Angelina Ballerina Cheese Pie

When I was little one of my favorite books was Angelina Ballerina. I especially loved the part where Angelina's mother would make cheese pies for dinner. As my mom read this part of the book to me, I would imagine what the cheese pies would taste like. My mom made quiche fairly frequently for us growing up and when I would inquire about what a cheese pie actually was, my mom said it was something like a quiche. That satisfied my basic curiosity, but I always though that a cheese pie would be something slightly different.

I discovered this recipe on Kath Eats Real Food. I made very few alterations to the filling recipe, but I'm now satisfied that - over 20 years after I first heard about Angelina's Cheese Pie - that I've tasted something similar to what Angelina did. :) I hope you enjoy this as much as hubby and I did!

Spinach & Mushroom Tofu Pie
Crust
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons ice water
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Combine the flours, sugar, and salt in food processor and pulse twice. Add in butter and pulse until combined and mixture is in pea-sized and cornmeal sized chunks - about 10 pulses. Pour water and vinegar through food chute and pulse 3-4 times. The mixture will not be a ball at this point, but will still resemble crumbs. Pour mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap and press into a 4-inch round. Put another piece of plastic wrap on top and roll into a 12-inch circle. Freeze dough for 10 minutes and then remove from freezer and let rest for 1 minute. Gently place in a pie pan.

Filling
1 package extra-firm silken tofu
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups shredded cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 medium purple onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced  

Preheat oven to 375*. Place tofu & milk in food processor and puree. Add salt, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Pulse until combined. Add in 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese and pulse 3 times. Heat olive oil in saute pan over med-high heat. Add in onion and mushrooms and saute 3-5 minutes. Add in spinach and garlic and saute for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add saute mixture to tofu mixture and pulse 3-5 times. Pour tofu and spinach mixture into crust and top with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.