Eggless Spinach Quiche

[Guest guest]

I have just RECENTLY discovered " silken " tofu.  This recipe is fortuitous, as

I've thought I'd like to try something with the tofu sometime soon.

 

Now, I have to ask, for anyone who has tried this or similar recipe(s): Do the

flavors of the cheeses, garlic & onion blend and come out (so one can TASTE

them) fairly well?  The reason I ask is that " non-vlavor " foods are on my fairly

small list of " foods I dislike " .  Egg whites are another.  I do, however, love

" regular " egg-based quiches that have a nice blend of cheese with other

ingredients and the eggs in them.  With tofu, which I know is a good, nutritious

vegetarian substitute for things with egg ingredients sometimes, there is less

flavor, so I am wondering if the cheese, onions and garlic sort of fill in what

my tongue might think is a missing element.

 

Don't get me wrong; I do like tofu; I just don't have a strong liking for its

almost non-existent " flavor " .  It needs (my opinion only) more stronger flavors

around it in some recipes to " fill it out " a bit.

 

Anyway, I have, happily, discovered " silken " tofu as a new food to explore in my

cooking.  It's kind of weird and interesting how this happened:

 

I had this aseptic " boxed " carton of tofu that I purchased somewhere, sometime. 

I don't even know when or where I got it;  I just know it was a LONG time ago. 

I was cleaning the fridge one day and ran across the still-sealed ( " aseptic " )

carton and--WHOA!!  The " date " on the box was something like TWO YEARS past! 

 

Okay, I knew I HAD to throw it out, but curiosity got the better of me.  So,

before the box of tofu was pitched into the trash, I cut open the carton to see

what was inside.  I expected to be greeted with a horrible, rotting-tofu smell,

but no!  --It smelled like perfectly FRESH, brand-new tofu!

 

Instead of throwing away the nice-smelling silken-firm organic tofu, I decided

to try and USE it!  I found some attractive-looking (but VERY sour) fresh

strawberries in the fridge and threw them into the blender with the tofu, added

a small amount of soymilk, some stevia powder, a half-teaspoon of vanilla

extract and a tiny bit of plain yougurt.  It was mostly " a little of this and a

little of that "  from the fridge...and I turned on the blender and made a thick,

almost-pudding-like " fluff " out of it.  It tasted really GOOD, and even my

tofu-phobic husband liked the " strawberry cream " stuff I gave him to sample. 

The " batch made probably 2 cups worth and we both ate it all up with gusto.

 

We didn't DIE from eating the OLD, old boxed tofu, and so NOW, I've decided that

these nice little sealed boxes (AHEM!  NOT with expired dates!) ought to be part

of my pantry-supply inventory!  I'm now on the prowl for other recipes using

this ingredient and am excited to start exploring new

possibilities...Tofu-pumpkin pie?  Tofu quiche?  Tofu souffles?  Tofu mousse? 

Hmmm...this could get interesting, as I think I remember seeing some " creamy "

soup recipes here a while ago that use blended silken tofu.  This could be good!

 

Thinking of my next food adventure!

--Laura B., in Illinois

 

 

******

 

Eggless Spinach Quiche

 

1 (8 ounce) container tofu

1/3 cup 1% milk

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup diced onion

2/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust

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DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a blender, combine tofu and milk; process until smooth, adding more milk if

necessary. Blend in salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, combine spinach, garlic, onion, Cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese

and tofu mixture. Mix well, and pour into prepared pie crust.

 

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until set and golden brown on top. Let

stand 5 minutes before cutting.