Couscous and Spinach Quiche

This is a popular dish in my house. I make it probably once a month or so. Assuming you have the ingredients on hand, it is a fast light dinner to assemble, leaving you with breakfast portions for days to come. Or, you can assemble it in two parts the night before, and pop it in the oven in the morning if you have guests.

It was originally intended as a full-on casserole with no crust, no edges. Probably baked an 8x8" square dish. And, I'm sure it would taste great in that format.

However, I prefer a crust and a defined edge to my quiches -- even when I'm cheating and using an alternative "dough" -- like I am here.

The crust in this quiche is made from cooked couscous, which gives it a nice nutty crunch in every bite, and also an extra added sense of healthiness instead of eating quiche or pie dough.

Note - I don't worry too much about the balance of ingredients in here. You could easily make it more to your tastes by, say, lessening the amount of cheese - but if you do so, be sure to up other binding ingredients, like eggs and cottage cheese. To me, the most important flavor components are the chili powder and oregano.

Crustless Couscous and Spinach Quiche
From The Garden of Earthly Delights Cookbook

1 1/2 c water
3/4 c couscous, uncooked
3 eggs
1 bunch spinach, coarsely chopped
3/4 c cottage cheese
2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
3 T salsa
1 tsp chile powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp oregano, dried
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat a 9" pie plate with cooking spray and set aside.

In a small pot, bring water to a boil. Add couscous. Stir once, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Then, press couscous into the prepared pie plate, using a rubber spatula or a spoon pre-sprayed with cooking spray. Push the couscous up the side of the plate. Note that sometimes, you will have about 1/2 c of leftover couscous, depending on how high the walls of your pie plate are.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients. Spoon into the prepared pie plan, using some caution so as to not dislodge the couscous too much. Once the bottom layer of couscous has been covered, you can be a bit more free.

Place in oven and bake until a knife comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.