Last Updated on January 12, 2020 by Chef Mireille
Cheese Lovers Dandelion Pie is basically a crustless quiche. Made with loads of cheese, no one will refuse this delicious snack. It’s a great way to getting your kids to eat more veggies. As long as they are of the sort who are at least willing to try new foods, they will love these delicious bites stuffed with healthy dandelion and cheese.
Although this quiche is without a crust, it is not gluten free. It is made with Einkorn flour. Einkorn is an ancient grain with a low gluten profile, so it is easier on digestion. However, if you have celiac’s or other conditions where you cannot consume any gluten, you should still avoid it.
After selecting the BM theme of brownies, when it came time to bake I couldn’t bear to have one more sweet thing in the house. I have been a busy little bee updating a lot of my vintage posts with new and improved photos as well as embarking a transition into the You Tube world with cooking videos. (Subscribe to my YT channel here) I had leftover Coconut Bread Pudding and Banana Chocolate Chip Bread and the thought of making not one but three more brownies for this week’s theme was more sugar than I could even fathom…and that’s coming from someone with a HUGE sweet tooth!
I had planned on giving the leftover banana bread to my friend. She was visiting with her kids the weekend when I made it and her son loved it. I had ended up making it around 11 at night and then the next morning I had to get up early for a job, leaving them in my apartment with instructions that some needed to be saved for photos. Afraid of eating too much and ruining my photo shoot, they didn’t have any. We ended up coming back home late that evening after shopping and dinner out. Therefore, I had no time to take photos before their early morning departure the next day. They left me with all of the banana bread and I was not happy!
So I decided to interpret the theme in my own unique way by presenting a savory brownie. I don’t think this is what Valli had in mind with the theme of Brownies and Blondies…but I think she’ll survive the shock of encountering a savory brownie!
I had just come from one of my fave veg markets that I don’t go to that often because it requires me to take 2 buses to get there. The bus rides themselves are not that long, but sometimes the wait time can be long, especially on the weekends. However since I was coming from the city (what New Yorkers call Manhattan), I only had to take the buses one way, so it was a great excuse to visit Circus Fruits.
The variety of produce they have there is amazing and I get things I don’t get at my local market, since I don’t have the wallet to shop at Whole Foods. Everything from passionfruit to fresh almonds. While there, I picked up a big bunch of dandelion greens.
Dandelion is used a lot in Middle Eastern cuisine, especially in the savory pastries of Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. It has a lot of healthful benefits – high in calcium and Vitamin A. Dandelion is also rich in fiber and high in antioxidants, as well as aiding in good liver health and controlling diabetes.
If you’ve never encountered Einkorn before, you can read more about this ancient grain in my post here!
How to Make Dandelion Crustless Quiche
Dandelion is a slightly bitter green, so I combined it with spinach to cut the bitterness a bit. As an afterthought, I added some harissa at the end, however, that is optional. The mix of herbs and spices makes a great savory snack. The Panko added just the right crunch to put this brownie over the top! It also can be a side dish with your dinner – all you need to do is add some roasted potatoes and chicken!
With all the health benefits of dandelion and the cheesy goodness, this will be a fast disappearing savory treat.
Crustless Dandelion Quiche
Ingredients
- 2 cup firmly packed dandelion leaves
- 1 cup firmly packed spinach leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup Einkorn flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon herbs de provence
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 8 oz. grated pepper jack cheese
- 8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon harissa
- 2 tablespoons Panko breadcrumnbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9×13 brownie pan with non stick spray.
- Combine dandelion greens, spinach, garlic and buttermilk in a food processor. Mix until greens are well ground.
- Add eggs and mix until thoroughly combined.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, herbs de provence and nutmeg.
- Add dandelion paste and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in cheese until thoroughly combined.
- Add harissa until thoroughly incorporated.
- Transfer to prepared pan. Spread batter in an even layer in the pan.
- Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.
- Transfer to oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
- Cut in half and carefully remove from pan using a large spatula.
Nutrition
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savoury brownies… never thought of them. Looking at those pictures it reminds me of Kothimbir Vadi we have in Maharastra
I will have to check out those vadi and have a try!
What an innovative Brownie Mir! Am sure Srivalli will survive the savory brownie! Most of the ingredients are new to me but I would love to have a taste of this brownie.
if you can’t find dandelion you can replace with any other green leaf and Einkorn you can also replace with other flour so the recipe can be quite adaptable to whats available around you
yes you should keep a look out if you can find dandelion but truly any green like spinach would work just as well
I share your same concern when it comes to eating sweet stuff now. My blog is “The Big Sweet Tooth”, still you will see me thinking thrice before eating something sweet or baking something sweet, since 3/4 of it ends up into my system, and with my weight, this ain’t going to help me. 🙂 I totally love how you came out of the box with a savory brownie. Hearing of one for the first time and loving it… Innovation at its best!
thanks yes its important for us to manage the sweets as bloggers which can be challenging when you like them also
thanks – yes as its just me must monitor the sweets
Super savory brownies..and you always come up with new ingredients..never heard of these but like jyoti says ..similar to Kotmbir Vadi.
thanks – well I am lucky to live in such a foodie city with the world at my fingertips 🙂
I so wanted to choose brownies but knew my family would retaliate with too much sugar treats. A savoury brownie…wow Mireille, you probably have shocked all of us 🙂
thanks – I had to think of something to get away from all the sweets
Wow Mir, that’s mind blowing! You really have turned up with an unexpected one and I love it..so innovative and reading about the health benefits, am sure we will love it too..:)
as they say necessity is the mother of invention as I could not deal with one more sweet in the house at the time
that is great spin, never thought of this, it is so much like our kothinbir vadis
with so many people mentioning the similarity to these vadis, I definitely have to try them!
I have only known dandelion leave for tea but now I know the other uses as well. Very flavorful looking brownies.
no you can buy the greens. If its sold in your area, it would be near spinach and other similar greens
My daughter loves savoury bakes and am sure she will love this. Looks great
thanks – they were so good I am sure she will love it
Wow Mir, love the savory brownie! i have read about einkorn flour from here, but have never seen it personally! the same with dandelion, with so much use in middle eastern cuisine, it must be available nearby, will check it!
Love how loaded the brownies are with green! 🙂
look for it – I think you would be able to find the dandelion, if not the einkorn