Lemon Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 bunch asparagus (remaining from previous recipe)
3 tbsp almond slices

1. Preheat electric griddle to 400 degrees. If you do not have an electric griddle, you can bake the asparagus in the oven. Preheat to 300.
2. Apply oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice to asparagus and mix evenly.
3. Roast asparagus on electric griddle for 2-3 minutes on each side. If you are using the oven, bake for 10-15 minutes.

4. Roast almond slices over the stove in small frying pan, until brown. Keep flame on medium-low and stir frequently to prevent almonds from burning.
5. Top asparagus with almond slices and enjoy!

Asparagus and Tomato Tart

Ingredients:

1 (9-inch) frozen pie crust

3 slices bacon, chopped (I use Midamar Turkey Bacon)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bunch fresh asparagus

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained well, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning

1/4 freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil leaves

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

The night before:

1. Sauté the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on a paper towel. 

2. Snap off thick ends of asparagus, or if you're like me and you hate to waste, use a peeler to remove the thick skin at the bottom. Divide the bunch of asparagus in half and cut 1/2 bunch into 2 inch long pieces. Save the other 1/2 bunch for another recipe (stay tuned!)

3. Add onion and asparagus tips to the skillet with the bacon fat and sauté until tender, approximately 5 minutes.

After Work:

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

5. Place the frozen pie crust onto a baking sheet. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and bake for 10 minutes.

6. In a large bowl whisk together ricotta, milk and eggs. Add parsley, half the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add asparagus and onion mixture and bacon and combine well. Pour egg mixture into the prepared crust.

7. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until filling has set and the tart is lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

8. In a small bowl, toss the remaining tomatoes with the basil, balsamic vinegar and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Serve as garnish for tart.

Bean Dip and Homemade Tortilla Chips

Great for the weekend!

Ingredients:

2 Tortillas

Oil for greasing

1/2 bunch green onions, chopped

1 cup sour cream

1 cup salsa

1/2 can refried (veggie) beans

1 tbsp taco seasoning

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Brush oil onto both sides  of the tortilla bread and cut into long 1-2 inch strips

3. Place in baking sheet covered in wax paper, and bake for 5-7 minutes, until crisp and golden brown

4. Arrange pieces in deep serving dish

5. Mix refried beans with taco seasoning and spread onto tortilla chips

6. Evenly spread salsa, then sour cream, cheddar cheese, and finally green onions

Optional: top with shredded lettuce. 

Calling all Coriander Lovers!

Coriander always brings amazing flavor to South Asian dishes. I love the smell of coriander and can't get enough of it when used as a garnish. Here is quick and easy recipe that uses coriander as its main flavor: Green Chicken Curry.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken skinned and cut into pieces, or 4 lbs chicken legs and thighs cut into 4 pieces

1 bunch coriander

6 green chilies

2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup oil

2 tbsp ginger paste

2 tbsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp turmeric 

2 tbsp plain yogurt 

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

The night before:

Grind coriander with stems (the stems add so much flavor!), green chillies, and black pepper in a blender. Save blended paste in a Tupperware container. Feel free to mix whatever little remaining paste in blender with a few teaspoons of water to easily remove and add to the rest of the mixture.

After work:

Warm the oil in a large pot. Add garlic, ginger, tumeric, when well roasted add

the blended mixture. Fry well and then add the chicken and yogurt, and cook until chicken is almost tender. Add lemon juice and salt, mix well, and simmer for 5-10 minutes

Serve with white rice.

Desi Style Corn

A quick and easy recipe for a side that will go with any meal!

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
2 tbsp olive oil


Heat oil in small pan on low. Fry ginger and garlic paste and cumin seeds. When well fried, turn up heat to medium and add onions and the remaining spices. When onions are translucent and well fried, add corn. Let simmer for 5 minutes and then add lemon juice.

If you want to serve corn as a side to a non-desi meal, or if Indian spices aren't common ingredients found in your kitchen, you may omit all the spices except for salt and pepper.

Frozen Headache

I find that one of the most annoying and time consuming steps of cooking is defrosting the meat. I hate to defrost in the microwave because if left unattended, parts of it can get cooked. Defrosting in the fridge or on the counter can take all day and only works when you have your meal pre-planned.

Although any meal requires some type of pre-planning, here are some things you can do to speed up the process and avoid having many steps to do all at once.

When I buy meat from the halal market, I order about 40 chicken legs and thighs, for a total of 80 pieces of legs and thighs separated. I marinate the chicken in four different marinades, twenty pieces each. You can try Shaan tandoori chicken, BBQ sauce, Asian style sweet and sour sauce, and lemon pepper. Do this over the weekend and stick them in the freezer, and save them for when you may need to fix dinner last minute. I live in a household with four adults, so if its just you and the hubby, you only need to freeze 10 pieces of chicken in each bag.

During the week, take out a bag of chicken and place in the fridge for thawing the night before or the morning of (Chicken doesn't defrost fast enough in my fridge so I keep it out on the counter in a large bowl during the day). When you get home from work, pre-heat the oven to 320 and bake chicken for 1 hour in a baking pan or tray. Roasted potatoes or loose corn and brown rice go great as sides.

I also separate and freeze smoked turkey slices for sandwiches for lunch. Put slices into little zip-lock bags with two slices each (for the husband and I) as well as some bags with 3 slices each (in case I need it for a third person). This way I don't have to defrost the entire stock of turkey just to make two sandwiches. All I have to do is pull out one zip-lock bag and sit in on the counter for 15 minutes and sandwiches are ready to be made! I toast the bread when making sandwiches the night before so that they don't become soggy by the time lunch rolls around the next day.

Breakfast on the Go

I don't have time for breakfast in the mornings. I 'm usually grabbing my things along with a banana or muffin and running out the door. There is no time to sit down and eat a bowl of cereal or toast a bagel and smear it with cream cheese. I need a breakfast that I can grab and eat while I am driving. For a healthy breakfast on the go, try this fruit smoothie.

Blend together orange juice, two of your favorite fresh fruits, sugar, ice, and water depending on desired thickness. For those of you who have to have exact measurements:

Blend half a banana, 3 strawberries, 1 cup orange juice, 2-3 teaspoons sugar, and ice in blender. Add water if desired.

Now here's the trick. In order to have a fresh and tasty smoothie, it needs to be blended in the morning. Bella Cucina's Rocket blending set comes with personal sized blending cups with blades that are interchangeable with lids. Mix all ingredients except for the ice into the blending cup and place in refrigerator the night before. In the morning, simply add ice, blend, replace blade with lid and you have your breakfast to go! Yummy, quick, and healthy!