I was inspired by a stack of savory brownies I saw at Bello Mundo Cafe, a cute little coffee place in San Luis Obispo, CA. Sadly, they weren’t vegan. I had stopped in on my way back to the Bay Area hoping for a vegan cupcake but got a sugar-free vegan fruit and nut bar instead. But I couldn’t stop thinking about those savory brownies (a 4-hour drive with nothing else to dwell on).
I have a square baking pan, buried way back in the cupboard. I could dust it off and try to make my own. So I did. Now, I’m not sure exactly what a savory brownie should taste like, having never tried one before.
Mine came out with an eggy kind of a taste, sorta like a crust-less quiche but denser. Is it suppose to be like that? I donno know, but it sure was good.
Easy to make with the potential for many flavor combinations. I used what was available at the local farmers market – fresh spinach, shiitake mushrooms and leeks. Pulled from the fridge, I crumbled in slices of smoky maple bacon tempeh which added extra little bits of savoriness.
Savory Spinach and Mushroom Brownies
Makes 9 pieces
1 medium-sized leek, white and pale green parts only, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 bunch fresh spinach (about 6 ounces cooked)
1/2 package Turtle Island Smoky Maple Bacon Tempeh, crumbled
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cup soy milk or other non-dairy milk, divided
1/2 cup firm tofu, water pressed out
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
Olive oil
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Heat a skillet or wok until hot, lightly drizzle with olive oil and sauté the leek and garlic until done. Transfer to a dish and set aside. Heat the skillet again and sauté the mushrooms until cooked, drain any water and set aside.
Sauté the spinach until just wilted. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Squeeze out any water and coarsely chop.
In a food processor or blender, combine the tofu, 1/2 cup of the soy milk, nutmeg, thyme and nutritional yeast, process until smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the vegetables, tempeh, tofu and the rest of the soy milk and mix well. Pour into a well-greased 8-inch square baking pan and spread evenly.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes, let cool before slicing.
I’m not sure I could really call these “savory brownies” with a straight face, but crustless quiche sounds way better in any case! This is the sort of no-fuss main dish I crave all the time, although when I make it, I will tell you right now I’ll have to add a pinch of black salt to mine. ;)
Wow these look amazing. They look like they would be very savory. Great job!
nice. I’ve not tried Turtle Island. Where do you buy it? Hey, if you are up in SF in the next week or so would you like to grab a coffee/tea? Would be great to meet up.
I don’t see what is done with the tempeh?
I’ve never even heard of savory brownies, let alone tasted one, but as a quiche, it looks great! Now, if I knew what to sub for the flour, I’d make it!
Wow, those brownies look great–kinda like a heavier fritata/quiche. Love the different combinations you could try with it–talk about an awesome breakfast to go!
Sounds great! I love this.
Hannah – I debated over what to call them. :-) They’re actually pretty eggy even without the black salt.
noelle – Thanks!
India-leigh – You can find a variety of Turtle Island products at Whole Foods. I would love to meet up, unfortunately, I won’t be in SF anytime soon – I’m up to my eyeballs with deadlines. :-(
Lottie – Oops, sorry! The tempeh is mixed in with the other ingredients in the bowl. I’ve fixed the recipe. Thanks so much for catching that!
Andrea – I’ve never heard of savory brownies before that fateful day in SLO.
Jes – Yup, that’s exactly what they remind me of.
trina – Thanks!
Hmmmm, I have a vegan brunch coming up and these might be just the thing to make. Looks delicious and so pretty.
I’ll have to try these- looks like a great idea! A quiche you can eat with your hands.
This simply looks lovely. The recipe sounds easy to make as well. I think it would be nice if baked in mini cupcake pans for a cocktail party. If ever, do you happen to know what oven settings should i be changing?
Beautiful!
This looks yummy! If you wanted it to be gluten free and sub out the flour you could use chickpea/garbanzo bean flour. I use it all the time to make vegan crepes and is a great substitute for creating egg type items.
Happy Cooking!
I just made this! Very tasty, but the consistency was goopy. I will try to cook for a longer period of time and hope that the texture stiffens up a bit!
Meagan – Glad you liked the taste, sorry to hear the consistency didn’t come out for you. Maybe try pressing the tofu a bit more to get as much of the water out? or maybe cut the amount of soy milk?
oh this is funny! I found you by searching savory brownies because I was JUST as Bella Mundo and they had them there and I was intrigued as well. I did not pick one up and had an idea as to how I would make them but wanted to see if anyone else was doing this and so I found you! Thank you for sharing, I’m going to try both an egg version and eggless version. I do imagine they would taste much like a frittata.
jessica – That is funny! I’ve never seen or heard of savory brownies until Bella Mundo. The idea was just too good not to try. Hope yours came out great. :-)
This is great! I just made one like this,but I added 1/2 cup of feta cheese instead of tofu, I added 1/2 cup of cottage cheese as well,with the addition of 4 eggs blended in olive oil. It is a great omlet like brownie!!!! You go girl!!@!!!
Did you use the spongy type of tofu, or the silken tofu that comes in tetra packs for this recipe?
amy – I used the spongy type that’s packed in water.
Do you have any recommendations for people who can’t eat soy? I won’t be able to use tempeh or tofu :(
Mindy – Maybe sun-dried tomatoes to replace the savoriness of the tempeh? And maybe some sort of egg replacer for the tofu? I’m not sure, I haven’t tried either one of these suggestions so I don’t know how it’ll turn out with these changes.
I’ve been in a rutt with vegan breakfasts lately, relying almost entirely on tofu scrambles or tofu quiches, so basically eating a LOT of tofu with the same old veggies mixed in. I made this this morning and LOVED it. The flavors are delicious and I am happy there’s minimal tofu in it!
HI, I’m not from the USA and can’t purchase the tempeh you mention, but will look for a substitute if you can tell me how many grams a half package equates to. Thanking you in anticipation!
Kerrie – a full package of Turtle Island Smoky Maple Bacon Tempeh is 198 grams, so half of that would be 99 grams. Hope you’re able to find a good substitute. :-)