As a plant-based cooking educator, I teach about the extraordinary health benefits we garner from eating plants. Even our humblest, most common veggies are packed with the fiber, minerals, vitamins, phytonutrients, and protein that our bodies need and crave.
In addition to its nutritional benefits, this summer dish has a lot to offer: a tender, tasty crust (gluten-free, by the way), a creamy-cheesy custard, and a luscious medley of summer veggies and herbs. These tartlets make superb party bites or a larger appetizer for brunch or a first course.
Ingredients
- 2 gold or red beets, diced
- 1 bunch beet greens or chard, sliced in ribbons
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 1 large crown broccoli, in florets
- 1 carrot, diced
- 10 leaves fresh basil, cut in ribbons
- Dry vermouth for deglazing
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon black salt (kala namak) – optional
- 1 teaspoon iodized sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion granules or powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules or powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup silken tofu
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 2 cups chickpea flour
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon iodized sea salt
- Pinch of ground white pepper
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground flaxseed
- 1/8 cup silken tofu
- 1/3 cup water, or less
Preparation
Veggies
Dry sauté the onion with a pinch of salt until caramelized. Deglaze pan with minimal vermouth. Steam other veggies (except for the basil) separately until just cooked.
Custard
In a food processor, mix dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients and blend until smooth. Heat mixture in a saucepan. Whisk until thickened and frothy.
Dough
Preheat oven to 450º. In a food processor, combine dry ingredients (except for chickpea flour). Add tofu. With the machine running, very gradually add half the water. Process for 1 minute. Add more as needed until dough forms a ball. Dust a flat surface with chickpea flour and roll out. Flip, dust, and roll repeatedly until quite thin (~1/16 inch). Cut circles to fit your tins. Line with parchment paper for easiest removal.
Instructions
Fill tins halfway with custard. Add veggies, basil, and sautéed onions on top. Top with a dollop of custard. For 3" quiches, bake 15-20 minutes. For bite-size tartlets, bake 8-12 minutes. Check often and remove when custard turns golden.
Makes 24 mini-tartlets or 12 three-inch individual quiches
