Chickpea Vegetable Quiche

I tried this quiche recipe, which happens to be both vegan and soy-free. Honestly, it’s probably more of a vegetable tart than a quiche, but just go with it. I used store-bought pie dough, which tends to be relatively shallow (just like the tart pan called for in the original recipe), but I ended up splitting the vegetables between the two plates and doubling the batter recipe to make two quiches; those are the amounts below. I put one in the freezer at the time and pulled it out again for dinner last night – I can confirm that it freezes well, so don’t hesitate to make two (otherwise, you could make a bigger one in a deep pie plate and bake it longer).

I really liked this, as I found it a more-than-palatable way to eat a lot of vegetables; that being said, I’d serve it more as a hearty side (as I did last night) or a light lunch than as a main course for dinner.

2 store-bought plated pie doughs
1 medium zucchini, chopped into half-rounds
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped into short, thin strips (I sliced it further into squares)
½ cup peas, fresh or frozen and thawed
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chickpea flour
2 Tbsp. potato starch (I used corn starch)
4 tsp. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. dried thyme
¼ tsp. dried sage (I omitted it)
¼ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. baking powder
2 cups vegetable stock or water
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 °F.

Blind bake your plated pie doughs for 10-15 minutes, just to help them set up and get very, very light brown. Set aside to cool.

For the filling, toss your chopped veggies, scallions, and minced garlic together to achieve an even distribution of everything, and then transfer it into your par-baked crusts.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, potato starch, nutritional yeast, salt, herbs, spices, and baking powder. Pour in the vegetable stock or water and oil, and whisk until smooth. (It should be about the consistency of pancake batter.) Pour this batter on top of your vegetables in the tart shells, making sure to fill all of the gaps. Lightly tap the pans on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.

Bake for 45 – 55 minutes, until the filling appears set and lightly golden brown on top. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. (It’s also great at room temperature.)