Tag: asparagus
Asparagus and Chicken Fried Rice
This dish is like making a frittata– you can use whatever you have in the fridge. I had some roasted chicken breast that I wanted to use up. I was also looking for a one-pot meat- aren’t we all!! Any way, I also had a bunch of lovely asparagus in the fridge looking desperate to be taken out and cooked. I thought I could serve the fried rice with the sweet corn soup I made the day before- it would be a complete Chinese meal! I looked at several fried rice recipes and realized all I need is soy sauce and plain rice- the rest I can make up as I cook. So that’s what I did- I cooked 2 cups of rice in the morning so it had a chance to cool off. I chopped the asparagus and chicken very finely. I minced the garlic and ginger and I realized I had scallions as well- perfect! I used tamari instead of soy sauce- it is thicker and has more flavor than soy sauce. My daughter, the usual suspicious person in the kitchen, didn’t like the looks of it. She didn’t care for all the green ‘stuff’ in the rice. I promised her she would like it- I guaranteed it! She was curious and tried a tiny bite- well she was hooked! Absolutely loved it…
One can go wild with the different ingredients out there to make fried rice- as long as you have the basic things in your pantry, you are good to go. One of my favorite ingredients for Chinese dishes in my pantry is toasted sesame oil. It gives the dishes a very deep nutty flavor. Enjoy the rice with a simple stir fry or all by itself. It is also a great dish to pack for lunch!
- 1 bunch asparagus, chopped finely
- 1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped finely
- 2 cups white rice, cooked and cooled
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 eggs
- 3-4 tablespoons tamari
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce- optional
- ½ cup green onion, chopped finely
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped finely
In a wide wok shaped pan, heat the olive and the sesame oil. Add the ginger and garlic, sauté for 30 seconds. Add the asparagus and chicken and sauté on high heat for 3-4 minutes. Crack the two eggs into the asparagus and chicken mixture. Mix well until the eggs are incorporated into the dish. Add the dash of salt. Add the cooked rice, mix well. Add the tamari and the chili garlic sauce and sauté for at least 5-6 minutes. Taste for seasonings. Add the green onions and cilantro and sauté for another minute and serve!
Red Pepper Fettuccine with Asparagus Lemon Sauce
After a torturous flight back home from Seattle, I was looking forward to going to the super market and filling up my fridge with lots of fresh produce and yummy things to eat.
I bought my usual supplies including a bunch of asparagus. I had so much fun working with it last week in the lasagna that I decided to buy another bunch. Didn’t know what I wanted to do with it but knew I wanted a one-pot pasta meal. When I think of asparagus and pasta, white sauce and lemon come to mind. I wanted to add a protein to the dish and decided on prosciutto. A small amount adds a big flavor punch to the dish. Usually the white sauce consists of cream. I wanted to lighten it up and decided to make a roux, which is a mixture of flour and fat cooked, together and used as a thickening agent. In this case I already had 2 tablespoons olive oil in the frying pan – so I didn’t need to add any extra fat and I used low fat milk for the sauce. Overall it was a very light dish. The lemon zest adds immense flavor. I used pecorino romano as a garnish before serving- again, this is a great example of using a big flavor ingredient in small amounts to get maximum results. We had a Merlot and a freshly baked baguette from the local store!
- ½ pound fresh fettuccine- any flavor you like will do
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots, sliced thin
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
- 3 ounces prosciutto, sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk, low fat or regular
- 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
- Zest of one lemon
- 2 teaspoons salt or more to taste
- ¼ cup Pecorino Romano, shredded
In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic, cook for 3-5 minutes on medium high. Add the prosciutto and cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the onion mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the milk and whisk until smooth. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer- it will thicken up. Add the asparagus and cook on low for 5 minutes. Add the lemon zest and salt. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Add the cooked pasta to the asparagus mixture and stir well. Taste for salt. Top the pasta with cheese before serving.
Sausage and Asparagus Lasagna
I admit that a lot of my recipes have chicken sausage in it- but I do think it is a very versatile ingredient. I bought a Sicilian style chicken sausage from Traders Joes. They were raw, and very easy to take out of the casings. Any kind of sausage can be used for this recipe- whatever flavor you like. My sister-in-law bought the most beautiful looking thin bunch of asparagus I have ever seen. The initial plan was to make a pasta with asparagus in it, so I started looking at recipes. She informed me that my brother and niece like marinara sauce with their pasta- so I started thinking about a lasagna! I love lasagnas- sky is the limit, you can add whatever you want. So, I decided to add a meat element and of course the first thing I thought of was sausage! My other favorite ingredient is pesto. It adds great flavor to a dish without a lot of effort, especially if you get the store bought one. It is good to have it in your fridge. I made a yummy concoction with the sausage, onion and pesto. I also added parmesan cheese to the ricotta as well as garlic- it gives the cheese mixture great flavor! I topped the lasagna off with grated fontina cheese. I love using this particular Italian cheese in my dishes- it melts really well and the creamy flavor goes really well with the sausage and pesto. We washed the lasagna down with some garlic bread and a California Merlot! It was a very enjoyable meal!
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Mix the ricotta, egg, garlic, salt and Parmesan in a small bowl and keep aside.
- 1 portion basic marinara sauce (recipe on the blog)
- 9 no-bake lasagna noodles
- 1 pound uncooked chicken sausage
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2-3 inches
- 1 medium onion, chopped into 1 inch squares
- 3 tablespoons pesto, store bought is fine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups Fontina cheese, grated
In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Take the sausage out of the casings and add to the pan. Cook on high heat and separate the meat as it cooks. Brown the sausage for about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the asparagus and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and add the pesto and the salt. Mix well and keep aside.
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.
In a lasagna pan add ½ cup of marinara sauce and spread. Add three lasagna noodles. Add about 2/3 cups of the ricotta mixture and spread on the noodles. Add half of the chicken sausage mixture and spread on top of the ricotta mixture. Add the noodles and repeat the process with the ricotta mixture and the chicken sausage mixture. Top with the last three noodles and top it with a cup of marinara sauce. Bake covered for 40 minutes. Uncover and add the cheese and bake for another 20 minutes.
Szechuan Chicken and Asparagus
- ½ cup raw cashews
- One and a half pounds, boneless chicken breast, cut 1-inch pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 tablespoons tamari (Japanese soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon Chinese rice cooking wine
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 pound asparagus, sliced on the diagonal, 1 inch thick
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the cashews in a pie plate and toast in the oven for about 8 minutes, until they are nicely browned and fragrant. Let cool.
In a medium bowl toss the chicken with one tablespoon tamari, one tablespoon Chinese rice cooking wine, salt and pepper. Set aside for 1-3 hours.
Combine chicken broth, rice vinegar, light brown sugar, sweet chili sauce and 3 tablespoons tamari in a bowl and keep aside.
Combine the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water and keep aside.
In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil and ½ teaspoon dark sesame oil. Add the asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes on high heat. Transfer to a plate. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil and ½ teaspoon dark sesame oil and add the chicken in an even layer and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned. Remove from pan and transfer to plate. Heat pan with remaining peanut oil and dark sesame oil and add the ginger and garlic with the cooked asparagus. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth sauce and the chicken. Add the cornstarch and bring to a boil and cook until the sauce is thickened. Top the dish with the roasted cashews.
Serve with white or brown rice.