My life has been full of happy acts of serendipity – making wonderful discoveries when, in fact, I had started out looking for something else.

Latest case in point:  this low-cal, egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free Artichoke Spinach Quiche.

It was supposed to be an artichoke spinach dip, from Alicia Simpson’s book Quick and Easy Low-Cal Vegan Comfort Food.

But, you know me. I am incapable of following a recipe as it is written. I have to change things up. I decided 10 oz of spinach wasn’t nearly enough. And of course, threw in some spices.

In typically ADD fashion I then wandered off and forgot about, so it cooked double the time.

When I took the pan out of the oven, the dip was – well, not very diplike.  Kind of solid, in fact.  Not spreadable at all!

In fact, it seemed more like a quiche!  Not only did it look like a quiche, it tasted quiche-like as well! It quickly became my new favorite breakfast or brunch!

It’s incredibly easy to make.

It’s incredibly flavorful.

It’s relatively inexpensive since you don’t need to rely on any costly faux cheeses or vegan egg replacers. (Please, if I see any more recipes calling for cups and cups of Daiya, I’ll barf.)

And, if necessary, you can cook the quiche the day before, refrigerate overnight, and heat individual slices the next morning in the microwave – it’s still good.

Ingredients:

• One Package Firm Tofu
• Two Large Cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1/2 Teaspoon dried Minced Onion
• 1/4 Cup Canola Oil
• 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
• 1 Teaspoon Salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 – 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/8 – 1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1/8 Teaspoon Turmeric* (Optional, provides a pale yellow eggy color)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh Lemon Juice
• One 12 – 14 oz. Can/Jar Artichoke Hearts, drained (NOT marinated)
• 12 oz. Frozen Spinach (about 3/4 of a 1-lb bag)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9.5 inch pie pan with nonstick cooking spray or mist lightly with oil.
• Chop the artichokes or pulse briefly in a blender or food processor.  You don’t want a mush; just small pieces. Remove and set aside.
• Defrost the spinach in the microwave.  While the spinach is defrosting …
• Combine the tofu, garlic cloves, minced onion, canola oil, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, nutmeg, turmeric (if using), and lemon juice in the blender or food processor. Blend till smooth.
• Drain excess water (if any) from defrosted spinach.  In a large mixing bowl, stir the artichokes and spinach together.  Pour the tofu mixture on top and mix well.
• Pour into pie pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until top is just lightly browned and the quiche is firm.
• Let cool for 10 minutes.

Notes:

• To make this more like a traditional quiche, use a vegan pie crust.  Whole Foods offers a vegan version, and the Harris Teeter store brand also appears to be vegan.  Beware – most of the Pillsbury pie crusts contain lard.
• I usually prefer to forego the pie crust to save calories.  If you slice the quiche into 8 pieces it’s 119 calories per serving;  if you slice it into 6 more generously sized pieces it’s 159 calories per serving.
• If you are doing low or no oil, you can sub nondairy milk for the canola oil.
• If you like a very eggy taste (I don’t), you can always add the smallest pinch of kala namak (black salt). It’s actually pink and can be found at Indian groceries or ordered online.
• Serve with a side of fresh fruit.