I had the opportunity to go on a tour with Foodies on Foot and visit an asparagus farm as well as a lavender farm! I don’t often get the chance to visit a farm but when the opportunity presents itself …I jump at the chance.

The asparagus farm was indeed a learning experience. I had no idea that asparagus grew like this. (see bottom left photo)

At the end of the day, we were given 11 pounds of asparagus. For about a week, I was pretty busy making asparagus soup, roasted asparagus, steamed asparagus etc.

I also made this delicious Spring Asparagus Tart that I discovered online. In no time at all, I had a pretty nice looking meal.

Here’s the recipe courtesy of Morgan Hass for Food Network Kitchens:

SPRING ASPARAGUS TART

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (a 9 1/2- by 9-inch sheet from a 17.3-ounce package)

1 cup mascarpone

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 large egg, beaten

1 lemon, zest finely grated (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 pound pencil asparagus, woody bottoms trimmed off

1 tablespoon olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Serve this tart with a few salads and you are good to go!!

To find out more information about Foodies on Foot, please visit their website www.foodiesonfoot.ca  or follow them on twitter @foodiesonfoot.

 

As you know, I have been trying to avoid carbs…. which means I try to avoid sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and more. (I’m not listing them so I don’t get depressed).

However there’s a list of vegetables I am allowed to enjoy and that list includes: bok choy and asparagus. Here are two recipes that I made this week.

I am a bit frustrated with the first recipe as I can’t find it. Don’t ask..it’s in a cookbook but I don’t know which one. I have given up looking. Sorry.

But I’m going to share it with you anyway with my own made up recipe.

Again, this dish is a perfect side dish for salmon and can be served warm or cold.

Gingered Asparagus

Ingredients

asparagus

Sauce:

1/2 tablespoon tamari

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 minced garlic clove

1 minced chunk of ginger (please oh please buy organic.It’s so much more flavorful)

a bit of honey (sorry I didn’t measure)

DIRECTIONS:

1. steam asparagus

2. combine the ingredients to make the sauce.

3. drizzle the sauce of the middle of the asparagus dish.

Nutty Bok Choy Salad (from Gatherings: A Collection of Recipes from Netivot Hatorah Parents Association)

Dressing

3 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons peanut butter

Topping

1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts

1 pk ramen noodles, crushed

Salad

5 cups bok choy, sliced

2 green onions, sliced

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, honey and peanut butter until well combined. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, saute peanuts and noodles until golden. Remove from heat

Put the salad ingredients in a shallow bowl. Right before serving, sprinkle the noodles and nuts over the salad.

Drizzle with dressing. Serve.

Happy Healthy Cooking

During the heat wave last week, I was determined to prepare an entire meal for guests without using the oven. Yay for me..I did it.

This is what I served:

1. Tuna Nicoise: lettuce, tuna,mushrooms, tomatoes, black olives, red pepper, yellow pepper and hard boiled eggs. (sorry no green beans as I’m on a carb free diet)

2. Asparagus: I also served an asparagus dish that I haven’t made for years. All you have to do is steam the asparagus  and then make a marinade.(sauce?) Please forgive me as I don’t have the exact measurements nor can I even remember which cookbook this recipe is from! (oh the joys of owning too many cookbooks).  Here’s the best I can do: grated ginger, grated garlic, rice wine vinegar, tamari sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, salt and peper. Does that help? Probably not…again, my apologies.

Steam the asparagus. Make the Marinade. Plate the Asparagus and then drizzle the marinade over it. Simple Stuff.

3. FISH:   I als0 served fish using a spice packet that I bought at Eat Sum More (7700 Bathurst St, Thornhill.  This unique retail store specializes in products from South Africa. I figured for $2.99 – it was worth trying. All I did was squeeze some lemon juice into the mixture and let the fish marinate in it for a few hours in the fridge.

After marinating the fish, I simply pan fried the fillets for a few minutes on each side.

4. Berries with Whipped Cream: I served a carb free dessert to my guest  However they didn’t seem to mind being served an assortment of berries (blackberries, blueberries and raspberries) with whipped cream and some mint as a garnish. Do you like the cups? First time I used them.

As for drinks: I served a red sangria and a white sangria for my guests and I sipped Molson Canadian 67. This beer is SAVING ME. It’s one thing to go carb free and it’s another to go carb free during a HOT summer. A huge thanks to Molson for developing this beer.

Mission Accomplished: I entertained without using an oven PLUS I stuck to my carb free diet. I’m on week 5 and so far so good.