This recipe won third prize in the 2013 JVS/Gefiltefest Cook Up a Veggie Shabbat Dinner! recipe competition, as judged by Reto Frei (co-owner of leading vegetarian restaurant in London, tibits).
Pashtida (Tasty Eggless Quiche)
Recipe Type: Vegan
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
I can’t eat eggs so my fiancée and I invented this recipe because she loves to serve quiche at Shabbat meals. It is now something we often make on Shabbat and she admits she even likes it better than regular quiche. For those who eat kitniyot (it calls for rice and tehina), it is also a great Passover recipe. It has the added bonus of being much healthier than regular quiche, with more protein and fibre, less fat, and lots of vegetables. It is also gluten free.
Ingredients
- 1 small sweet potato, baked
- 150 g/ ¾ cup brown rice, cooked (leftovers work great)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ onion
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ red pepper
- 1 carrot
- 1 tablespoon parve soup mix (for example, Osem’s ‘Chicken Flavor’)
- 3 square inches of plain tofu
- 225 g/8 oz vegan cream cheese (for example, Tofutti’s ‘Creamy Smooth Original Cream Cheese’)
- ½ tablespoon tahini
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 175°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Bake the sweet potato by pricking in various places with a fork and microwaving on the top setting for 8 minutes.
- If you don’t have leftover rice, prepare the rice according to packet instructions.
- To make the crust: Peel the baked potato, reserving the skins, and mash the insides. Mix the mashed sweet potato with the brown rice. Oil a pie dish (small – medium) and press the rice/potato mixture into a pie crust shape – can be done with fingers or a spoon. Bake for about 10 minutes to set and remove from oven.
- Chop the onion finely and crush the garlic, then sauté both in olive oil over high heat for about five minutes.
- Dice the red pepper and grate the carrot then add these to the pan, sautéing until the onions are caramelised and the red pepper and carrot are tender.
- Add the soup mix, tofu, cream cheese, tahini, salt and cayenne pepper to the sautéed vegetables and mix well until combined and creamy. The leftover sweet potato skins can be chopped and added to the mixture (they provide vitamins, texture, and a little starch to help hold everything together).
- Pour the tofu/cheese/vegetable mixture into the pie crust and bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
Notes
Variations Like any quiche, you can vary the vegetables that go inside. I have also had luck with sautéing various combinations of leek, mushrooms, and courgette. You can also add other herbs to the filling. Go with parsley/basil/oregano if you want to go in an Italian direction. Cumin/coriander gives a more eastern flavour.
