Mushroom & Kale Vegan Quiche
This is the first time I have tried a vegan tofu based quiche and it wont be the last! To be very honest I never liked most traditional quiche, there was something off about the texture, and the base was always soggy! (I hate a soggy base). I think one of the most important things to me is texture. When I gave up meat it was not the taste that I missed, it was the texture of a nice crispy chicken schnitzel etc. Most of the time I find it more important to replicate texture and not so much taste. In fact I am usually quite happy for the taste to be different because I nearly always prefer it. I honestly think I was always meant to be a plant based eater because I enjoy all of my food so much more now. Something that has been very foreign for me for most of my life.
When I first transitioned to a vegetarian diet I made my own “traditional” quiche for a while. I used to take it to work with me to have for lunch. I changed up the ingredients so much though that it just ended up tasting like an omelette with a base. However, the base was amazing! Its a two ingredient almond and quinoa base which is so easy to make and never gets soggy! Its also so much higher in protein and loaded with essential vitamins and minerals. Much better than a normal pastry crust and gluten free as well!
A few years ago I gave up eggs in my cooking at home, I realised I no longer had a recipe that I could pair up with my awesome base! I had seen a few tofu quiches on the internet but they all sounded quite complicated and I was skeptical about the taste. Now I have finally tried one and I am just so happy with how it turned out! I honestly don’t know if it is at all similar to a traditional one. Its not soggy and its not eggy, but it is delicious! and in my opinion so much better than the original! It is also incredibly high in plant based protein. We never have issues at all getting enough protein into our diet. I find that I make up my requirements for the day by lunch time, but my husband has recently started using a “standing desk” at work and I just sort of get the feeling that he needs a little bit of extra protein to help his muscles cope, especially since when he is not at his desk he is super active and on his feet filming various things. He was actually my inspiration for finally trying a tofu quiche because I really wanted to feed him well. I am happy to say that he loved every bite and I am hoping the high protein will give him a little bit of extra help too. I have tried to simplify the recipe as much as I could. In the end it did not take nearly as long as I thought! Enjoy 🙂
The recipe for the tofu filling was adapted by the sun-dried tomato, spinach and mushroom tofu quiche from “Oh She Glows”
| Mushroom & Kale Vegan Quiche | Print |
- BASE:
- 1 cup almond meal
- ½ cup quinoa (or 1 cup pre cooked quinoa)
- pinch salt.
- FILLING:
- 1 block organic firm tofu
- Olive oil for frying
- 1 small brown onion
- 2 garlic cloves - crushed
- 6 button mushrooms - sliced
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil - roughly chopped
- 1 cup curly kale - stem removed and chopped into small pieces
- 2 TBSP nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp red chilli flakes (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Garnish with pea sprouts and snow pea tendrils
- For the base: rinse your quinoa and add to the stove with 1 cup of water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. You can use 1 cup of pre cooked quinoa if you have any on hand.
- Combine quinoa with almond meal and salt and mix well. It should stick together when you press it between your fingers.
- Lightly grease your quiche/tart tins with a little bit of olive oil and press the mixture into evenly on to the base and sides of your tin. I recommend using damp fingers to do this as it can be a little crumbly. Set aside.
- FILLING:
- Break your tofu into large chunks and place in a food processor. Process until smooth and creamy. This will take a few minutes. You may need to scrub down the sides as you go and add a little bit of soy milk to help it come together. Set aside.
- In a saucepan of large frying pan, fry the onion in a olive oil until soft and translucent. Add your garlic and gook until fragrant.
- Add your sliced mushrooms, season them with a good amount of salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes until all the water has evaporated.
- Throw in kale and sun dried tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes until the kale has softened.
- Add nutritional yeast, dried basil, oregano and chilli flakes and mix through.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- When your veggies are cooked, add in your tofu mixture and mix well to combine. It should be a very dense and heavy mixture.
- Spoon tofu mixture into your quiche bases and flatten out until even.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 180 C
- Serve with pea sprouts and snow pea tendrils
- * I used four 10cm/4 inch tart tins but you could use one large or standard tart tin instead and make one large quiche
