I am here to give thanks with this elegant and soy-free Spinach Chickpea Quiche, baked inside a delicious whole-wheat crust.
Thanksgiving brings with it each year an opportunity for contemplation and revisiting the things, good and not so good, that have made up our lives over the past year. It has been a mixed bag for us. Earlier this year, we lost my darling Opie to a heart ailment. Every dog lover will tell you of that one special dog that changed their lives, the one they loved above every other beloved pet. For me, that dog was Opie. My heart aches each time I think of him, and I still find it hard to believe he’s gone. I am thankful Opie came into our lives, bringing with himself a lot of unpredictability, charm, sweetness, love and joy. I might never get over him, but I will never stop being grateful I had a chance to cuddle him and share my home with him for 13 years.
This year, we added two new family members: Lily, a dog rescued from the streets of Puerto Rico, and Billy, a cat rescued from the streets of Norfolk, Virginia. Lily is a special needs dog who possibly faced horrible abuse on the streets in her early life (the left side of her sweet face shows signs of trauma, like a severe blow to the head), and we continue to work with her on issues that range from an extreme fear of strangers to refusing to allow even Desi and I to pick her up. It makes for some interesting times when we have to make a visit to the vet, but Lily’s slowly coming around. I am thankful she is now with us and will never again have to face a difficult life on the streets.
I am thankful for Billy who is the feline version of Opie: cool as a cucumber, curious as anything, handsome, dapper and incredibly lovable. When he’s not trying to run out the front door or hunting mice in the basement, he is curled up somewhere on a blanket, fast asleep or grooming himself. There’s nothing in our home that Billy has not knocked off and tried to play with — including my computer CPU that he once managed to crash off the table and to the floor. He can be a royal pain at times, but I can’t imagine life without his purring, elegant presence around.
I am thankful for Jay, our human son, who has been with us for two years now. Jay made our family complete. Our time together has not been without its struggles and difficulties, but it has also been a time of growing together and learning to love. When we brought him home from India, just days before Thanksgiving 2014, Jay was a six-year-old who could only speak Marathi, the language spoken by natives of Bombay, where the orphanage was. Now, at eight-and-a-half, he is a third grader who speaks fluent English and reads voraciously, especially non-fiction books about trains, planes and whales. He no longer talks constantly about life at the orphanage like he once did; his friends at school now occupy his mind and dominate his conversations. He even has a little crush on a girl named Maeve and will report to me each time she says hello. 🙂
For Desi, the love of my life, I am thankful every day. And I am thankful to all of you, the readers, cooks and animal lovers, who have been such an invaluable part of my life for the last nine years that I’ve been writing this blog. I am thankful for the love of cooking and eating compassionately and healthfully that we all share. And I am thankful for all those messages of love and encouragement I have received from you over the years. It is what keeps me cooking and writing late into the nights, even when I’d rather just watch TV. 🙂
What are you thankful for this year? I’d love to hear.
A happy Thanksgiving to all!
And now for that Spinach Chickpea Quiche.
Soy-free Spinach Chickpea Quiche
Ingredients
- For the crust: 2 medium potatoes boiled, peeled, and finely mashed, use any kind
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour can use regular whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Cold water
- For the filling: 1 cup besan chickpea flour
- 1/2 cup cashews soaked 30 minutes in 1 cup of water
- 5 oz of frozen spinach thawed in the microwave for two minutes (If using fresh, use a small bunch)
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 medium carrot grated
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic crushed
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
Instructions
- Make the crust: Mix the flour, potatoes and salt in a bowl and drizzle in the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough just comes together.
- Wrap tightly in cling wrap, pressing with your palms as you to to shape the dough into a disc. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
- Make the filling: Place the cashews in the blender along with the soaking water and blitz to get a smooth paste.
- Add the chickpea flour to the blender along with salt and rosemary and 1/2 cup of water.
- Blend into a smooth cream and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a skillet and add the cumin and garlic. Saute for a few seconds until the garlic is fragrant but not browned.
- Add the red pepper flakes and turmeric. Stir well to coat with the oil.
- Add the frozen, thawed spinach, stir, cover with a lid, and cook over medium-low heat about 5-7 minutes or until the spinach is cooked.
- Stir in the carrots and heat through for another two minutes.
- Add salt to taste. Stir in the parsley and turn off the heat.
- Let the mixture cool a little, then stir into the cashew cream-chickpea mixture.
- Assemble the quiche:Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- To make the crust, roll out the disc of dough on a clean, floured surface into a round large enough to cover the bottom and inside of an 8-inch tart pan or plate.
- Fold the dough in half and transfer to the tart pan, then unfold and press into the corners with your fingers to fit it evenly into the tart pan. Cut out any overhanging dough with a knife or by rolling over the top of the pan with a rolling pin and then pulling out the extra dough with your fingers.
- Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and pour the filling into the crust.
- Place the baking sheet with the tart pan into the oven and bake 45 minutes or until the center is set and firm to the touch.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a rack 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Hi Vaishali!
This is my first time commenting. I just joined your site a few months ago and love the recipes!
I was wondering: I don’t have chickpea flour, is there something I can substitute? I have canned chickpeas.
This year I am thankful for the love of my life and how we have stuck together through his being laid off, my changing jobs, losing my car, and the frustrations of our new dog we acquired in July.
We’ve been broke but always had food to eat and the essentials.
Hi Addie, You can try blending a cup of canned chickpeas with 1/2 to 1 cup of brine in the can — aquafaba. The chickpea cashew mix has a crepe-batter-like consistency but if using chickpeas, you probably want a thicker-than-pancake-batter consistency because it may not set as easily as chickpea flour does. Add the liquid slowly so you don’t add too much.If you leave out the cashews, use another 1/2 can of chickpeas to get the right amount.
Here’s wishing you, the love of your life, and your dog a wonderful Thanksgiving. 🙂
I’m thankful that you continue to blog and tell your animal stories in such a beautiful, poetic way, even though you’d rather kick back and watch TV. I come to your blog to feed my soul.
JS, thank you for those kind words–I appreciate them with all my heart. A very happy Thanksgiving to you.
Hi Vauxhall, anyone who adopts cats and dogs is someone special, God bless you and your family and have a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving,thank you for the great recipes,
Dave, London, UK
Aaww what a touching and heart warming post <3 You're such a lovely lady and wish you & your family all the amazing and beautiful things in life 🙂
The past year has been beautiful for me too,it's my darling friends–both humans and animals–who make my life so wonderful, and I'm totally grateful for that.
I don't even know what a quiche is! The pics look amazing tho
Hi dear Vaishali, I am recently turned vegan and from them I am reading your blogs regularly.
You are amazing!
I love your today’s thanks giving blog and now I adore you for the human you are. I love your spirit and your super sweet family.
Keep up the good work.
Surekha Sadana
Hi Vaishali,
I have been following your blog for a few months now and being a vegan myself, I find your recipes immensely useful. You are a kind lady and I wish you and your family all the happiness in this world.
Best wishes
Archana
I am grateful for the Jain community, which has lived a cruelty free lifestyle for thousands of years, guided by AHIMSA. I am grateful to you Vaishali for allowing me to post icy feelings on the value of ahimsa to end animal suffering. Your openness to many ideas is inspiring.
Though I have posted this before to you, I would like to end with a prayer for Thanksgiving that originated in the Jain community, but would not be offensive to any faith or community where compassion is cherished:
Thanksgiving Prayer
“Today we give thanks for this veg/vegan meal and the
people who have labored to harvest and prepare this
meal for us. We give thanks for the many lives that
have contributed to our lives. We also ask for
forgiveness from the living beings that we have
harmed, intentionally and unintentionally.
We are grateful for our health and the opportunity to
eat with others on this day. We aspire, with
compassionate hearts, to use the energy that we gain
from this meal and our friends to contribute to the
peace and happiness of all living beings.
We pray that all the people of the world will avoid
inflicting harm on animals and fellow human beings and
practice nonviolence and compassion. We express our
sorrow at the suffering of all the turkeys and other
animals that have died. May peace and compassion grow
in ourselves and extend to all around us.”
correction…. my word processor changes typos to the weirdest words… icy should read my 🙂
my feelings on the value of ahimsa
Happy Thanksgiving dear Vaishali ! Found your blog by accident and I am enjoying your recipes. Thanks a lot for this vegan and delicious recipes. My neighbor Randy is fighting cancer . Every week, I have been cooking supper for her and her husband. Recently, I made her the beans veggie burger from your collection. She enjoyed it and asked me to make it again for her. Just letting you know. Many thanks to your time and sharing ; you have a big heart <3
I am grateful for this wonderful life, a great blessing in spite of many heart breaking experiences. Life is an interesting journey ! Namasthe !
You and Desi have such large hearts. Your words inspire me and make me feel a kindredness with the people on this site. Changing the world begins with what we do each day. I am very thankful to have found your site to help me with my healthy vegetarian journey. Wishing you and your family peace and blessings. नमस्ते
I actually had other plans for dinner, but I’m so thrilled to finally find a recipe for a quiche that doesn’t have eggs, the plan has changed! I am a huge fan of quiche, but always feel guilty about my double standards with eggs- I cannot cook with them if my life depended on it, but I’ll eat them in baked goods. Hopefully, I can use this same batter for a frittata and then I’ll be sorted!
Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving! Billy and Lily sound wonderful, do share pictures when you can. Hope you’re making the most of winter and the holiday season.