Vegan butternut squash quiche

by Shlomit Singer-Shamir

It’s the season for squashes and butternut squash is one of the most versatile and tasty. Rich in Vitamin A, B complex and C, it also contains iron, zinc, copper, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. Dried yield yeast is rich in protein and iron and gives the quiche a lovely, cheesy taste. 

You’ll need a large Pyrex dish (26cm) or 2 smaller flan tins.

Ingredients:

For the vegetables:

• 600g butternut squash (cut into 1cm cubes)
• 2 onions (sliced)
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalaya salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Leaves from 4 sprigs of fresh thyme 
• 2 large spoons of olive oil
• 1 spoon maple syrup

For the dough:

• 200g white spelt flour 
• 200g whole spelt flour 
• 80g soya butter 
• 80g olive oil
• 100g water
• 8g baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt

For the filling:

• 250 ml coconut cream 
• 400g unsweetened soya yoghurt (mixed with a little wheat flour to create a thicker consistency)
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1 large spoon squeezed fresh lemon
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup dried yield yeast  
• Fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon grated Muscat nut 
• 3 spoons flour (of choice)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius degrees. 
2. Slice and dice the onion and butternut squash.
3. In a large bowl mix the squash and onion with the olive oil, salt, cinnamon, maple, thyme, black pepper and place the mixture on an oven tray. 
4. Bake the squash and onion mixture for about 30 mins until soft.
5. In another bowl mix the dough ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, olive oil, soya butter and water. 
6. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and place in well-buttered flan dish, cutting edges down to size.  
7. ‘Blind bake’ the dough for 15mins (at 180 Celsius degrees).
8. Take the vegetables out of the oven and let them cool a little. 
9. While the dough is baking and the vegetables are cooling, make the filling. 
10. In a bowl, mix the ingredients: coconut cream, soya yoghurt, salt pepper, flour, lemon, yield dried yeast, Muscat nut, thyme leaves. Adjust to taste.
11. Mix this with the baked squash & onion mixture and keep some aside for decoration. 
12. Fill the part-baked pastry, decorate with the vegetable mixture you kept on the side and spread some more dried yield yeast on top. 
13. Bake for 40-50 min and let it cool after baking for about 1 hour. 

 Tips:

*The yoghurt can be replaced with 2 packs of firm soya 
*You can use regular wheat flour.
*Thyme can be substituted with basil, coriander or any other herb you like.

About the author

From a young age, movement and nutrition have been a big part of my life, and I became a vegan seven years ago. I practised Ashtanga yoga for around 18 years, before undertaking a kids’ teacher training (25hrs) and qualifying as a yoga teacher in Amsterdam (200RYT). Recently my passions combined and now I create recipes for a vegan restaurant in Haarlem (The Netherlands), sell home-baked pastries on request for special events, and teach yoga. 

Learn more about Shlomit’s yoga classes on Facebook and find inspiration for her delicious, vegan recipes on Instagram.