springtime sandwich FTW!

Hey hey ... is it spring in your neck of the woods?  While we are expecting a chilly, damp week this week, there are definitely signs ... trees are budding, grass is greening, bulbs are beginning to peek up and open, flowers are blooming!  An early spring in Minnesota is always a welcome treat, as we frequently have cold temperatures (and sometimes snow!) well into the first week of May.  Hooray!

It's entirely possible that the most exciting part of spring, for me, is the return of local, fresh produce. While we still aren't getting much locally grown, (other than some downright glorious, dark-green, Hulk-sized spinach,) one can pick up a bunch or two of California asparagus and dream of delicious things to come, right?

THIS SANDWICH.  I forget where I originally got the idea for this sandwich, (maybe The Kitchn?), but I don't even care -- I don't really even like sandwiches all that much, and I can't get enough!  Crusty, toasted bread, asparagus, hard-cooked egg ... what's not to like?  I believe the original article suggested making this sandwich on a length of baguette, but I have been loving these mini-stirato that I have picked up from the co-op bakery ... they are just the right size and shape for hollowing-out, toasting, and stuffing full of springtime goodness.

P.S. This sandwich is yet another way for me to use up the vast quantity of pickled onions I canned last summer.  Springtime sandwich FTW!

Springtime Sandwich
serves 1

Ingredients:
Crusty bread, hollowed out and toasted
Mustard
Olive oil
Roasted asparagus
Sliced, hard-cooked egg
Pickled red onion
Dill
Lemon

Directions:
1. Assemble sandwich: spread one half of the toasted bread with mustard, drizzle the other half with olive oil.  Stuff full of delicious ingredients.  Squeeze on a little lemon.
2. Devour.

I hear this sandwich keeps well, but, really ... why would you want to wait to eat something so delicious?

~~~~~~~~~~

How have you been enjoying spring produce?

Crepes with Asparagus and Cheese

I began learning the French language in 6th grade, and continued all the way up through college, declaring a minor in French.  I learned how to make crepes in high school, and often brought them to French class parties, separated between layers of waxed paper, layered in one of my mom's large Tupperware containers.  We would smother our crepes in strawberry jam and Nutella, or fill them with chocolate mousse, and finish them off with whipped cream and powdered sugar.  French club would sell crepes at the school's winter carnival, cooking them "to order" with our teachers' electric crepe pans.  (I still kind of want one of those ... I loved flipping the domed griddle over, dipping it in the cake pan full of batter, and turning it back over just in time to flip the paper-thin, expertly browned crepe, ready to be cooked on its second side.)

I have long since lost my ability to read, write, or really even speak the French language, (tragedy, I realize ... a skill I could one day regain, if I so chose -- right up there with my ability to read bass clef,) but my love for crepes remains.  Strange that I have a tendency to forget about crepes, isn't it?  However, last night I remembered these beauties work just as well in savory pairings as in sweet.  I had picked up a bunch of asparagus at the farmer's market, we always seem to have some cheese, butter, and eggs hanging around, and there was some milk lingering in the back of the fridge for too long, about to expire.  Sounds like the makings of an excellent dinner!

Crepes with Asparagus and Cheese
yield: 12 to 16 crepes, depending on size

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter (1 stick,) melted, plus more for the pan
2 cups + 2 tbsp milk
pinch salt
steamed asparagus, sautéed mushrooms, and/or sautéed spinach
shredded cheese (Gruyere would have been amazing, but cheddar was what we had on hand)

Directions:
1. Make the crepe batter.  You can whisk all of the ingredients together vigorously in a large mixing bowl, or alternately, blend the ingredients using an electric mixer or blender.  (I used my blender -- this works really well.  You will get a beautifully light, bubbly, perfectly blended batter.  I had to pause a couple times in the blending and scrape down the sides -- sometimes lumps of flour get stuck.)

2. Preheat a nonstick frying pan or crepe pan over medium to medium-high heat.  You want the pan hot enough to brown butter on contact, but not so hot that it burns.

3. Make yourself a butter "crayon" with an extra half-stick of butter --

(Yes, that's a technical term.  Ha.)

4. Use your butter crayon to lightly butter your preheated pan.

(If it's especially hot in your kitchen, which it was in mine last night, you may need to stick your butter crayon on a plate in the fridge in-between uses, or you'll end up with a puddle.)

5. Pour in 1/4 to 1/3 cup of crepe batter, depending on the size of your pan.  Pick up the pan, tilt and swirl, until you get a thin, even layer of batter covering the pan.

6. When the first side of the crepe begins to brown and look "lacey," flip and cook the second side.  (I find a long silicone spatula works well for me; use whatever works best for you!)

7. After the second side browns in spots, flip it back over and sprinkle cheese down the middle.  Allow the crepe to cook for just a few more seconds, to help melt the cheese.

8. Transfer the crepe to a plate, fill with asparagus, and fold!

You can choose to garnish with more cheese, sautéed mushrooms in their juices, a sprinkling of chopped fresh chives, or if you are feeling really indulgent, hollandaise.  :)  (Wouldn't that be tasty!?!)

9. Continue cooking until you have used up all of your crepe batter, re-buttering the pan before adding more batter each time.  (Or, if you are feeding only one or two people for dinner, cook all of the crepes and fill only the last four.)  Pile up the crepes on a plate in-between layers of parchment or waxed paper (otherwise the butter you cooked them in will solidify in storage, glueing your crepes together forever,) cool, then cover and refrigerate.  Crepes reheat beautifully in a warmed skillet or even the microwave!  (I have also had good success freezing them -- just get them wrapped really well in plastic wrap and sealed tightly in a Ziploc bag, otherwise you'll end up with dry, crispy edges upon thawing and reheating.)

What are your favorite crepe fillings?  Although I love them savory, as we enjoyed them for dinner last night, I love them more leftover the next day, cold from the fridge, smeared with homemade strawberry jam, folded into quarters, and dusted with powdered sugar.  (Ahem ... second breakfast, anyone?)

happy birthday to me!

It was a short week, with little cooking, I guess!  Perhaps we have been eating out too much lately?  :)

(I suppose that's not entirely a bad thing?)

Homemade pizza and roasted asparagus:

The front pizza is topped with olive oil, mozzarella, feta, artichokes, kalamata olives, and dried tomatoes; the back pizza is topped with caramelized onions, asiago, mozzarella, and three different kinds of mushrooms!  The mushroom pizza was definitely the hit -- I give credit to the caramelized onions.  They add an amazingness to meals, don't they?

Pancake breakfast!

I made buttermilk pancakes with half whole-wheat pastry flour, half chickpea flour.  Delicious, albeit a little "beany," (they benefited from a little extra syrup, is all.)  I need to figure out my buttermilk to flour ratio a little more, as my buttermilk pancakes tend to spread too much and be a little too tender (i.e. nearly impossible to flip in one piece.)  Ah, pancakes just aren't my specialty, I guess!  I'll stick to waffles.

My "birthday dinner!"

Yes, we had veggie dogs, coleslaw, baked beans, and veggies for my birthday dinner!  We were supposed to go camping this weekend, (hence, the veggie dogs,) but then with the nearly constant threat of severe thunderstorms, we decided to postpone.  Veggie dogs don't taste quite as good at home, but were still pretty tasty.  I used Liz's coleslaw dressing recipe, adding pepper and poppyseeds, and tossing it with shredded cabbage, carrot, and sliced green onions.  John doesn't like coleslaw!  Oh well. More for me.  :)

~~~~~~~~~~

I've enjoyed having the last two days off from work for "birthday fun" -- and we'll keep it up through the weekend!

Lately we've been . . .

1. Watching Oliver get adjusted to his new digs:

I admit, he looks really relaxed and content in these pictures.  He has moments where he feels like that, it seems.  However, he still spends much of the day hiding, and managed to get himself locked in the linen closet for most of the day yesterday!  We finally figured out where he was late afternoon, when we heard muffled meows coming from upstairs.  :)

2. Celebrating John's birthday with Pecan Pie:

And Nutloaf, buttermilk-chive mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, and Quick Gravy:

3. Starting plants for our backyard urban farm:

We are ecstatic that we saved nearly enough TP rolls to make little pots!  (Egg cartons to the rescue!)  We spent a total of $4 on cheap baking sheets from the dollar store, and a few bucks at Target on some plastic pots for herbs.

4. Eating pizza:

(It's kind of a Sunday night "thing" at our house.)

5. And still getting organized:

Spice racks went up yesterday!  Wahoo!  Our kitchen is finally organized, which is a big deal for this cook.  Very few unpacking projects remain . . . .

What have you been up to?  Anyone else chomping at the bit to get gardening?

The first harvest!

Dinner tonight was a simple pasta, including some homegrown spinach and arugula! The first harvest from our garden!! Woo-HOO!!

today in food

After an incredibly busy day yesterday, which involved spending WAY too much time in the car driving all over the metro for a variety of reasons, we made today a quiet day.  We did little besides cook, eat, and lounge, although we did get out for a walk this afternoon.  Here's today in food:

Breakfast:

Homemade buttermilk pancakes, topped with strawberries and syrup, with a side of maple-glazed breakfast sausages!

Lunch:

Homemade pizza, using up leftovers from the party last weekend, with a spinach, cucumber, and tomato salad on the side.  (P.S. LOVE "Goddess" dressing.  The only bottled dressing I buy.  Anyone have a good recipe for a homemade version?)

Afternoon baking project:

I can't think of anything better to do on a dreary Sunday afternoon besides lounge around watching Forrest Gump, while periodically stirring the granola -- can you?

Dinner:

Chili-Glazed Tofu Over Asparagus and Rice was a new recipe, and a good one!  I, of course, didn't follow the recipe as written . . . I pulled the asparagus component out of the rice pilaf, roasting it in the oven instead, and added red bell pepper and mushroom to the pilaf, per a suggestion someone made the comments section of the recipe.  Kept the glaze on the tofu the same, though, which was excellent!  I'll definitely make this again -- healthy and easy.

Off to finish the movie . . . !

5-a-day? Indeed.

Something about the whole 5-a-day thing has always confused me a little.  I understand the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, of course, but what I don't understand is, why is it so hard for so many people?

 I had at least 5 produce servings just in my dinner tonight!

Avocado, mayo, and sprouts on toasted wholegrain bread, roasted asparagus, and Terra Chips.

And a post-dinner baking project resulted in one heck of a fabulous dessert:

Honey & Goat Cheese-Filled Fig Muffins are TO DIE FOR.  (I did sub Neufchatel for the goat cheese, as I wanted a little leftover for my bagel tomorrow morning . . . !!)  I practically inhaled this muffin warm from the oven, and I can't wait to try them chilled for breakfasts or snacks.  A tad sweeter than the average muffin, these definitely walk the dessert line, but are still 100% whole grain (and pretty high in protein, for a muffin,) so they would still make a decent breakfast.  What is it about figs that makes things seem a bit more decadent?  I'll probably never understand.  But I'll keep eating these muffins, in the hopes of figuring it out.  ;)

funky salad

It was one of those "pull-whatever-out-of-the-fridge" kinds of dinners:

Local baby spinach topped with local asparagus, red onion, dried cherries (unsweetened!), walnuts, local buttermilk blue cheese, fig balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Kind of funky, but kind of good!

What's an odd food combination that you've come up with lately?

first meal

The first meal cooked in my new place wasn't anything terribly Earth-shattering, but it was healthy and delicious!

Penne tossed with asparagus, cremini mushrooms, garlic, chili flakes, and dried parsley, cooked in a hefty amount of olive oil, with grated parmesan for sprinkling at the table. (Iced herbal tea on the side.) MMMMMMM!

Oy. I am SO tired tonight -- it has been a long, busy, fun, exciting, weekend! I'm totally unpacked and settled in -- can you believe it?? Pictures are even on the walls and everything! I definitely need an early bedtime tonight . . . night night!

dinner party, packing party

I have been excited to throw impromptu "dinner and games" parties lately -- basically, I call all of my friends, see who is free that evening, cook something, and everybody hangs out, eats, and plays board games. My friends Tiffany and Christine came over last night, and we had a great time!

I made a triple-batch of chickpea pancakes, just to make sure there were enough to go around :)

We topped our pancakes with copious amounts of roasted asparagus, and plenty of herbed yogurt, too!

After dinner, we played a few games -- "Where's the Beef?" (an old game of Christine's from the 80s, which appropriately, the vegetarian (me!) won!), "Apples to Apples," and "UNO." I'm so glad my friends enjoy board games as much as I do!

~~~~~~~~~~

Today, my friend Dora kindly brought several boxes for me to church with her; I couldn't help but fill them up! It was a productive afternoon -- I sorted, purged, and cleaned the bathroom, my storage locker, and "junk tower" in my living room closet, took out a bunch of trash, added to the Goodwill pile, and packed 5 or 6 boxes, as well as all of my out-of-season clothing! Books are easy to pack, so I practically emptied the bookshelf; Oliver was confused:

"Uh, mom, where did all the books go? Not that I'm complaining or anything . . . it's much easier to reach and destroy my favorite toys, now." :)

Hope you had a good weekend!

"mixin' it up"

There is a small part of me, deep down, that wishes leftovers didn't exist -- even though I frequently enjoy reheated leftovers for work lunches, and love that I don't have to cook EVERY day, I really would prefer something "fresh" at every meal. I realize that is horrible, but there you go! I have a weird palate. (Don't we all?)

I have discovered many ways over the years to "trick" myself into enjoying leftovers -- eating them for lunch at work, (I'm a captive audience, and often very hungry, so happy for what I have,) making sure there are fresh toppings to add just before serving, (shredded cheese, sliced green onions, diced avocado, fresh herbs, a squeeze of citrus, etc.) and, my best trick -- mixin' up the side dishes. Often, when I prepare a large portion of seasoned tofu or tempeh, I will make smaller portions of side dishes, which then means I get to make fresh side dishes to accompany some of the leftovers!

Here's a perfect example:

More curried tofu, this time with garlic-roasted asparagus and roasted fingerling potatoes, instead of the roasted sweet potatoes and artichoke I enjoyed earlier in the weekend. Not that I wouldn't have enjoyed another artichoke and more sweet potatoes; rather, this method means I don't "get sick" of curried tofu four meals in a row! Sneaky, eh?

how to: miso soup

I have gone off and on miso soup through the years, but lately, it's defenitely been one of my "go to" quick and healthy meals. Who doesn't love a bowl of salty, brothy veggies, with a little tofu or noodles thrown in on occasion? Sign me up!

Over the years, I've tried a variety of recipes and approaches towards miso soup, and have run into several road blocks -- mainly, that traditional miso soup relies heavily on a broth containing bonito, which does not fit in with my "strict" vegetarian diet. (Plus, I just think it tastes nasty. My preference, and all!)

Recently, I've discovered what I believe to be the perfect vegetarian miso soup, using a quick, homemade broth that is both clean tasting and complex. Observe:

1. Per serving, bring 2 cups of water, one dried shiitake mushroom, one strip of konbu, and as much ginger as you would like to a boil:

After the broth boils, remove it from the heat and allow it to steep as long as you'd like -- at least a half-hour, preferably an hour if you have the time. (This is an easy thing to do in advance, if you'd like.)

2. While your broth is steeping, prepare your other ingredients:

Tonight, I used a big pile of sliced shiitake mushroom caps, some asparagus from my freezer, and sliced green onions. I also like sugar snap peas, pressed and cubed tofu, soba noodles (broken into 1-inch pieces,) and julienned carrot in miso soup. I try to limit myself to three additional ingredients, just to keep the whole thing from turning into a stew. :)

3. Remove the dried mushroom, konbu, and ginger from your broth. Return it to a boil, and add your additional veggies:

Lower the heat and simmer the soup for at least five minutes, unless you are using noodles, then check the package and simmer until your noodles are cooked through.

4. Stir in a spoonful of miso:

I don't like the mess of removing some of the broth, dissolving the miso in this broth and then returning it to the pot, so I press my miso through a small strainer directly into the soup.

5. Enjoy!


Have you ever made miso soup before? What is your preferred method?

Mardi Gras!

Helloooooo Fat Tuesday! Any of you folks out there that took French in high school probably feel the same as I . . . Mardi Gras = crepe day! I don't get so much into the whole party your brains out/wear colorful necklaces/eat red beans and rice part of Mardi Gras, but I can always get behind an excuse to make crepes!

Well . . . after making crepes with the kids for snack today, I still hadn't had enough crepe action for the day. Enter, dinner:

(There's some provolone and asparagus hiding in each . . .)

And dessert!

(Homemade raspberry jam and powdered sugar this time!)

Um, is there such a thing as a "butter coma?" I might be in one. The kitchen is a complete mess, but all I want to do right now is go to sleep! Hm. Conundrum.

Sunday night soup

Here's a delicious, simple little meal I made for dinner on Sunday night:

Asparagus Potato Soup, from Cooking Light, with grilled swiss cheese sandwiches on the side. This meal could have been even better if I had remembered to pick up a tomato to go on the grilled cheese, but as is, it was pretty lovely! The soup, (prepared with plain yogurt and plain milk, since adding vanilla and all of that sugar to a savory soup just sounded WEIRD to me,) was light, tasty, and satisfying, and has made nice lunches this week, too. :)

Now I just have to figure out what to do with the rest of the asparagus from last spring that's still in my freezer! :) Any suggestions??

lazy Sunday

Dan and I were uber-productive both Friday night and almost all day Saturday this past weekend, so when we found ourselves on Saturday night with "nothing to do," we jumped for joy!

A lazy Sunday was such a pleasant surprise!

First thing we did? We SLEPT IN. Now, I know this might not seem like a huge deal, but I can't begin to remember the last time I've slept past 8 am . . . EVER. Know what time I woke up yesterday morning?

10:00!!!! WOW!

First order of business? Coffee. Second? Pancakes!

I made whole-wheat lemon-ricotta pancakes, and they turned out beautifully fluffy, lemony-delicious, and were heavenly topped with tons of fresh fruit and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.

After cleaning up the kitchen, we headed over to Theo Wirth park (which is located in Minneapolis!) for a nice, long walk. I feel very lucky to have this beautiful of a park within biking distance of my apartment!




















After our walk, we were both hungry, so Dan suggested we get ice cream. Yum!

I ordered the "Hot Grin" sundae from Sebastian Joe's, which was a scoop of vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, hot caramel, salted mixed nuts, and whipped cream. OH BABY! I love the salty-sweet combination, but this one was almost too much for me . . . Dan had to help me with the last couple of bites.

When we got home, we lounged around on the couch and watched a movie. I don't think I've watched a movie in a month!

After the movie, it was time for dinner:

I made Herbed Ricotta Tart, with sides of roasted asparagus and salad. This was a delicious, EASY recipe! Wahoo! I did make a few modifications, (I used homemade pizza dough instead of the crud in a can, I didn't precook the green onions, etc.,) but this will definitely be a repeat at our house!

Hope you enjoyed your weekend, too!