Asparagus and Morels - Taste Heaven

Another night, another asparagus dinner. As luck would have it we were working in another area that had been burnt last year and sure enough there were more Morels to be found. One of my favorite food combinations of all time is asparagus and morels fried in butter with a little garlic and salt. What makes this dish so enjoyable is knowing just how seasonal it is. You may only have a 2-3 week window in which to eat these two great foods together. Well I didn't waste any time and within minutes of getting home from work I was in the kitchen whipping up this tasty dinner.
serves 2
20 minutes

• 2 salmon fillets
• as many morels as you want, cut in half or quarters
  
• as much asparagus as you want, cut into 3 inch long pieces
  
• left over quinoa and black beans
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced

1. Reheat your quinoa (see last post for recipe).
2. In a pan at medium heat melt butter and add the asparagus. Cook for 4 minutes.
3. Add morels and garlic and cook for a further 4 minutes.
4. At the same time, in another pan at medium high heat, melt a little butter and place your 2 salmon fillets. With a cover on the pan cook each side for 4 minutes for perfection, or longer if you want it cooked through.
5. Place all the cooked food on a plate and serve with a little salt and pepper.
6. A little grated Romano or Parmesan also goes quite nice with this meal.
   

It's Asparagus time

A favorite food of mine is asparagus and as I was shopping a few days ago I noticed that the local crop had arrived. As we may only get it for the next 3 weeks or so I plan on eating as much asparagus as I can. Quite often I'll just fry in up in a pan with a little garlic and butter, and nothing else; more of a snack than a meal. The rest of the time I'll actually have it with a meal and try and pair it with something that goes well with it. So tonight it was Asparagus with Halibut with a Black Bean/Quinoa side serving.
Serves 2
30 minutes

1. First cook the Quinoa. Put 1 cup in with 1 and 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. For this recipe I used the water that I had cooked the black beans in. Once it begins to boil, turn to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
2. Have 1 cup of cooked black beans ready. Used canned beans if you wish.
3. In a pan at medium heat melt some butter and add as much asparagus as you want. Cook for 5 minutes. Add a clove of minced garlic for the last 2 minutes.
4. In a separate pan at medium high, melt some butter and place two, 1 inch thick Halibut steaks. Cook for 3 minutes a side for perfection or longer if you want it fully cooked through.
5. In a small pan fry in oil 2 Tbsp's of minced ginger for 4 minutes.

When everything is done put it all on a plate and top the quinoa with the black beans and the beans with the ginger. Add a little salt to the asparagus and you are eating a fine meal.

Morel Mushrooms and Quinoa

I'm a Tree planter by trade and one of the many benefits of working outdoors are the annual Morel mushrooms that pop up in the spring. It's always hit and miss with these mushrooms since they usually come up in areas that have experienced a fire. Lucky for us, last year there was a very big fire in one of the areas that we plant trees. We went to one of those areas today and sure enough there were Morels popping out of the ground everywhere. We usually never plant in the same place twice so I made sure that I picked as many as I could while still making some money planting trees.
If you have never tasted a Morel there really are one of the nicest mushrooms out there. Fried up with butter and garlic they are one of the tastiest food you will ever eat. The other nice thing about Morels is that they dry extremely well and taste just as good, if not better, when used like this. You can then use them in soup, stews, pastas, risottos, etc. Tonight I had some left over quinoa so that was I used as a side dish.
serves 2
20 minutes

• As many Morels as you can get
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups of cooked quinoa
• 1 onion, sliced thin
  
• 2 cups of cut spinach
  

1. Fry the onion in a little olive oil and salt until slightly brown.
2. Add the spinach and quinoa and cook a further 3 minutes over medium heat.
3. In a separate pan at medium high melt the butter with the garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add the Morels and cook over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes.
5. Add the food from the 2 pans and serve with a little salt and cayenne.
   

Prawn Pizza

Pizza is another family favorite and no two are ever the same. To me this is the best part about cooking for yourself, you never eat the same thing twice. What could be better than that? I like many types of crust but this one is a favorite as it comes out light, airy, slightly crunchy and very tasty. Perfect for the kids.
serves 3-4
dough - 3 hours
the pizza - 20 minutes

The Dough

• 1 1/2 unbleached white flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp of cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp suger
• 2 tsp fast rising yeast
• a handful of chopped up sun-dried tomatoes
• 3/4 cup of warm water

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Add the water and mix with your fingers and then hands until a ball of dough has formed.
3. Knead for 7-9 minutes, using white flour to keep your hands from sticking to the dough.
4. After a few minutes of kneading add the sun-dried tomatoes and continue kneading.
5. When finished kneading, coat the dough with oil and put in a large bowl. Cover with some plastic and place in a warm spot for a good 2 hours.
6. Punch the dough down, knead for a minute or so, put into a plastic bag and place inside the fridge for at least 1 hour. You can also leave the dough overnight and make the pizza the next day.

The Pizza

1. In a large pizza pan spread out enough cornmeal to lightly cover the surface.
2. Place your rolled out pizza dough on top of the cornmeal covered pan.
3. Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on the pizza dough.
4. Spread 2 cups of finely chopped spinach over the pizza dough.
5. Spread out as many cooked prawns (quickly fried in a little butter) as you like.
6. Grate enough cheese (this one uses Fortinella) to lightly cover the ingredients.
7. Top with 8 torn up pieces of anchovies.
8. Drizzle lightly all over with olive oil.
9. Place in a preheated 450 Fahrenheit oven and cook for 15 minutes.
10. Remove , cool slightly, and serve.
    

A Simple Salad

Here is a simple spring/summer salad that is often lunch or supper all in itself. All of the green are from my window sill and the garden.
serves 1-2
10 minutes

The Salad

• A handful of lettuce, kale, spinach, chard, lovage and chives. Tear the leaves into smaller pieces and put into a bowl.
• Add half a red pepper, diced.
• Add 1 carrot, grated.
• Add a handful of chickpeas.
• Add a small handful of wakame seaweed.
• Add a small handful of pumpkin seeds.

The Dressing. Mix everything together and toss with the salad.

• 3 Tbsp of olive oil
• Juice from one lime/lemon
• 2 tsp of light Miso paste
• 2 tsp of real French mustard
• a few dashes of Soy sauce
• 3 anchovies, chopped into small pieces
  

Pumpkin seed pesto pasta

I still had some pumpkin seed pesto left over so tonight I went for a pasta meal. I have enough greens to eat from my indoor garden so into the pasta they went. I also dipped into my last jar of the sun dried tomatoes that I made last fall.
serves 2
20 minutes

• pasta for 2
• 1 large onion sliced
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced thin
  
• big handful of mixed greens (kale, spinach, arugula, swiss chard), chopped
  
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil)

1. Fry onion and sun dried tomatoes in a bit of oil until slightly browned.
2. Add garlic, celery and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Add mixed greens and cook for a further 1 minute.
4. Add 1/3 cup of pumpkin seed pesto (see previous post for recipe).
5. Mix well with what ever pasta you have cooked.
6. Top with your favorite cheese.
   

Quinoa stir fry with Pumpkin seed pesto

Quinoa is one of my staple foods along with rice and pasta. This dinner is just a simple stir fry with a pesto sauce so anything you like could go into it.
serves 2
30 minutes

The stir fry.

• 1 large onion, sliced
• half a cube of tofu, cubed
• 10 mushrooms, cut to your liking
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups of chopped mixed greens

1. Dry roast quinoa in a pot until they start to slightly brown.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn to low and let cook for 25 minutes.
3. Fry onion, tofu and mushrooms in a pan at medium high for 10 minutes.
4. Add garlic and various greens (spinach, swiss chard, kale) and cook for 5 more minutes.
5. Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and pumpkin seed pesto.
6. Top with some of your favorite cheese. I prefer Romano or Feta for this dish.

The pesto.

1. Dry roast 4 Tbsp of pumpkin seeds in a cast iron pan until they brown and begin to pop.
2. Grind coarsely in a food processor.
3. Add 1 cup of chopped cilantro, the juice from 1 lime, 1 chopped clove of garlic, a pich of salt and enough olive oil to get everything mixed together well. A little cayenne wouldn't hurt here either.
   

Spinach, Chick Pea Thai Curry

Spinach was the vegetable on sale today at the store so my thoughts turned to what to do with it all. It wasn't until I actually had the vegetables frying in the pan that I finally decided on having a Thai coconut curry.
serves 2-3
20 minutes

• 1 onion, cut into strips
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 carrot, cut into thin slices
• 3 cloves garlic, cut into thin slices
• 3 cups of rinsed spinach
• 1/2 cup of cooked chick peas
  
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Thai curry paste (red, yellow or green)
• 1 can of coconut milk
  
• fish sauce
• chili pepper
  
• half a lime

1. Fry onion, red pepper and carrot in a small amount of oil in a pan at medium high until vegetables start to brown.
2. Add garlic, spinach, chick peas and a small amount of water. Cover the pan and let simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add the curry paste and mix with the vegetables.
4. Add the can of coconut milk and mix in well with the vegetables.
5. Simmer for a further 5 minutes.
   
6. Serve with juice from a quarter lime, fish sauce and cayenne into individual bowls.
7. I didn't have cilantro but this would have been added had I had some.
   

Vegetable wrap

Today's lunch for the boys were some flax meal chapatis filled with some veggies from the fridge. S. had already had a plain warm chapati with butter and was just about to eat another (see the bite) when I told him that I wanted him to eat some veggies as well. I always ask the kids what they want so that they feel like they are in charge. For this wrap S. choose red pepper, grated carrots, and cilantro. Later on he had one with ketchup, red pepper, grated carrot, and spinach. Roll them up and eat them fresh. Hard to beat.

These chapatis follow my standard recipe (April 4, 2008), except that in this batch I added 3 Tbps of flax meal to the flour instead of the previous seed mixture.

Kids can cook

S. cutting up some arugula, chives, cress, and spinach - all from the window sill.

S. cutting up the vegetables for his stew.

When you cut with knives you need to be careful. One Batman bandage later and S. was cutting again.

Stew made by a 5 year old.
Serves 4-5
Takes as long as it takes

• 1 or more kids
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 red pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 stalk of broccoli
• 3 carrots
• chives, arugula, cress, and spinach
• left over pasta from night before
  

1. Have a trusted child cut up all the greens in a bowl with a pair of sissors.
2. Have same child cut up vegetables with a serrated edged knife (it's a little safer).
3. Put everything, including pasta, in a colorful pot with some olive oil.
4. Saute everything in the pot at medium low for about 10 minutes.
5. Add 6 cups of water and once it comes to a boil, turn down to low and let simmer for up to one hour.
6. Serve with soy sauce.
   

Pasta a la J.

When I first moved to this area I quickly realized that the Italians who had settled the area also brought their great food with them. There is pasta galore and the local store always has good produce. It makes eating well as easy as it should be.
serves 2-3
25 minutes

• 1 onion, diced
  
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 2 carrots, grated
  
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
  
• 3 cups spinach cut up
• romano cheese
• olive oil
• 3 cups of pasta
  

1. Saute the onion and pepper in some olive at medium heat until they turn slightly brown.
   
2. Add garlic and carrots and cook for 3 more minutes.
3. Add spinach, add a little bit of water, cover with a lid, turn to low and simmer.
4. Into a boiling pot of lightly salted water add pasta and cook until done.
5. When the pasta is done, drain and return to pot. Add the vegetables and some olive oil to mix everything well.
6. Serve and add some grated romano cheese.
7. I like to add a little chili peppers as well for some heat.

And for the grownups...

Nothing beats turning left over rice from the night before into a fried rice and eggs breakfast the next morning.
serves 1-2
10 minutes

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• half a red pepper, diced
• 3/4 cup chopped cilantro
• salted black beans
• hot sauce
• fish sauce
• olive oil

1. In a non-stick pan, at medium high heat, cook the red peppers in a little olive oil.
2. When slightly browned add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Add the rice and the black beans.
4. Crack the two eggs into the pan next to the rice and cook to your liking (mine is over easy).
   
5. Add the cilantro to the rice while the eggs are cooking.
   
6. When the eggs are done to your liking, remove and serve.
   
7. Add some fish sauce to the rice and some hot sauce to the eggs. My favorite hot sauce for eggs is Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, widely available in most places.
   

Again, you can do what ever you want with a breakfast like this. Much depends on what you have in your fridge and what you may have a hankering for. For me the main ingredients are the fish sauce and the cilantro in the rice and the hot sauce on the eggs. Breakfast heaven.

Another breakfast favorite

If S. isn't eating an omelette for breakfast he's probably eating a crepe. As long as you have eggs in the fridge you can whip one up in no time at all.
serves 2-3
7-10 minutes

• 2 free range eggs
• white or whole wheat flour
• pinch of salt
• soy milk
• 1 Tbsp each of pumpkin, flax, and almond seeds
• olive oil

1. Whisk eggs in a bowl for 1 minute.
2. Add 1/3 cup or so of soy milk.
3. Add salt.
4. Add 1/2 cup or so of flour, making sure the mixture does not get too thick. If it does, add more soy milk.
5. Grind the seeds in a grinder until fully ground and add to the egg mixture.
6. At medium high heat, in a non-stick pan slightly covered with olive oil, add just enough mixture to cover(the pan). As soon as the mixture has solidified, flip over and cook for a further minute or so. The crepe is now ready to eat.

This is very easy and quick to make. With the added seed mixture it is also very nutritious. S. had this one plain but he'll often add jam, honey, maple syrup, or yogurt. Use what ever you have in your fridge. This also makes a nice lunchtime snack for school since it taste just as good cold as it does hot.

My Favorite Popcorn

I do a lot of things to popcorn, my favorite night time snack, and this is one I return to time after time.
serves 2-3
10 minutes

1. 2 Tbsp Wakame seaweed, cayenne to taste, and salt to taste, put in a grinder and ground to a fine powder.
2. In a small pot melt 2-3 Tbsp of butter. Add the juice from half a lime. With a garlic press, add 2-3 small cloves of garlic.
3. A small handful of cilantro, finely chopped.
4. Pop your popcorn, add the butter mixture, followed by the grinder mix and then the chopped cilantro.
5. Mix, eat and enjoy!
   

Broccoli, Red Pepper Redux

I still had lots of broccoli and red pepper so here is a heartier version for tonight.
serves 2
15 minutes

• 1 onion, cut in strips
• 1 red pepper, cut in strips
• 1 cup of diced yam
• 2 heads of broccoli, cut into stalks
  
• 4 cloves garlic
• olive oil
  
• juice from half a lime
• good handful of chopped cilantro
• thai fish sauce
• cayenne

1. Fry the onion, red pepper and yam in olive oil until slightly browned.
2. Add garlic and broccoli, put a lid on the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Serve vegetables in large bowl.
   
4. Add lime juice, fish sauce and cayenne to taste.
5. Top with cilantro and serve.
6. Add your favorite seeds or nuts in top.
   

Steamed Broccoli and Fried Red Pepper

Whenever I want a nice light meal that is quick and nutritious I almost always turn to broccoli. This dish is definitely on the salty side so feel free to cut back on the salty ingredients if you wish.
serves 2

10 minute

To steam and cook

• 2-3 heads of broccoli, cut into individual stalks
  
• 2 medium red pepper, chopped any size you like
  
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp olive oil
  

The sauce

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 anchovies, minced
• juice from half a lime/lemon
• 1 tsp real french mustard
• 1 tsp tamari sauce
• pinch of cayenne
  

Steam the broccoli and fry (in olive oil) the red pepper at the same time. After 5 minutes of cooking add the garlic to the red peppers and cook for a further 1 minute. While the steaming and frying is going on mix all the sauce ingredients together. When the vegetables are done put the broccoli on a plate topped with the red peppers. Pour the sauce on top of the vegetables and sprinkle on the sesame seeds.

Optional - You can use whatever sauce or vinaigrette you like on this dish. You can also use any other nuts or seeds such as shaved almonds, cashews, etc. These can be dry roasted or not. Throw some cilantro or parsley on top. What I made is very simple but many things can be added to it depending on your own taste and what you have in your kitchen.

Hummus

Another favorite of the kids is simple to make hummus. Eaten with carrots, celery, cucumber, peppers, etc., it ensures that they are eating something good. It's never the same recipe twice so use this as a starting of point to do your own thing. This recipe is for this particular batch.

serves a family
5 minutes

• 1 1/2 cup chick peas
• 1/2 large lime or lemon
• 1 small carrot, finely grated
  
• 2 Tbsp tahini paste
• 1-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• olive oil
  
• a handful of chives and garden cress

1. Mix first 6 ingredients in a blender and puree. Use enough olive oil to get the consistency you like. I like mine slightly on the chunky side.
2. When pureed, add the chive and cress and blend them into the mix.

Garlic, Spinach Omlette

A simple omlette

S. likes to eat a variety of things for breakfast but one of his favorites is still a simple garlic and spinach omlette

makes 1 omlette
8 minutes

• 2 free range eggs
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• handful of spinach, chopped
• your favorite cheese
• a little olive oil
  

1. Fry garlic in olive oil in a medium hot pan for 3 minutes.
2. Add spinach, cook for 1 minute.
3. Add garlic and spinach to the eggs and beat until smooth.
4. Return to the pan and cook until bubbles start to appear.
5. Add cheese and fold omlette in half.
6. Cook for a few more minutes, remove and serve.
   

To make a fluffier omlette cover the pan with a lid while cooking.

Sesame Seaweed Chapatis

Kneading the chapati dough

One rolled out chapati, ready for the pan

One nicely puffed up chapati

An eager 1 year old reaching for a warm chapati

I've always enjoyed making bread but with kids it just seemed like I never had some when they actually wanted to eat some. So I've gradually switched over to chapatis as a quicker substitute. The kids took to them right away and now chapatis and flat breads are almost all they eat. They are quick to make, and can be filled with anything or just eaten on their own. Here is my favorite take on the basic chapati recipe.

Makes 10, 7 inch Chapatis

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 Tbsp Wakame seaweed, ground in a grinder
• 1 Tbsp seasme seeds, ground in a grinder
  
• 7/8 cup warm water

Part I - Preparing the dough - 10-15 minutes

1. Mix the first 4 ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. Add water and stir the mixture with your fingers.
3. Once the dough is thick enough, start kneading it in the bowl until everything is mixed.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 5-8 minutes. Use Olive oil on your hands to stop the dough from sticking to your hands and the work area.
5. Put the dough in a plastic bag and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. I find the chapatis come out best when the dough is left in the fridge overnight. I'll make the dough when the kids are in bed, put it in the fridge, and then make them fresh the next day.

Part II - Making the Chapatis - 10 -15 minutes

1. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut into 10 equal pieces. Dust the pieces well with white flour.
2. On a flour dusted surface take one piece of dough and start to flatten with a rolling pin. Roll from the center out and rotate a quarter turn for every roll. This will make a for a more rounded chapati.
3. Pre-heat a large cast iron pan at medium for 5-7 minutes.
4. When your first chapati is ready put it on the pan and start rolling out the next one.
   
5. With a small dry cloth, press down on the chapati while it is cooking. This helps the air pockets to form. After 30-40 seconds flip over and cook for another 20-30 seconds, pressing down with the cloth on any areas that haven't puffed up. Don't worry if the whole thing does not puff up; most don't. If it does, you've made the perfect chapati; congratulations!
   
6. Remove the chapati and put it on tea towel. Fold half the towel over the chapati to keep it moist.
7. Repeat until all the chapatis are done.
8. Eat fresh or wait until the chapatis are cool and store in a plastic bag to keep them moist for a day or so.

It may look like a lot of work but the whole process actually goes fairly quick once you get the hang of it. I like to have a ball of dough in the fridge at all times so that I can quickly make a few fresh ones for the kids. Simple and extremely versatile.