Broccoli Tofurkey Quiche

The holidays left me with a whole wheat pie crust and some Tofurkey in the freezer, and of course, a couple of new cookbooks on the bookshelf. A few years ago, I tried a vegan quiche recipe from a random website and wasn't very happy with the results, but I knew I could trust the one in Vegan Brunch. I tweaked the broccoli quiche I found there by adding my Tofurkey and some carrots and changing up the spices according to what I was in the mood for. 

This quiche was great - we could have happily eaten a much bigger pie. It doesn't set up as firm as an eggy one; the filling is more like a custard. It's also extremely rich. Leftovers keep well.  

I am linking this up with the Hearth 'n' Soul blog hop.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Broccoli Tofurkey Quiche 

Instead of Tofurkey you could use seitan, and instead of saffron you could use 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, as in the original recipe.

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced - about 6 ounces/1 cup
1/3 cup minced carrot - about 2 ounces
1 medium broccoli crown, cut into small pieces - about 8 ounces/2 cups
1/2 cup raw cashews
14-16 ounces firm or extra-firm tofu
1 teaspoon prepared mustard (I used a heaping teaspoon of Dijon)
a pinch saffron, crushed between your fingers
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed between your fingers
1 teaspoon salt
a few grindings of black pepper
3/4 cup (about 5 oz) diced tofurkey
1 9-inch deep dish pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Sauté the onion, carrot and broccoli until very tender, about 10 minutes.

Grind the cashews to a powder in a food processor or blender. Press some of the water out of the tofu*. Cut tofu into chunks and add to the food processor or blender. (If you're using a blender, remove the powdered cashews to a medium bowl first.) Process or blend the tofu until creamy. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in saffron, thyme, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir in tofurkey and broccoli mixture.

Transfer mixture to the pie crust and smooth out the top. Bake for 40 minutes or until top is golden. Vegan Brunch suggests letting this sit for 20 minutes or more before serving and I agree, although I like this warmer than room temperature.

Serves 6

*If your tofu is in a sealed package, an easy way to press the water out is to use the package. Rinse the plastic sealing the top, then hold the package over the sink. Cut the seal on three sides, drain off the water, then use the attached plastic piece to keep your hand dry while you press out more water. Cut the tofu into chunks in the package.