In my constant quest for protein, I’ve become obsessed with chickpea flour.
I’ve always loved socca. ย Chickpea flour is also quite good in Seitan Chorizo. ย But what other uses are there for the protein-filled flour? ย I need a lot more in order to get my daily 150g of protein!
I’ve been teasing you guys all week on the blog and on Instagramย with pics of this dish:
It’s a vegan quiche! ย Even if you are not vegan, you’ll love this one. ย I’ve been noshing on it for lunch all week. ย The Mexican-inspired ingredients of cumin, onion, and peppers give it a ton of flavor (which only gets better on days 2 and 3).ย
ย It lacks the traditional quiche crust, making it gluten-free. ย However, it doesn’t lack a crust!ย The chickpea flour forms its own thin crust around the edges and bottom of the quiche, giving you something satisfying to bite into.
Inspired by Janet ‘sย Mediterranean Crustless Quiche. ย If you haven’t check out Janet’s blog yet, please do. ย I’ve made many of her recipes verbatim and they have all been outstanding!
Mexican Crustless Chickpea Quiche
- 4 C loosely packed cups spinach, destemmed and chopped
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- 1/4 C red onion, chopped
- 1/4 C cilantro, rough chopped
- 2 C chickpea flour
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 T avocado oil (can use olive oil)
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- S&P, to taste
- 3 C water
Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees. ย Lightly grease a 9โณ spring-form pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together the vegetables and cilantro.
In a large blender (I used my Vitamix), combine the chickpea flour, oil, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic and water. ย Blend until smooth and frothy.
Combine the chickpea mixture with vegetables and stir to combine. ย Pour mixture into greased pan, making sure it is evenly distributed.
Bake at 475 for ~50 minutes, of on the convection setting at 450 for 40 mins. ย The quiche should brown on top, and a cake tester should come out clean. ย Allow to cool slightly before removing from spring-form.
Serves 6.
Approximate nutritionals (per slice): 175 calories, 4.8g fat, 24.1 carbs, 5g fiber, 5.7g sugar, 8.8g protein
***
Don’t forget to click here and enter to win 2 boxes ofย Special K’s new granola bars! ย Contest ends Monday, July 2nd. ย (Side note: Can you believe it’s almost JULY?!)
Have you ever made a vegan quiche before? ย I want to try one with tofu, too!
What are your favorite quiche or savory pie fillings?
Claire @ Live and Love to Eat says
Janet’s blog does look fab – and I share your enthusiasm for all things socca. ๐
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
Oh YUM! This is so up my alley! You know I’m a socca lover too! My favorite savory pie fillings are spinach, tomato, artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers. Now I’m hungry!
Oh and thanks for the treadmill tip! I will definitely use that next time!
Laura says
Ohhhh… I totally should have added artichoke!
Lee says
I actually have chickpea flour that I never really know what to do with. Now I know!
Hayley @ Oat Couture says
Ah this looks delicious! I have missed you and all of your fab food ideas!! Only problem with me making quiches is that I nibble (Oh who am I kidding, there is nothing ‘nibbly’ about the way I eat! Ha!) away at it all day and it doesn’t last past day 1 let alone day 2 and 3! :/
Laura says
Haha! It freezes well – just put it away immediately. ๐ Missed you to!!!
RavieNomNoms says
THAT looks amazing! So good. I would definitely eat that for breakfast lunch or dinner! YUM, bookmarking this one!
Laura says
It would work for all 3! And has for me this week. ๐
Heather @ Better With Veggies says
Definitely going to try this one – sounds like a great lunch for next week when I’m actually home! ๐
Laura says
Yay! I cannot wait to see what you do with it. ๐
Cait's Plate says
I’ve yet to work with socca but I’m always down for using different flours and meals. That quiche looks seriously incredible. Like, I just want it in front of me to eat right now!
Laura says
You would love it! It would be a great sandwich alternative (use them as wraps). If you’re in ATL again you can get chickpea flour on the cheap at the Dekalb Farmer’s Market.
Tiff @ Love Sweat and Beers says
I’ve never made any sort of quiche before. Feel free to make me one anytime! ๐
Laura says
Come on down to ATL! ๐
Carol @ Lucky Zucca says
Ooohhh a vegan quiche with tofu sounds awesome! This one looks tasty as well. If I ever buy chickpea flour I’ll definitely have to test this out!
Laura says
For sure! Check it out at the Dekalb Farmer’s Market – super cheap there. ๐
Meg says
you can bet your bottom I will be making this sweetie ๐ My mom makes a great quiche every morning for Christmas day! It always has broccoli in it ๐
Laura says
Oh, I’m so excited! Do let me know how you like it. ๐
Cucina49 says
Your quiche looks so good! I really need to set a daily protein quotient–still eating too many carbs and probably not enough protein.
Laura says
Thanks! for a “normal” person trying to build some tone, I’d aim for 1g per pound of body weight in protein. If you aren’t doing any strength training, 0.8g is probably closer. If you really need to build, aim for 1.5g per pound.
Cucina49 says
That’s great advice–I do strength training and get tons of exercise, and eat healthy, but my trainer has been nagging me to eat more protein.
Choc Chip Uru says
Mmmm, I LOVE vegan quiches because I hate eggs ๐
It looks so much more flavoursome and delicious!
Bookmarked!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Laura says
This would be perfect for you! But how in the world do you hate eggs?! They taste great in brownies. ๐
Rachel @ My Naturally Frugal Family says
I have not had vegan quiche, but I will have to head to the store so I can give this one a go this weekend.
I thought, from the pics, that artichokes would be in it…alas no (they are so tasty).
When it comes to quiche I really just love it with spinach.
Good to know that this one gets better with time.
Laura says
Please let me know how you like it! I do wish I had thought to add artichokes, or may even a chipotle pepper!
Richa@HobbyandMore says
look at that veggie loaded deliciousness!
Jed Gray (sportsglutton) says
Is 150g of protein like one pound of elk?
Laura says
Give or take. ๐
Kailey says
This looks fantastic!! I love anything with chickpeas – doesn’t even look like its vegan!
Heather @ girlyeverafter says
This looks so good. I love any and all Mexican inspired foods but have never used chickpea flour. I’m all about packing in the protein these days too.
Laura @ LauraLivesLife says
I finally totally understand your quest for protein – not 150 grams, but I am constantly struggling to hit my 30-30-40 ratio! I need to try chickpea flour too, since it’s also GF. This looks amazing!
Laura says
It’s harder than it sounds – especially on a vegetarian diet. Not impossible though!
You would love chickpea flour. It’s a great one for my GF peeps. ๐
janet @ the taste space says
I love your Mexican spin on the quiche, Laura. I should try that next time I make it. ๐
Laura says
Thank you for the inspiration! I’ll have to try your version too – love those flavors. ๐
Kelly @ Inspired Edibles says
Love the idea of a chickpea quiche and your seasonings sound dynamite! So colourful too.
Laura says
Thank you! I love colorful food. ๐
Lena @Fit on the Rocks says
Gah I love all things quiche! I’ll need to mark this for the next time I want a lighter, veggie-filled one!
Laura says
Thanks Lena! When are you guys going to come to ATL for a visit???
Baker Street says
Ooh yum! loaded with veggies, how can anyone say no to this delicious quiche!
Holly says
What an interesting idea! I never thought of mixing the socca batter with veggies before and then baking, but I could definitely see it being a nice treat. I’ll have to try it once the weather cools down a bit. (I can’t turn on my stove)
Laura says
Yeah – it’s like a giant fluffy socca. It did have a surprisingly egg-like texture, especially on day 2.
Why can’t you turn on your stove?!
Fran@ Broken Cookies Don't Count says
The quiche sounds delicious, Laura!
beti says
I’d love to try it! the combination of ingredientes is just great
Laura says
Let me know if you do! The fillings are easily customizable, too.
Kimberly (unrivaledkitch) says
wow this looks phenomenal. So wonderful thanks for sharing
Laura says
Thanks so much! It was fun to make. ๐
Sรผnne says
Quiche? Vegan? Needless to say it’s baking in my oven right now. I did a few subs based on what I had on hand and hope it comes on. Looking forward to lunch!
Laura says
That’s so cool! Please let me know how you like it. And I’d love to hear about your additions!
Sรผnne says
Thank you so much for the recipe! I’d already call this one a new favourite!
Okay, as for my adaptions: My quiche ended up being pretty much non-Mexican due to what I had on hand. Vegetable-wise I used zucchini, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Also, I used fresh basil instead of cilantro and added cayenne pepper to the batter.
Did you use toasted or “raw” chickpea flour? The bag I had sitting around was of the toasted variety but I thought about buying this brand (it’s five times – yes! – cheaper and I’m a student so …): http://gftonline.de/csv/grafiken/eng83/21181_Flour_Flour_Based_Products_Mehl_Teigwaren_TRS_Gram_Flour_TRS_Kichererbsenmehl.jpg
I don’t know whether it’s toasted or not.
Ah, also: Would you consider this a carb(-heavy) meal or what is chickpea flour counted as? Hope this isn’t a stupid question.
Laura says
That’s such a huge compliment – thank you! Your rendition sounds amazing. I bet mushrooms were awesome in it.
I think my chickpea flour is raw… but I buy it in bulk at the farmer’s market, so it isn’t clearly labeled.
My nutrition plan calls chickpeas a carb, so I think of it as my carb for the meal. However, if you aren’t on a strict diet plan I wouldn’t worry too much about it! Chickpeas are good, protein-rich carbs. ๐
Alex Nolen says
This is absolutely delicious! Having it for lunch and am already excited to have leftovers for breakfast ๐
Laura says
I’m so excited you like it! What mix-ins did you use? Thanks for the feedback!!
Eve says
This looks AMAZING and I’m thinking of making it next week! I was just wondering what C relates to..does it mean Cups!? Someone PLEASE Help Me!!! Thank you very much.
Laura says
C just means cups. ๐ Let me know how you like it!
Ellie says
Hey Laura!
I was totally inspired to make a version of this with a gluten free crust after reading this post! I changed the veggies up too, but it wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for your genius idea of a socca style filling! Would you mind me sharing my version on my blog? I will totally link back to this original post of course so peeps can check out the inspiration behind it ๐
Ellie
Laura says
That’s awesome! Thank you for letting me know. I’d me honored if you shared your version. Would love to see it! ๐
Ellie says
Awesome!! I’ll put the post up soon! We are trying your version next, it looks amazing…. ๐
Ellie says
Hey, it’s up! ๐
http://theboothebearandthegojiberries.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/lettuce-and-spring-onion-tart.html
Marfigs says
I saw your recipe this morning and a few hours later I was at the shops buy chickpea flour and making this. So delicious and I am *in love* with the idea that it forms its own crust – definitely learnt something about baking today. Wonderful recipe ๐
http://marfigs.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/beetballs-revisited-and-crustless-quiche/
Julz says
This is in the oven now, but I used spinach, basil, quartered garden fresh cherry tomatoes, nooch, & crushed red pepper. Our home smells amazing! I wanted to try yours as is but there was no cilantro to be found. Next time I make it I will go by the recipe and add a little homemade seitan chorizo. Per comments, I’m making this to be had for brunch tomorrow, if it doesn’t get eaten today.
Laura says
I’m so excited to hear what you think! I have a recipe for homemade seitan chorizo, too. That would make a great addition – will have to try it myself!
Julz says
I couldn’t wait. After a few hours in the fridge, I cut into it. It’s even better than I thought it would be. So delicious! I can’t wait to play with other ingredients. This is epic!
Laura says
Thank you SO much! I’m thrilled that you liked it! ๐