All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015
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I have never been a huge quiche fan. Sure – I’ll eat it – but I will eat most things if they are my only option. I became even less charmed with quiche when I made a few & realized that they really are not mostly egg – but rather – are mostly heavy cream. They are as rich & decadent as ice cream and, frankly, I’d rather eat a tub of sour cream with spring onion powdered mix in it & gorge on an entire bag of reduced fat Ruffles.
So – I recently discovered the charms of tofu masquerading as egg whites & I am very pleased. I made Vegan Tofu Scramble Breakfast Burrito with Mixed Vegetables & Cheese & Vegan Tofu Chilaquiles with 5-Minute Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce – seen below, respectively.
And, when I am working, I scramble a quarter of a block of tofu with S&P and some spinach or veggie sausage & wrap it in an 80 calorie tortilla & dip it is salsa & call it breakfast. Every. Single. Day. I am now completely off eggs.
So – I thought – why not make a tofu quiche? Cruelty-free & way less rich than a traditional quiche. I used chard & spinach & vegan cheese in mine but you can adapt this to reflect whatever quiche ingredients you prefer. A little veggie sausage would be nice.
I used 5 slices of this Field Roast Chao cheese – below.
I really, really like that cheese – in all three flavors. The texture is believable & it tastes yummy. I pulsed mine into the tofu so that it might melt more effectively and, no matter what kind of cheese you use – I recommend this method.
The real secret to a delicious-looking quiche is the depth of it – so be sure to pack yours with ingredients. I could have added sausage or other veggies – like broccoli – to this & it would still have fit into the crust – so err on the side of too much stuff in the crust rather than too little.
Vegan Tofu Quiche with Chard, Spinach & Cheese
INGREDIENTS
1 prepared vegan pie crust
1 lb extra firm tofu
1 head chard – hard ribs removed – chopped
2 cups fresh spinach – chopped
1/2 onion – diced
1/2 red bell pepper – diced
1 carrot – diced
5 slices of vegan cheese (or 1/2 cup or more of your cheese selection)
2 TBS tahini (optional)
1 TBS miso (optional)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 TBS fresh basil – minced
Olive oil
Smoked (or other) paprika
5-10 cherry tomatoes – halved
S&P
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Press the crust into a pie pan.
Heat 1-2 TBS olive oil in a large saute pan. saute the onion, carrot & red pepper until soft. Add the chard & spinach & basil & saute until the greens wilt. Season with S&P. Set aside.
In a blender or food processor – pulse the tofu & cheese together with the Dijon and the miso & tahini (if using). Season with S&P. Add to the vegetable mixture & combine.
Pour into the crust & sprinkle with paprika. Arrange the tomatoes on top. Pinch your crust edges – if you like. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the crust is browned to your taste.
Let sit 10 minutes & serve.
Delightful-Delicious-Delovely 