Mini Mushroom & Spinach Quiche

I like that people come over for coffee or a cuppa (tea) in this new country of mine. When my older kids were little, I would often host some other moms from their preschool for a playdate and coffee. I usually just bought some cookies and served some fruit and snacks for the kids. Living in Ireland has taught me that tea time or coming over for coffee is a whole different kind of social activity. As part of a group of American moms who gather once a week for coffee with our little ones, I quickly learned that meeting for coffee was a really fantastic way to meet other moms and women in a short, social way that wasn’t as involved as serving lunch or meeting for drinks or dinner. Sipping tea and eating your scone or holding a cup of coffee and tasting some cake allows for easy conversation that can segue into friendships. Unfortunately, I have a very limited baking repertoire, limited mostly to baking cupcakes and brownies from a box. I also didn’t have much time to bake or space to refrigerate delicate things. So, I needed a quick, minimal brunch/coffee type food that was easy to eat (didn’t require utensils), required few special ingredients, and was easy to make ahead while being very portable (think throw into a ziploc bag and into the bottom of the stroller or bag) and could be eaten at room temperature.

Enter the portable, toddler-friendly mini quiche. I love that it gives a bit of lunch and protein to my 3 year old and provides an alternative to the steady stream of cakes and cookies usually offered at group coffee mornings. My favorite version is a mushroom, onion, spinach quiche but my husband and kids also love a ham and cheese version. Really, just put any leftover veggies or meets into this quiche and it can make a quick morning bite or an easy brunch dish to bring to a morning coffee.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C. Start chopping up 1/2 an large onion into small pieces. Then thinly slice button mushrooms.

Add a little olive oil into your pan and saute the onions and mushrooms until golden.

Season with sea salt, ground pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Then add a few handfuls of washed spinach leaves and saute until just wilted. Check seasoning to make sure mixture is seasoned well. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, prep cupcake pan with silicon cupcake liners. I found these at Dealz for 1.49Euro for 6 in pink or blue. My little helper decided she wanted to put the cupcake liners into the pan. I find that it’s unnecessary to grease or spray these liners. The quiche pop right out.
Divide the cookied veggie mixture eveningly between the 12 cups.Sprinkly with a bit of your favorite cheese. I prefer a mild white cheddar cheese in these.In a separate bowl, whisk 5-6 medium eggs and 1/2 cup of double cream or whipped cream. Season with salt if you use fillings that are not already seasoned.Bake in the oven for about 15-17 minutes. Rotate half way through if necessary. Quiche will puff up and then settle when cooling. These will keep in the fridge for a few days. Enjoy with your favorite cup of tea or coffee!