We love the mini crustless quiches from Fat Free Vegan, but have been on a quest for a full-sized quiche with a little more varied texture. For several weeks now I’ve been experimenting with quiche recipes on the weekends and finally have something I’m happy to post a recipe for. You can feel free to vary the veggies you add, changing them to fit the seasons, but the mix I include is pretty tasty.

The final version featured fresh kale raab we’d picked up the same morning at the Farmer’s Market. If you can get kale raab in the spring it is particularly lovely to find. Tender, sweeter, and so delicious, raab is a real treat when the spring veggies start coming in. Here in Portland we often see raab arrive before asparagus.

The Stuff

• 1 large, sweet bell pepper (red or orange)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small red onion
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 bunch kale or kale raab OR 1 large head broccoli
• 4 T chopped chives
• 4T chopped parsley
• 2t Herbes de Provence
• 12 oz firm, water-packed tofu
• 1 package firm, silken tofu
• 2T cornstarch
• 1/4 c nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup vegan milk*
• 1 T champagne vinegar
• 1/2 t turmeric
• 1/2 t dry mustard
• 1/2 t black salt
• fresh pepper & sea salt
• 1 pre-made pie crust

The Making

Pre-bake the crust according to the directions and set aside. This recipe honestly makes a bit more than the pre-made crust and pan will hold, so I usually make a half dozen crustless quiches in silicon baking cups too.

Finely dice all veggies. Shred kale thinly or dice leaves along with the raab.

Bring a saute pan to medium-high heat and lightly coat with spray oil. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes, add garlic and continue to saute until very fragrant, about 3 more minutes. Add zucchini and bell pepper, sauteing for 7 minutes before adding 2 tablespoons each of the parsley and chives, Herbes de Provence, sea alt & freshly ground pepper, and kale. Saute for another 7 minutes and remove from heat.

Squeeze out water from water-packed tofu. No need to press for a long time, just squeeze out a little of the excess water with your hands. Crumble into large mixing bowl and add sauteed veggies & herbs. Add in remaining parsley and chives.

Put silken tofu, cornstarch, nutritional yeast, vegan milk, vinegar, turmeric, dry mustard, and black salt into the container for a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides to be certain all dry ingredients are incorporated well with wet. Add contents of the container to the mixing bowl with the tofu and sauteed veggies.

Mix together all ingredients until evenly combined. Pour mixture into pre-cooked pie crust. You will have enough to fill 6 silicon baking cups that have been sprayed with oil first. Place filled pie crust and baking cups onto a baking tray. Bake in an oven pre-heated to 400 F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the comes out clean.

Let quiche stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

*This recipe also featured a new product from So Delicious, a lovely, creamy Barista-Style Coconut Milk Creamer. A few weeks ago So Delicious graciously offered to send me some to try out, so I’ve used it in a few places where I’d otherwise have used soy or almond milk.

Christie has totally fallen in love with the Unsweetened Vanilla Coconut Milk to add to her smoothies. There should be a smoothie recipe coming soon.

So far the creamer has been a good stand-in and adds a nice richness to the dishes I’ve made with it. It might be boring, but I’m just loving the creamer added to my black tea in the morning, even more so than the  is really wonderful in my black tea in the morning!

There’s also been an experiment with Irish Soda Bread, using both the Barista-Style Creamer for a savory bread and the Vanilla Coconut Milk for a sweet bread with dried blueberries.

This recipe is really an on-going quest for the best chickpea soup, with or without noodles. With my innate ability to make stews in big pots, this Provence inspired version is just what a wet, February night needs. This can easily be served over a grain or with pasta, but it is very nice all on it’s own.

I was inspired by two different recipes in coming up with this. The first being the Chickpea Noodle Soup in Veganomicon. The second being the Cabbage “Noodle” Soup from the Fat Free Vegan, Susan Voisin. This recipe falls somewhere in between the two and I add kale to thicken it into a hearty stew. It is absolutely packed with vitamins A, C and K!

The Stuff

• 1 large shallot, cut in quarters and sliced thin
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium carrots, diced small
• 4 medium stalks celery, diced small
• 3 leeks, white part, sliced into thin rounds
• 1/4 c mirin
• 3 cups cooked chickpeas (2 15oz. cans drained & rinsed)
• 2 small bay leaves
• 1/2 t thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 t herbes du Provence
• 1 t poultry seasoning
• black pepper to taste
• 10 cups water
• 1/2 medium head white or savoy-style cabbage cut in half, cored and shredded
• 8 cups kale, stemmed and shredded
• 1/4 c nutritional yeast
• 1/4 c white miso
• 1/4 c fresh Italian parsley, chopped

The Making

Heat an 8-quart stock pot to medium high and lightly spray with high-heat Canola oil. Add in shallot and garlic, sauteing for 5 minutes, or until becoming translucent and just beginning to brown. Add in carrot and celery. Saute for 3-5 minutes, until carrots are glistening. Add in leeks and saute 5-7 minutes, until leeks begin to brown and rings come apart.

Reduce heat to medium-low and deglaze pan with mirin. Stir wine and sauteed veggies together for 30 seconds.

Add in chickpeas, water, and dried herbs. Bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add nutritional yeast, freshly ground black pepper,  cabbage and kale. Stir together and simmer for 10 minutes, until greens are softened.

Remove pot from heat and add fresh parsley. Remove a cup of the broth and in a bowl whisk miso into broth and add mixture into stew. Mix well and let stand 5 minutes, at least, before serving.

Makes 10 servings

Nutritional Info

Serving Size: 2 cups
Calories: 193
Total Fat: 3 g
Sodium: 385 mg
Carbohydrates: 36 g
Dietary Fiber: 9 g
Sugars: 8 g
Protein: 11 g

Yet another example of a stew/soup experiment that turned out so well, I had to put a recipe together!

This stew started out as a kind of “get out of my fridge” project after Thanksgiving. We get a big produce delivery every Monday and by Sunday I’m often trying to figure out a dish to use up as many veggies as possible. I also like to make a really big batch of something and we often have it as our lunches or a quick dinner during the week.

Aside from being just the kind of hearty, hot dish you want on a cold night, this stew is packed with vitamins and minerals and the French herbs pair beautifully with the veggies and navy beans. By the time the cooking is done the yams melt and the result is a thick, golden stew dotted with kale, parsley and carrots.

My favorite version is the one that is given, with lots of kale and fresh parsley. I’ve made a variation, pictured, with fresh thyme and white cabbage because that’s what I happened to have on hand that week. The cabbage & thyme variation is also really lovely, but I find it a bit sweeter.

The Stuff

• 3 cups dry navy beans
• 2 large leeks, whites only, sliced in quarter-inch rounds
• 2 medium red onions, half-inch dice
• 4 cloves garlic, diced small
• 3 large carrots, diced
• 4 large stalks celery, diced
• 4 small yams, diced
• 1 t Herbes de Provence
• 1 t dried thyme
• 2 large Bay leaves
• 8 cups water
• 1/3 c nutritional yeast
• 1 T champagne vinegar
• 1/2 c chopped, fresh parsley
• 1 large bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped up
• 2 T white miso
• freshly ground black pepper
• sea salt, to taste

The Making

Pressure Cooker Method:

Pre-cook navy beans in pressure cooker while you prep all the other ingredients. Plan to under cook the beans, only 14-15 minutes at full pressure. Let the pressure release normally. Drain and set aside.

While the beans cook prep all the vegetables.

After the pressure cooker is free, rinse out, dry and put back on stove on medium-high heat. When the pot is hot again, lightly spray bottom with canola oil and add the onions. Saute 5 minutes, until translucent, add garlic and saute another few minutes until the garlic becomes very fragrant.

Add the celery, carrots and leeks into the pot. Continue to saute in the pan for an additional five minutes. Add the yams, thyme, Herbes de Provence, and Bay leaves. Stir together well. Add in par-cooked beans and water, stir once more, and seal the pressure cooker.

Once cooker is at high heat set timer for 7 minutes. Use the release valve to reduce pressure and unlock the lid (it is also fine to just let it come down & unlock naturally).

Stir in the nutritional yeast, pepper, salt, vinegar, parsley and kale. Simmer on low heat for five minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the miso.

Stove-top Method:

The main difference is that you’ll soak the beans overnight and drain them. Once you add them back in, you’ll need to reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Then follow the steps to add in the kale, fresh parsley, etc.

Serve in a big bowl and add some kind of grainy thing if you want. Rice, whole grain bread, crackers…

Makes 20 servings (freeze some, give some away!)

Nutrition Details

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 188
Total Fat: 1.2g
Sodium: 146 mg
Carbohydrates: 36g
Dietary Fiber: 11g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 11g