I'm devoting this week to sharing festive holiday recipes, because I'm passionate that we don't need to throw away holiday traditions in order to prevent heart attacks this time of year.
Research shows Americans have more fatal heart attacks during the holiday season than any other time of year. The top three days for them are December 25, December 26, and January 1st. . .but we don’t have to be a part of the statistic.
This basic quiche is very versatile—most any vegetable or herb/spice you like can be substituted in it.
I made this particular recipe yesterday, and the house smelled incredible as it was baking in the oven!
It’s simple, yet festive; the perfect way to make your holidays special.
The recipe makes one (9-inch) Springform pan of quiche. [Springform pans can be purchased at WalMart for less than ten dollars.]
It can also be made ahead of time, put in the freezer, and thawed in the refrigerator overnight before reheating and serving. (Add the decorative vegetables after reheating.)
Ingredients
Crust:
1 ½ cups dry, old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup almonds
Filling:
1 (16-ounce) package soft tofu
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, include 1/2 cup of the liquid
1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
3 gloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 Tablespoon corn starch or arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
1 Tablespoon Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning
————-
10 ounces spinach, finely chopped
1 box sliced mushrooms, any variety
½ red onion, finely chopped
3 green onions, sliced
½ cup dried tomatoes, diced (optional)
½ red pepper, diced (optional)
Decorations
1-2 cups chickpea or edamame hummus (basically 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas or defrosted frozen edamame beans blended with the juice of one lemon, 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds, 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons of favorite spice—blend until smooth and creamy)
1 leaf curly kale
parsley sprigs
cherry tomatoes
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Crust: In a high speed blender, combine the oats and almonds and blend until the almonds are thoroughly mixed together with the oats. It should look like a fine powder. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add ¼ cup cold water. Mix thoroughly with fingers until moistened. Place this mixture evenly onto the bottom of the pan. Then, with the bottom of a glass, press it into the pan until it makes a smooth crust.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set aside.
Filling: In a high speed blender, process the tofu, chickpeas and liquid until smooth and creamy. Add the nutritional yeast flakes, garlic, pepper, paprika, corn starch or arrowroot powder, rosemary, thyme, and chipotle seasoning. Blend thoroughly, stopping periodically to scrape the sides until everything is thoroughly mixed together and it’s smooth and creamy.
In a large mixing bowl, toss together the chopped spinach, mushroom slices, red onion, green onion, dried tomatoes (optional), and red peppers (optional).
Pour the filling into the mixing bowl of vegetables and stir with a spatula until all of the vegetables are thoroughly coated. Then pour this mixture into the pre baked crust.
Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes.
Then remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.
Turn the oven off. Leave the quiche in the oven, crack the door open and allow it to cool as the oven cools for about another ½ hour.
Then take the quiche out of the oven. Remove the Springform pan by gently unlatching the spring on the side. You may need to gently insert a knife into the sides of the quiche to release it. (You may leave the bottom part of the pan attached to the crust; or place a plate on top of the quiche and gently invert it. Gently pull the bottom of the pan away from the crust.)
[For a foolproof way of removing the sides and bottom of the pan, place it in the freezer for several hours beforehand. This quiche can be made ahead of time and frozen. Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before removing from the pan and reheating. (Add the decorative vegetables after reheating.)]
Decorating tips: For a festive quiche, spread chickpea hummus as you would frost a cake. Then tear the kale leaf into tiny pieces and remove the stems from the parsley sprigs. Form a green wreath around the outer edge. Add the round tips of cherry tomatoes by “gluing” them onto the wreath with hummus. Step back and take a picture of your masterpiece!
Enjoy the memories!
Emily Boller, artist, mother, and author of Starved to Obesity, lost 100 pounds more than twelve years ago by eating an abundance of high-nutrient, plant-rich food. Today, she’s certified in whole plant food nutrition from the Nutritarian Education Institute. She’s on a mission to combine practical, no-nonsense and cost effective tips—with easy to understand science—in order to help anyone escape the addictive grip of the Standard American Diet.