This vegan quiche stuffed portabella mushroom dish is actually SO easy to make.
Filling, satisfying, and full of flavour :)
It’s June now, which means its wedding season. I love weddings. Well, okay maybe that’s not true. I don’t love crowds, dressing up is not my favourite, and I’d much rather celebrate something in a low-key fashion than with all the pomp and circumstance that comes with weddings. But I do love eating and wedding food is usually pretty awesome.
Unless you’re vegan.
Or you have any number of odd allergies like I do (mostly nut-free on top of being vegan).
The number of formal events I’ve been to this past year alone has shown me that despite veganism coming such a long way, people still don’t have a clue when it comes to making a balanced vegan meal. I didn’t think it was that complicated, but apparently when you take meat out of the equation, a lot of chefs clam up and don’t know what to serve you aside from leaves and a bit of dressing.
Recently I went to a formal event and the first course was an arugula salad with berries, goat cheese, radishes, and beets. Of all those things, I just don’t eat the goat cheese, which is pretty simple to omit, especially because it wasn’t a tossed salad, all the ingredients were just laying on top of the greens.
So colour me surprised when a dish of JUST leaves shows up in front of me while everyone else got colourful watermelon radish, a handful of berries and some peppery radish slices. When I asked for the rest of the salad, I could feel people looking at me like I was being difficult.
I had informed the organizers ahead of time that I was vegan and nut-free, I had talked to the server before people were being served, I had done it all right. And still I get served naked leaves. Like c’mon folks, it’s 2017. It’s not hard to find tofu or vegan cheese in Toronto.Β It’s not rocket science, it’s a salad.
Now I know it’s not the organizer’s fault. They can’t tickΒ all the boxes themselves, it’s not their job to cook. But chefs in Toronto need to understand how to create balanced plant-based meals. Veganism is here to stay and there are so many ways we can highlight the beauty of plants while still making a satisfying meal. And it’s not just salad, some folks like to replace meat with mushrooms. Mushroom have a wonderfully meaty texture and flavour, but they’re not meat. There are so many ways you can prepare mushrooms to be more robust,Β so get creative, and be open-minded.
You can do better, Toronto.
So I partnered up with Produce Made Simple again to develop a hearty, vegan dish that uses mushrooms to create a satisfying and satiating dish that is fit to be served at a formal event. Spinach, onion and dill are mixed into this seasoned egg-like tofu and stuffed into wonderful, umami-rich, portabella mushrooms. The mushrooms are baked to tender, juicy, perfection and finished with a crunchy coating of breadcrumbs to give this dish extra flavour and texture and bring it all together.
Serve it at a family dinner or brunch, but either way, you know that your guests are going to walk away satisfied :) Find the recipe here on Produce Made Simple.
Jeremy Schaller says
So true, I think we’ve all experienced it at some point, and not just weddings. I was at the OCE Discovery event in Toronto, a tech industry event (where everybody says the word “startup” everyother sentence) and I was honestly having a lot of fun, until the designated lunch. Again literally leaves, no sauce/dressing, raw tofu and raw shallots. Hands down the blandest meal I’ve ever had. And this was a big event, money wasn’t the issue, the far and away idea of what a vegan meal was. Toronto can and has done better.
Lisa Le says
BRUTAL. Nobody would serve plain, boiled meat without any seasoning/sauce, I don’t get why people think unseasoned tofu is acceptable to serve o_O
Brenda says
I’m not even vegan, and I still roll my eyes at some of the things served to vegans. I sometimes have a hard time figuring out how to accommodate vegans if I’m trying to serve a “normal” weekday dinner, largely due to my own restrictions (which are based mainly in just me being picky) and the fact that I tend toward things like stir fries, that have all the meal components thrown together in one pan. But even that is manageable in various ways. And if you’re cooking separate dishes anyway for a formal dinner-type setting, or party snacks, or buffet-style, it’s ridiculous how little thought/effort is put in sometimes.
Lisa Le says
I appreciate the eye-rolling on the behalf of vegans :) I get the one-pot/pan sort of style. That’s how I tend to cook too, but hey, you can always ask me any time you need some ideas for accommodating special diets :D
Jasmine says
This is SO TRUE. I joke with my friends all the time because I can predict my ‘event’ meal no matter what: Plain greens on a plate followed by white box-pasta with plain tomato sauce followed by fruit. Basically, Ill just eat later at home because that food is like AIR. No fat, not protein, no taste, nada. :(
Lisa Le says
RIGHT at least pasta has ~some~ protein in it. Not just like a plate of roasted vegetables =/
Daniel Shields says
This looks so delicious and I bet it tastes amazing! My family will love this. I can not wait to try this at home. This is a great way of introducing healthy foods into our menu. Thank you.
This is a must-try!
SANDY ROSE says
The photos made me hungry. I need to try making this mushroom recipe for the family. Thank you so much for this.