Gluten-Free Copper Mountain Quiche

With its press in crust, this quiche is especially easy to make Gluten Free. But, with the large amounts of cheese and cream cheese, the original non-gluten free recipe (cut out of newspaper by my Mom 20 years ago) had a fat content that made you think: Wow! Massive Coronary for dinner! So when I created the GF version I tried to lower the fat content as well. This new version tastes as great as the old one and is just as easy, so enjoy!

GF Copper Mountain Quiche

Ingredients:
1¼ Cups GF Flour (divided):
                                            ⅓ Cup GF Oat Flour* (GF Sorghum Flour)
                                            ⅓ Cup GF Potato Starch
                                            ⅓ Cup GF Corn Flour* (or GF Rice Flour)
                                            ¼ Cup GF Tapioca Starch
½ tsp. Guar Gum
⅛ - ¼ tsp. Xanthan Gum
½ cup Butter; cut into 1 inch cubes and cold
4 oz. Reduced Fat Cream Cheese; cut into quarters or eighths and cold
1 lb. Fresh Spinach; washed, trimmed, and spun or
                1 - 10 oz. package Frozen Chopped Spinach; thawed, drained/squeezed dry
1 cup Cheddar Cheese (low-fat); shredded
1 cup Swiss Cheese (low-fat); shredded
3 Eggs; lightly beaten or 1 Egg and ½ cup Egg Beaters; lightly beaten
½ cup Light or Fat Free Mayonnaise (if using Fat Free, check label to insure that it's gluten-free!)
½ cup Milk (use 1% or 2 %; skim is not recommended)
5 - 6 slices of Bacon; cooked and crumbled
8 oz. or 1¼ cup of Mushrooms, sliced
1 - bunch of Green Onions; trimmed and finely sliced or 2-3 Tbsp. Chives; minced

Measure and sift the GF flour ingredients (Oat Flour though Tapioca Starch) into a medium bowl. Sift or stir with a whisk until evenly combined. Re-measure the flour to 1¼ cups; reserving any extra flour in a separate container for future use. With a whisk stir in the Guar Gum and Xanthan Gum; sift one or two more times to combine evenly. Measure 2 Tbsp of GF Flour into a small bowl and set both bowls aside.

Use one of the two methods below to make the press-in crust:

Method 1: Add cold Butter pieces, quartered Cream Cheese, and the contents of the medium bowl (the 1 cup+ of GF Flour mixture) to the bowl of a large food processor, fitted with a chopping blade. Pulse for 10 to 20 seconds, or just until the mixture is combined and crumbly. Evenly press the crumbly mixture into the bottom of a 10 inch pie plate (deep dish is preferred), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hr. While crust refrigerates resume with the directions below.

Method 2: Add cold Butter pieces and quartered Cream Cheese to the medium bowl with the (1 cup+) GF Flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter and cream cheese into the GF flour until combined and crumbly. Evenly press the crumbly mixture into the bottom of a 10 inch pie plate (deep dish is preferred), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hr. While crust refrigerates resume with the directions below.

Preheat oven to 350°.

If using Fresh Spinach: Wilt spinach in a large covered saucepan over medium-low heat, cooking just until spinach wilts and is tender. Drain and squeeze dry with paper towels. Set aside.

If using Frozen Spinach: Thaw at room temp. or defrost in microwave, drain and squeeze dry with paper towels. Set aside.

In a large bowl: combine the drained spinach with the 2 Tbsp. of GF Flour mixture, add in all remaining ingredients, stirring until well combined. If needed cover and refrigerate mixture until crust has chilled long enough.

Bake: Pour mixture over chilled crust and bake for 1 hr. or until quiche is set and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve hot, leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or can be frozen for up to a month.


To Anyone Who Eats a Vegan, Lactose-Free and/or Dairy Free Diet: While I have not tried to make this Lactose or Dairy Free, myself I'm sure that it can be done. I would suggest using a dairy free margarine or shortening in place of the butter, a cream cheese substitute like Tofutti, Lactose-free cheese and milk or a soy-based cheese substitute ( NuTofu or Soy A Melt) and a dairy free milk substitute like almond milk or soy milk. If anyone tries to make this recipe Lactose or Dairy Free; I would appreciate it if you let know your results! Good Luck!

If anyone wants to make the original version (non-gluten free), then use 1 cup All Purpose Flour for the crust and two Tbsp. of All Purpose Flour in the filling. (And don't worry about the Guar Gum or Xanthan Gum, they are binders that are used in GF baking to take the place of the binder: gluten that is a natural component in wheat flour.)