Tofu "Quiche"

This is based on a recipe from Vegan Brunch. I was a little dubious if this would come out edible, but it was great.





Ingredients
Crust(I used a recipe from Whole Foods for the Whole Family)
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 t salt
2 T cold water
1/4 cup oil

Filling
1 - 2 onions
olive oil
1/2 cup cashews (my grocery store does not carry raw cashews, so I used toasted and it worked out fine)
salt
black pepper
sriracha
nutmeg
thyme
1/2 lb extra firm tofu

Method
Crust
Mix the flour and salt together. Add the water and oil using a fork and mix until a dough is formed. It took about 1 minute to properly mix it up. Roll the dough between two sheets of waxed paper until it is a then circle. Place either in a pie pan or tart pan(s). This recipe makes enough for one pie crust or three individual tarts. Prick with a fork and bake at 350F for about ten minutes until slightly brown.

Filling
You are going to caramelize the onions. I usually do this in my crock pot, but I didn't plan it out last night, so I did it on the stove top. A little time consuming and it is worth it.

Place the onions over low heat with enough olive oil to coat and not stick to the pan. Put on a lid and walk away. Come back about every five minutes and stir. They should turn an amber color. This should take 15 - 20 minutes. Now take the lid off and raise the heat to medium. Stir more frequently and let the moisture evaporate. The onions should now turn a dark caramel brown, about 8 more minutes. Taste to make sure they are okay and try to stop eating the whole pan.

In a food processor, place the cashews and process until there are only crumbs left. Pulverize the nuts. Add the seasoning. Whatever you think would be tasty. I will be greatly increasing the seasonings next time. Next add the tofu. Make sure to try to wring out some of the water before adding it to the food processor. Process the mixture until smooth, about 2 minutes. At this point you can add some of the caramelized onions and pulse to chop up into the mixture, then add the rest of the onions and mix to combine.

Spoon the mixture over the crust and smooth the top. Depending on your vessel will determine the amount of time it will take to cook. The full pie should be about 40 minutes, the individual tarts about 20 minutes. It should be browned on top and on the crust.





Notes
As mentioned above, this tasted really good, it just needs more seasoning. I'll add a bit more thyme and oregano as well as black pepper. This is also open to different fillings: spinach, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, olives.

My husband, who is a pie crust snob was incredulous when I told him I was making a vegan crust for the quiche. He is of the school where butter rules all. After this came out of the oven super flaky and good, he said he might use it with his pies. Dairy free crust for the win!