Breakfasts Without Bacon; Vegan Crustless Quiche Loaf

Whilst fiddling with my blog layout and intermittently screaming at the computer the other day, I noticed that I very rarely do breakfast recipes anymore. Breakfasts Without Bacon used to be a bit of a feature when I first started my journey towards plant filled plates, so I've decided that I'm bringing breakfasts back. Like what Justin Timberlake did with sexy, but saucier! It's for my own good really. I mean, I like a green smoothie or some overnight oats as much as the next vegan, but I also crave savoury things all of the time, and that means I'm more likely to have Schar bread stuffed with cheap Morrisons veggie sausages or full on fry ups instead of the fruitier things on offer, and I should probably mix it up a bit before I actually turn into a soysage.

Beginning slowly, I thought I'd start by convincing myself I was having something bread-based and fatty by making whatever it was that I was going to make in a loaf tin and dolloping on some avocado. I'm not sure if I'm an incredibly simple creature or a genius because it worked, and so was born the crustless quiche loaf - vegan style!

It's a bloody easy, adaptable recipe, that's also fairly quick to do and can be made ahead for breakfasts on the run. You can eat it cold or just slap slices in a dry pan to warm through. You could probably even put it in the microwave. If you must.

Get your loaf tins at the ready, because we're having quiche for breakfast! Well, if you don't eat half of it the night before like I did. It really doesn't benefit me to be prepared.

Crustless Quiche Loaf

serves 8 regular people, or 2 of me.

1 cup besan flour
1 cup water
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp kala namak, (black salt)
1/3 head broccoli, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1/5 leek, quartered lengthways and finely chopped
1/2 orange pepper, finely diced
6 baby plum tomatoes, sliced finely
12 black olives, pitted and chopped small
dash of liquid smoke (optional, but gives that smokey bacon flavour if you need it)
a good grind of pepper
a bit of oil

1. Preheat oven to 180 or equivalent.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, water, kala namak, basil and onion powder and leave to sit whilst you prep all of the veggies.
3. Once your batter mix looks a bit thicker and has small bubbles on top, stir the veggies into it until evenly distributed throughout. I'm making this sound more complicated than it is. Make the batter and mix in some veg you like. That's coming across, right?
4. Grease your loaf tin with your oily food lube of choice, and pour in the veggie batter.
5. Spread out evenly and then pop into the oven for 45 minutes.
6. Let cool for an hour and then turn the loaf out.
7. Slice and eat with something else, perhaps a salad?
8. Ooh! Or you could smother a slice with smashed avocado.
9. Vegans love finding new things to dollop homemade guacamole on.
10. It's like I've accidentally joined some sort of avocado cult.
11. It's cool though. I totally trust it.
12. By the power of green things!
13. And chips.
14. Actually this would be great with chips and salad!
15. Chips and salad, otherwise known as What Vegans Eat When Outside.