Who Knew Vegans Could be so Delicious?

Okay, not vegans per se, but vegan cuisine.

After letting a container of silken firm tofu languish in our fridge for several days, I decided to find an alternative to the stir fry I make once a week. Stir fry is well and good--especially when you caramelize the tofu in some soy sauce and sugar--but it's boring. My taste buds want to dance for joy, leap with new gustatory sensations! My tongue is a culinary coup d'etat waiting to happen.

So, rather than resort to the old and tired, I combed the web for delicious soy alternatives. Did I want tofu burgers? (Negatory.) Tofu scramble? (Once was enough, thank you.) Tofu quiche?

Ewwww.

Or is it?

After looking at a few recipes I found a vegan blog with a gorgeous picture of mini crustless tofu quiches. The blog is well-written and the reviews were good. I went to the store and purchased red bell peppers, scallions, garlic and mushrooms, and added the sauteed veggies to a whipped mixture of tofu, milk (yes, I cheated!), tahini, spices, herbs, and cornstarch. I poured the batter into muffin tins and 30 minutes later had beautifully golden, puffed, fragrant "quiches." And you know what? They are delicious.

They're also light, low in fat, high in protein, and excellent with a green salad.

So while I generally turn my omnivorous nose up at vegans' anti-dairy stance (why live in a world without cheese?), I feel encouraged to explore more soy-portunities. Organic tofu is cheap and locally made, and I'm trying, feebly, to do the whole organic local food thing. It's hard on a grocery budget of $50-$60/week, especially when you factor meat into mealtime, so vegan alternatives are welcome. We're also sharing a CSA box with friends this summer, which should help out with food costs and support community agriculture.

I'm beginning to think that the only way humans are going to survive for much longer is by dramatically changing the way we acquire resources. I don't mean driving a Prius, though I do drive one, or buying products made in America. I mean reverting to a village system where everything you need--food, medical attention, clothing, school--is available, at least on a primary level, within walking or biking distance. I know this is radical. I know it sounds silly. But it makes sense. Living in relatively self-sustaining hamlets would reduce carbon emissions, reduce reliance on international oil, increase the interpersonal communication we're losing due to email and text messages, support local farmers and artisans (and drive down prices for these ostensibly "elite" services), and reduce industrially and culturally-induced illnesses like obesity and asthma.

It wouldn't be perfect. After all, we've all seen M. Night Shyamalan's The Village--the local idiot could ruin life for the rest of us. We'd also still be reliant on outside emergency services and we'd have to go without a lot of the things we take for granted, like avocados in the winter and cheap clothing. There's also the possibility of greater racial and religious segregation, and an increase in the isolationism that is fracturing our current sociopolitical system. Plus, it might be hard to find employment opportunities, with certain hamlets becoming more and more populated, turning into cities.

So it's a dream. A dream born of tofu quiche, no less, which may be a dubious place to begin a revolution. Nevertheless, I'll share my recipe with you, dear readers, in the hopes that this flavorful experience inspires cultural revolt in you, as well.

(Mock)Vegans of the world unite! One quiche today, one socio-politico-agrarian overthrow of corporate hegemony tomorrow!

Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches

olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup bell pepper
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives (or one green onion)
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried, crushed)
black pepper to taste

1 12.3-ounce package lite firm silken tofu, drained of water
1/4 cup plain (soy)milk
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (I omitted this)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (may sub another thickener such as arrowroot or potato starch)
1 teaspoon tahini (preferred) or cashew butter (I accidentally added 1 TB tahini, still tasty)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder (I also omitted this. Used an extra scallion.)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray 12 regular-sized muffin cups well with non-stick spray. (I used silicone cups like these.)

Lightly coat a pan with olive oil and sauté the garlic, bell peppers, and mushrooms over medium heat until the mushrooms just begin to exude their juices. Stir in the chives, rosemary, and freshly ground black pepper, and remove from the heat.

Place the remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth and silky. Add the tofu mixture to the vegetables and stir to combine. Spoon equally into the 12 muffin cups: it will fill regular muffin cups about halfway.

Put the muffin pan into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 F. Bake until the tops are golden and a knife inserted into the middle of a quiche comes out clean--about 25-35 minutes depending on your oven and muffin cups (silicone will take longer than metal, so if you're using a metal pan, check it at 20 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. Enjoy! They're light, so plan on making more of these—or serve hearty side dishes—if you're serving more than 3 people.