Source: Martha Stewart's Everyday FoodIngredients:
Course salt and ground pepper
1 lb. asparagus ends trimmed and cut into 2 inch lengths
1 lb. sugar snap peas (strings removed)
1 lb. bow tie pasta (farfalle)
4 Tbsp butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ripe avocado halved, pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/2 Peccorino cheese plus more for serving, if desired
Directions:
In a large pasta pot of boiling salted water cook asparagus and snap peas until bright green. Be sure to not overcook! I made the mistake of not watching the pot closely. Do not cook more than 2 minutes! With a slotted spoon or spatula, scoop out vegetables and transfer to a bowl.
Return water to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente. Meaning not soft, but not uncooked! My trick is to keep tasting it until I think it's cooked enough. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Set pasta aside in colander.
In pasta pot, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add asparagus, snap peas, and garlic: season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Although if you accidentally over cooked your veggies the first time around, don't bother cooking again. Just toss everything in! Add remaining 2 Tbsp butter, cooked pasta, avocado, herbs, cheese and reserved pasta water. Toss to combine, season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with additional cheese, if desired.
Italian inspired mushroom medley with an olive oil/garlic based sauce.
Ingredients
Crimini mushrooms, sliced
Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
White button mushrooms, sliced
Gnocchi
5 Cloves of garlic, sliced
Olive Oil
Oregano
Red pepper flakes
Boil water in pot with 1 tsp of olive oil and a dash of salt. After water boils place gnocchi in pot until floats. When ready, drain. In the meantime, take a pan and sauté the mushrooms with 1 Tbsp of oil. Add a dash of red pepper flakes and salt. Turn down heat. Separately, for the 'sauce' you'll need to place 3 Tsp of oil with the sliced garlic. Cook until garlic turns a bit brown. Add about and additional 1/4 cup of oil. Cook until hot.
Place gnocchi on plate top with mushroom sauté pouring olive oil sauce to taste including a few garlic pieces.
Don't try this at home if you're vegan. At least not yet. This recipe is vegetarian but uses a lot of dairy. I will have to report back on the vegan version, that I haven't made yet. For now, I'm posting this recipe variation that I tried from Epicurious.com. The original recipe was too bland for me, so I decided to change it a little.
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen peas, not thawed
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp of dried red-pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves smashed
3 cups packed baby spinach (3 oz)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp of lemon juice
1 pound of dried gnocchi
1/2 cup of grated ParmesanSimmer peas with cream, red-pepper flakes, garlic, and 1/4 tsp salt in a 12-inch skillet or pan. Be sure to use smashed garlic. Peel and use the side of a large knife. Use your right hand to press down on the flat part of the knife. This will 'smash' the garlic. Simmer for about 5 minutes covered or until peas have soften.
Add spinach and cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, stirring until spinach has wilted. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice. I used a vegetable peeler for the zest by peeling the skin off of the lemon. I then chopped the peel into bits.
Meanwhile, cook gnocchi in a pot with 3 Tbs of salt per 6 quarts of water until the gnocchi floats to the top. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain gnocchi.
Add gnocchi to sauce with cheese and the pasta water. Stir. Add salt, pepper, and possibly more Parmesan cheese to taste. So good!
I really enjoy eggplant especially when it's a little fried. The following dish is adapted from the typical Chinese dish served in many restaurants.
Sauce Ingredients:
1 1/4 Tbs of Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp of Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp of Rice Vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp of Cornstarch mixed with 3 Tbs of Vegetable Stock
Remaining Ingredients:3 Cups Peanut Oil
1 Medium-sized Eggplant, peeled and sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips
2 tsp garlic, mincedCombine sauce ingredients in a bowl. Reserve. Heat wok or pan over high heat for 45 seconds. Add the peanut oil and coat the wok with spatula. When heated, place the eggplant strips in a strainer and lower into oil. Cook for 1 minute, or until eggplant softens or gets a little fried. You'll notice when the eggplant starts to darken. Remove, drain, and reserve.
In another pan, place 1 1/2 Tbs of oil from the previous pan. Over high heat add the minced garlic. Stir until it browns, then place the eggplant in the pan or wok. Stir together and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Stir the sauce and pour it in. Stir until sauce thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat and serve!
Here's an example of how having the same ingredients in your fridge can go a long way. Here I used my staple ingredient tofu to make a spicy breakfast scramble. It's super quick and easy.
Required: Firm Tofu, Onions, Spinach, Sea Salt, Turmeric, Garlic or Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Curry Powder, Olive Oil, Cayenne Pepper
Half of a carton of tofu makes about 2 small servings. Take the desired amount of tofu and smash with a fork. You can do this in a large bowl. Make sure the tofu winds up looking like the picture when you're done with it. Chop half of a small onion. Mince a small clove of garlic.
Start by oiling your pan with 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Turn on high heat and dump the chopped onions and minced garlic into the pan. Stir in a dash of salt, 4 tsp of turmeric, and a dash of cayenne pepper. Keep stirring. Next place the squished tofu into the pan. Add a few dashes of black pepper, 2 tsp of curry, and another Tbsp of oil. Stir. Lastly put in the spinach. Add more salt and pepper to taste. If you need more turmeric or curry please add a little more.
I served this with toast and a few slices of mozzarella cheese.
To my surprise, I found out recently that one of my co-workers prefers asparagus over broccoli. I had just assumed that most people were iffy on asparagus. Boy, was I wrong! This really simple recipe goes out to the 'a' lovers out there in the world. For those of you who are skeptical, try this and report back to me.
Required: Asparagus, Olive Oil, Garlic, Sea Salt
Prepare asparagus by chopping the stems. I bought my asparagus from Trader Joe's so they were already cut, I simply had to cut them in half. Mince one garlic clove (or two if you love garlic). Oil the pan enough to cover the bottom. Saute the garlic under high heat for a few minutes. Throw in the asparagus. Throw in some salt for taste. Cover while keeping the heat high. You want the stems to get a little dark (see above picture). Stir. Uncover when you think they look about right.
Serve over rice. Yummy!
Source: Martha Stewart's Everyday Food
