I have to admit, this recipe, inspired by The FatFree Vegan Kitchen, is a little more involved than what I usually prepare in the kitchen. That being said, it is completely worth the effort and now that I did it once, each additional time will be faster and easier. It is a great recipe to have in my “back pocket” for special occasions and holidays. Plus, it’s so darn pretty.
When I first came across the quiche recipe on The FatFree Vegan Kitchen I was tempted to tuck it away until spring or summer when asparagus and bell peppers are in season, but mushrooms are seasonal in the winter and the daytime temperatures have been in the 70’s and 80’s lately, so may be I didn’t have to wait after all. With the warmer temperatures, I was craving something a little lighter and cooling, but still filling. I decided that this quiche wasn’t too out-of-season if I made it now before jackets became mandatory for the next handful of months. May be it’s a stretch for you, but I was eager to make this quiche so this is my reasoning, as nutty as it may sound. Now that I have the general skeleton of the dish down, I am ready to make it Fall friendly – I’m thinking apples, spinach and mushrooms for the second layer. Yum!
Since this recipe is a little more intricate than what I am used to, I followed it pretty closely. The biggest differences are that I used more spices and skipped the vegan milk and substituted with water instead. I also ended up using less brown rice than what the original recipe called for. The pie pan that I used was 9 ½ inches in diameter.
Ingredients:
One 12-ounce package extra-firm silken tofu
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon rolled oats
2 teaspoon tahini
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 ½ cups brown rice, cooked and still warm or room temperature
1 bunch asparagus
1 small onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease pie pan (I used one that is 9 ½ inches)
Combine tofu, water, nutritional yeast, rolled oats, tahini, onion powder, turmeric and sea salt in blender and puree until smooth and creamy.
Add 3 tablespoons of tofu cream to brown rice and blend thoroughly. Spread brown rice into pie pan and press evenly into the bottom and sides of the dish. Bake for 8 minutes, remove dish from oven and set aside.
Chop off the top 3 inches of the asparagus and set aside. Chop the remainder of the stalk into ½ inch slices.
With heat, add a thin layer of water to the bottom of a saucepan and add onions, garlic and the thin slices of asparagus (do not add the asparagus tops. Cover and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and bell pepper and more water if necessary.
Spread the cooked vegetables on top of the rice crust in the pie pan. Distribute it evenly across the crust.
Pour the tofu mixture over the vegetables and spread it evenly across.
Add the 3 inch asparagus tops on top and spray lightly with olive oil.
Bake for one hour or until edges and top begin to brown. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
