Portobello Mushroom and Curried Spinach Quiche

This dish combines our love for Indian spices, mushrooms, and a quiche. This was my first attempt at working with Irish moss, partly in an effort to avoid using cashews as a filler. Besides being incredibly nutritious, Irish moss works miraculously as a natural thickener. I’m always looking for a lighter alternative to nuts, and this proved to be a great one.

Ingredients

Crust (adapted from Living Raw Food)

• 1 1/4 cups almonds — soaked overnight
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup ground golden flax seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1-2 tablespoons purified water
• 1 tablespoon Garam masala
• 1 tablespoon Chunky Chat masala

Marinade

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon raw agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon green curry paste
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Filling

• 3 large Portobello mushrooms — sliced
• 5 ounces baby spinach
• 1/4 large yellow onion — sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
• 3/4 cup fresh coconut meat
• little more than 1/4 cup coconut water
• 1 handful cilantro
• 1/4 cup Irish moss — soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
• 2 teaspoons green curry paste
• 1 teaspoon raw agave nectar
• sea salt to taste

Instructions

1. Mix all the crust ingredients in a food processor until smooth, adding more water if needed. Press the dough into a 9 inch tart shell with a removable bottom, or 3 to 4 miniature tart shells with removable bottoms. Distribute the dough evenly against the sides and bottom of the shell. Place the tart shell(s) in the dehydrator for 4-5 hours. Gently remove the shell from the mold, and put it back onto a screen-lined dehydrator tray. Dehydrate for another 8-10 hours until completely dry and crispy. Store refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to serve.
2. Whisk all the marinade ingredients in a small mixing bowl, set aside.
3. In a large bowl mix together mushrooms, spinach, onions, and the majority of the marinade, reserving a small amount for later. Make sure to thoroughly mix the marinade with the vegetables, use your hands. Spread the mixture onto Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. In a small bowl, combine the green peas and the reserved marinade, place the bowl on the bottom of dehydrator. Dehydrate all the vegetables at 110F for 1-2 hours, mixing occasionally.
4. In the meantime, blend together the coconut meat and water, Irish moss, cilantro, curry paste, agave and salt in a high speed blender. When the vegetables are dehydrated, combine the mushroom and vegetable mixture together with the coconut blend in a food processor. Mix it, but don’t puree. Remove from food processor and set aside. Drain the dehydrated peas, and gently fold them into the mushroom mixture. Adjust the salt and spices. Pour the filling into the crust, let it set in the refrigerator for a little while and enjoy.

Notes

If you won’t be eating the quiches right away, it’s always better to keep the crust and filling separately, and combine as needed.