Hemp Quiche - Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

 The last four months my IBS has been playing up and I'm once again lactose and wheat intolerant :(  So I have been experimenting with some dairy and wheat free recipes, and this is one of my favourites! Although there is no cheese, the lovely nutty hemp flavour with the veggies is delicious enough!

For the pastry base, I recommend experiment using a mixture of flours to see what works best for you.  Whether your wheat free or gluten free, Hemp and Gram (chickpea flour) are good options.  I have experimented with rye and spelt too, both of which make nice pastry, although these flours arent suitable for all.

You will need:

For the pastry:
100g Flour (in equal measure - Gram, Spelt, Hemp)
50g Soya Butter

3-4 eggs
200ml Water
A few handfuls of Hemp Seeds (whole/dehulled)

Veggie topping of your choice.

Method

1. First the pastry! Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until it becomes like breadcrumbs. If you fancy an extra nutty hempy taste to your base,  add a small handful of hempseeds too.

2. Add small amounts of water and mix until you get a firm dough

3. Roll out and use it to line a well greased pie dish. Prick with a fork 8 times and bake in the oven for 5 minutes at Gas Mark 4 / 180C





4. Next make the hemp milk. Using a blender, mix a handful of hempseeds with 200ml of water and blitz for 2 minutes on full power. If you used whole seeds then I suggest you use a seive to strain out the shells.  If you dont have a blender, then either grind your hempseeds, or use dehulled hemp seeds, and gently heat them in a pan of 200ml of water till the water turns milky.



5. In a bowl, mix the beaten eggs and hemp milk together. Season well with salt, black pepper and mixed herbs.

6. Now begin to build up your layers of veggies in the pie dish. Its often good to start with a layer of tomato puree on the base, but instead a good sprinkling of hempseeds is tasty too. I suggest a layer of Sustainably fished Tuna,  topped with Sweetcorn, fried onions and finally tomatoes.  But any veggie combos will do.

7. Pour the eggy mixture over the top of the veggies, making sure everything is well covered.  Top it off with a good sprinkling of dehulled hemp seeds.

8. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes on gas mark 4 /180 C, or until it is set and the top is golden.



Veggie suggestions



Onions - chop and lightly fry until soft
Bacon - Chop and fry first
Broccoli - boil in water for 5 minutes first
Mushrooms - Slice and fry in butter first
Leek - slice and fry in butter first
Tinned salmon - extra nice if you top with fresh spinach and use riccota cheese
Tomatoes - slice up and place on top of quiche