Tasty Tater Crust Quiche

This flavorful quiche is the perfect addition to your brunch table, especially when you have guests and don’t want to spend all morning in the kitchen. You can prepare it ahead of time and warm it up when needed. The vegetables for the filling are adjustable. Feel free to swap them for your favorite veggies or the ones you have on hand. I’ll make some suggestions in the notes. Leftover quiche is absolutely perfect for a quick lunch. You don’t even have to warm it up. I actually prefer to eat it at room temperature or only slightly warmed up …. ANY time of the day. Remember to soak the cashews overnight!!!

You will need:

• high speed blender
• 11” tarte/pie/or quiche dish

Ingredients:

Cream:

• 2 cups unsalted raw cashews soaked overnight
• 1 healthy cup garbanzo beans (if you use canned, rinse and drain first)
• 2 Tbsp ground golden flax seed
• 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups filtered water
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/8 tsp ground turmeric

Crust:

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil to coat the dish
• 1 1/2 lb (∼ 700 g) red potatoes
• scant 3/4 tsp Celtic sea salt (you can always add more later)
• black pepper to taste
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 3 Tbsp vegan butter or margarine melted (I used earth balance margarine)

Filling:

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 3 leeks, cut lengthwise, thoroughly washed, and finely sliced into half rings
• 3 golden beet roots (boiled and cut into pieces)
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp salt
• dash of freshly ground nutmeg

To finish:

• chopped herbs like chives and parsley galore

Preparation:

Wash potatoes and golden beets thoroughly. Don’t peel! Place into large pot, and cover well with cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 35 minute or until potatoes are just tender. Dump water and shock beets in ice water. Now you can easily peel off their skins and scrape off ends. Leave potato skins on, they look very nice in the crust.

Set oven to 350°F (∼ 180°C)

While potatoes and beets are simmering, add all the cream ingredients to your high speed blender and blend until steamy hot and thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

When potatoes are ready and cooled down a little bit, add all the crust ingredients to a bowl and mash with a potato masher until you have a smooth texture. Oil your quiche dish and evenly press the potato mash to the bottom and the side of the dish up to the very top. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. The crust should start to take on some golden color.

While the crust is in the oven, prepare your vegetables and heat a large pot on medium. Add olive oil (don’t let it smoke!) and sauté diced onion until tender, about 10 minutes. Add leeks (I know it looks like a lot, but it will wilt!) and sauté until just tender, 10 to 15 minutes depending on how thinly sliced they are. Add cut up beets, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and season to taste.

When the crust is ready, fill it evenly with your sautéed veggies and cover with prepared cashew cream. Blend it carefully with the vegetables and don’t scrape off the crust! Since the crust is already slightly golden (and we want to keep it that way), cover just the sides with some aluminum foil. Put in the oven again and bake to perfection for about 40 minutes. Let sit and cool down a bit (about 15 minutes) and  enjoy!

Notes:

• substitute with sautéed veggies like broccoli, spinach leaves, carrots, sweet potato, celery, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts … whatever combination you like will make it taste delicious. Be creative!
• you can also add vegan bacon or sun-dried tomatoes for a hint of saltiness
• serve with salad, sliced tomatoes, sprouts, lots of herbs, and if you want …. with a nice glass off white wine!
• gluten free!