The Best Spinach Quiche Ever
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
5 medium sized crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1-1 1/2 tablespoon sea salt, to taste, divided
1 tablespoon sherry, optional
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 tablespoon dried thyme
scant pinch red pepper flakes
1 (16 ounce) package firm tofu, drained and pressed for at least 30 minutes
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
1 pie shell (I use Marie Callender's deep dish)
paprika, to taste
buttery nonstick spray
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a skillet on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and add the onions, mushrooms, and zucchini. Caramelize for about 10 minutes or so. When nice and brown, add 1/2 tablespoon of salt and the sherry to deglaze and cook for another minute until dry.
2. Remove and place in a medium sized mixing bowl. In the same pan on medium heat, add the rest of the oil and saute the garlic, basil, thyme, and red pepper flakes for about 3 minutes until the garlic is slightly golden but do not brown.
3. Pour garlic concoction into a food processor and crumble the drained tofu on top. Add the vinegar, lemon juice, and the rest of the salt. Puree until really smooth.
4. Add to the onion/mushroom mixture in bowl. Using the same pan once again, saute the spinach until heated through. Once finished, squeeze all excess water out and add to the tofu mixture, stirring all ingredients together well.
5. Spray pie crust with buttery spray, and smooth down mixture into the pie shell. Dust with paprika, and bake for 35-45 minutes until crust is golden brown and tofu is somewhat firm.
Okay, so I know the ingredient list and the directions seem really long, but let me assure you, it is not as difficult as it seems and it is oh so worth it! I served this quiche with a side of steamed cauliflower with a touch of vegan margarine.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
This was delicious!! I do suggest a little less salt, but that may be my personal preferance. I have already made this a couple of times now.... its addictive.
Really yummy. Didn't bother frying the garlic and herbs, just pureed with the tofu. Also used a veggie bouillion cube in place of the salt and fresh baby spinach instead of frozen. My partner and I ate half the pie for our New Year's Day brunch :)
This has become one of my all-time favorite recipes. I'm planning to make some for my ESL class potluck next week.
Made this last night for a vegan potluck. It was amazing!!! It smelled heavenly straight out of the oven and the blend of flavors was lovely - the sweetness of the carmelized onions/zuccs/mushrooms and the salty/savoryness of the tofu garlic "cheese" was just right. Oh and using a nice flaky pie crust helps - I used Stop n Shop's store brand "handmade" flaky pie crust, which is vegan, and it came out deliciously. Mmmmm! Can't wait to make again!
I thought this was good. I cooked the crust a little beforehand but it must not have been enough because it wasn't quite done on the bottom.
I also made this with the Best Ever Pie Crust, and I left out a few ingredients I didn't have: sherry, lemon, vinegar, and thyme (I also subbed cucumber for zucchini, dry basil for fresh, and fresh spinach for frozen). It still turned out amazing, albeit a bit oily. I also didn't have anything to puree the tofu with, so I just broke it up with a whisk. Will definitely make again.
My spinach hating daughter even liked this! I did make a couple of modifications: I used white wine instead of sherry, dry basil because I didn't have fresh (and I'm not a big basil fan, either), I added about a cup of diced vegan cheddar cheese , roasted garlic instead of sauteed, I added a little of the olive oil from the roasted garlic jar, and a little soy milk during processing to loosen the mix a bit. I also made my own crust. Very, very good! ;)b
This was very tasty! I omitted the salt and instead used Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil seasoning and then added a small handful of nutritional yeast for a little cheesy taste. I made it this way and as written and it was awesome both ways!
This was *so* good it was hard to not eat it all in one sitting. I will totally be making this again, and probably weekly. Thank you!
I made it with the Best Ever Pie Crust. Didn't have red pepper, so mine was also lacking in the spice department. Put a bit too much salt in (probably a little over a T). Delicious, nevertheless. Easy to make, but took a lot of time...
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