This is another of those recipes I’ve had in the back of my mind and on the huge list of recipe ideas which spans scraps of paper floating around the house, notes on my phone, laptop, etc. There’s not enough time or meals in the average day to execute them all, especially at the moment when I’m trying to figure out this next stage of life in the big wide world outside of the cocoon of full-time education.
These tartlets might not look terribly autumnal but I’ve been eating soup for days, and as much as I love it, I needed a change!
Back in the springtime, a popular recipe on Coconut and Berries was my Vegan Asparagus & Fennel Quiche (with a Quinoa Crust). But though that recipe is obviously vegan and also gluten-free, I know not all my readers eat tofu so I thought I’d come up with something vaguely along the same vein- still vegan and gluten-free but also soy-free, using seasonal veggies and with a more traditional flaky pastry crust. I do try and keep everyone happy!
I picked leek and tenderstem broccoli as my base veggies for this recipe. I’m a fan of all broccoli really but this tenderstem kind is my favourite ( I think in some countries it’s called “Broccolini” which sounds kind of cute!) and it’s everywhere at the moment. I don’t use leeks enough but their caramelized qualities bring a little hint of sweetness and plenty of flavour to the mix, divine combined with a cashew cream to fill my pastry shells.
Something magical seemed to have happened in the baking process as these little tarts came out of the oven smelling and tasting remarkably cheesy!
I’ve tried a lot of pastry crust recipes but have never been entirely satisfied. This one is a winner on all counts. Just a few wholesome ingredients that you’ll no doubt have in your kitchens already, and an easy press-in method which means no faffing about with rolling and filling in holes. It’s also super buttery and flaky! I can’t wait for you to try it!
I made mini leek & broccoli tartlets as I think it’s fun to have your own rather than a slice from a big one but you can easily make this into one 8-9” tart. See instructions in recipe below.
Ingredients
- 1/2 C Almond flour
- 1/2 C Oat flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1-1/2 Tbsp Chilled coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp (+1/2 Tbsp) Cold water
- 1 tsp Oil
- 1 Leek, halved lengthwise and chopped finely
- Approx 100 g/3.5oz (Tenderstem) Broccoli, roughly chopped
- 1/4 C + 2 Tbsp Cashews, soaked
- 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp Arrowroot
- 1/2 C Water
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C/325F. Lightly grease 3 tartlet tins with coconut oil.
- Stir together dry ingredients then cut in coconut oil with a fork, until crumbly. Add water 1 Tbsp at a time, until you can form a ball with the mixture with your hands. Divide the dough into 3 and press evenly into the prepared tins until it evenly covers the base and sides. Prick all over with a fork to prevent it puffing up.
- Pre-bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Sauté the leeks in the oil over medium heat for approx 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the broccoli, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Blend together the remaining ingredients, except pepper (cashews through to water) and mix with the leeks and broccoli. Season with black pepper, to taste. Spoon the filling into the pre-baked crusts.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Place under the grill/broil for 1-2 minutes to brown tops (optional). Cool briefly before removing from the tins and serve warm or cold.
Notes
* To make one 8-9" tart to serve 6, double the ingredients, pre-bake the crust for 25 minutes then bake filled tart for 30-40 minutes.
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These look wonderful Emma! I love individual tarts too. They’re so much cuter than slices 😉
I’ve never tried GF pastry before, but I’m keen to give it a try. Do you need to blind bake larger tart cases, or does this kind of pastry not rise up as it cooks? Also, which coconut oil do you use? I made the mistake of using virgin coconut oil last time I made pastry and it had a distinctive coconut smell. Even though I love coconut, I wasn’t keen on it in my pastry. I’ve just bought some Tiana Organic Coconut Cooking Butter so I’ll give that a try next time xx
Eek! Thanks so much for catching that Sharon. the pastry does rise up so I prick it all over with a fork before baking to prevent that. You could also use baking beans though. On the coconut oil front, I actually just use regular unrefined, extra-virgin coconut oil (Biona) but if the flavour bothers you you should try their new flavourless version http://www.biona.co.uk/product-699-4.html I imagine it’s the same as the Tiana one you mention.
Anyway, thanks for the kind comments. They went down very well here!
these look delicious, lady! i think dayv will love them. i may have to make them for dinner tonight!
Thanks Caitlin
Hope you and Dayv both like them!
These look fantastic! I’m a big fan of quiche/savoury tarts/frittata for breakfast, as it’s easy to make a big tart on the weekends and then grab slices in the mornings throughout the week. I’ll have to remember to incorporate leeks soon-I’ve been feasting off a caramelized onion tart this week, I bet leek would be a nice variation!
Thanks Catherine. I go in phases with savoury breakfasts. I wish I could stick to them more often though as I know my body prefers less of the sweet stuff- even if it is just fruit!
I’d be happy eating these at any time of the day though!
Wow…these look incredible and seem pretty foolproof too, exactly my kinda recipe!
Thanks Jo. They’re so darn easy and tasty! I definitely should have made a larger batch!
This looks super yum!! Never had a vegan quiche before, and have been looking for a good recipe to give it a try!
How big are the tartlet tins you’re using?
Thanks so much Teffy, and for introducing me to your lovely blog too!
The tartlet tins I use are only small- about 4″ across the widest part. I’ll add a note to the recipe.
your tarts look so tasty - I really want some - have been swithering over making quiche lately but not sure I had the tofu to spare for it - ended up making omelette instead but this has reignited my quiche longing. And we call it broccolini - it is a cute name - though it is so much more expensive and packaged than broccoli that I buy it less often.
Thanks Johanna. I’ve always been into quiche- it’s the only way I liked eggs pre-vegan in fact (excluding cake…;) )
“Broccolini” is definitely more expensive here than regular broccoli in the supermarkets but I can get it fairly cheaply at the farmers’ market at this time of year.
I need to make these very soon - they look like the perfect brunch food
Love how simple and easy the crust is as well!
I can totally relate to this -> “especially at the moment when I’m trying to figure out this next stage of life in the big wide world outside of the cocoon of full-time education.” Exactly where I am right now in my life! I have no idea what will happen after I graduate my Master’s this year
Thanks for the lovely note Ceara. It’s a little scary at the moment having finished my own Master’s and being flung into the real world! Trying to find my place and not get too anxious.
Hope you do make the tartlets
Delicious! These would be great to take to work for lunch with a salad!
They’d definitely make a lovely little packed lunch!
I made these tonight! Well, a slight variation of - I just made up a crust with what I had on hand and added some herbs. It was delicious! (AND, I have packed two for our lunches tomorrow
)
Brill! So pleased to hear that Caeli. Do try the crust some time too. It’s so delicious all together
This is definitely my kind of food, just warming and comforting, and adaptable too. I can see it being part of a big meal with some new potatoes and greens, or served with a simple salad for a light lunch. Very nice!
I like you’re thinking. We enjoyed them just with salad but they could definitely be part of a heartier meal with a few filling sides.
I’m a sucker for anything with pastry!
I’ve been wanting to pop over to look at this recipe but our internet has been down from saturday until last night. I like adding ground almonds into gluten free pastry otherwise I find the pastry is usually rock hard!
These look delicious! I must buy some more nutritional yeast, someone decided to borrow mine!
I bought some more nutritional yeast especially to make these! I don’t know how I survived without for a few months before topping up.
Hope you get to try the recipe, or a variation.
As soon as my nutritional yeast is ordered (or returned) I’ll make them because I LOVE savoury tarts!
Food just tastes better when it’s in a crust :-)! Lovely little bites, Emma!
I’m with you on that Annie! I’m a sucker for all kinds of pastry!
CanNOT wait to try out this crust! I am all for the no rolling, and it being free of, as you say in your adorable British tongue, “faffing”. 😀 I just made mini apple pies and tarts, and the rolling and fussing was KILLING me. (I WAS experimenting with a new crust recipe so it was ENTIRELY my own fault, but, it drove me bonkers, all the same.) I’m looking forward to an entire roll-free and fuss-free “oven season” :), and I can’t think of a better way to kick it off than with your tartlets. Thanks, Em!
Thank you so much Liz! Sorry to hear of your crust troubles but I’m sure this one will be your answer! Do let me know how it turns out for you 😀
Don’t know how I missed this post Emma…I was so insanely busy last week prepping for my daughter’s birthday this past weekend, that it was chaotic! Anyways, these look SO delicious and totally my kind of meal…easy and simple and flavorful! I want like 5 of them now in my mouth, haha!
Really funny you posted these, because I have a new recipe coming later this month (or November) that is a similar style….totally different recipe/ingredients but similar concept….based off of my chickpea olive-cado relish little mini pies…..I may have to devour some of these though, in the meantime. They are gorgeous!
Happy birthday to your daughter! Hope the big day was a success
These little tarts were melt-in-your-mouth divine!
Looking forward to seeing your similar but not similar (!) recipe.
I just made this as a big tart as i don’t possess tartlet tins….there was a wee variation: when i was soaking the cashews i did not realise i’d be doubling the mixture for a big tart. So i added in what looked like an equivalent amount of tofu. It’s turned out brilliantly tho i’m not sure i needed the tofu as i had a fair bit of filling left over - i just baked it in a ramekin.
My 13 year old: ” I just want to eat this all day and i wish you didn’t have to have any then there’d be more for me” ” The cheesiness is sublime”.
Thank you for a great recipe!
So pleased it was a hit with you and your family Jane! Did you make the crust too? Thanks so much for the feedback!
I’ll take a look at the recipe and see if I can make it clearer about doubling the ingredients for a big tart
yeas i made the crust, but because i had too much filling (even with doubling) i baked the spare filling in a ramekin. it wasn’t yr fault about the clearness of the doubling - i just had not read down to the bottom!!
We all loved it! Now daughter wants it for her birthday meal!
Awesome! Hope it’s just as good second time around 😀
I made these tasty beauties & they rocked my tastebuds, dear Emma!
Divine even! xxx
Brilliant to hear that Sophie
They were definitely a recent favourite of mine too!
I made this last night and it’s fantastic, and even better cold this morning. I made one big tart in a 9″ pie plate and subbed Brussels sprouts for the broccoli. Thanks for the recipe!
Thrilled to hear you enjoyed it! And Brussels sprouts are always a good idea in my opinion 😉
Hey Emma! I am new to the blogging & vegan community so I am having a look at a bunch of blogs today. This looks delicious. Out of curiosity, what is the benefit of using an oat or almond flour versus a regular flour? Aren’t they all vegan? The hardest part for me in getting new ideas and recipes is the ingreedients list. I think I have everything, then I have to run out to the store, then I pick something for the next day and have to run out again! I’ve only been a vegan for 6 days now, so hopefully I’ll get into a good flow soon.
Hi there! Thanks for commenting. You are most certainly right that they are all vegan. But in my own cooking I try and use the most nutritious ingredients and almonds and oats have a great nutritional profile, especially compared to refined white flour which doesn’t give you much other than energy. They’re also gluten-free which isn’t a huge concern of mine but is to a lot of people so I try and help out my readers by making most of my recipes gluten-free.
Great to hear about your move to veganism. Good luck with it and feel free to ask any more questions that spring up
Thanks - that’s a great explanation - I’ll put it on the shopping list 😀 These are at the top of the list of experimental recipes that I want to try. My boyfriend doesn’t want to be vegan, and we live together, so I am trying to make a few cross over recipes that taste good to both of us, and something tells me he will like this one. So far he’s tried everything I’ve made. When I do make it I plan on sharing pictures on my blog and of course, a link back to you and the original recipe. I hope that’s OK! Thanks a bunch!
They look very yummy, I will be definetly be trying these tartlets soon.