Quiche Power! For a better tomorrow!

“We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.” David Mamet

Primal Smoked salmon quiche

For the 5th year in a row, pie-crazed characters gather together in our community to celebrate National Pie Day with a rousing auction and wrap-your-face-around-a-pie feast to Benefit “Lower Nehalem Land Trust” (LNCT)and “Food Roots” of Tillamook. It is time to eat pie to make the world a better place. I think that is the best idea ever!

National Pie day is actually January 23rd but the event will be held on Saturday January 26th at Nehalem Bay United Methodist Church Community Hall at 7 pm. National Pie Day was put it on the calendar in our community by pie lover, Lorraine Ortiz. Five years ago, she started the event that gets the community to bake tons of pie, eat tons of pie and support a good cause. There is a $5 donation at the door that includes the exciting and mouthwatering pie auction then to follow, an all-you-can-eat Pie Feast. (BTW the event was a smashing success! My pie sold for $85! WOOT!)

Bidders looking at the pies to bid on at Pie day

I will not be attending this year’s pie extravaganza due to the fact that I have officially lost 30 pounds since last January first! YES!! And pies aren’t exactly in my plan… on any level. I only have 5 more pounds to lose to get to my first goal and I will not go to a pie feast, I’m sorry, not for any cause. BUT! I did sign up to make a pie for the good of all.

I am going to make my caveman hubby’s very favorite smoked salmon quiche. If he needs cheered up because a cavebear smashed his favorite club, this is the trick to do it. It proves that real men do LOVE quiche. But there was a problem… it is in a very SAD (Standard American diet) crust and I got to thinking… (about here hubby grunts with despair) How about a sweet potato crust?? (He breathes a sigh of relief)

Online, I did a bit of creative research and voila! Found the solution. So I made a primal quiche for us and the standard crusted affair for the fund-raiser. The primal quiche turned out so delicious that I actually like it WAY better than the old version! Surprise! Caveman hubby mowed through 3/4 of it before dinner. I’m lucky I got any. In fact, guess what I made today? Another one! We are about to dive into it, right now. Yes, you can have your (primal) pie and eat it too.

Primal smoked salmon quiche

Smoked Salmon Quiche with a savory sweet potato crust
To make this paleo cut out the cheese and add coconut milk instead of the milk.

The Crust
1 sweet potato, sliced into thin rounds, Enough to cover the bottom of the pie pan twice.
2 eggs
1/4 cup of cream or half & half
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
1/3 cup of gruyere cheese (or swiss cheese)
Pinch of salt and pepper”
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Layer the bottom of you lightly grease deep dish pie plate with two layers of the sweet potato slices. Sprinkle the rosemary on the sweet potatoes, then whisk together the eggs, cream. Pour onto the sweet potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pop in the oven to bake for 10 minutes, bring out of the oven and cover with the gruyere cheese and bake for 5 more minutes. Continue with the……

The quiche
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup 2% or whole milk
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of dried dill
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 tablespoon of capers, drained
1-3 garlic cloves, pressed
2-4 oz of cream cheese, crumbled into bits
4 oz of smoked salmon broken into bits
1/2 cup of thinly slice green onions, (use the whole onion)

Whisk the eggs, milk, mustard and spices up into a froth in a medium workhorse of a bowl. Add the garlic and cream cheese and mix in. Sprinkle the bottom of sweet potato crust with the salmon. Pour the egg mix over top and a little dried dill for beauty. Bake this creation at 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees until center stops wiggling when you touch it and a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Serve after it has set for about 20- 30 minutes. (I know, I know it’s hard to wait!) It is really very good cold, served with a lightly dressed salad to celebrate pie day!