Vegan quiche without any soya schnick-schnack

I have been on the lookout for a recipe for vegan quiche which doesn’t use any soya products like tofu or soya cream. Luckily, I found Hannah Kaminsky’s blog under www.bittersweetblog.com and she has a recipe for chickpea-veggie quiche. My version is loosely based on hers and has more of a mediterranean filling. Of course, you can check out her recipe which sounds great or just develop your own ideas by opening the fridge and seeing what vegetables you have lurking around in there. This is ideal for picnics or the lunchbox. Last time I made this I sprinkled a handful of sunflower seeds over the topic for a nutty taste.

Ingredients for wholewheat crust:

3/4 cup white wholewheat flour

1/3 cup barley flour (I used spelt which I ground in the Thermomix)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup cold water

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.

Stick everything in the Thermomix or food processor and whizz until the mixture comes together. Tip everything into an 8 inch pie tin and use your fingertips to press the pastry dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Hannah’s dough is so easy to work with and almost velvety in texture.  Prick the base with a fork before baking for about 15 minutes until it is lightly brown. Allow to cool.

Ingredients for a mediterranean-style quiche filling:

3 garlic cloves, chopped finely

2 small onions, chopped finely

olive oil for frying

1 cup of fennel, roughly chopped

1 cup of courgette/zucchini, roughly chopped

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 handful of pitted black olives

dried or fresh herbs such as sage, thyme and rosemary

salt and freshly ground pepper, chilli flakes

Preparation of the filling:

Fry the onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and fry on a relatively high heat until all the moisture evaporates and you have quite a dry filling. I really went to town on the flavourings but you can decide how much you want to add.

Ingredients for the topping:

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1 tbsp potato starch

2 tsp nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking powder

1 cup vegetable stock or water

1 tsp olive oil

Preparation of the topping:

Put all the ingredients for the topping into the Thermomix or food processor and whizz until mixed thoroughly. I added some fresh basil to this and next time I will add a few more dried/fresh herbs.

Assemble your quiche for baking:

Spread the filling onto the cool quiche pastry, gently spread the mediterranean filling on top and then pour the topping over the filling. Make sure you cover the all the filling and fill all the gaps. Tap the baking pan on a solid surface to get rid of any air bubbles.

I baked my quiche for about 35 minutes at 180C/350F until the topping was golden and set.

Thanks, Hannah!