I had the whole kitchen to myself today so wanted to really go for it and try out a recipe I would never normally attempt. I had a few spare hours this morning and I opted to make a quiche for lunch, which I have always been tempted to do but just never got around to doing it!

I followed a recipe from 101cookbooks and adapted it to suit our diet more and it turned out pretty good for my first attempt (Martin has since advised that perhaps I had been too generous with the garlic, so I’ve amended the recipe to make it less garlicky!!)

Mushroom & Spinach Quiche (Vegan, clean)

Serves 4

For the base:

1/2 cup rolled oats

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 cup wholegrain seeded flour or whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper

1/3 cup water

For the filling:

1 cup finely diced onion

10 ounces white button mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons water

1 garlic clove chopped finely

10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon of hot paprika

Pinch Black pepper

1 pound firm tofu, rinsed and patted dry

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 pounds fresh spinach

Paprika for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. To make the crust, spread the oats and sesame seeds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8 minutes.

3. Transfer the toasted oats and sesame seeds to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the flour, baking powder and pepper, and process until the oats are finely ground.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy milk and water. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the dry ingredients to form a dough.

5. Lightly brush a 9-inch or 10-inch tart pan with a tiny bit of oil. Put the dough in the tart pan. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the dough and press down evenly, making sure to fill in the fluted sides of the pan. Trim the tart of any excess dough and refrigerate while you make the filling.

6. To make the filling, in a wide non-stick pan over medium heat, add the garlic, onion and mushroom, raise the heat to high, and saute for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring and shaking the pan until the vegetables are caramelized. Add 2 tablespoons of water and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Season with a pinch of black pepper and 1 teaspoon of paprika, continue to cook until dry. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the vegetables into a mixing bowl and set aside. (I popped the mixture into the food processor again for a quick blitz as I had chopped everything pretty big!)

7. Crumble the tofu into the bowl of the food processor. Add the lemon juice and vinegar and puree until smooth. With a rubber spatula, scrape the puree into the mushroom-onion mixture.

8. Wash the spinach and basil leaves and pop in a pot, pour hot water over the leaves to wilt them, drain and rinse with cold water, then drain completely, again I popped this in the food processor to chop the leaves up finely (it’s my first time using a food processor and I got a little carried away!). Add the spinach to the rest of the filling and stir well to combine.

9. Fill the tart shell with the tofu and vegetable mixture and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Dust with Paprika. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until firm.

10. Let the tart cool for 8 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serve with your favourite salad leaves, we had rocket with a side of beetroot from Martin’s Dad’s garden!

Original recipe here