Kale and Onion Quiche {Tofu, Whole Grain Spelt}

I am of the opinion that quiche is a breakfast food. That said, I often serve it for dinner. I love breakfast for dinner, in fact it would not be uncommon to see pancakes or a scramble with toast served for an evening meal in my home. My mom and I constantly disagree about quiche though, she doesn’t think that it is inherently a breakfast item and usually suggests that we have a salad with it. I tend to freak out slightly at this point, because who has salad for breakfast? Not I… even if I am having breakfast for dinner. I always insist on serving quiche with fruit… and bacon if I am feeling exceptionally indulgent.

I decided to mix things up a bit with this particular quiche. I still refused to serve it with a green salad, but I did put some lovely leafy greens inside the quiche. I am going to stick to my guns, be terribly stubborn and insist that I still hate kale…. But to be honest it is getting harder and harder to convince myself that I don’t like it. Yes, despite myself I am beginning to actually like it quite a lot. My husband liked it in this dish, and so did my 2 year old daughter! It thrills my heart to see my little one eating mouthfuls of kale and then asking for more “leaves”.

I wanted this quiche to be rustic, so I made a cornmeal and olive oil crust. It was a shot in the dark, but a real triumph. It reminded me of a conversation I had with a pastry chef at a bakery I used to work at. He insisted that it is impossible to make pie crusts with oil, let alone whole grains. Not impossible! I did both here, and it turned out amazing! The trick is to roll it out between sheets of parchment paper. It would have failed completely if I had not tried this. The dough is much too moist and crumbly to roll on a floured surface as one would a normal crust. With the parchment paper, however, it rolled out like a dream.

Whether you make this for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or supper, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Kale and Onion Quiche {Tofu, Whole Grain Spelt}

Crust

¾ cup whole grain spelt flour

¼ cup whole grain cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup olive oil

1-2 tablespoons very cold water

1. Preheat oven to 400 ˚ F.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the spelt flour, cornmeal and salt.
3. Add the olive oil and cut in using a pastry cutter or fork. The mixture should resemble very moist sand.
4. Add water until a soft dough is formed. It may seem too loose/wet for a pie crust but don’t worry, it will be great.
5. Measure out two pieces of parchment paper, each slightly bigger than you want the crust to be.
6. Form a circle with the dough and place it between the sheets of parchment paper.

7. Roll it out between the parchment paper sheets.

8. Peel the top piece of parchment paper off the dough, then carefully peel the dough off the bottom sheet. It may stick slightly, but go slowly and it should come off in one piece.
9. Carefully transfer the dough to a pie pan. Trim the edges so they are flush with the edge of the pan. Finish the edges any way you like. It’s ok if it is not perfect, this is a rustic dish so imperfections are a part of it. Using a fork, poke several holes in the dough.

10. Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before adding the filling.

Filling

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

5 leaves kale, stemmed, washed, chopped coarsely and tenderized

1 14 ounce block tofu, drained well

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon vegan butter (such as Earth Balance)

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and sauté until caramelized.
2. Add the kale. Cover and reduce heat to low. Allow to stand for about 5 minutes, until the kale is wilted. Allow to cool slightly, then transfer the onions and kale into the cooled crust.

3. Place the tofu and remaining ingredients in a food processor. Blitz until smooth, scraping the sides down as needed.
4. Pour the tofu mixture over the kale and onions and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
5. Bake at 350˚ F. for 40 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

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Tags: breakfast, Food, recipe, vegan, vegetarian