Easy Cheesey Vegetable Slice with Buckwheat (includes Thermomix instructions)

Put together in minutes, a tasty versatile dish which is good hot or cold, for dinners or snacks

This is essentially a crustless quiche, with the flour in the egg mixture instead of in a pastry base making it extremely simple to put together, healthier, and easier to hold if you're having it as a snack - perfect for snacks, lunchboxes and picnics!

Courgettes, peppers and spring onions are favourites in this household which I always have to hand, and there's always a tin or three of sweetcorn in the cupboard so this is very convenient for us and it's meat free too. Using a food processor means the whole thing is ready to go into the oven in just a few minutes, making it incredibly convenient. It was inspired by Jo Whitton's mini impossible quiches which were suggested to me when I was wracking my brains for nutritious snacks to put into my daughter's packed lunches (found in 'Quirky Cooking' which is an excellent Thermomix cookbook, particularly for those with food allergies - and you can find her fantastic blog here), but this is a quicker (read lazier and more in a rush?!), more budget-friendly, vegetarian version without grains. I use buckwheat in mine but there's no reason you can't use plain gluten free flour, or even just plain (or wholemeal) wheat flour if you're not cooking gluten / grain free.

I baked this specifically to be gluten free and lunchbox friendly - and it will make a good 20 portions at 77 calories each (in case you're tempted!) as a side / with other savoury things to eat (I cut 10 rectangles from each dish - but then cut some of these in half to fit into lunchboxes, two a portion). If you're making this for dinner, it's more likely to serve 6-8 people with sides.

Feel free to vary the vegetables, type of cheese, and/or add other ingredients as you wish according to what you have in - however I did not include any root vegetables, so I can't say how well they would cook through in it, depending on how finely you chop them. [Calories in square brackets, for any adults who are counting!]

Ingredients

• 100g mature cheddar cheese cut into 1.5" cubes [416]
• 4 spring/green onions (scallions), cut into 1.5" lengths [14]
• 1 red/orange pepper, cut into eighths [34]
• 1 medium courgette (zucchini), cut into 1.5" lengths (190g) [34]
• 5 medium eggs, lightly beaten with a fork (50-60g each - mine were 260g total) [393]
• 1 rounded tsp dijon mustard [15]
• 1 tsp dried oregano [5]
• Ground black pepper to taste [1]
• 2 level tsp vegetable bouillon powder (e.g. Swiss Marigold, or use 1 tsp stock paste) [24]
• 150ml/g semi-skimmed milk [75]
• 90g buckwheat flour (or gluten free flour, or a mix - check your buckwheat flour is gluten free if cooking for those who are allergic / coeliac) [302]
• 1 tsp baking powder (gluten free) [3]
• 1 x 200g tin sweetcorn, drained (165g drained weight) [127]
• 2 tsp oil, to grease the dishes [90]

Equipment

Food processor, two pyrex / lasagne type dishes, approximately 8" x 10" each (if you use metal tins, line them with greaseproof baking paper)

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to Gas mark 6 / 180C fan oven and grease each dish with a teaspoon of oil.

2. Add the cheese, onions, pepper and courgette to the food processor bowl, and chop to a medium to fine dice (Thermomix 5 seconds / Speed 4, followed by 3 seconds / Speed 5).

3. Mix together with all the other ingredients until thoroughly combined (Thermomix 1 minute / Reverse / Speed 2) and pour into your two prepared dishes to an equal depth.

4. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through and turning golden brown on top.

Tips

If you're cooking this to serve cold / for lunchbox treats etc. it's easiest to cool it down before slicing up and removing from the dishes. Run a spatula or knife around the sides first, if necessary.