Hola! I got everything on my list today done – just in time for bed!! My walk with Karen was fun – freezing cold but sunny. I picked up a bag of Butterscotch Toffee Coffee from Dilworth Coffee with a little money my grandmother sent to “spend on something nice.” Thanks Gram! And I shopped out Lynette’s KERF Tote. I was sad to see it go – I want one too!
Around 5:00 I honored some hunger with a snack –
Half a cup of TJ’s Euro yogurt with some flax
VIDEOS
And my Strawberry Jam Frakas bar. I thought it was pretty good. The dried strawberries reminded me of dried raspberries, which I love. I like the crispy pieces too.
On the menu tonight: A Tofu Quiche!
I have had a shelf-stable block of silken tofu in my pantry for ages, so I put it on the menu. Remember when I made this Broccoli Tofu Quiche for Food Composition? I’ve been wanting to make one ever since. I asked the husband if he wanted a crust or not and he said “fo sure!” so we made one from scratch. I used this recipe as a model for ours: Vegan Family Quiche. Tonght’s recipe turned out delicious in taste, but unfortunately it wasn’t perfect and I would make some changes next time.
The baker was in charge of the crust. He used AP flour, but had I made it I would have used WW pastry flour or at least half and half WW/AP. The crust turned out perfecto! We baked it in the oven for about 5 minutes before putting the toppings in – just to warm it all up to hopefully decrease the cooking time.
Here’s the proportion of ingredients we used. See the above link for the specific procedure. We cut down on the butter, and added the mushrooms, spinach and lots of cheese. The cheesy taste was perfect, but it was a nutritional overload combined with the buttery crust. It was really more like a pie than a quiche!
Our Ingredients:
- 200 grams AP flour
- 50 grams butter
- 1 package Silken Firm Tofu (or you can use non-silken per the Vegan Family Recipe’s instructions)
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 2 cups shredded cheese of your choice, plus 1/2 cup for topping
- 2 cups mushrooms
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 tsp olive oil
Serves: 6-8
Nutritional info for 8 slices: ~300 kcal per slice, 17 grams fat, 13.5 grams protein, 1.4 grams fiber.
The tofu ingredients, pureed, followed by 3 pulses of the cheese.
Adding the sauteed veggies:
Topped with one more half cup of cheese before baking:
After 30 minutes at 375*. But here’s our problem – it wasn’t done!! While it wasn’t jiggly in the middle, it collapsed when we started to cut in. It was determined that 8 slices would never work, so we did 6. We should have 1) Let it cook the full recommended 45 minutes and 2) Let it cool. The remaining slices were fine, so letting it cool for a bit would have helped a lot.
My collapsed piece.
With a side of baby spinach drizzled in olive oil and Fig Balsamic Vinegar
The flavor was INCREDIBLE!! Really like a pizza/calzone and pie combined. Since there were no eggs and tofu can be eaten raw, the fact that it wasn’t 100% cooked to solid was fine.
Would I make it again? Probably. I really liked the sweeter tofu taste in exchange for eggs. Next time I will probably use a little less cheese to lighten it up a bit, use at least some WW flour, and will be more patient and let it cook for a full 45 minutes!
springpad
Check out this cool organization site – SpringPadIt.
I’ve been using Google Notebook for ages to “capture” recipes I find on the Net and on blogs with a bookmarklet. Springpad just released a bookmarklet that works with Google Chrome and Firefox, so now I have a much faster and more user-friendly way to keep a file of all the online recipes I want to try! Go to their site to see how it works – and if you don’t know what a bookmarklet is!
I’m finishing up this cup of Candy Cane Lane Tea and getting ready to go start the book Outliers in bed. Nite!
ooooh! i’ve got outliers on hold at the library. when i started two weeks ago, i was #952, now i’m down to spot 849/1000 (with about 300 copies available). i guess i’ll have to wait awhile! i hear it’s pretty good.
That dinner looks so good, I think I would like it better all collapsed then solid!
Kath – Dinner looks amazing! Very nice indeed.
this recipe looks amazing. thanks for the link-cant wait to check it out. night!!
Wow, that looks incredible! It just shows that healthy food can be an indulgent, fancy meal! It’s such a ingenious way to use tofu.
Your husband looks so diligent while he’s making the crust!
The quiche looks great! I love how the crust is all rustic-looking. 🙂
I love that you used tofu instead of eggs. I’m not a huge egg person, but quiche always looks so delicious!
That quiche looks amazing! I love how it’s not set, and just looks ooey-gooey!
Hope you enjoy Outliers as much as I did. The last chapter is the best, but don’t skip ahead!
Outliers is great!! Malcolm Gladwell is such a great writer. If you haven’t read The Tipping Point or Blink by him, I highly recommend that you do! 🙂
Looks pretty good. I loved Blink by Gladwell. Enjoy your book!
Oh my gosh, super tasty!
Thanks for the link to SpringPadit as my online recipes are so unorganized!
I think your collapsed piece of tofu quiche looks amazing. Talk about some healthy comfort food!
Oh how I love tofu quiches!
Mmm and I need to find that Jamfrakas!!!
That tofu quiche looks delicious!
Tofu quiche? That looks sooo good! I adore quiche. I will be making this in the very near future!
That looks really good. I have never even heard of that!
LoL your hubby looks so focused on that crust! That quiche looks absolutely scrumptious.
And quick question, completely un-related to this post. What brand of ketchup do you usually use, Kath?
Oooh! The tofu quiche sounds very tasty. I’ve never been a fan of eggs, so I think this would be a nice substitute!
Hub looks so intense! Haha cute. Tofu quiche sounds brilliant! And looks even bettah!
Looks like the quiche turned out great! Wish I could get Ben to help me in the kitchen 🙂 BTW, did you see Diana’s organic order, I think I am gonna have to try that out.
looks like a fun recipe 🙂
That quiche looks delicious! I’m afraid to buy anything except EXTRA FIRM, so now I’m slightly inspired! 🙂
Thanks for sharing springpad!
Butterscotch Toffee Coffee! YUM!
Great dinner! Definitely have to try this one!
Kath, what does the AP stand for in the flour? Thanks!
Totally kidding, all purpose, right? Brain fart!
i love cheese and spinach, the bes combo ever! especially with garlic, in pizza pie form…ps. that quiched looks like a volcano
Yum! Your tofu cheese pie looks fabulous! I made a vegan version for Christmas morning this year–a new tradition for sure!
You and your hubs must have so much fun cooking together. So great to see the boys in there!
Hmmm, tofu quiche is something I could get behind, due to my aversion to eggs. Although, I do generally like eggy quiche. But this would be better, because I’m more likely to have tofu than eggs 😀
Hi Kath!
I always thought you were only supposed to eat ground flaxseed and not whole? I thought the body can’t digest the whole seeds and therefore you don’t get all of the nutrients from them before passing them out (gross, sorry). Am I wrong? I noticed that the ones you ate were whole?
Thanks, Kath! Have a nice day!
My boyfriend is taking me out to celebrate Valentine’s day at this upscale Italian restaurant. Can someone PLEASE look at the menu and suggest something that won’t totally derail my diet.
http://www.altocucina.com/contactus.html
Thanks!
Kath, I have always loved your photos, in fact, you inspire the photos on my blog and even helped me with learning the proper settings. So thanks again for that! What I really want to say is that the photos on this post, especially the first one, are very striking. You are a wonderful inspiration in so many ways!
I think you live in some sort of coffee and tea utopia, because I can never find the awesome flavours you mention (Butterscotch Toffee, Candy Cane, Pumpkin, etc). Lucky you!
Quiche is one of my favorite dinners, but I never thought to substitute tofu for eggs! Great idea.
I think we have the same plates! I love the long rectangles, but they are on a top shelf in our kitchen so I don’t think to pull them down very often. They’re the same brand as my square plates though. Funny!
Your quiche looks great – I would never think of using tofu! I’m excited to try it.
Hope you have a good day! 🙂
The tofu quiche looks absolutely incredible. Yeah, letting it sit for a bit is a challenge when you are a hungry but I think it definitely lets it solidify.
Thanks for the link to that site… I need to check it out. My saved recipes are all over the place! 😳
Meaghan ,
Harris Teeter El Cheap-o brand.
Michelle (PinQue),
I did see her veggies! I would love to do that, but I think it’s a little expensive for us currently. I’m trying to keep ALL of our groceries to $25-50 a week, so $30 would take up most (all) of that.
Fancy
You are correct re. flax needing to be ground to be absorbed. But mine were ground! Just coarsely ground. There may have been a few whole ones in the group, but they still serve as good fiber.
karly ,
Start with a brothy soup or salad and eat 30-50% of your entree and package up the rest. Have just a taste of bread (only if it’s good and hot) and have a single glass of wine. Pack a piece of dark chocolate in your purse for dessert – or share one with your date and have 3 bites, savor them, and cover your fork with salt.
Beadie @ What I Ate Yesterday,
Thanks 🙂
Kath
i love the idea of the tofu quiche! next time i end up with silken tofu, this is what it’s going to turn into.
and i’m so excited to try that organization site, too — i need to get my recipe collection under control!
I’ve never thought of using tofu in a quiche – it looks great!
I think “Tofu Cheese Pie” sounds like a term of endearment for a vegetarian partner 🙂
There seems to be a lot of controversy about tofu lately and unfermented soy products in general. The argument is that it contains toxins that can cause or lead to gastric distress, pancreas problems, poor protein digestion, hypothyroidism, etc. Soy producers are supposedly paying $80 million a year to the United Soybean program. I wonder what you think about this because there are arguments on both sides (The Whole Soy Story book is pretty scary though).
Your quiche looks great. I hope you enjoy the snow in Charlotte! Have a lovely Wednesday.
I think it’s everything in moderation. There are articles that talk about the ‘evil’ of dairy and corn and beef. I think us humans have disrupted the food cycle and we’re paying for it now. Soy is healthy (especially for vegetarians), so we shouldn’t avoid it all together.
I think your quiche looks delicious. Sometimes I make crustless quiche with eggs (so I guess it’s more of a baked omelette/fritatta). It works very well though, if you’re concerned about the nutritional properties of the crust.
Thanks for the Springpad suggestion. Looks like a pretty cool setup!
Quiche looks good! I’ve wanted to try something like that for a while to mix it up a bit. I normally make a crustless quiche with mostly egg whites and soy milk.
I loved Outliers — Malcom Gladwell’s new book, right? However, because my birthday is in August and I skipped a grade, I now feel not as smart as I could have been thanks to Gladwell….and I was born in the wrong year for success! Oh well. I think this book was more interesting than his others for me. I hope you enjoy it!
Alex ,
I agree with Gar. Just don’t overdo it and eat soy at every meal – just like you wouldn’t eat chicken, beef, eggs, or mushrooms for every meal, every day.
K
Thanks about the flax! Sorry I didn’t see it when I checked earlier.
Heather
Where did you get that cute bowl with the tiny spoon that you had the yogurt and flax seed in? I just love it!
Sarah ,
Kohl’s. I think it’s Tyler Florence’s line?
K
Kath, I think I want to make this pie tonight. Did Matt use the recipe for the crust that’s in that quiche link or a different one? Thanks!
Elina,
This was so long ago, I honestly have no idea. Sorry!
Kath
It’s ok… I’ll try that recipe 🙂 About to make it right now. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Hi Kath, just wanted to let you know that I made this and it came out AMAZING!!! I just blogged about it – check it out if you have a minute 🙂 Thanks for the recipe – keep them coming 😀
Ha, I bookedmarked this back in ’09 (can’t believe I’ve been a reader that long!) and tonight we finally made it! Delicious! Our version was a bit lighter (skipped the crust, cut back on the cheese, upped the veggies; only about 350calories still but now that’s from a 1/4 cut rather than 1/8) and it was still fantastic; you ought to give this recipe another go. When you get home from SF of course 😉
http://eatingchalk.com/2010/11/06/this-post-was-technically-born-in-09/