Shaved Asparagus & Roasted Blueberry Quesadillas with Herbed Yogurt

We are officially Chicagoans. I must say packing then unpacking my kitchen was probably one of the most difficult things I've ever experienced. I think between Nate and I we uttered the words "If I have to unpack another (insert expletive here) mason jar I'm going to kill someone" at least a dozen times. But hey, at least all my kitchen stuff is being put to good use? 

Parts of living in the city feel seamless; I live five minutes from whole foods and trader joes. Pumpkin is loving the dog friendliness of it all and is getting tons of walks. Everything is so accessible. I could go to a farmer's market 7 days a week if I wanted to. The energy of the city is right outside my door. It's good.

But parts feel more difficult, readjusting to a new space, without jobs, without community, without connection. I attach so much of my identity to that of a yoga teacher, so I wonder who I am if I'm not teaching. I wonder if and when life here will feel normal. I panic when I hear the voice in the back of my head questioning whether or not we've made the best decision. Whether this will ever feel like home.

Then I find a yoga class and even though the teacher is a stranger and the studio is new and I'm in a different city in a different region of the country, I feel my breath and almost instantly I'm brought back home again. What a gift this practice is. That no matter where I am or what I'm doing I can bring myself back. I find more often than not my intention for class is "to come back home to myself". Rumi says "When you feel a peaceful that's when you are near truth". And I think that's beautiful. 

One of the last things I made before the we packed up the kitchen were these quesadillas. They are filled with more vegetables than the ones you ate as a kid. And don't worry, asparagus and blueberries may sound like a completely odd pairing but it totally works. I wish I could take all the credit but it's totally a recreation of a quesadilla I had in a restaurant recently. These quesadillas are good, in a funky, super interesting, fresh summery kind of way. 

Shaved Asparagus & Roasted Blueberry Quesadillas with Herbed Yogurt
Makes two quesadillas

for the yogurt: 
2/3 cup greek yogurt (I use Fage 2%) 
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
2 small garlic cloves, minced
pinch of salt

2/3 cup fresh blueberries
1 pound asparagus
4 spring onions
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1 lemon
large pinch of salt
fresh ground pepper
2/3 cup grated extra sharp cheddar
1/2 cup crumbed goat cheese
4 tortillas

Preheat the oven (or toaster oven) to 425 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with parchment. Combine all the yogurt ingredients in a small prep bowl, stir, cover and refrigerate while you prepare the other ingredients. 

Cook blueberries on baking sheet for about 5 minutes until some are just beginning to burst. Set aside to cool. Using a vegetable peeler, Y-shaped ones work best, shave the asparagus. Don't worry about making the shavings perfect, they can be different shapes and thicknesses. Toss the shaved aparagus in a bowl with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. Dice the green onions, set aside about 1/4 cup for topping, then toss the rest in with the asparagus and combine. Heat a fry pan over high heat. Cook the asparagus for about five minutes until slightly browned. Set aside.

Warm two tortillas at a time in a fry pan. Top one tortilla with half the cheddar and goat cheese. Top the cheese with half the asparagus. To the asparagus with half the blueberries. Then top with the second tortilla. Cook on medium until slightly crispy. To flip, don't risk disaster by transfering quesadilla to a plate. Top with another plate and invert. Finish cooking both sides until crispy and slightly browned. Repeat. To serve, top quesadillas with yogurt, and green onions. 

 

Blueberry Pie Milkshakes {Dairy-Free + Vegan}

We went to Chicago three weeks ago to find a place to live next month. No big deal. While we were there we got to check out Chicago's "Restaurant Row" on Randolph street. It's filled with fancy, world-renowned restaurants, most of which cost a pretty penny. I had to keep reminding myself "we are moving here, there will be plenty of opportunities to eat over the next 5 years". I want wanted to eat everything. So after almost two hours of waiting, we got into The Little Goat, the casual more affordable diner version of the very famous Girl and the Goat. Going there was a decision both our stomachs and wallets appreciated.

Staying true to the diner vibe we split a blueberry pie milkshake. It tasted exactly how it sounds: like some brilliant person had baked up a sweet and gooey blueberry pie with flakey buttery crust and then blended it up inside a milkshake with thick creamy vanilla ice cream. I wasn't even halfway through my first sip before vowing to re-create it at home. And so over 4th of July weekend I did just that - but my version is dairy free. Remember that vanilla bean ice cream when made last week? This is the perfect way to put it to good use. Of course, you could totally sub in real butter, milk and ice cream, but either way the result is creamy, decadent, and tastes just like someone smashed a delicious gooey blueberry pie into a creamy cold milkshake. 

Blueberry Pie Milkshakes {vegan}
Serves 2

For the pie crust: 
4 tablespoons vegan butter (such as Earth Balance), cubed + frozen for 20 minutes  
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon all purpose flour 
1 teaspoon sugar 
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons ice water 

1 1/2 cups blueberries 
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 tablespoon brown sugar 
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional) 
pinch of salt 

6 scoops Dairy-Free Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (or store-bought) 
1 - 1 1/2 cups plant-based milk of your choice 

Make the crust. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Using your hands, cut the butter into the flour until the butter chunks are roughly the size of peas. Pour in 1 tablespoon water, mix, pour in the second tablespoon and toss until the dough is shaggy and damp. Squeeze a handful of dough in your hand - if it doesn't form together in a cohesive ball add another teaspoon of water. Bring the dough together into a disc (it will be messy, that's OK), cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll the dough out until it's the thickness of pie crust, keeping the dough on the parchment, transfer it to a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until just lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool. 

Meanwhile, heat the blueberries, cornstarch, vanilla, brown sugar, bourbon and salt over medium in a small saucepan. Stir as it cooks for 5-7 minutes until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat. Let cool. You can pop it in the fridge to speed up the process. 

Once the crust has cooled, break it into chunks with a fork. Toss blueberry mixture, ice cream, milk, and a little over half the crust into a blender and blend until smooth. Divide among two glasses and top with remaining pie crust and serve. 

Notes: Feel free to sub butter in the pie crust, milk, and regular store-bought vanilla ice cream.