Happy Easter weekend friends! It’s been absolutely glorious here these last couple of weeks. I’m inside working most of the day unfortunately but I love that it’s not getting dark here until around 8.30 now, leaving plenty of daylight after work. We’ve been lazing in the park or by Lake Geneva, browsing the evening farmers’ markets (it seems there’s a different market here every day- morning or evening!), and sitting out on the streets with a drink or ice cream.
It’s not supposed to last but I’m going to pretend it’s still warm and sunny and enjoy my Spring meals all the same…
Spring is the time to start lightening up our meals and to me that usually means satisfying salads, smoothies/juices and fruit & veggies galore. Dishes which can be eaten warm or at room temperature are also ideal for this time of year, and for picnic weather (!). My Vegan Persian Frittata or Rustic Beetroot Galette would be nice options, as would today’s recipe- my Vegan Asparagus & Fennel Quiche (with a Quinoa Crust).
This recipe is good and seasonal with Spring vegetables- fennel, asparagus, carrots and peas- but you could easily adapt it to what’s good in your part of the world right now. I’m especially enjoying fennel right now so there may well be some more fennel recipes appearing soon…though I still can’t get on board with it in fresh juice.
I was feeling a little lazy when making this and not really in the mood for making pastry, so I ended up with an alternative easy quinoa crust (adapted from a recipe by Julie Morris’s Superfood Kitchen). I was really pleased with how it turned out. Don’t expect it to be like your regular flour-based crust, but it does hold together really well and has a nice chewiness to it.
It would be a lovely Easter Sunday brunch served with a salad or two- light enough to leave you some room for chocolate eggs!
- 1/4 C Ground flax
- 1/4 C Water
- 1-1/2 C Cooked & cooled quinoa
- 1-1/2 Tbsp Melted coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Coconut oil
- 1/2 Onion, diced
- 2 Cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 Small bulb of fennel, diced small
- 2 small carrots, diced small
- 1 Bunch of asparagus, woody ends removed and remaining stalks diced
- 1/2 C Fresh or frozen peas
- Handful of fresh basil, chiffonaded
- 1x 350g/12oz pkg firm tofu, drained
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp Tahini
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- Pepper
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F and grease a 9" tart pan with coconut oil.
- Combine the ground flax and water in a small bowl and set aside to thicken.
- Stir together the cooked quinoa, nutritional yeast and salt. Add the coconut oil and flax mixture and mix well.
- Press mixture into the prepared tart pan and bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden and dry.
- Turn the heat down to 180C/350F
- In a large pan, warm the coconut oil over medium heat and add onions, fennel and carrots. Sauté, stirring for approx 5 minutes. Add the asparagus; cook 2 minutes. Add the peas and garlic and cook for a final 2 minutes. Stir in the basil.
- In a blender or food processor, blend/process the remaining ingredients until very smooth. Remove to a bowl and stir though the sautéed vegetables.
- Spread the filling over your prepared crust *, smooth over and bake for 30-40 minutes.
- Leave to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- * You will have EXTRA filling. I poured this into 4 oiled muffin cups and baked these alongside the whole quiche. Still delicious without the crust.
Do you have Easter plans? What’s on the menu?
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I never liked quiche before going vegan - loathed it, in fact, quite possibly due to memories of being force-fed it on a regular basis as an extremely fussy, sulky, and stubborn child. This does look lovely though. I’ve never tried a vegan quiche, so it might be worth a try… how much like a traditional non-vegan quiche would you say this is?:p
I hated all things “eggy” before going vegan too- quiche, omelettes, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs….but now I seem to love all their vegan counterparts- scrambled tofu, vegan quiche, etc. so I don’t know if it’s just that they taste different or that my tastes have changed. Give it a go and see what you think!
Will do! I’ll hang on till I can share it, though, just in case - plus I always feel more inclined to cook something slightly more complex if there’s someone besides me to appreciate it:P Right now I’m just bunging random things in a pot and then living off whatever comes out of it for a couple days straight…
I have times like that too- not to worry!
This is just gorgeous Emma! The colours, the flavours, everything!
Thank you Gabby!
Love the idea for a quinoa crust and love this quiche filled with all things spring.
You should definitely give it a try! The quinoa crust turned out really well.
I love asparagus! I was never a quiche fan either, but I too love scrambles, etc. I haven’t had fennel in years, I think it’s time I picked some up.
Years?! You definitely need to pick some up!
And this was my first asparagus of the season. I’d forgotten how much I like it.
this looks amazing Emma. I am very intrigued by that crust. all the loaded veggie filling is so Springy!
“Springy” is definitely the word! I was so happy with the crust. Really works well.
I am very intrigued by the quino crust. And I have a ton of asparagus that I could use for this.
Fab! You should definitely give it a try. I really liked the crust as a change from my usual pastry.
I love the sound of this crust! I imagine it would be good with so many different fillings - a great versatile recipe.
I’m glad you’re having some nice weather and enjoying your evenings too
I’m definitely going to be using the crust for all sorts of things now. Wondering how it would be for a sweet tart….
the crust looks so delicious and i love how veggie packed this filling is! you’re mind kinda gal 😉
Thanks Caitlin. Definitely a veggie-loving girl here! 😉
It is super refreshing to leave work and still get to see some sunshine!! This quiche sounds awesome! I can’t believe there is no egg in it! I’m sure that makes it all the more delicious and nutritious though!
The longer days work wonders for my mood! Thanks for the sweet comments about the recipe.
Happy Easter! This vegan quiche looks so eggy, versatile and delicious! I can’t wait to try it and your quinoa crust! Pinned
Happy Easter to you too Ceara! Hope you do try the recipe.
Looks just gorgeous Emma, as do all of your recipes! I just referred your blog to one of my friends today too. She asked for other blogs I would recommend (other than just mine) and I thought of yours! Your recipes are beautiful and fairly simple. I love all the veggies going on in here and I really love that crust!!
That’s so kind of you Brandi. I’ve added The Vegan 8 to my list of inspiring blogs too 😀
Such an amazing idea to use quinoa for the crust! Love it. Must try.
Happy Easter, Emma!
Thanks Sophia! I’m sure you’ll love the crust. I’m looking forward to using it for all sorts of things.
lovely quiche - makes me long for spring - am sure you are enjoying the long hours of daylight for food photography - though it sounds just lovely sit outside and enjoy a balmy evening - it is cooling in the evenings here but we had a lovely sunny day today so I shouldn’t complain - must try that quinoa base
Thanks Johanna. Unfortunately it’s turned cold and grey now…
I’m not cooking for the blog much at the moment. I don’t want to buy many ingredients since I’m only in Geneva for a month. The cooking equipment is pretty limited too! You can bet I’ll be making up for it when I get back though
This looks really lovely Emma. My mum went through a phase of buying fennels, and then leaving them at the bottom of the fridge, all the while each night saying ‘I really must do something with that fennel!’. I think she likes the idea of them, but doesn’t have a lot of inspiration regarding what to do with them! I’ll have to make this for her to try
Thank you Caeli. Hope you do give this a try. I usually eat fennel raw in a salad- the flavour tends to be mellower when cooked.
I remember being a bit of a quiche fan in the old days, but I can’t say as I’ve ever missed them since - I’ve found so many amazing tofu/bean/other stuff based vegan quiches that I still maintain my quiche fandom! Aspaargus is one of my all time favourite veggies, and so good in quiche. The quinoa crust is a new one on me, but I can’t wait to give it a go. Quinoa can do no wrong in my eyes!
Hope you like the quinoa crust if you try it.
Definitely agree on the quiche front- who needs eggs when we have all these other options?
I would love to see shots of Lake Geneva and the farmers’ markets, I bet they are so pretty! Fennel is one of my favorite produces to use, I love them in risotto, too! Wow, Emma, that’s a lovely quiche for any meal, I would eat this for breakfast, miam! Nothing grand on Easter day, we had a small family gathering, shared a massive chickpea pasta & kale salad, and had lovely strong Italian wines! Hope you had a fantastic Easter weekend, Emma!
I’ll try and share a little of Geneva on the blog when I get back. Fennel risotto sounds lovely!
Your Easter weekend sounds nice and low-key. I missed being with family this year
I often end up making crustless mini quiches because I’m feeding gluten free peep’s at potlucks but your quinoa crust seems like it’ll be a great alternative.
I often do crustless quiches for ease too but I really love crust so I feel like I’m missing out a little when I do that…
This was a fun change from my usual pastry.
Just made this for a large potluck with mushrooms, roasted garlic, and roasted yellow and red peppers, as that was what I had on hand. My omnivorous friends were particularly blown away :). Thanks for a great recipe that showcases the deliciousness and versatility of vegan food!
Super! So pleased to hear it went down well- especially with the omnivores 😉
Your veggie combination sounds delicious.
I really really love this recipe! I intend to bring some mini quiches to work (for lunch) and thought I’d just go crustless as I am trying to cut down a bit on calories. So I filled up 13 rubber muffin cases with this filling and baked them for 25 minutes. Results: excellent. Thanks a million!
So pleased to hear that Ingrid! I sometimes make mini crustless quiches with the recipe too….in fact I should make some again soon! Thanks for the reminder 😉
Worked like a charm - they were delish at room temperature (as advertised) as well. The catering lady at work - I bought a fruit salad to go with the quiches - went nuts over them. “So cute! Oh-my-god, did you make them yourself?”
hehe. Minis are always cute!
This looks so much more delectable than a cruelty-laden, icky-egg quiche. So healthy and vibrant
Thank you Amelia
Even the smell of eggs is a turn-off to me now.