Herbed Asparagus

Get it while it lasts... the asparagus season has about finished it's course here.  It will depend on how the weather has been in your area.  I love roasting asparagus but when it's just picked I really enjoy a simple steam and then topping it with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh, chopped herbs.
There's no recipe here, just wash the asparagus, snap off the tough ends and steam until still crisp-tender.
Then blot dry and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle on course sea salt and whatever herbs you like.
Chives, thyme and tarragon are great matches.
I've also topped this with a crumble of lemon Stilton and/or toasted and chopped hazelnuts.

Tastes like green if a color had a taste!

How Does Your Garden Grow....

baby romaine and chickory with small greens emerging

It has been such a wonderful spring that I was able to start gardening much sooner this year than in the past.  It has been a blessing but I have been incredibly busy with the gardens and have neglected these posts completely!
The profusion of greens from the garden has been more we can keep up with so I have already been blanching and freezing some of the greens like kale, rapini, chards and chickory.  I've also been making bundles of fresh garlic greens and freezing those for use through the winter in red sauces, etc.

baby romaine

treviso kale
 

So now it's well underway and it's back to blogging in between work, life, freezing, canning and cooking.....
i look forward to a summer of family, friends and the outdoors!

Tropical Guacamole

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo I wanted to make some fun guacamole, something I had not tried before.  I started thinking how great roasted plantains would be with avocado but I didn't have any around.  I knew I had avocados around and some ripe bananas and from there this recipe came about.
Isn't it funny the things we can think of while out on a run?  This one paid off--

This is DIVINE!

Kiwi Guacamole

There's a wonderful contrast between the crunch of the kiwi seeds and the creaminess of the avocado and add to that the sweet-hot flavor of peppadews and this will have you going through that bag of tortilla chips in no time--so watch out!

I added a touch of sweetness to this with a teaspoon of agave nectar, but if you have pineapple juice on hand that would be great!

Tomato and Avocado Cilantro Salad

The name says it all.  Prepare a bit ahead so you can refrigerate it and serve it cold--it's really refreshing and pairs perfectly with a variety of dishes, but especially something with some heat!  Maybe chile dusted scallops or barbecue ribs/chicken.

I served this with "chorizo" stuffed chile rellenos and garlicky-habanero green beans .

This will only get better as the summer months yield local tomatoes so enjoy!

"Chorizo" stuffed Chile Rellenos

Ok, you could probably use the real deal here but I didn't!  I used a vegetarian chorizo made from seitan(high protein wheat gluten).  I've had other "chorizo" products made from soy but this is the best for this kind of dish.  I used a brand called Upton's Naturals, no gmo's and vegan.  So if you leave the cheese out of this the dish will be vegan.  I used some Manchengo cheese and a crumble of mango ginger cheese, the sweetness it added was wonderful with the smoky, spicy flavor from the chorizo.
Here's the link for Upton's: http://www.uptonsnaturals.com/products/

I served this with a tomato and avocado salad loaded with cilantro, post to follow!

Baked Chile Rellenos with Quinoa

A twist on the traditional chile rellenos, stuffing the charred poblano with a quinoa mixture keeps them light and adds protein.  The stuffing can be made ahead of time and just fill and bake quickly to heat and melt the cheese!
I have served these as is with a salad dressed with lime and olive oil or with a couple sauces on the side.  Below I have a tomatillo sauce using frozen tomatillos from last years garden but if you have fresh tomatillos all the better!  I've also included a quick corn sauce. 

Served with corn sauce and a cracked coriander lentil salad