Mushroom & Tofu Quiche

I used to love quiche back in the day and over the past few months, I have been playing around with a few different recipes to see how I can recreate this dish to make it vegan friendly.  There are many ways to make a vegan ‘eggy’ mixture however here is one way to enjoy a delicious vegan quiche.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 block (300g) tofu (the softer the better as you will be mixing it to a smooth paste)
2 cups mushrooms, sliced – any variety will work well
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup oat milk or cream
Black pepper to taste
1 tsp black salt/sulpher (this is what gives the pie it’s eggy smell and is great used to make tofu scramble)
Pinch of turmeric
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 pack ready made short crust pastry (check ingredients to make sure it is vegan friendly)

Method

1.    Pre-heat oven to 180C/360F

2.    In a square/rectangle baking tray, spray with some oil and lay out your pastry.  You may need to roll out onto a floured chopping board to shape to size of baking tray.

3.    On a flat baking tray, put the walnuts and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, until browned.

4.    Blind bake the pastry (put a sheet of baking sheet to cover the pasty and top with dried beans) for 15 minutes

5.    In a frying pan add 1 tbsp sunflower oil, pinch of black pepper and a pinch of black salt & saute the mushrooms, until cooked and all water has evaporated

6.    Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, add the tofu, milk/cream, turmeric, thyme, black pepper and black salt and mix until smooth with a handheld mixed.  You can also put this all into a blender and mix until smooth.  If you need more milk, please add some.

7.    Once the mushrooms and walnuts are ready, add to the tofu mix.

8.    When the pasty is semi-cooked, remove baking sheet and dried beans and top with the tofu mix.  Top with a sprinkling of smoked paprika for colour.

9.    Bake in the oven for 30 minutes

10. Enjoy with a fresh green leaf salad accompanied with an olive oil & balsamic vinegar dressing which works well.

**To make this dish gluten free, simply use a gluten free & vegan ready rolled pastry which can be found at any high street supermarket**

Nutritional Facts

·       Walnuts:  They are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids and a  great source of protein.  The combination of healthy fats, protein, and fibre in walnuts helps to increase satisfaction and fullness.  Not forgetting that they taste delicious as a healthy snack!

·       Tofu:  Tofu is a good source of protein and contains all nine essential amino acids. It is a valuable plant based source of iron and calcium and the minerals manganese, selenium and phosphorous.