Recipe: Vegan Spinach and Mushroom Quiches (Nut Free)

 As promised, I finally wrote up my spinach and mushroom quiche recipe!

Sometimes, you just need a savory pie. There are so many lovely options in the realm of savory pies, but one of the best is a quiche. (Okay, so maybe quiches are tarts--just go with me; whatever they are, they are delightful.)

This is another recipe I've come up with using JUST Egg. There are other quiches in the vegan world, and I have made and loved several. But none of them had quite the texture I remembered in a quiche. This one does! Plus it's nice and cheesy and has the goodness of mushrooms and spinach. You can't ask for more. I wish they would sponsor me, but they are not. This is truly how I feel about JUST Egg here.

This recipe makes a small batch--about four of these 3-inch quiches--just right for me as a make-ahead meal for a few days for breakfast and/or lunch. It's not difficult, in my opinion, but you do need to be sure to budget the time you need to freeze and blind-bake the shells.

The crust recipe is adapted from the all-butter pastry shells in the decidedly not vegan America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two 2010. I used plastic wrap in accordance with their original recipe, from a roll I inherited about 15 years ago from a roommate who moved away, back when I had roommates. If you are only freezing your shells for 30 minutes, though, you could probably get away with wrapping them loosely with a dish towel, a cloth napkin, or parchment paper, or slipping them into a reusable freezer bag. Just be sure you protect them from direct contact with your harsh freezer air somehow.

Vegan Spinach and Mushroom Quiches
Serves: 4

For the crusts:

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons vegan butter (I used Earth Balance), cut into pieces and chilled
2 tablespoons ice water
Nonstick cooking spray

For the filling:

1/2 tablespoon vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
3 medium mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup non-dairy cheddar shreds (I used Daiya)
1/2 cup JUST Egg plant-based scramble or similar egg substitute
2 tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy creamer (I used So Delicious coconut milk creamer)
Kala namak (optional)

In a food processor, blend flour, sugar, and salt, then add vegan butter and pulse until the mixture looks crumbly, like coarse sand. Add 1 tablespoon ice water and pulse a few times to incorporate. If the dough doesn't seem to be forming a ball yet, add the other tablespoon of ice water and pulse until the dough becomes more cohesive.

Pull off balls of dough about the size of a nickel and divide them among four 3-inch tart shells with removable bottoms. Pat the dough into the shells and up the sides. Using a bit of plastic wrap or parchment paper, smooth the bottoms of the shells. Cover the surface of the dough with plastic wrap or parchment paper and freeze for at least 30 minutes or overnight (the longer you freeze them, the more I would suggest plastic wrap instead of parchment paper).

When ready to bake your shells, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the prepared tart pans on a baking sheet and remove plastic wrap. Cut small pieces of aluminum foil to fit the shells, spray with nonstick cooking spray, and gently cover the shells with the oiled-side down. Use pie weights or whatever else you have on hand (I used silicone jumbo muffin tin liners) to weigh down the shells. Bake until the dough under the foil no longer looks wet, about 20-30 minutes. Set aside to cool before adding your filling.

To prepare the filling, melt the vegan butter in a nonstick skillet and cook the mushrooms. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and then add garlic, cooking until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Finally, add the spinach and a bit more salt and pepper and cook until the spinach is wilted. Put in a bowl to cool.

When your vegetables have cooled to room temperature, add non-dairy cheddar, JUST Egg, non-dairy creamer, and a pinch of kala namak  and mix well. Pour into prepared tart shells and bake at 375 until set, about 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool for a bit before serving,