Bounty of Summer: Garden Veggies & Caramelized Onions Tofu Quiche
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| Garden Veggies & Caramelized Onions Tofu Quiche :) |
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| Home-grown baby opo squash! |
So where do I fit in all of this? Me, well eh, my thumb is copper like rusted leaves. Because that's what the plants I touch eventually all become. I had bought an orchid plant to decorate my room back when I still lived in residence, but it died when I forgot to water it during exams season. ...I cared for that orchid like I would for a baby (which says much about my ability with children), giving it weekly showers in the bathroom's sink, using fanned out fingers to lighten the flow of water into sprinkles. I had even given it a name: Snoopy. Well, after Snoopy died I kept watering the pot with its dried up branches. Because my Dad assured me that orchid blooms always eventually faded and fall off its branches. "...It would bloom again".
...It didn't.
But I kept watering it.
Then one day, a mouse infiltrated my residence room, and days after I had found a way to chase it away, I discovered that it had left tiny poop pellets on Snoopy's twigs and whatever was left of my dignity as a gardener.
At least I still have the glazed ceramic flowerpot.
...It's a nice ceramic flowerpot.
And it's still tagged "Snoopy".
#RIPSnoopy (2013-2013)
I also had a basil plant once, but that's another tale for another time.
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| Our bounty of cherry tomatoes :) |
Long story short, we now have an industrial quantity of garden veggies, and there is only so much that can be funneled into crudités. I've had my eye on this tofu quiche from Minimalist Baker for a while now, and mainly because she brilliantly decided to do a hashbrown crust (Hashbrowns! :3). For the tofu filling, I researched a bit more on a couple of culinary blogs to find a savoury spot, but I was mainly inspired by Minimalist Baker's and Willow and Thyme's recipes. I can't vouch for the "eggy" flavor, but the overall taste and texture is phenomenal :) it's light and creamy and pretty damn good.
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| Garden Veggies & Caramelized Onions Tofu Quiche! ...Would it fool you? :P |
Garden Veggies & Caramelized Onions Tofu Quiche
Adapted from Minimalist Baker & Willow And Thyme
Servings: 1 x 9 in" pie pan
Ingredients:
Sweet potato Hashbrown Crust:
3 cups grated sweet potato - from 1 large sweet potato (515 g unpeeled)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fine herbs, dried
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Garden Veggies:
Olive oil
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 head garlic
1 cup / 100g cherry tomatoes
2 cups spinach, packed, thick stems removed and cut into strips
1 cup / 100g grated zucchini
(Optional) 1/2 zucchini, cut into thin rounds for decorating
Caramelized Onions:
1 small onion (70g)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Tofu Filling:
350g / 1 pack extra firm silken tofu, patted dry
1/2 cup plain soymilk
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preparation:
Sweet Potato Hashbrowns Crust:
1. Preheat your oven to 450F.
2. With a clean kitchen towel, squeeze the water out of those sweet potato shreds. You want them to be as dry as possible.
3. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a large bowl and add the oil, fine herbs, black pepper and salt. Mix well to combine uniformly.
4. Put the hashbrown mixture into the pie pan and, with a spatula or the back of a large spoon, press it on the bottom and sides of the pan to form a crust. The hashbrown crust should be cohesive enough. If it isn't, add a tidbit more oil.
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| Sweet Potato Hashbrown Crust :) Ready for baking! |
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, check on the sides' crust. If it start to darken too much, loosely tent the pan's edges with aluminum foil. Set aside once baked and crispy.
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| Crispy baked sweet potato hashbrown crust! |
Roasting the Garden Veggies:
1. Set your oven to 400F.
2. Roast the garlic: Peel off the papery layers, being careful not to break the cloves out of their casings. Slice the top of the garlic head off, exposing the overhead parts of the cloves. Once that's done, place the garlic head on a square of aluminium and drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil over it. Encase the garlic head in foil and roast at 400F for 45 minutes.
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| 1. A garlic head (You don't have to hold it as tenderly as I am) |
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| 2. Skinned off garlic head |
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| 3. Hats off! (I figured it'd be less creepy than "Scalp it!" ...but oh, now I've said it) |
3. Roast the veggies: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the cherry tomatoes and, if using, the zucchini rounds, and drizzle the veggies with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Toss to coat. Roast at 400F for 15-20 minutes.
4. When cooled enough, slice the cherry tomatoes crosswise into halves. Set aside.
4. When cooled enough, slice the cherry tomatoes crosswise into halves. Set aside.
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| Roasted veggies |
Caramelized Onions:
1. Remove the onion's skin. Then, slice off and discard its top and bottom. Chop it in half and slice thin half-moons, with each onion half lying flat on the chopping board.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the oil on medium-low. Add the sliced onions and turn down the heat to low. Cook at this temperature for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the onions have softened and slightly browned on a few spots, add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Give it a stir and cook on low for an additional 5 minutes, until nicely caramelized.
4. Transfer to a bowl, cover and set aside. Do not discard the saucepan yet.
What about the shredded zucchini?
1. In the caramelized onions' saucepan, add the shredded zucchini after the onions are removed and give it a stir to coat it with the remaining oil and caramelized drippings. Set aside.
Tofu Filling:
1. Cut your tofu block into 8 square pieces and put them in the work bowl of a food processor. Add the soy milk, yellow mustard, nutritional yeast, tahini and salt. Spoon the mushed roasted garlic flesh out of its skin and add it to the work bowl as well. Process until the mixture is smooth and creamy. It will have the consistency of a moderately stiff cake batter.
2. Give it a taste to see if the seasoning is right. Adjust according to taste. Set aside.
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| Extra-firm silken tofu :) cut into smooth blocks |
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| Creamy tofu quiche filling! |
Assembling the quiche:
1. Set your oven to 375F.
2. Transfer the creamy tofu filling into a large bowl. Using a large spatula or slotted spoon, fold in the chopped basil leaves, spinach strips, shredded zucchini and caramelized onions. Add the roasted cherry tomatoes at the end, being careful not to have them burst completely in the process.
3. Pour the tofu quiche filling into your pie pan. Spread the filling around with a spatula to cover the pan evenly. Then, loosely tent the edges with aluminum foil as the hashbrowns might burnt here.2. Transfer the creamy tofu filling into a large bowl. Using a large spatula or slotted spoon, fold in the chopped basil leaves, spinach strips, shredded zucchini and caramelized onions. Add the roasted cherry tomatoes at the end, being careful not to have them burst completely in the process.
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| Spreading the tofu quiche filling. |
4. Bake at 375F for 30-35 minutes, or until the top appears golden and firmed up.
5. Serve and nom!
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