As you all know, anything with chia seeds in it will get my seal of approval these days (!) so when Burgen asked if I would like to try a loaf of their new flavour sunflower and chia seed bread as part of their blogger recipe challenge, I jumped at the chance! My challenge was to devise a nutritious recipe using the new bread.
When I was younger my mum used to make bread cups filled with a quiche mixture, or sometimes she would crack an egg straight into the cups. Unfortunately as a child I hated eggs, or so I thought, and eschewed them in favour of bacon, black pudding (until I found out what it actually was) and fried bread. It's only been the past 10 years or so that I've grown to love them for their versatility, protein power and fill factor. The fact they're so good for you is a bonus ;) But with my perceived dislike of eggs never stronger in my fussy, must-avoid-all-fat way of thinking in my teenage years (what a waste of time that was!) I don't recall ever trying my Mum's bread quiche cups (sorry Mum!). But oddly enough, when Burgen asked if I would like to join their blogger recipe challenge, they were the first thing that came to mind.
The bread makes the perfect crispy casing for the egg filling, which is packed with veggies and herbs. It's a dairy free recipe, with the option of adding cheese if you wish.
Sunflower and chia seed bread quiche cups
Makes 12
You will need:
12 slices Burgen Sunflower and Chia Seed bread
Cooking spray
For the filling:
4 eggs
1-2 tablespoons soy milk
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons basil pesto (or to taste)
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce (or to taste)
1/3 cup corn kernels
1/3 medium courgette, grated
1/3 red pepper, finely chopped
A small handful fresh parsley or chives, finely chopped
1/2 a leek, sliced into 12 thin slices (see picture)
A small handful grated cheddar cheese or 12 small slices of goat's cheese (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180 C. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
Cut the crusts off the bread (Thrifty Phil alert - don't throw the crusts away! You can freeze them and turn them into breadcrumbs - post on that coming soon). Gently press each piece of bread into a muffin tin so that the sides are lined. You can roll the bread out with a rolling pin if necessary. Spray the bread with cooking spray and then place in the oven for 10 minutes to crisp up.
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| Before crisping |
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| After crisping! |
Meanwhile, prepare the egg mixture. In a large jug (it makes putting the mixture in the cups easier!), beat the eggs together with seasoning and a splash of soy milk. Add the pesto and sweet chilli sauce (you could add any other flavouring you like here as well) and mix to combine.
Combine the corn, pepper, courgette and herbs together in a bowl and divide among the bread cups. Gently pour/spoon the egg mixture in over the top. Top each cup with a slice of leek.
If you wanted, at this stage you could top the bread cups with a handful of grated organic cheddar or a small slice of goat's cheese.
Bake the bread cups for 15-20 minutes until set and the leek is slightly browned on top.
Allow to cool slightly and then serve either on their own as a portable lunch/snack or with a salad, like so:
These were absolutely delicious. The bread was crispy and had lots of texture and crunch from the seeds, and the filling was packed full of veggies and flavour. It was a test of my willpower not to keep going back for more! In fact, as the afternoon has worn on and they have cooled, they're even nicer.......I think I'm going to need to put them in the fridge in a sealed box so Tom has some lunch for tomorrow! ;)
These are a real winner - I definitely want to try them again with different combinations. In fact I might try them again on the Jubilee weekend and do them "breakfast style" with veggie sausages, spinach and tomatoes. I'll let you know how that goes!
Have you ever had or made bread cups before?