Vegan Tofu Quiche

This dish hosts a lot more veggies than just the ones you see - tomatoes. It’s absolutely packed with mushrooms, silver-beet and red onion and flavoured with fresh thyme. 

Did you know that mushrooms contain more protein than most other vegetables? They’re also full of micronutrients especially B vitamins, phosphorus and potassium. Mushrooms are also the only vegan, non-fortified dietary source of vitamin D. 

Tomatoes are very rich in antioxidants, especially beta-carotene and lycopene and they also contain a good amount of vitamin C and E. This makes them good for the cardiovascular system which is not too surprising as cut open, they look like the heart! 

Silverbeet has a lot to offer too and has been referred to as a powerhouse vegetable due to its rich nutrient content. It is a good source of vitamins A, C and K and is also high in minerals such as iron, zinc , potassium (which helps to regulate blood pressure) and manganese (which is involved in the regulation of brain and nerve function). 

INGREDIENTS:

Pastry:

• 2 cups brown rice flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup vegan butter (e.g. Nuttelex), cold and cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp coconut yoghurt
• 5 tbsp cold water

Filling:

• 500g silken tofu, drained
• 3 tbsp corn flour
• ¼ cups cashews
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• Pinch of pepper
• 200g brown mushrooms, sliced 
• 2 cups silverbeet, cut into strips 
• ½ red onion, sliced and separated 
• 10 g fresh thyme, leaves only 

Toppings:

• Cherry tomatoes, mixed colours 
• Almond feta:
• ½ cup almonds, blanched 
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp coconut yoghurt
• Salt, to taste 

METHOD: 

Pastry:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour and the salt. Add the cold butter, coconut yoghurt and cold water and combine. Knead with your hands (or a thermomix) until the dough starts to clump together. 
2. Continue to knead on a floured surface until the dough is smooth. Roll into a bowl, wrap in plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 180C. 
4. After 30 minutes, remove the dough from fridge and press into a 25cm fluted tart pan making sure the bottom and the sides are evenly covered. Prick the bottom a few times with a fork and then place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. 

Almond feta:

1. Combine blanched almonds, coconut yoghurt, lemon juice and salt in food processor and blend until the feta reaches the consistency you want. 

Tofu cream filling:

1. In a food processor, blend together the tofu, cashews, nutritional yeast, cornflour, garlic, salt and pepper and a few sprigs of thyme (leaves only). 
2. In a fry pan, fry the red onion, mushrooms, silver beet and thyme in a bit of olive oil until soft and tender but the onion still retains a little bit of colour (about 10 min). 
3. Scoop the mushroom mixture into the quiche pastry and then cover with the tofu cream pressing to fill the pastry completely. 
4. Top with the halved tomatoes and place in the oven for about 20 minutes. 
5. Take out after 20 minutes and sprinkle with the almond feta and some sprigs of thyme and then place back in the oven for another 20 minutes until the tofu is set and the pastry is crispy. 
6. Let the quiche cool slightly before cutting. Enjoy!