Vegan Chickpea "Quiche"

First real spring weather and first thought is about quiche with salad.

For this vegan version I made a filling based on chickpea flour batter. My available veggies today were: dried tomatoes, baby spinach, parsley, asparagus cream (not quite the season yet but I couldn't wait to try out a few things).

If you use veggies that take longer to cook (cauliflower, brocoli,...), cut in small pieces and fry separately before adding to the batter.

THE GF DOUGH

200g oat flour

20g chickpea flour

2-3 pinches salt

1 tbsp psyllium husk

4 tbsp olive oil

120ml water

Mix the dry ingredients, then mix in the olive oil and add the water progressively until forming a ball (add a bit of water or flour if you need to - the dough should not stick to your hands in the end).

Wrap the dough in cling film and place in fridge for at least 10 min.

Meanwhile, heat up the oven to 180°C and prepare your chickpea batter (and your vegs).

Roll out the dough between slightly floured cling film and a piece of parchment paper. Transfer the parchment paper with the dough into a baking tin for quiche. Pick the dough with a fork and if you wish, brush a bit of olive oil if it looks a bit dry.

Prebake for 10min.

THE CHICKPEA BATTER

It's a bit like making Kofu, with a bit more water - and do NOT cook the batter until it thickens, it just needs to reduce a bit to a cremier texture.

70g chickpea flour

300-320ml water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp black pepper

1-2 tsp dry basil

4-5 dried tomatoes, cut very thinly (they give a lot of taste and are super salty!)

2 handful washed and drained baby spinach

a small bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

optional: a few dollops of asparagus cream/pesto

optional: 1 tbsp olive oil

Mix the chickpea flour and spices in a bowl. Progressively add the water and stir with a whisk, avoid forming lumps.

Then add the chopped tomatoes, spinach and fresh herbs (if you use cooked veggies, rather place them on the precooked crust before adding the batter).

Carefully warm up the whole batter in a pan on medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly to avoid forming lumps. After about 5 minutes or when the spinach has "melted" and the dough has reached a cremier texture (but not as thick as puree, you still need to pour it into the tin!), take away from heat.

If you wish, spread 2 tsp mustard on the prebaked crust before carefully adding the batter.

Option to sprinkle some olive oil on top.

Bake for about 30min or until the batter is thick and golden. 

Leave it to cool out of the oven for at least 30min - if you wish, sprinkle some egg salt (kala namak) on top for extra flavour! I prefer to leave it for a few hours in the fridge before eating.

Bon appétit!

With the leftover dough...

you can make savoury cookies or crackers, just adding a splash of olive oil and a bit of dry herbs.