Rustic Vegan Pepita & Pesto Quiche Tartlets

My Birth Week has reached its triumphant end. I sit down at my desk following 7 days of guilt-free shenanigans. I've been sober for 48 hours, yet I'm still not feeling sober. Vegas had her rough, gritty way with me for four days straight [gay?]. Two showers, four Kombuchas and one juice detox later, I still reek of her pleasantries. But I digress... 

I'm allowed only two days of recovery before the start of the 2009 L.A. Pride celebration begins. Whether I like it or not, I live about 1/16th of a mile from the heart of the celebration. I'm going to party in my Rainbow Thong and over-sized aviators like there's no tomorrow. My refrigerator, typically full of a truckload's worth of produce, tofu, cooking wines and sauces, will be temporarily filled with good beer, Jack Daniels, mixers and canned malt crap. With San Francisco Pride in two short weeks, this might as well just be a Birth Month. 

To give myself a little healthy respite between all the celebration mayhem, I decided to allocate a portion of my Vegas winnings to purchase something healthy. I went to Dicks, and and bought lots of balls. No, silly pervert. Dick's Sporting Goods. I bought myself a tennis racket, tennis balls and a basket ball. To further the sexual innuendos, my racket is made by a brand called "Head". That's right. Dick's for balls and Head. Game on. 

Growing up, I never was never suited for athletics. To be fair, athletics weren’t suited for me. I was always a good at sports, but could never manage to keep myself in one piece. Being the good little lesbian that I am, I spent at least 8 years on a softball team. By the time I reached high school, I'd sustained one nose fracture and two broken feet. My high school authorities kindly suggested that Varsity athletics posed a threat to my overall health and the school’s liability policy. My dreams of Olympic glory whilst being surrounded by hot women in tight pants came to an abrupt end. 

Well, I'm back in action. I’m having a great time so far, but my game admittedly needs a little work. At the very least, perhaps I'll build some arm muscles so that my next pie crust-rolling experience is a little easier. 

PS: There is an amazing Italian restaurant called Stratta in the Wynn Hotel that has a secret Vegan menu. You have to ask them for it.

Rustic Vegan Pepita & Pesto Quiche Tartlets 

Chef's Note: You can also simplify this recipe by purchasing pre-made Vegan pie crusts, letting them thaw, then rolling out and molding to Tartlet pans. 

Crust: Makes 3-4 Tartlets

• 1 1/3 cups + 4 tablespoon Pastry or All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp dry EnerG Egg Replacer Powder
• 2 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
• 8 TBSP cold Vegan Butter, diced into cubes
• 1/4 cup cold Vegan Heavy Cream (or Coconut Milk)

Pulse Flour, Egg Replacer Powder, Salt, Garlic and Cayenne together in a food processor. Add the 8 TBSP of Vegan Butter, and pulse about 10 times until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few bean-size chunks of Butter still in it. Add the heavy cream, and pulse 1 to 2 times more...being careful that the dough doesn't form a mass around the blade. If the dough seems dry, add 1 mor tsp at a time of  additional Heavy Cream, pulsing briefly. Remove the blade and bring the dough together by hand. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour. When your ready to make your Tartlets, roll out on a well-floured surface and follow the assembly directions below. 

Sunflower Seed and Lime Pesto

• 1/4 cup Roasted Pepita
• 1/4 cup Pine Nuts
• 4 oz Fresh Basil Leaves
• 3 cloves fresh Garlic
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Juice of 1/2 Lime
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Bust out a food processor or blender, and throw in the Pepitas, Pine Nuts and Garlic. Let the food processor run for about 30 seconds to break everything up into smaller pieces. Add in the Basil, Lime Juice and some Salt and Pepper. Turn the food processor back on, and slowly pour all of the Olive Oil down the shoot (or through the top of the blender) until the mixture is fully combined. Taste to see if more Salt and Pepper is needed. For the final Quiche Tartlet...

• 1 batch of the Pie Crust Recipe (above)
• 2 cups Basic Scrambled "Eggs" Mix, or Vegan Liquid Eggs
• 1/2 cup Sunflower Seed and Lime Pesto
• 2-3 Roma Tomatos, Thinly Sliced
• Black Olives, Sliced,
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. 

Grease your Tartlet pans well. Roll out the pie crust, then mold enough dough into each Tartlet pan so that it's about 1/4 inch thick on the bottom and sides. 

Pre-bake in the oven for about 12-13 minutes, then set aside to cool. 

Combine the Basic Scrambled "Egg" Mix and the Pesto well. 

Spoon about an 1/8 cup of the "Egg"/Pesto mix into the bottom of the cooled, pre-baked tart shells, and spread the mixture out evenly. Place a layer of sliced Romas and Black Olives. Spoon another 1/8 cup of the "Egg"/Pesto mix on top of the veggies, then add a second layer of Sliced Romas and Olives. 

Sprinkle the top layer of Tomatoes with a touch of Salt and Pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until fully set and cooked through. 

Allow to cool to room temperature before removing from pans and serving. Garnish with Fresh Basil, if desired.