What's Cooking? A Pi(e) Party!

Perhaps a couple of weeks late, I hosted a post-Pi Day pie party this weekend. There was sweet potato pie, brownie pie, and my chocolate mousse pie; the was pizza pie, chili cornbread pie (gluten free!), and even a raw Mediterranean pesto torta! And of course any good pie party must have a quiche. According to Wikipedia, pies are defined by their crusts. A filled pie has only a bottom crust, a top-crust pie is also known as a cobbler, and the two-crust pie fully encapsulates the filling. And while the crusts can be your typical pastry or something more like mashed potatoes (shepherd's) or graham cracker crumbs (chocolate creme), they really are just conduits for amazing fillings.


Now the quiche is by rights and egg and cream custard in a standard pie shell. Below you will find that vegans can enjoy a delicious quiche, also. Ironically, quiche comes from the German word for cake, kuchen. Yet there has been a longstanding rivalry between cake aficionados and pie lovers (me being the latter). Luckily, a very scientific analysis was brought to my attention by one of the party guests. The conclusions support my earlier statements that the filling is key and that pies dominate cakes any day. 

Garlicky Mushroom Spinach Quiche
Crust
1 box ritz-like crackers (I used TJ's multi-grain)
2 tbs olive oil
Water until consistency

1. Grind crackers to crumbs in a food processor. Pulse with oil, and then add water in tablespoons intervals until the crumbs begin to stick together.
2. Press into a standard pie pan.

Filling
16 oz firm tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped
1 cup spinach
1-2 tbs red wine (optional)
1 tbs garlic powder
Olive oil for pan
Salt to taste


1. In a pan, sautee mushrooms until tender, adding spinach, garlic, and wine towards end.
2. Run tofu and nootch through the food processor until smooth. Stir on veggies and salt. 
3. Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes until it begins to brown. Allow to cool and set.

More yum at Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays!