Vegan Quiche

Ingredients
1 vegan pie crust

3 leeks, light green and white parts finely chopped

2 c. mushrooms

2 tbsp. vegan butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-14 oz. package extra firm tofu, drained

1/2 c. raw cashews

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. kala namak (black salt)

1/2 cup water

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute leeks and mushrooms in butter with some salt and black pepper until the leeks become soft and tender, but do not brown. 

Place all other ingredients into Vitamix and blend until very smooth and airy. Season with salt and pepper, as needed. 

Add the tofu custard to the leeks and mix well. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 45 minutes, or until filling is set. It should not jiggle. Cool for 20 minutes before serving. 

Tofu with Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce

Veganized version of a recipe from Bon Appetit. 

Ingredients
8 oz. extra firm tofu, pressed

1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
6 scallions or 1/4 c. sliced red onion
1" piece ginger (I used 1 tbsp. jarred ginger)
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. black mustard seeds
¼ tsp. cayenne powder
¼ tsp. ground turmeric
4 oz. sugar snap peas (about 1 cup)
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil, divided
Kosher salt
12 oz. cherry tomatoes (about 2 cups)
Pinch of sugar (optional)
½ cup (lightly packed) basil or mint leaves
Cooked rice (for serving)

Directions
First, prep your ingredients. Slice tofu into generous ¼"-thick planks and pat dry; set aside. Trim roots from 6 scallions and discard. Thinly slice on a deep diagonal and place in a medium bowl. Scrub and thinly slice a 1" piece ginger. Stack ginger slices and slice crosswise to make strips the size of matchsticks; add to bowl with scallions. Peel and thinly slice 2 garlic cloves; add to bowl.

Using a mortar and pestle or the side of your chef’s knife, coarsely crush 1 tsp. coriander seeds and add to vegetables. Mix in 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ½ tsp. black mustard seeds, ¼ tsp. cayenne powder, and ¼ tsp. ground turmeric; set aside.

Snap off tips from stem ends of 4 oz. sugar snap peas (about 1 cup) and pull to remove strings. Repeat process on the other end. Cut any larger sugar snap peas in half on a diagonal; set aside.

Now, bring it all together. Heat 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Arrange reserved tofu in a single layer and cook until golden brown underneath, about 1 minute. Flip tofu and season with salt and nutritional yeast. Once light brown in color, Transfer paneer to a plate, leaving as much oil behind in pan as possible. 

Set pan over medium heat and add remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil along with reserved scallions, ginger, garlic, and spices. Cook, stirring often, until scallions are wilted and mustard seeds begin to pop, about 2 minutes.

Add 12 oz. cherry tomatoes (about 2 cups), reserved snap peas, and 1 cup water. Increase heat to medium-high, season with salt, and bring to a simmer. Gently smash each tomato open with spoon (gentle is key; you just want to break them open a little) and simmer until tomato juices thicken slightly, about 3 minutes (it should still be pretty brothy and light).

Taste sauce and add more salt if needed. If your tomatoes aren’t super sweet, you may need to add a pinch of sugar at this point to balance their acidity. Add tofu back to pan and simmer until warmed through.
Remove from heat and mix in ½ cup (lightly packed) mint or basil leaves. Serve with cooked rice.
Serves 2.