Pumpkin, tofu and sage galette recipe with milk thistle

Banish the sad sandwich

Changing over to a plant-based diet means making a lot of changes to your usual recipes. But for some reason, lunch seems to be one of the trickiest meals to ‘veganise’.

Typically, lunchtime is a moment you steal in the middle of the day, in between a packed schedule of tasks. It’s understandable that we don’t want to be spending a long time making complicated recipes. The lure of the sad, pre-packaged sandwich is strong - even when our vegan fillings are limited to ‘hummus’ or ‘hummus’.

However, we can all bring a bit more calm (and a lot more healthy nutrients) into our day with a little bit of forward planning.

Our galette recipe is very easy to make. Put it together on a Sunday and treat yourself to a tasty, healthy lunch that can be easily packed up for the office over the next few days. It’s also great for entertaining, with its comforting flavours and elegant appearance.

Make it with milk thistle

Our plant-based pastry uses coconut oil and ice-cold water to bind it. It produces a pleasingly rustic crust for our galette, which looks like it would be at home in any nostalgic French farmhouse.

Adding a tablespoon of our Organic Milk Thistle Powder to the pastry mix adds a wealth of nutritional benefits. Our powder is high in a phytochemical called silymarin, which is a powerful bioactive compound thought to look after your liver health.

Traditionally, milk thistle is known to gently cleanse and detoxify the body. It’s also high in vitamin E, which is excellent news for your skin and hair.

Milk thistle has a nutty, slightly bitter flavour which goes very nicely with the sweetness of the pumpkin filling. We also like to add caraway seeds, as the flavour reminds us of freshly-baked loaves of country bread.

A note on tofu

There are many different types of tofu out there, which are designed to be used in slightly different ways.

They’re usually distinguished by firmness. For instance, you can buy ‘firm’ or ‘very firm’ tofu, which holds its shape very well. This type is excellent for dishes where you want the tofu to stay in generous chunks, such as stir-fries and curries.

Further down the scale, you’ll find ‘medium’ and ‘soft’ types of tofu. You should use this kind in our galette recipe, as you’ll want to pulse it down in the blender until smooth. You can use a little plant-based milk to loosen the mixture, if you find your tofu is firmer than expected.

There are also varieties of very soft, or ‘silken’ tofu, which are more creamy and are typically used for making dishes like vegan cheesecake.

Different brands produce different results, but we found silken tofu a little too flimsy here, achieving the best results with a medium to soft tofu.

Balancing texture and flavour

While the galette may seem a simple invention, looks can be deceiving. This dish is all about a very careful balance of flavours and textures which come together to produce a really lovely, satisfying tart.

The pastry, with milk thistle and caraway, leans to the nutty, slightly bitter side of the flavour scale. It demands to be balanced with a filling that edges towards sweetness and creaminess.

Meanwhile, a toothsome pie crust like ours requires a little softness to counteract its crunch. A sweet, comforting flavour and a texture that melts in the mouth.

Perhaps it’s the time of year, but pumpkin immediately sprang to mind. When baked, this brightly-coloured autumn favourite caramelises, providing lightly charred edges with an irresistibly sweet flavour.

Blitzing part of it with the tofu provides a creamy-textured base for the galette, while soft cubes of baked pumpkin sit on top to provide an extra burst of sweetness.

Pumpkin and sage have a well-established partnership, and this aromatic herb is equally at home baked on top of the galette and scattered, fresh, over the top just before serving.

We hope you enjoy making our pumpkin, tofu and sage galette. It might just be the recipe to make you fall in love with lunch again.