Ham and Cheese Quiche

To tell the truth, I’ve only ever eaten quiche once in my life. I remember it’s silken fluffy texture well, but I haven’t thought about it in years. I saw this recipe from Minimalist Baker and I thought, “well, I have an hour before work, might as well.”

I changed my filling a bit and decided to make the entire thing in a cast iron skillet, because I often think I should cook in cast iron more. Thinking back on it, I should have doubled the filling because of the increase in size. I bet this would work really well in a pie pan as well; it would come out quite a bit thicker. I’d also like to petition that all quiches be made with a hash brown crust, because that stuff is delicious. Pastry crust would work to, but the only downfall is it’s not potatoes.

This makes a perfect meal for demolishing before work or when you baby wakes you up at 4 a.m. or breakfast, lunch, and dinner for an entire day.

Ingredients:
• 3 potatoes, shredded
• 4 tbsp neutral oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 8 ounces vegan ham or ham seitan
• 1 cup shredded vegan cheese

Filling:
• 19 ounce soft water packed tofu, drained and pressed, water reserved
• 3 tbsp aquafaba (tofu water)
• 1/4 cup chickpea flour
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp vegan butter, room temperature
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp kala namak

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Shred potatoes and wrap them in a towel to squeeze out the excess moisture. Oil a cast iron skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil and press the potatoes onto the pan to make the crust. Drizzle with the rest of the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

2. Meanwhile, sauté the onion and ham in oil for about 10 minutes over medium heat, until onions are translucent and ham is browned.

3. Combine all the filling ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

4. When potato crust is ready, remove from oven and top with ham, onion, and shredded vegan cheese.

Pour filling on top add extra cheese, if desired.

5. Bake for 30 minutes until the top looks solid and lightly colored. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing (filling may fall a bit during cooling.)

Tags: aquafaba, breakfast, dinner, food, gluten-free, lunch, plant-based, quiche, recipe, tofu, vegan, veganmofo, vegetarian