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.
   

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.
   

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.

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.

Recipe - A Tangy Broth

I made this simple soup broth last night and it tasted amazing, so I figured that I might as well make it again while I exit my cleanse. Perhaps it tasted so good because I haven't eaten in 15 days.

Serves 2-3
40 minutes

• 1 cup diced yam
  
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
  
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• pinch of cayenne
• 1 Tbsp dried Wakame seaweed
• 1 tsp Yellow (or Red or Green) Thai Curry paste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  
• 1 tsp olive oil
• half a small lime
• 1 tsp Thai Fish Sauce (optional but recommended)
  

1. Sautee the first 3 ingredients at medium high in a heavy pot with the olive oil, curry paste and turmeric until onions turn slightly brown.
2. Add a bit of water, the cayenne, and seaweed. Turn to low, cover the pot and cook for a further 10-15 minutes.
3. Add 4 cups of water, bring to a boil, and then simmer on low for a further 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the stove and pour soup though a strainer.
5. Add 1 tsp fish sauce per serving. (optional)
   
6. Serve with a slice of lime to squeeze in
   

Eat this wonderful broth as is (very filling on it's own!) or use it as a base for any soup recipe calling for vegetable broth. Keep the vegetables to have a soup instead of a broth or mix them in with rice, pasta, scrambled eggs, or anything else you can think up.