Green bean and cheddar quiche

Very clever dinner...

Green beans are not something I have ever put in quiche before. Spinach, yes. Broccoli, yes. Peas, sure. But I had a can of French cut green beans, and none of the other previously names green things. So I went with it. Green beans typically pair well with plenty of dairy products and fat. This quiche is no exception.

I halved the recipe for pie crust that was printed on the back of my all-purpose flour bag, reduced the salt, and replaced the shortening with coconut oil (because, again, this was what I had). It has a very slight coconut flavor, which isn't altogether unpleasant. I used to use this recipe for quiche, but over time I have adjusted some of the proportions to make it slightly firmer and have more room for veggies.

1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup coconut oil
5 T cold water
1/4 t salt
3 eggs
1 cup half and half
1 14 oz can of French cut green beans
2 oz white cheddar with black pepper
pinch of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Use a pastry blender to mix together coconut oil, salt, and flour in a medium sized bowl, until well incorporated.  Mix in cold water a little bit at a time until it feels like a nice dough ball. Roll out the crust and place it in a pie pan. Or just do what I did and smoosh it relatively flatly into the pie pan for a "rustic" look. Grate the cheese, drain the green beans, and mix them together in the pie crust. Whisk together the eggs, half and half, and nutmeg. If your cheese does not already contain black pepper, I'd recommend adding some at this juncture. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese and beans. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 25 minutes. Let it cool a while before you cut it. Nutrition info is for 1/6th of quiche.