Vegan Quiche

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 8 ounces chopped mushrooms
• 2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves, packed
• 3/4  cup broccoli, chopped into small pieces
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) package firm or extra firm tofu, pressed to remove as much liquid as possible
• 1/3 cup unsweetened soy or almond milk
• 2 tablespoons sesame tahini
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 pre-packaged vegan whole wheat pie crust
• A few thin slices orange or red bell pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and mushrooms along with a bit of salt. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often, until mushrooms have released most of their liquid. Steam broccoli as the mushroom and onion are cooking. Add spinach, broccoli, and garlic to the mushroom/onion mix and cook 3 minutes longer. Note: adding broccoli will increase the amount of filling for the pie; be prepared to set some aside to enjoy later.

Mash tofu and place it in a bowl along with soy or almond milk and tahini (I used unsweetened almond milk from Whole Foods). Mix the ingredients well and mash everything together. Add salt, pepper, curry powder, garlic powder; add cayenne pepper to taste. Add tofu mixture to sautéed vegetables, stirring to combine well. Adjust seasonings to taste and spoon everything into pie shell (make sure the pie shell is not packed to the brim or it will not cook well; if you have too much tofu/vegetables, scoop some out and eat them later). Arrange bell pepper slices decoratively on top and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until pastry and the top of the pie are golden brown. Let quiche cool several minutes before slicing. Enjoy with a salad or soup and share with friends and family!