What to call these savory tofu morsels… Tartlets? Quichelets? Neither, for lack of crust (or egg for that matter)?
Mysteries abound when it comes to silken tofu. Why does it come in a box? Why is it so gelatinous? What the hell do I do with it besides intend to make “dips and spreads” as the box suggests but instead hide it behind tinned tomatoes until it comes time to move?
Today, the silken tofu is out of the cupboard.
My first silken tofu dish is adapted from this Mini Crustless Tofu Quiche recipe by Susan at the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, a blog that fails only in its title (I understand what she’s is getting at, but come on Susan - fat free is not healthy).
Whoa, guess what: these tofu babies are goooood — MMmm! The strangest but, surprisingly, most important ingredient is tahini (sesame paste). Combined with pine nuts, tahini adds a pleasant richness that enhances the aroma of the rosemary and the green goodness of the broccoli. Unfortunately, the flavour of the button mushrooms is lost in this mixture. Next time I’ll try a more flavorful fungus, like shitake or oyster. I may also add more veggies, as these were a bit heavy on the tofu, making the mini-quiches a bit on the jiggly side.
That is the beauty of this recipe - the tofu “egg” mixture lends itself well to experimentation, and I’ve got a fresh box o’ tofu on stand-by, and a tart pan on the way. That’s right, Silken Tofu Experiment #2 will have crust!
Vegan Mushroom & Broccoli Pseudo-Quiche
Veggies:
olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup, broccoli, roughly chopped
6 mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
black pepper
crushed red pepper flakes
Non-eggs:
1 12-ounce package Mori-Nu Silken Firm Tofu, drained of water
1/4 cup plain soymilk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon tahini
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or more to taste)
Yummy:
pine nuts
Preheat the oven to 180 C (~350 F).
Spray 8 regular-sized muffin cups well with non-stick spray.
Prepare the veggies: Heat up some olive oil in a skillet. Saute the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. When the mushrooms are almost done, add the brocolli. Cook for about a minute, then take off the heat and stir in the rosemary and peppers.
Make the non-eggs: Place the tofu, soymilk, cornstarch, tahini, turmeric, and Bragg’s into a blender. Process until completely smooth and silky. Have a taste and make sure its salted to your liking (no eggs here, so it’s safe to do this!).
Combine the tofu mixture with the vegetables and stir.
Spoon equally into the 8 muffin cups. Top each “muffin” with a sprinkle of pine nuts.Put the muffin pan into the oven. Bake until the tops are golden and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean–about 25-35 minutes depending on your oven and muffin cups. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. To remove, I recommend running a knife around each muffin, then turning them over onto a plate or cutting board (put the plate on top of the muffin first, then flip the whole thing over).
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Monica, those sound really delicious! Will have to try them. You make me want to run out to the store, bring home tend bags of groceries and start cooking!