What We Ate Wednesday--Mini Crustless Egg Free Quiche

Hello lovelies! We still had a packet of delicious smoked tofu that was generously given to us by our friends Carole Rivers and Rosie-Mai Rivers-Cole and I thought quiche would be the perfect dish to use it in.

But wait Spidergrrl....you can't make quiche without eggs! That's where you are wrong, my friend!

There are actually *several* ways to make quiche without eggs! This is the way I made quiche for many years. It is a good way, but it has a crust and therefore, by default, is more complicated that a crustless one. The way I make it now is cheaper, higher in protein and easier to make. It has 8 grams of protein per quiche and 7.2 grams fibre for the basic batter not counting vegetables!!

What's not to love?

My old recipe for quiche was made from silken tofu and it was good, but these days I make it with chickpea flour (sometimes called gram flour or besan in Asian shops) and it is better.

I also make it my handy-dandy muffin tin so it makes a dozen adorable little quiches! This is great for parties where you need to provide nibbles or portion control if you are a greedy so-and-so. We eat them over two days because they are delicious both hot and cold. One day we have it with sauteed kale and the other day with potatoes and peas in a cheezy sauce.

Chickpea flour is a bit lumpy, so be sure to sift. You can make these plain or you can make them with veggies. I normally use onion, peppers, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. This time we also included the smoked tofu. I always cook more onion, pepper, mushroom than I need then fill the muffin cups and whatever is left over, gets cooked a bit more with the kale to add some veggies and flavour to my cooked greens. Also if you have de-stemmed and torn your kale into bits first, it makes a difference in how quick it comes together.

Egg Free Quiche
Preheat your oven to 250C/500F
Grease well (all the way up the sides) a 12 cup muffin pan (or 2 six cup muffin pans)

You need:
100g kale (4-5 cups) torn into bite size pieces (if you are having kale as a side dish)
1 onion, diced small
1 pepper, diced small
5 button mushrooms, diced small
half a pack smoked tofu, diced small (if you are lucky enough to have some)
sun-dried tomatoes snipped into tiny bits (optional, but good)

1. Tear up your kale first. If you are not having kale as a side dish, then obviously ignore this bit.
2. In a large pot cook your onion, pepper and mushroom until softened. Set aside to cool.
3. Put a little bit of the veg mixture into every muffin cup and top with a few pieces of smoked tofu and sun-dried tomatoes (if using)

In another bowl whisk together:
2 and  1/4 cups SIFTED chickpea flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp salt
lots of black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 and 3/4 cups cold water
3 TB oil

1. Divide the batter between the muffin cups and bake for 12 minutes then open the oven for  ten seconds to let some steam out and bake for 10 more.
2. Remove from oven and let stand about 5 minutes to firm up and carefully run a butter knife around the sides to pry them out. Let cool on a cooling rack for another few minutes to firm up. If you are having kale, while the quiche is firming up and cooling then saute your kale for a few minutes with the leftover veg and a splash of water until bright green and softened. I love to add a splash of tamari soy sauce, but hey. Do what you like. Then eat.
3.Leftover can be stored in an airtight container.

These taste delicious and have a custard-y eggy texture. And did I mention the protein? It's a great way to show folks that they can still eat all their favourite dishes without animal cruelty. Enjoy!