For people going vegan, the hardest part of their journey is often pressure from family (whether real or perceived) to conform to tradition––especially when a holiday rolls around. All of those old buttery favorites evoke temptation, and explaining your new vegan lifestyle can start to feel like a burden. I experienced this when I first became vegan just four years ago. Not touching the sweet potato pie was torture, and it made me question my resolve.
The hardest things to give up in life are our habits, especially with food, and especially if that food is connected to family and culture.
When you become vegan you need not sacrifice all of the delicious things that connect you to your people. Traditions are beautiful and important, and they can be altered without losing a single pinch of goodness and love. Replace animal products with compassionate plant-based alternatives in favorite dishes, share them with your family, and a fresher tradition can be born. Quiche, for example, was a dish my mother always loved and made when I was growing up. I simply replaced the eggs with tofu, and the cheese with nutritional yeast, and we can both enjoy it again.
One could argue that Jesus himself was a vegetarian, so in the spirit of compassion for all of God’s creatures, let’s enjoy a vegan Easter brunch this year. If you’re sharing a meal with family, why not bring a delicious and recognizable dish that everyone will love? I think this vegan broccoli and kale tofu quiche would be a beautiful addition to your table.
Happy Easter!
- 1 store-bought vegan crust––or homemade. I used a vegan spelt flour crust
- ½ onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups chopped broccoli
- 2 cups kale, packed
- 1½ cup crimini mushrooms
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped (soaked ahead of time to soften)
- 1 tsp Italian spice blend
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- 7 basil leaves, chopped or chiffonade
- 1 package firm tofu
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Preheat oven to 375° and ready your pie crust––if necessary.
- Sauté the onions and garlic with 2 tbsp of grapeseed oil. Add about ½ tsp of sea salt, and cook until translucent.
- Stir in the rest of the veggies, and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes (careful not to overcook and lose the color).
- Stir in the Italian spice blend, fennel, chili flakes, and basil, and season to taste with sea salt.
- While you are sautéing the veggies (or after), you can work on the tofu filling.
- Place the tofu, nutritional yeast, vinegar or lemon, salt, and pepper into a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Spoon the tofu mixture into the cooked veggies, and stir to combine.
- Scoop the new tofu and veggie mixture into the pie crust evenly.
- Bake for 40 minutes.
- Allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes before eating.