VEGAN LENTIL AND MUSHROOM QUICHE

As you probably have noticed, I like to find ways to add legumes to our meals, as a protein alternate to soy foods and seitan, and also for the texture, mild flavors, fiber and nutrients that legumes give us.  This quiche recipe features inexpensive and protein-packed lentils as well as umami-rich mushrooms, and is low in fat. (PS: What's "umami"? Back in 2006 I wrote this article about umami for vegan cooking. Here's another post I wrote about umami, and  this one discusses umami in bread making; this one discusses umami in roasted vegetables; and this one shows how you can substitute miso for anchovies or anchovy paste-- both contain plenty of umami compounds.)

I find cold quiche perfect (and rather elegant) picnic fare-- easy to transport and you can eat it from a napkin , if necessary!  Make it in the morning-- before the kitchen heats up too much--  and by dinnertime the texture will be perfect. All you need is a salad and some fruit for a perfect summer meal.

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S VEGAN LENTIL AND MUSHROOM  QUICHE (can be soy-free, gluten-free,
corn-free-- see Cooking Tips below recipe)
Serves 6
This creamy quiche is an unusual way to introduce a few more legumes (in both the filling and the crust) into your menus. By the way, this quiche, because it contains no eggs, needs to be eaten cold or at room temperature after it has set sufficiently to cut easily. So, it's a great make-ahead lunch or supper dish, and also a good potluck or picnic entrée.

LEGUME-ENHANCED CRUST 
1/2 cup wholewheat pastry flour
1/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour or soy flour
3/8 tsp salt
3/8 tsp baking powder
3/8 tsp sugar
3 Tbs oil
3 Tbs soymilk or nut milk
1/2 tsp lemon juice
FILLING
1 cup cooked or canned, drained brown lentils
1 Tbs olive oil or vegan butter
1 medium onion, thinly-sliced
6 oz sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
Creamy Mixture:
(To make soy-free, omit tofu and use 3 Tbs raw cashew pieces and 2 1/2 Tbs more non-dairy milk)
1 1/2 cups soymilk or other non-dairy milk
1/3 cup extra-firm SILKEN tofu or medium-firm regular tofu, crumbled
1/4 cup vegan parmesan substitute (I like Go Veggie! Vegan)
1 chicken-style vegetarian bouillon cube, or enough powder for 1 cup liquid
2 Tbs cornstarch or wheat starch, OR plain custard powder, such as Bird’s
1 pinch Spanish saffron OR 1/8 tsp. turmeric (you won't need this if you use custard powder)
1/2 tsp agar powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch grated nutmeg
freshly-grated black pepper to taste

Making the crust:
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk the soy milk with the lemon juice, and then with the oil. Quickly stir the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix briefly, forming the pastry into a ball. If it's too dry, add cold water just a few drops at a time until it holds together. Don't over mix or the pastry will be tough.

If made ahead of time, place dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate it until you're ready to roll it out (several hours or even several days).

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Roll out the dough to fit a 9" or 10" tart or pie pan. (If using a pie pan, just bring the pastry up to the inside top of the pan and flute it, to make a shallow shell-- not over the edge, like an American pie.)

Trim the top edge neatly. Place a square of cooking parchment over the dough and weight down with 1/2 cup of dried beans, spread out evenly. Bake 10 minutes. Remove beans and paper. Cool the pastry on a rack.

For the Filling:
Heat the oil or vegan butter in a large non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high. Sauté the onions until they start to go limp, then add the garlic and mushrooms. Keep stir-frying until the mushrooms are golden. Add the lentils and thyme and stir gently. Set aside.

Blend the Creamy Mixture ingredients until smooth in a blender. Spread the mushroom/lentil mixture evenly over the prepared pie crust and pour the Creamy Mixture over it evenly. Place the quiche in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 400° F.

Bake 35 minutes. Cool on a rack for about 30 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to firm up.

The quiche needs to be chilled for about 4 hours to be firm, and will keep well, refrigerated, for a few days. You could also make mini-quiches with this filling mixture.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 263.7 calories; 34% calories from fat; 10.2g total fat; 0.0mg
cholesterol; 345.3mg sodium; 467.9mg potassium; 31.3g carbohydrates; 5.4g fiber; 4.6g
sugar; 11.1g protein.

Cooking Tips
FOR GLUTEN-FREE AND/OR CORN-FREE VERSION:
If you can't have corn or wheat, omit the cornstarch, wheat starch, or custard powder from the Filling and, instead, use 2 1/4 Tbs. white rice flour (along with the agar), and use your favorite wheat-free pastry recipe.

Or, here are two simple non-pastry Gluten-free and Corn-free quiche crust recipes from my book "Soyfoods Cooking for a Positive Menopause":
RICE CRUST
Combine:
1 1/2 cups cooked (salted) brown rice (short grain sticks together best)
1/2 Tbs EnerG egg replacer beaten with 2 Tbs water (or try using 3 Tbs aquafaba/chickpea cooking liquid)
1/4 cup vegan  Parmesan substitute (I like Go Veggie! vegan)
2 Tbs minced onion
1/4 tsp. dried basil or other herb of choice
 Press into bottom and sides of a greased 9" or 10" pie pan. Fill and bake as
directed.

POTATO CRUST
Combine:
3 cups grated raw potatoes
1 Tbs nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 Tbs EnerG egg replacer beaten with 2 Tbs water (or try using 3 Tbs aquafaba/chickpea cooking liquid)
1/4 tsp. salt
Press into greased 9"or 10" pie pan. Bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees F, then fill and bake
as directed.

Enjoy!