Vegan Quiche With Mushrooms and Shallots and a Herb Crust

Submitted by magpie diner

"Adapted from the version on blog.lunchboxbunch.com. I found the dough was fantastically easy to prepare, rolled out really nicely (and I'm not the best at making my own pastry). Not everyone likes the flavour of chana/garbanzo bean flour, I think any sub there would work well. The original recipe calls for pine nuts, but since they are so expensive these days, I have used blanched almonds. It's obviously a bit of an undertaking when you're making all the sections from scratch, but well worth the effort. Serve warm or at room temperature, I successfully made this the night before and then let it come to room temperature for lunch the next day."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 55mins
• Ingredients: 31
• Yields: 6 slices

ingredients

• Crust

• 1⁄2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar (I think any sub here would be fine)
• 1⁄3 cup flax seed meal
• 3⁄4 cup flour (I used barley but most any sort should work)
• 1⁄4 cup chana flour (garbanzo bean flour, or any sub you like)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (or other fresh herb)
• cornmeal (for dusting)

• Filling

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 shallots, chopped fine
• 1 cup mushroom, diced
• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 (13 ounce) package firm silken tofu (usually 12-14 oz)
• 1⁄4 cup arrowroot, powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• black pepper
• 1⁄2 cup plain soymilk
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (or vegan parm)
• 1⁄4 cup pine nuts (or sub blanched almonds)
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 1⁄4 cup vegan mozzarella cheese (or Jack) or 1/4 cup vegan mozzarella cheese, grated (or Jack)

• Topping

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons vegan mozzarella cheese or 2 tablespoons vegan mozzarella cheese, grated

directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Start by preparing a cake tin by greasing with oil or Earth Balance type spread, dust with flour well.
2. Combine all the crust ingredients in a large bowl. You'll likely need to add quite a bit extra flour to get a soft, kneadable dough. Roll it out on a floured surface to about 12" round. Drag the bottom of it through corn meal then position in the cake pan (I usually place the tin upside down on the dough, on a chopping board, and then flip the entire thing over). The dough is quite sturdy and elastic if you work with it right away.
3. Fix your edges and then brush the crust lightly with oil. Poke a few holes in the bottom and then blind bake for 10 minutes. You'll want to protect the edges with some strips of parchment or foil, otherwise it will burn.
4. Next start on the filling by sauteing the shallots, mushrooms and bell pepper in the olive oil over medium heat. Let them get nice and caramelized, but watch not to burn. Add in the cumin, red pepper flakes, parsley and lemon juice and set aside off the heat.
5. Using a blender or food processor whiz together until smooth the silken tofu, arrowroot powder, S&P, soy milk and nutritional yeast, nuts and agave nectar. It should be a thick milky white mixture with no lumps. Fold into the sauteed veg and check seasoning. You may wish to add extra fresh parsley here. Fold in the grated vegan mozza the pour the entire mixture into the crust.
6. Mix the topping ingredients of oil, vinegar and agave together and then pour over top, getting it as even as you can without mixing it inches Sprinkle with the last 2 tbsp of vegan mozza (or more if you like). You can also add a few lemon slices to the top before baking.
7. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until top is brown and edges are firm. Keep those strips of parchment or foil handy and use again once the edges are browning up.
8. If the centre still seems soft that's probably OK, it will firm up as it cools - you should let it cool for one hour.

Reviews

[Wish I Could Cook]

I knew at first bite that this recipe was going in my "good enough for company" book! This is out of this world outstanding! And amazingly, I made it almost exactly as listed. Only difference is that I used green onions instead of the shallots and I pulsed all the veggies in the food processor before sauteing. Some days I just can't be bothered to chop... But wow, is this ever good! It has the texture of an egg-based quiche, but such a rich, savory depth of flavor. I wish I fussed more with the crust so I could take a pretty picture. Will DEFINITELY be making again!