Breakfast Tofu Pie with Olive Oil Crust

Breakfast Tofu Pie with Olive Oil Crust. I served it over a spinach salad and vegan Goddess dressing. 

The idea of making a savory tofu pie has been following me for weeks now, perhaps months. Although I am by no means an expert in making pies, I decided to try making one to see if I could. My first attempt, a few weeks back, was a failure. I simply did not like the taste.

This one turned out just as I have imagined it would, and now I am able to share it with you. I used olive oil in this pie dough recipe instead of vegan vegetable shortening or butter because I don't always have these on hand. Olive oil is another story. I am good friends with olive oil and allow it to live in my pantry free of charge.

Cheers!

Breakfast Tofu Pie with Olive Oil Crust

Dough Ingredients (or use favorite pie crust recipe)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (you can substitute 1/2 cup with whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cold water
1 teaspoon salt

Filling Ingredients

Step 1
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small potato, peeled and finely diced
1 cup mushrooms of choice, finely diced
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika

Step 2
1 (15-oz package) organic firm or extra firm tofu, drained
1 cup fresh spinach, loosely packed
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 F. In a medium non-stick skillet, sauté the onion, potato and mushrooms in oil or water over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Stir in granulated garlic, dried oregano and paprika. Add a splash of water to prevent from sticking to the skillet if necessary. Season with salt and pepper and set aside in a bowl.

Onion, potato, mushroom mixture, and tofu-spinach mixture.

While the first part of the filling is cooking, make the dough. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Mix well. Add olive oil and mix. A wire whisk works well here. Gradually add 1/2 cup cold water to the dough while kneading it. You might not need the entire 1/2 cup of water. Divide the dough equally into two balls and place on a floured surface. 

Pie dough "equally" divided. 

On a floured surface, roll out each ball into a flat pancake. You may want to use a mat or parchment paper instead of kitchen surface for ease of lifting the dough when ready. Add one part of the dough crust to an oiled 9.5-inch pie pan. If the dough breaks, gently patch it up with your hands. Perfection is not required. Poke the dough a few times with a fork to allow steam to escape and bake at 400 F for 10 minutes.

First piece of rolled out dough placed in oiled pan. The lighting was not ideal! Like I said, perfection is not required. 

Let the other part of rolled out dough rest on the counter, in a cool place, while the first part is baking in the oven. If the kitchen is too hot, place the second part of the dough in the refrigerator while waiting.

Complete the rest of the pie filling. In a high powered blender or food processor, combine tofu, Dijon mustard and onion powder. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes until creamy. Add spinach and blend for another 2 minutes until the mixture turns green. Add a splash of water if the mixture is too thick to blend. Set aside in a separate bowl.

By now the first part of the pie crust should be ready. Take out the partially cooked pie crust out of the oven. Lower the oven heat to 375 F. Now assemble the pie. Add half of the tofu-spinach mixture to cooked pie shell and spread evenly with a spatula.

Tofu-spinach mixture spread evenly on top of the cooked pie shell. 

Now add half of the onion, potato, mushroom mixture and spread it evenly.

Onion, potato, mushroom mixture spread on top of tofu-spinach mixture. 

Repeat the process with the remaining tofu-spinach mixture, followed by the onion, potato, mushroom mixture. Cover the pie with the remaining, uncooked, rolled out pie dough and poke it with a fork a few times. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375 F until the crust is golden brown. Allow 15 minutes for cooling before serving.

Have a bite...or two!

*Note
The pie dough is quick to make while the filling is more time consuming. With that in mind, you can make the pie filling a day ahead to save time.