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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

East-West Quiche

tofu quiche

When I think of quiche, I think of France. And when I think of tofu, I think of a few different countries in the East. That is why I call this my East-West Quiche, which, by the way, happens to be my new favorite way to make quiche. I'll get back to the deliciousness of East-West Quiche in reference to typically made quiche in a moment though.

First, I want to address all of you out there who are grumbling and staring at this creation with a heart full of doubtful negativity. I can read some of your minds now 'Oh, these vegans and vegetarians with their bland tofu and other odd foods'. I know. I know. It does sound a bit strange to make quiche from tofu. For any of you with the aforementioned feelings, I understand at least some of your sentiment.














However, tofu is a good food product in that it has no cholesterol or trans fats along with only a bit of healthy fat and things like soy isoflavones, B vitamins, & protein. It's also one of those foods like cream cheese, for example, in that it can take on sweet or savory flavors. This is nice when it comes to having a healthful and versatile product in your kitchen. And, yes, it's up to you to make the tofu taste good or excellent.

Well, this quiche is very good. I would wager that some of you would call it excellent considering that it's made with tofu, not delicious cheese or rich eggs. My Cauldron Boy took a bite out of it yesterday and, with a mouth full of steaming hot quiche, mumbled 'Yum, what kind of cheese did you use?' He also mentioned that it tasted like chicken was in there.















At that moment, I was pretty content with myself (smile)...

p.s. I know I need to come up with a more healthful crust. This one is super delicious though.

East-West Quiche
1 1/2 Packages Extra Firm, Organic Tofu (21 0z.)*
1 Large Garlic Clove
2 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp. Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Yellow Mustard
1 1/2 Cups Sliced Zucchini
1 Small Carrot (thin sliced)
1/2 of a Medium Red Onion or 1 tiny red onion (chopped fine)
1/2 Tsp. Herbes de Provence (or your favorite dry herb blend)
1/4 Tsp. Sea Salt
Paprika and spices for sprinkling quiche
*I pressed the outside of my tofu block with paper towels just to dry them a bit and remove excess water (Nasoya Extra Firm Tofu is best for this application in my experience)!

Crust:
1 Cup A.P. Flour (Arrowhead Mills is excellent)
1/2 Cup (8 Tbsps.) Earth Balance or Smart Balance Buttery Spread
About 3 Tbsp. Cold Water

In a bowl, place the flour and butter. With your hands or a pastry cutter, push the butter into the flour till you see mostly pea sized pieces of floury butter. Add the water, and form the dough into a ball. If your ball is a bit sticky, just add a bit more flour to it.
On a very floury surface, roll out your dough into a flat round that is about 1/8 -1/4 inch thick. Carefully lift it and place it into a 9 inch pie or tart pan. Place in the fridge to set.

Quiche:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Now, sauté your onion zucchini, and carrots in about 3/4-1 Tbsp. of olive oil on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes. About 2 minutes into this process, add 1/2 Tsp. of herbs de Provence and 1/2 tsp. of sea salt. Pepper as you like. Set aside to cool on a plate when done.

In the food processor, place the tofu, garlic, soy sauce, & nutritional yeast. Blend till smooth. I blended mine for about 30 seconds, but time can vary from processor to processor. Once smooth, add a pinch of sea salt and the tbsp. of mustard. Stir with a spoon till combined. Now, stir in the vegetables.

Pull the crust out of the fridge, and smooth the tofu mix into the pan. Sprinkle with paprika, onion & garlic powder, & black pepper. Bake for about 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

48 comments:

  1. Stella! I would never be prejudice against tofu. It is a go to snack for me. Lemon baked tofu mmmmh.

    The quiche looks witchirific! Especially with the stars!

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  2. Love the presentation of your quiche.
    That alone...would fool anyone in my family to eat it without question.
    I use tofu quite a lot...however, I always find myself omitting to divulge what's in it. If asked...I'm thrilled to tell them that they have just enjoyed a meal or dessert with tofu in it.
    Their expressions are priceless.

    Great recipe...especially since you used that nutritional yeast again...which I still have on my grocery list ;o)

    Thanks Stella for forging with your originality...always a pleasure to visit you!
    Flavourful wishes, Claudia

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  3. I'm a huge tofu fan. So wonderful for your health. I also love quiche so this is just about perfect. Thank you again!

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  4. I have seen recipes of tofu quiche and they always sound delicious so I am definitely not skeptical about this. I'm loving it even more now knowing that you were able to fool Cauldron Boy with this. ;) It really looks delicious Stella!

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  5. So cute! I love your photos, as always! I always add a little kala namak (black salt) to my tofu quiche. It gives it that perfect eggy taste!

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  6. alright my head is spinning, my whole world is turning upside down, first flax eggs, and now tofu quiche.....next you'll tell me tempe really isnt meat....sigh
    But Stella......another wonderful creation as usual.....Cauldron boy is a lucky guy!

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  7. Hey Stella, I'm not a huge meat eater so I love any kind of vegetarian or vegan dish. Although where I lack in meats, I have to admit, I do make up for it with my seafood obsession. Yes, tofu can be bland but if put into the right hands or in this case, cauldron, it can kick any meat dish's butt any day. In other words, your tofu quiche kicks butt Stella! This is one of the most beautiful and delicious looking quiche I've seen. I'd have to admit though, this is beyond my comfort zone (cooking skills wise). I'm just going to stick to some of your more simple recipes for now. With that said, this is a spectacular dish indeed! Hope you and Cauldron Boy have a great long weekend if I don't hear from you before that.

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  8. this looks good Stella...and I am NOT a tofu fan at all. I will have to give it a try. Beautiful photos...as usual.

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  9. BTW...since I've been away for a few weeks...I didn't get to find out how your first test of "flax seed egg whites" turned out...

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  10. OH I just made quiche that I need to post! how funny. Yours looks amazing with the tofu filling, definitely a healthy version of traditional and heavy French quiche! beautiful!

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  11. Wonderful idea for a healthy quiche and it looks great with the green salad,looks yummy Stella!

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  12. I'm scared of tofu. I don't know why but I can't eat it, I only have my moments where I nibble on it but then I just try to avoid it everytime. I think I need to be taught how to cook it and you know what this recipe seems like a great way to ease me into this!

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  13. What a super great idea! I never thought about making a vegan quiche. You're so quool! I'm going to have to put that on the list. We've been so busy the last couple of weeks...hardly even time to cook. Mostly I've been making cookies for my daughter's friends. And one of them has severe allergies so I've been restricted on my normal play with recipes. But it's worth it. We have a really good time. Thanks for another knock-out recipe!

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  14. I would love to try your quiche, it looks fabulous! Do you think I could use firm instead of extra firm tofu? I have some in my fridge that I was just looking at tonight and wondering what to do with it. ;)

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  15. A delightful quiche...impressive to say the least, and with tofu! Wonderful:)

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  16. Hmm, nutritional yeast? What's that like?

    Funny, I was lectured by a paediatric surgeon in the theatre today. He had a strong opinion about Spina Bifida, and he rambled on about how NZ is such a bad place for it, etc....

    So I went home and google down the food contains lots of folate( to prevent spina bifida). Tofu was one and I thought about someone who likes her tofu lots. Stella :) Hahaha. (Totally random, I know).

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  17. Your clicks are always so full of detail and your dishes so delicious ♥

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  18. Stella, I completely agree! It's very easy to make tofu taste good. For me it's a matter of texture, but I haven't prepared tofu very often so I just need work on getting it pleasant enough to eat haha.

    I'm sure this is delicious! Oh and thank you for sharing that adorable story of your sister with me. It made me laugh!

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  19. Hi Stella!
    I totally agree on baking vegan quiches with tofu. They are delicious and much lighter than the cream-eggs-cheese version! I absolutely love the veggies and seasoning you're putting in this one!
    I have a post with a rucola vegan quiche, too!
    http://sweetartichoke.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/rucola-vegan-quiche/

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  20. Stella, love your quiche, never used tofu but I wanna because daugther is vegan! (dont eat meat only fish) huggss gloria

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  21. I know, I know. And I'm really sorry. But the only way I can tolerate tofu is fried! Which sort of defeats the healthy purpose, right?

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  22. Stella, that's a brilliant title! I love it when two different tastes/cultures fuse together to form something unique. I'm not afraid of tofu, I just don't really know what to do with it. Thanks for this and all your other healthy recipes! Those patriotic stars are adorable.
    The lovely snow falling on your blog is refreshing during a very humid day. :-)

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  23. I just know that I am going to see this made in LeQuan's kitchen in a couple of days. Did you see that she made your peanut butter chocolate tart? And this sounds like a dish she will trip over herself to make. ME TOO! I have NEVER cooked with tofu - and she has encouraged me, and so has this recipe. THANK YOU!
    XO
    Valerie

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  24. This is what I mean by sexy vegetarian. Fantastic tofu quiche. You can cook for me anyday!

    Do not apologize for the crust...it's awesome!

    Cheers!

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  25. Hummmm, I'm Brazilian and as soon we have two teeth our mother will give us a piece of meat to chew. But I eat red meat with moderation and I love my veggies. But somehow I'm always a bit scared of tofu. Never know what to do with it. So thank you for this wonderful recipe it looks delicious.

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  26. Honestly, I love tofu so I am all over this quiche! Sounds and looks delicious. Maybe I could trick my tofu-hating parents into eating it...

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  27. You are really good in transforming tofu, lady! :D

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  28. Wow! Perhaps I won't be such a skeptic. I tend to only like tofu prepared in the Asian way.

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  29. When I was a kid, my mom would buy tofu and it would sit in the fridge until it went bad. She had no idea what to do with it, just a vague idea that you could do "something" and that it was healthy. As a result I was pretty strongly prejudiced against this strange bland white stuff sitting in a package of water.

    Years later, as an adult, I had tofu in Asian dishes, and it was still weird and bland.

    Then I had the tofu cooked right...and my eyes were opened, just a little bit. I tried cooking with it and was never satisfied with the results. I bought cookbooks devoted to tofu, but after a few tries they just gathered dust. A half hour program on the Food Channel awakened me to the possibilities of tofu...and now I use it all the time! In fact, my lunch today is going to be a pressed tofu salad, the tofu is cut and has the texture of very firm pasta. I buy freshly made tofu from a place around the corner which makes it daily, and I now know that tofu, like all the staples, is limited only by one's knowledge and imagination!

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  30. I'm with Chef Dennis--I had no idea you could make quiche from tofu!!!

    I tend to be skeptical about foods that 'pretend' to be other foods. But I have to say, this looks awfully delicious...and healthy!

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  31. The thought of eating tofu used to make me cringe. I didn't start eating/appreciating it until I came over here since it's a pretty common ingredient in this part of the world.

    I can't say I love it but I appreciate the flexibility it offers. Very creative, btw!

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  32. Wow, very creative Stella. I love tofu, for sure I will be loving this dish.
    Sorry, I was away for awhile, I missed the flax eggs.

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  33. Oh Stella, this is what a terrific quiche! You mastered the east-meet-west dish. i really like it especially it's made from tofu.

    I won't tell anyone if you sneak a doggy in your kitchen to play with your black cats :)

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  34. This looks delicious! The stars on the top add a great, festive touch :)

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  35. that crust looks fabulous I love this amazing looking!

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  36. :-) TOFU quiche! Wow....I am a huge fan of tofu. Thanks, Stella, for sharing the recipe, I am totally intrigued.

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  37. I think tofu can make a great quiche...as you've shown us here! I am also a fan of tofu. But I've never had tofu quiche before..this is really east meeting west. I will definitely try it...and I love your starry touch...maybe from your magic wand?
    Ronelle
    PS: When I clicked on your link here, I came directly to your site, but maybe you should check your foodbuzz link...I get to a page saying "this page doesn't exist", then I have to click again to get to your home page...
    But you are on my linklist in any case now...I thought you were there earlier, but I haven't done it as i thought...head in the clouds as usual!
    bisous
    R

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  38. Dahling Stella - I must admit I am one of those who goes sigh when I read - vegan vegetarian, toufurkey or whatever but I gotta say I am LOVING this and you could not have giving this post a better title.

    I guess it's because I love tofu and also love the mix of veggies in it and the fact that Cauldron Boy asked what cheese was in there is a testament to how creamy it must have been.

    You are so good at innovative healthful alternative foods and your talent really shines :)

    Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

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  39. What an excellent idea to use tofu as a substitute for eggs. I don't know why I did not think of it. I recently made a quiche (which I posted) but someone in the family could not eat it because of an intolerance towards egg. I love quiche and we all love tofu. I will definitely have to give this a try. Your quiche looks lovely with the stars.

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  40. Quiche with tofu? Sounds great! And it looks beautiful too.

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  41. oh Stella I love this, and if Cauldron boy thought there was chicken and cheesy then it is sure to be a hit with my hubby, and don't even worry about the crust, I love a simple crust. happy holiday and take care

    ps sent your pkg and dropped in a couple of extra treats for you and cauldron boy, just to say thanks for your wonderful support...hugs
    sweetlife

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  42. Stella, this looks amazing. Tofu in Quiche seems like a natural to me--the way you've blitzed it would make it cheesy, and the flavors you've added are wonderful...BRAVA.

    Heh, it could use a little blue cheese and dried cranberries, though... ;-)

    Seriously, this is going on my list. Thanks!

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  43. Even though I do eat eggs and cheese I would totally make this, as I happen to love tofu. This looks genius!

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  44. Love that tofu and always looking for news ways to incorporate it into our weekly regimen. Thanks for this one.

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  45. I'm with Devaki on this. I usually feel deflated at the mention of healthy, fat free, vegan or any such label. But you're like this healtful food warrior with all these amazing recipes under your belt and I actually look forward to seeing what you have in store for us each week!

    This I GOTTA try because I LOVE tofu and I love quiche but I don't like how guilty I feel each time I have it. You've saved my conscience!

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  46. Hm, I totally missed this entry! This looks delicious! This looks delicious Stella :)

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  47. Wow, this is amazing! I've always avoided quiche before because I hate cheese, but you may have helped me solve the problem with this recipe!

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  48. Brilliant Stella!
    I'll have to add nutritional yeast to my grocery list as I've never used or even heard of it before. Thanks Sensei :)
    Also, if Cauldron Boy thought there was cheese and chicken... that might be a good incentive for me to try this on Bob because he HATES tofu... :)

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