I do think I am right in saying that this beautiful quiche, that is a delight to look at as well as tuck into, was a complete success. It was an experiment on two levels - I wanted to create a vegan quiche that did not require the use of tofu (and I was inspired by a recipe in the book 'Veganomicon'), and I also wanted to create a perfect crust without using vegan margarine (as so many recipes do).
Both the quiche and the crust turned out wonderfully. I loved the sweetness of the caramelised red onion and roasted peppers in this - and to be honest, I think it is one of those recipes that you can alter very easily according to what you have in at home. It's also really versatile in that it can be eaten hot or cold, made for supper or lunch, or makes stunning party food too.
It's not very much like a veganised version of a traditional egg-based quiche - so please don't expect that if you make it. It's more of a herby nut and bean bake in a crust, but also different (am I helping, much?). To be honest, it's fairly unique and one of those where you'd have to make it yourself to be 'in the know.' Just give it a go.
And don't be put off by the number of steps to make it. While the recipe instructions look a bit complex - if you read through, you'll see they're not that difficult at all, and there aren't even that many ingredients to deal with, considering the rather fabulous results.
You can probably interchange ingredients fairly simply. Swap the veggies, or the beans, or the fresh herb - just see what you have in! The next time I make this I think I will be using basil, and maybe some more Italian ingredients for a different result.
As for the crust itself, a semi-wholewheat creation, I was amazed by how tasty this was. As I say, I have been looking for alternatives where I don't have to use vegan margarine, and wanted to try making a crust with oil.
I think I may actually prefer this version. It was light, flaky and did the job well. The nutritional yeast adds an optional cheesiness if you'd like to add that in.
As always, if you go ahead and make this - and I hope you do - PLEASE let me know how the recipe turns out for you. All feedback is welcome :)
Roasted Three Pepper & Caramelised Red Onion Quiche with an Olive Oil Crust
Serves 4-6
1 recipe 'Olive Oil Crust' (chilled for 30 minutes or more) - see below
1½ cups haricot beans (or other white bean), cooked
1 red onion, sliced
3 peppers, different colours and sliced
1 cup walnuts
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cornflour / cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
½ teaspoon sea salt
6 springs fresh dill - 5 for filling, 1 to garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375 F.
2. On the stove, heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a frying pan on a low-medium heat, and begin to sauté the red onion slowly. The red onion will need about 30 minutes to caramelise, and the pepper will need about the same time to roast, so begin with these first.
3. Place the sliced pepper in a roasting tin, and drizzle with the remaining olive oil and also throw in the garlic. Place in the oven to start roasting.
4. Prepare your olive oil crust according to the method given below, and roll out enough to be pressed into your quiche dish with excess over the sides. Trim the excess but keep the dough overlapping (as it will shrink as it bakes). Line the crust with a sheet of parchment paper and add some dry beans on top, and 'blind bake' for about 15 minutes.
5. After the red onion has been caramelising for about 15 minutes, add the sugar to the onion, stir in well and continue to cook.
6. In the food processor, blend the walnuts with salt and the 5 springs of dill. Roughly blend in the white beans also, but not too much for now.
7. Once the onion has sautéed for 30 minutes or so in total, turn off the heat. Also after 30 minutes of roasting in the oven, remove the red pepper from the oven and allow to cool slightly. After 15 minutes of blind baking, take the crust out of the oven (leave oven on) and set aside.
8. In the food processor, add about half the onion (leaving some to press into the top of the quiche) and about two thirds of the pepper, including all the garlic (leaving some pepper to press into the top of the quiche). Also add the cornflour and the non-dairy milk, and blend until relatively smooth, with some bits but do not allow to 'purée'.
9. Scoop the filling into the quiche crust and spread out. Press the remaining pepper and red onion into it decoratively, and also the remaining sprig of dill. Bake the quiche for about 50-60 minutes until the filling is firm and golden brown.
Olive Oil Pie Crust (with optional cheesiness)
¾ cup white flour
½ cup wholewheat flour
½ cup olive oil
½ cup warm water plus 1 tablespoon
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
1. Sift the flours ans salt into a mixing bowl and stir in the nutritional yeast flakes if using.
2. In a jug, whisk the olive oil and ½ cup warm water together. Pour into the flour and mix well.
3. As the dough forms a ball, there may still be dry pieces around the bowl. Add the 1 tablespoon water and then knead and use your hands to gather all the dough and knead together for a couple of minutes.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic film or a freezer bag, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.
To use and roll:
1. I find it helps to have a piece of plastic sheet, such as a flexible chopping board, to roll the dough out onto. This means that once rolled, the dough can be easily lifted using the plastic sheet, so it doesn't split!
2. Sprinkle the sheet with some flour, and roll the dough onto it, turning over occasionally to roll out evenly.
3. When the dough is the required size, pick the plastic sheet up, and gently turn it upside down over the quiche or pie dish, so that it slowly falls into the dish. Then press in as required.
4. Blind bake the crust for 15 minutes at 190 C / 375 F before using.
I'm Andrea, and am obsessed with creating fabulous food. After I managed to ditch dieting, the reason Chocolate and Beyond was born, it seemed natural to evolve my site into a foodie blog. More so since I also ditched animal produce to be vegan. Now, I love showing how inventive cruelty-free cooking can be. And sometimes I like to rant, too. I wouldn't be myself otherwise :) x 
This looks fabulous. I've made tofu based and chickpea flour "quiches" before but never a bean/nut based one. I love roasted peppers and red onions so I bet I'll enjoy this recipe. Adding it to my must-make list!
Posted by: Emma | December 03, 2012 at 05:54 PM
Hi Emma, thank you for commenting! I hope you get round to baking & enjoying this quiche :-)
Posted by: Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond | December 03, 2012 at 09:55 PM
This looks fab. I've made the Veganomicon version and was thinking of doing it for Christmas dinner, but asparagus is out of season. I'm also going to share with my friend as she was intrigued by a non-tofu quiche but doesn't like asparagus. I'm also keen on using less marg so I love that the pastry is made with olive oil. Thanks for posting!
Posted by: Kirsty | December 22, 2012 at 01:11 AM
This sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
Posted by: bristol plasterer | June 02, 2015 at 06:17 PM