Vegetable Quiche

Alright so before anyone gets their nickers in a knot, let me just say that a vegan quiche of this kind (aka make with chickpea flour) is a creation of it's own. It's similar to eggs for sure, but the texture is not exactly what you might be hoping for. But DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU, because what this is honeybunches is a dashingly delicious quiche of a thing on it's own. It keeps better than any quiche you've ever had and actually tastes phenomenal cold - so move over red rover and get a piece of this deliciousness in your lunch box asap.

My favourite quiche recipe of mine, is in my 3rd cookbook 'Straightforward'. I leave this recipe  as it's still delicious, being just another way to make a vegan quiche. Also I think it's nice to show the evolution of my cooking over time.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups plain flour (you could use GF if desired or a mix of wholemeal and plain too).
• 1 heaped tsp coconut sugar
• generous pinch salt
• 1/2 cup cold vegan butter
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 onion, sliced
• 50g vegan ham/bacon, finely diced (optional)
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• handful of button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large handful spinach
• 1 cup chickpea flour (besan flour)
• pinch black salt (if you have it, otherwise use normal salt)
• 1 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp vegetable stock powder
• pepper
• 1 x 400g chilled coconut milk (just the hard cream off the top though is what you're using) as well as enough unsweetened soy milk to equal 1 1/2 cups of liquid with the coconut cream
• 1 tsp miso paste
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• vegan parmesan or vegan cheese chreds to sprinkle with

Method

1. In a large bowl combine the first three ingredients, then add the vegan butter and using a fork, mash and mix it together with the flour until if forms a crumbly-combined consistancy.
2. Add the cold water and mix until combined and the pastry comes together.
3. Tip the pastry out onto a floured surface and roll out into a circle (ish) with a floured rolling pin to a size around 5cm (or 2 inches) larger than your chosen quiche tin (mine was around 22cm). Grease your quiche tin with a little vegan butter or coconut oil and then using the rolling pin to help pick up the pastry, place the rolled out pastry over the tin and press into all the corners and up the sides. If there's some pastry overhanging, just run your rolling pin over the rop of your dish to trim off the excess.
4. Put your pastry lined tin in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill, meanwhile, preheat your oven to 200C.
5. Once the oven has heated up and the pastry is chilled, blind bake it (with some baking paper and pie weights/uncooked rice on top of the paper) for 15 minutes. Take the pastry out of the oven, remove the pie weights and set aside until needed. Turn the oven down to 180C.
6. Meanwhile in a nonstick pan add a little oil along with the onion, vegan ham and garlic and saute until the onion is softened and the ham slightly golden. Add the mushrooms and saute for a few minutes more, then add the spinach and stir until wilted and combined.
7. In a large mixing bowl combine the chickpea flour, black salt, nutritional yeast, vegetable stock powder and pepper, whisking until combined. Add the coconut cream/soy milk as well as the miso paste and whisk until smooth.
8. Create your quiche by adding half the sauteed veg mixture to the pastry crust, then topping with all the eggy-chickpea batter, and finishing with the tomato, remaining sauteed veg and some vegan parmesan or vegan cheese sprinkled on top.
9. Bake in the 180C oven for 30 minutes. Let sit for at least 5 minute before slicing and serving. Yumoo!!!