Vegan Quiche

This Vegan Life takeover today - because let’s face it, all my culinary articles are about how skilled I am at making good recipes bad.

Here’s a lovely vegan quiche from The Balanced Kitchen. I’m having vegan quiche for dinner tonight as it happens, but you won’t win a prize for guessing it is shop bought.

Take it from here, Joanne!

TURMERIC, THYME & TOMATO WITH RED ONION VEGAN QUICHE

This stunning show stopper of a tart doubles up as a nutritional powerhouse of a main course.

INGREDIENTS

BASE

 200 g buckwheat flour

 150 g oats

 100 g hazelnuts ground

 40 g sesame seeds

 100 g coconut oil melted

 1/2 cup gram flour

 1 TBSP xylitol sugar alternative (available as Total Sweet)

 1/2 cup water

 1 grind sea salt

FILLING

 1 block firm tofu 396g net weight, drain

 1 cup gram flour

 1 cup water

 1.5 tsp wholegrain mustard

 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes

 1/2 tsp kala namak salt optional

 1 clove garlic peeled

TOPPING

 a selection of your choice of tomatoes - enough to cover the surface of the quiche. I used 5-6 of different sizes. slice larger ones and halve the smaller ones

 2 red onions sliced

EXTRA

 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

 5 sprigs fresh thyme

 1 TBSP sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

BASE

1. Process the hazelnuts to a fine crumb texture in a food processor.  You could sub the hazelnuts for almonds or ground almonds.

2. Then pour the ground hazelnuts into a large bowl and add the buckwheat flour, oats, sesame seeds, gram flour and salt.

3. Melt the coconut oil gently in a pan and add the xylitol. Gradually pour the melted mixture over the flour mixture and work quickly with a spoon to mix until you reach a crumb-like texture and no dry flour remains - scrape down the sides of the bowl until all ingredients are combined.

4. Now, add the water and continue to stir and combine well.

5. Pour the mixture into the flan baking dish (my dish measures 35cm dia - adjust the quantity of the ingredients to suit your size of dish).

6. Press the mixture flat and up the sides of the dish until evenly spread.  Smooth out with the back of a spoon.

7. Bake the base blind (without the filling) in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven ready for the filling.

FILLING

1. While the base is baking in the oven.  Wash out the food processor jug (if used from the hazelnuts).  Add the drained tofu, gram flour, mustard, nutritional yeast flakes, kala namak salt (if using), garlic and 1 cup water.

Process until smooth.

2. Pour the filling into the base and smooth out using the back of a spoon or spatula.

3. Top with the sliced red onion and tomatoes, ensuring the topping is generous to provide maximum flavour per slice!

4. Bake in the oven for a further 20-25mins until baked through and turning golden.

5. Remove from the oven and add sprigs of fresh thyme, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a scattering of sesame seeds before serving.

Serve alone or with green salad leaves.

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