My dog, Iko, named after the old cajun song that I know because of the version by Dr. John, turned 15 today. This is not a big deal for anyone, really, and probably shouldn’t be a blog post.
So you can skip down to the asparagus quiche recipe at any time. The recipe is delicious, by the way – even my red-meat-loving-tofu-hating-brother liked it, which is saying something.
My husband and I got Iko when we were dating, so technically Iko is his dog, however I helped name him, and I was there when he was selected. We drove him to the apartment on Valentine’s Day in 2004.
Iko was born with severe elbow displaysia – which a lot of bassets have, however his apparently was much worse. We had to have 2 surgeries on his front leg and they wanted us to have another, but it was out of our budget. So we asked a few vets what would happen if we didn’t have the surgery, and they said: he’ll have a few good years. Keep the weight off of him, and he’ll probably live to 4.
My baby is 15.
So I don’t know what that means. I’ve looked into it a lot on a metaphysical perspective. I used to think that because Iko isn’t aware that there’s anything wrong with him, that the words of the doctors aren’t spinning in his brain and turning into more disease and, therefore, he’s still living. It’s not like us humans who have the ability to process and stress and fret over any little thing a doctor says.
I don’t know how much I believe of that anymore. But it’s worth mentioning. I do believe that stress is one thing we all could use a little less of.
All I know is for the past 15 years my life has been ruled by this stubborn-ass basset hound. We have sworn we will never get another one, and yet, he’s the absolute best. That baby has my heart.
So that’s my post for today. It’s a short one. It’s not the one I intended to post. That one might come tomorrow.
Here’s my plan for the remainder of the week: today you are getting this vegan asparagus quiche recipe (which I served with these garlic mashed potatoes and this vegan hatch chile cornbread), and tomorrow my apple pie recipe, and then Saturday my cocktail recipe.
That way, if you want, you can plan a whole vegan dinner for Christmas. All these recipes are tried and true and have been made many times over. They’ve been eaten by friends and family and have received a lot of thumbs up. I think they’re pretty dang good.
More to come…
Love, Jen.
By the way, take a minute to listen to that song. Good god that’s some delicious stuff right there. That song and that artist are half the reason I moved to New Orleans waaaaaay long ago. It does not get better than music that is shared from deep inside, from tragedy and loss and hardship – that is the real music.
Vegan Asparagus Quiche for the Holidays with Iko
Ingredients
For the crust
- 3 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3/4 c. vegan butter, diced
- 9 tbsp. ice cold water
For the filling
- 1 c. cashews
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 2" pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tsp. parsley
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 14 oz. package silken or soft tofu
- 3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
Instructions
For the Crust
- In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and butter. Then pour in the water, 1 tbsp. at a time, until the dough forms.
- Form the dough into 2 balls, place on a sheet of parchment paper, and put in the fridge for 1 hour. (You will use 1 ball for this recipe - save the other and make another pie!)
For the filling
- Soak the cashews in hot water for a few minutes (I wait about 10) - if you have a very high-powered blender or Vitamix you can skip this step.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a skillet, cook the onion, shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the red bell pepper, asparagus and spices, and cook for 5-8 more minutes.
- Remove the dough from the fridge. Place one ball on a sheet of parchment paper, and roll out to form the pie crust. Carefully lift the pie dough off the parchment paper and place into your pie pan. Then take a fork and make several holes on the sides and bottom of the crust.
- Pour the asparagus mixture onto the pie crust.
- If you soaked the cashews, drain the water off of them. Drain the tofu. Place the tofu, then the cashews, then the yeast in your blender. Top with 1 c. water. Blend on high for about a minute, until creamy.
- Pour the tofu-cashew mixture on top of the asparagus. Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes, until top is golden.