Kale-Wrapped Mini Quiches

Happy Holiday! Today is a civic holiday here in Ontario and we’re enjoying it!

In effort of trying to eat healthier, I decided to cook out of the lovely new cookbook by Tosca Reno, The Eat-Clean Diet. Of course, I wouldn’t be doing the blog justice if I just copied the recipes so I’ve changed them up a bit so if you’re looking for the exact recipe, you’ll have to buy the book!

This is a delightful combination of flavours and textures and the kale works beautifully as a wrapper! I’m definitely going to make this one again, although I can’t help but think how tasty bacon would be in it!

The kale within the quiche softens up beautifully but the kale sticking out of the quiche crisps up like kale chips!

Makes 6 mini-quiches. Original recipe from Tosca Reno’s The Eat-Clean Diet, Vegetarian Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 12 large kale leaves, stems and ribs removed.
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 eggs, large
• 5 egg whites
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 2 tbsp Cilantro pesto (see notes)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F and roast the sweet potato, cauliflower and shallots for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
2. Lightly spray a 6 tin large muffin pan with olive oil and line each cavity with 2 kale leaves, having the curly bits stick out a little over the top. Spray very lightly with olive oil.
3. Into each kale lined cup, divide the roasted sweet potato, shallots and cauliflower evenly.
4. Meanwhile, combine the eggs, egg whites and milk with the Cilantro Pesto (recipe found on page 52) and whisk well.
5. Pour the egg mixture into each muffin cup evenly. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. If the kale begins to darken early, cover with parchment and then foil to protect it.
6. Allow the quiches to sit for 5 minutes before removing from the muffin cups. I used a silicon muffin pan like this one, which made plating very easy.

Notes:

• Tosca roasts the kale in a 350° F oven first to soften it. I experimented  without this step and it worked just fine (it was 30° C 86° F With high humidity and I didn’t want the oven on more than I had to).
• If you don’t like cilantro, use regular pesto but the nutrition will be different.
• The cilantro pesto contains only two tablespoons of oil and no cheese making this by far, the healthiest pesto on this blog.

Kale Wrapped Mini Quiches, Serving size is 1 quiche

Cilantro Pesto, Makes 1 cup and this is for 2 tablespoons