Like many fitness freaks, I too, follow many bikini pros & bodybuilders on social media. I fully admit that I like peeking into their online lives– some for recipe ideas or workout inspiration– others purely because I’m fascinated by what skanks and/or freaks they are. But that’s another blog post altogether. 🙂

What always sucks, however, is how often their bodybuilding recipes call for egg whites. It would appear that apparently EVERY non-vegan meathead bakes and cooks EVERYTHING using eggs.

Sure, I’ll admit that chickens’ periods are in fact, a versatile source of lean protein. But it’s still annoying that every time I search Pinterest for “low carb, high protein” bodybuilding recipes that aren’t some kind of protein ball or bar, I’m bombarded with pictures of delicious-looking foods that always seem to contain the embryonic sacks of unborn baby chicks. Tempting but no thanks.

Well vegan fit crew, this week, I actually put aside my phone and laptop and went back to the basics. I broke out my mom’s beaten-up, older-than-me, passed down through generations, homemade cookbook (aka bible) which contains all of her most famous, classic, comfort dishes and I got cookin’!

What’s on the vegan bodybuilding menu today?
Mom’s famous “Quiche Lorraine!”

I veganized this classic brunch fave by substituting tofu for the eggs and tempeh for the pig (aka bacon.) I then healthified it even more to create a crustless, carb-less, low-fat version that contains but a mere teaspoon of coconut oil for the whole recipe.

Man-oh-man, is this vegan quiche ever tasty! I’ve been serving up a slice with salad at lunch and steamed greens at breakfast and I could literally eat this TWICE everyday for the rest of my life and never get sick of it. 🙂

It looks AND tastes just like Mom’s!!!!!
(Minus the guilt and chicken menstruation of course…) 🙂

Feel free to add extra veggies if you like. It’s super tasty (and higher in fiber) with the addition of bell peppers, asparagus, zucchini or mushrooms.

High Protein, Low Carb & Low Fat!
Crustless Vegan Quiche with Tempeh Bacon

Ingredients:

For the Tempeh Bacon:
1 small cooking onion, minced
8 oz. package of tempeh, cut into small cubes
1 tsp. coconut oil
1.5 Tbsp. Walden’s calorie-free pancake syrup (boy, I sure do use this crap A LOT considering I’m always making fun of it, eh?)
1 tsp. Bragg liquid aminos soy sauce alternative

Method:
Saute tempeh, onion and coconut oil in small saucepan over medium heat for five minutes. Add Walden’s chemical syrup and Bragg liquid aminos. Saute for an additional three to five minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the Quiche filling:
450 g package of organic, non-GMO tofu (medium-soft preferably)
1 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup chickpea flour (almond flour works too though higher in fat)
3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric (good for colour AND anti-inflammatory muscle properties) 🙂
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (great for fat burning)

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all quiche mixture ingredients in a large bowl and blend with a hand mixer (or in blender) until smooth. Add tempeh/onion mixture (and additional veggies if using.) Stir and set aside.

Line a round 8″ pie plate with parchment paper. Pour quiche mixture into pie plate. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, checking after 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature before slicing. Enjoy!

– Sam Shorkey, Jacked on the Beanstalk