SPINACH STRATA

I like to think that I’m not a huge complainer, however sometimes the no gluten & no dairy diet gets to me! I think about all the rich, soft cheeses I cannot eat (without a bloated stomach) and the sourdough, ciabatta, white and French bread that I must pass by. I initially looked at this Spinach Strata and thought there was no way that I could make this taste edible whilst being gluten & dairy free. However, after a few days of serene sunshine and uninterrupted hours of reading, I decided I was strong enough to take on the challenge. Rice milk is a wonderful alternative to fresh cow’s milk, finely grated pecorino sheep’s cheese tastes superior to feta and the new gluten-free & dairy-free bread range at Woolworths carries a pretty bright flame to stale white bread. I definitely recommend sprinkling some herbs right before baking this strata in the oven, particularly if you are cooking it GF & DF, as the extra flavour goes a long way. A perfect breakfast, lunch or dinner dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 slices day-old & stale gluten-free bread, cut into 1cm cubes (if not stale place in a 180 degree celsius oven for 15 minutes) 
• lemon zest of 1/2 a lemon, finely grated
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 heaped cups of baby spinach, washed, drained & finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
• 1/4 cup pecorino sheep's cheese
• 6 eggs, preferably free-range, lightly beaten
• 2 cups rice milk
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, plus extra to grease (liquid form)
• Optional- 1 tablespoon fresh basil/chives, finely chopped

COOKING 

1. Lightly grease a cake tin/baking dish with coconut oil. Sprinkle the lemon zest evenly around the bottom of the tin and set aside. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. 

2. Combine the coconut oil, mustard, a drizzle of the milk and a generous pinch of sea salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the eggs and the rest of the milk. 

3. Place the cubed bread into the prepared tin and sprinkle the cut spinach and half of the cheese on top. Gently toss the ingredients, just so everything is combined. Slowly drizzle the egg & milk mixture over the top of the bread and sprinkle the remaining cheese and optional herbs on top. Bake in the top part of the oven for 45-55 minutes, until the egg is completely set in the middle and the edges of the strata are browned, but not burnt. This can be a little tricky to tell; therefore you may need to poke around the strata with a skewer or knife to determine that the egg is set. 

Serve warm, with extra cheese or more herbs if desired. 

Serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner! 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 55-65 minutes 

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