Fruits/Vegetables

Grilled Asparagus with Caper Vinaigrette

I could eat asparagus just about everyday so it’s important that I find different ways to enjoy this healthy green vegetable.  While I generally enjoy it simply steamed, I like to switch things up a bit and throw these spears a little curveball, like this Grilled Asparagus with Caper Vinaigrette.  Fresh asparagus is grilled with olive oil and salt before being drizzled with a vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, dijon mustard, and capers.  The capers provide a subtle briney, salty punch while the viniagrette itself is garlicky and light.  A sprinkling of fresh, sweet basil rounds out this Spring side dish which is good eaten warm or cold.  I definitely plan on making this again!

The ingredients:

In a shallow dish, toss the asparagus (with ends snapped off) with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Place asparagus on grill rack coated with cooking spray and heated over medium-high heat.  Grill for 4 minutes or until crisp-tender, turning after 2 minutes.

Combine remaining salt, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, black pepper, and garlic in a small bowl and whisk together.  Slowly pour remaining olive oil into vinegar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Stir in capers.

Arrange asparagus on a serving plate and drizzle with the vinaigrette.  Sprinkle with ribbons of fresh basil.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Vegetable Korma

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Did anyone else eat just a little too much Easter candy over the weekend?  I certainly did.  Despite having enough willpower to bypass all of the pastel-colored chocolates adorning the grocery store shelves over the last several weeks, I eventually succumbed at the last minute and scooped up two (yes, two!) Reese’s peanut butter eggs and a bag of Whoppers malted-milk eggs – all of which were eaten over the weekend.  Not only that but I spent Saturday night with some friends eating way too much pizza, chips and dip, and cheese and crackers while we watched the last Flyers game of the season and then the second Phillies game of the season.  This was definitely the worst hit my diet has taken over the last 2 months so I’m getting back on track – pronto! 

I wanted to make a vegetable dish that would last me most of the week so I pulled out this recipe for Vegetable Korma which I’ve been eager to make.  Potatoes, cauliflower, and edamame are cooked in a creamy but spicy coconut milk sauce and served over rice.  Cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric and cinnamon make this is a flavorful dish that is satisfying enough without making you miss any meat (use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to easily make this a vegetarian meal).  To make this even more healthy, I chose to eat this with cooked quinoa instead of rice but in all honesty, this dish would good eaten as-is without either.  It’s dishes like this which pack a flavor punch that help make it pretty easy to watch what you are eating.  Now all I have to do is steer myself to the produce section at the market and away from the clearance Easter candy!

The ingredients:

Sauté onion in butter over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.  Add in ginger and garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, cayenne, turmeric and cinnamon and sauté for 1 minute.

Stir in potato (and edamame if it is frozen; if it’s not frozen, wait to add in with the cauliflower).  Combine chicken broth, flour, and coconut milk and add to the pan.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmering for 8 minutes.

Stir in 3 cups cauliflower, and simmer for 9 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. 

Serve over rice or quinoa if you like.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Quinoa

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Twice-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle

Happy Spring everyone! As I mentioned last week, I don’t often eat potatoes but I’ve decided I have to make a better effort to include sweet potatoes in my diet. I never ate them as a kid which may be why I don’t eat them as an adult but they are a great source of Vitamin A so why not eat one from time to time? I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of the sweetness of these guys – much to the shock and dismay of my ever-present sweet tooth – so if they are prepared in a savory way, I’m ready to try it out. Other than my one attempt at making sweet potato fries a few years ago, I didn’t know the first thing about preparing these orange gems. Since I’m obsessed with the smokiness of chipotles in adobo sauce, these Twice-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle seemed like a perfect way to give sweet potatoes a new shot. I have to tell you – I inhaled this. The contrast of the smoky with the sweet really knocked my socks off and the slight bite of the green onions really took this over the edge. I’m officially obsessed. You win, sweet potatoes. I concede!

The ingredients:

Pierce the potatoes with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done. Allow potatoes to cool slightly.

Cut potatoes in half and carefully scoop out the potato pulp. Put into a food processor with butter, chiles, adobo and salt. Add in the white part of the scallions and process briefly.

Spoon potato mixture into the shells and bake at 400°F for 10 minutes or until hot. Top with thinly sliced scallions.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

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