Beef and Cheddar Quiche

Total time: 60 minutes
    Brown rice makes a healthy, flavorful crust for quiches and savory pies.  Cook it ahead of time for quicker prep time. Use less cheese if you like  - I was thinking 'cheeseburger' when I made this.

 Ingredients:

• Crust:
• 1/2 cup (3.3oz, 95gr) brown rice, quick-cooking
• 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) beef stock    to yield 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup (1oz, 30gr) shredded Cheddar cheese
• Filling:
• 8oz (240gr) ground beef
• 1 onion
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/2 red pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 1 cup (4oz, 120gr) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 tsp olive oil, plus a bit for the dish
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) milk 

 Instructions:

• The Crust: 
• Cook rice in stock according to package instructions. 
• When done, spread out on a plate for 5 minutes to allow to cool a bit.
• Lightly oil a 10" (25 cm) pie or quiche plate.
• Whisk 1 egg. 
• Add 1/4 cup shredded cheese and the cooked rice. 
• Mix well. 
• Pat into the quiche plate, working it up the sides as best you can.
•  Bake in 400F (200C) oven for 8 minutes. Remove.
• The Filling:
• Roughly chop the onion. 
• Mince the garlic. 
• Cut the peppers into strips. 
• Heat oil in large skillet and add paprika, onion, garlic and peppers. 
• Sauté until tender, about 7 minutes.
• Add beef and brown, breaking it up. 
• Add oregano and tomato paste, stir well.
• Whisk eggs and milk together.
• To assemble:
• Spread the beef and peppers over the baked crust. 
• Top with cheese.
• Pour the egg mixture over all and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until center has set. 
• Remove and let rest 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Note:  I usually put the quiche dish on a baking sheet to make it easier to handle – it gets kind of full…