vegetables in breakfast casseroles, mini quiches, etc. I sort of took a hybrid approach between these recipes and Paula's recipe. Good gravy, it sure turned out tasty!

As with my sweet potato hash browns, it's much easier and less time consuming if you grate the potatoes with a food processor instead of a cheese grater. The cheese grater works, though. I started making the quiche before I realized I didn't have any meat to put in it. Then I remembered a piece of chicken I had left over from last night's dinner. I made Orange Maple Chicken, and it was absolutely perfect in the quiche. I don't expect you to make the recipe just to have some left over for the quiche, any cooked chicken will work. But I think the orange maple flavor from the chicken added a layer of depth to the dish. Yum!

Feel free to use bacon instead of chicken if you like. If you do this, eliminate the liquid smoke. I use liquid smoke in many of my recipes because it has a bacon-y taste without all the fat in bacon. Not to mention, pork is out of the question.

Ingredients:
1 medium yam
2 T. coconut oil, plus more for sauteing 
1/2 sweet or yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 zucchini, finely diced
1 cooked chicken breast, finely diced
3/4 cup full fat canned coconut milk
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried coriander powder
1/4 tsp dried cumin
10 drops liquid smoke 
Sea salt & ground black pepper
Mrs. Dash 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a pie plate with cooking spray and set aside.

Peel yam and shred, either with a food processor or the large holes in a cheese grater. Spread yams in a thin layer between paper towels, and press as much moisture out of the yams as you can. Muscle those puppies.

Put yam shreds into pie plate. Melt 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a very small pan, then drizzle over the yams. Use your hands to toss the oil evenly. Press yams into the pie plate evenly across the bottom and up the sides. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes total, or until starting to brown. The yams will shrink slightly as they cook, so remove from oven every 10 minutes or so, and push down the bottoms and sides to keep the "crust" intact.

While crust is baking, prepare the base. Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl. Whisk well. Add a little coconut oil to a medium skillet. Saute onions and peppers until very tender and starting to caramelize. Add zucchini during the last few minutes and cook until soft. Remove from heat and let cool.

Stir chicken breast, coconut milk, onion powder, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper, liquid smoke and vegetables into the quiche. Stir well to make sure seasonings are well combined. 

When yams are finished baking, pour egg mixture directly into hot crust. Sprinkle a little Mrs. Dash on top. I did this as an afterthought, a little worried there wouldn't be enough flavor without bacon or cheese, but I really think it's optional. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. Return quiche to the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until eggs are set. Let cool slightly before slicing.

Makes 4 large slices or 6 smaller slices. It will reheat well, too.