Swiss Chard Egg-less Quiche

I love a good quiche. They are simple goodness and a nice tasty way to add more veggies to your diet. Between the usual eggs and cheese, most quiches are loaded with fat and calories. Here is my veganized version of quiche, which I adapted from this Happy Herbivore recipe. This quiche is so good my twin girls and I can eat a whole pie in one sitting. And I don't feel badly about it :)

Rainbow Swiss Chard Egg-less Quiche

The Rainbow Chard adds a nice pink hue!

Ingredients

• 4 cup fresh greens (I use Rainbow Chard and I've also used kale), chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1-2 tbs vegetable broth 
• 12 oz extra-firm tofu
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tbs Dijon mustard
• 1 tbs lemon juice 

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Heat the vegetable broth in a deep saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the chard and onion and saute until the greens begin to wilt and the onion is soft. Set aside.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to a high-speed blender or a food processor. Blend until creamy. You may need to scrape the sides a bit to get everything mixed. 
4. Add the blended ingredients to a pie plate. If you want to spray the plate with some cooking spray prior to adding the batter, that is fine. But you don't have to.
5. Add the sauteed greens and mix thoroughly to incorporate the greens and the batter. 
6. Bake for 35 minutes or until the top has a little crunch and has browned and the inside has set completely. 
7. Let the quiche cool about 5-10 minutes before slicing unless you don't care if you get the perfect pie piece. Then slice away :)  
   

Happy National Doughnut Day!

Today, June 7th, is National Doughnut Day. It's pretty darn awesome that there's a whole day to celebrate the yummy goodness that is the doughnut. But for those of us with dietary restrictions or just not wanting to derail all the hard work they've been doing cleaning up their diet, National Doughnut Day can be sort of evil. So, I wanted to see if I could make a healthier version of the doughnut that I wouldn't feel terribly about eating. I found this recipe through Greatist, and I set out to veganize it. They turned out delicious. Even the kids enjoyed them! Make a batch of these and you'll be sure to have a Happy Doughnut Day!

Vegan Banana Walnut Doughnuts

(makes 11 doughnuts)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup coconut nectar syrup (you can use agave nectar or maple syrup as well)
1/2 cup plain coconut milk yogurt
1 tbs flax meal
3 tbs water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (I used a little less because I made some without nuts)
Cooking spray

For the doughnuts, I used a special doughnut pan from Wilton.  

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat the doughnut pan with cooking spray and set aside. 
2. Mix 1 tbs flax meal in the 3 tbs of water. This makes a "flax egg" and is used as an egg substitute. Set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, combine coconut oil, mashed bananas, coconut nectar syrup, coconut milk yogurt, flax egg and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and stir until just combined.
6. Fill each doughnut hole in the pan about 3/4 full. I find the best way to fill the pan is to spoon the mixture into the doughnut spot and then smooth it out with the flat part of the spoon.
7. Top with walnuts pieces, and lightly press them into the batter.
8. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the doughnuts are golden and spring back when touched. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for a few minutes, then carefully turn out into a wire rack and cool fully.