Spring Has Sprung!

Let's just pretend there is no snow outside and it's not frigid. If we think happy, warm thoughts then the warm sweet sunshine will come back...deal?

What I love about spring is the vegetables and fruit that are available. Those sweet peas,  fresh asparagus, crisp spring onions, snappy radishes, sweet bok choy and leafy lettuce, tart fennel, luscious strawberries, warm oranges, honeydew and the list goes on.

I purchased free English peas from Trader Joes. They are fresh and crisp and ready to go. You can buy and shell the peas if you wish, Sprouts has fresh peas you can shell occasionally. Odds are in Salt Lake you're not harvesting your own because of the wonky weather, but maybe, who knows. I would not use frozen peas for this, but if you need to, do not blanch them, just thaw them before pureeing. 
 

Green Pea Pasta with Parm
1 pound of linguini or spaghetti (I used a gluten free capello brand linguini from whole foods)
1 1/4 cups of frozen baby peas
1/2 cup of fresh oregano
1/2 cup of fresh spinach
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
1/2 of cream (I used coconut creamer, you can also use Greek yogurt)
salt and black pepper

Blanch the peas for 30 seconds. Remove and drain, and place in a bowl of ice-cold water.
Add the blanched peas, oregano, spinach, garlic and cream/yogurt to a food processor, process until smooth. Season to taste and Parmesan cheese.
Prepare the pasta as directed.
Coat the warm linguini in the pea purée.
Serve with a good drizzle of olive oil.



I can't claim this next recipe, I wish I could. It is by far the best risotto I've ever had or made. First I had this at a friends house and she was so lovely to share it with me. I can now say I can make it solely from scratch so once you've tried it, you'll want to make it over and over and it will become second hand too. Recipe Here

Artichoke, Asparagus Risotto
5 cups chicken broth/you can also use veg. If you're gluten free, watch the ingredients
1 cup water
1lb thin to medium asparagus, trimmed and cut into sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 stick of butter/vegan/margarine
3/4lb shittake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps chopped (You will find them in the produce section by the regular mushrooms   up on the high shelf)
4 artichokes from a can or jar, chopped in to quarters
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup wine (OR)
       1 splash of lemon or white wine vinegar about 1 tbsp and 1/4 cup grape or apple juice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring broth and water to a boil in a 4 quart pot. Add asparagus and cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes. Transfer asparagus with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then drain and pat dry. Keep broth at a bare simmer, covered.
Heat oil with 1/2 of the butter in a heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, then saute mushrooms and shallots, stirring until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 minute to coat with onion and mushroom, butter and oil. Add wine/or alternative liquid and cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 1 minute.
Ladle in 1 cup simmering broth and cook at a strong simmer, stirring, until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until rice is just tender and looks creamy, 18-20 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, remaining butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir in asparagus, artichokes, and mushrooms, then cover pan and let stand 1 minute. If desired, thin risotto with some of remaining broth. Makes 4 servings.




This next recipe is new to me. I've not tried it yet, but it's my plan this weekend.  You can serve it on roasted pork, sliced steak with braised chicken. Recipe Here

Strawberry Avocado Salsa
1 cup finely chopped strawberries
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled avocado
2 Tbs. finely chopped red onion
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. grated fresh lime zest
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 tsp. finely chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt


Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Gently toss and serve immediately.  Serve with toasted pita wedges or tortilla chips.  If you'd like to try the cinnamon tortillas like in the photo, it's a good sweet flavor profile that's unique and kind of a surprise.

Take whole wheat tortillas, or a gluten free option like a corn tortilla. Spray with cooking spray, I used coconut spray because it's nutty and tropical and then slice them into triangles. Arrange on a baking sheet, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and a sprinkle of salt and bake at 350o until slightly golden.





 

How Sweet It Is

Sweet Potatoes aren't just for Thanksgiving anymore. We often think that they should be sweet and gooey, mashed up with pecans and marshmallows on top, but sweet potatoes are so versatile and can hold up to all sorts of cooking methods and spices. Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner we can focus on them in the traditional sense, but maybe I can help you see how versatile these beautiful orange beauties can be. Sweet potatoes have some amazing health benefits. Maybe not so much when they're stirred up with brown sugar and marshmallows, but on their own with a little bit of salt and pepper and a dab of butter, you're really helping yourself out by eating them. Sweet potatoes are a great source of beta carotene which is found in orange vegetables. It has vitamin C and E. Just one medium sized sweet potato contains 4 times your daily recommended allowance of vitamin A. They are a wonderful source of fiber and they are fat free.


A Little History: Sweet potatoes are often misunderstood. Have you ever been confused when trying to figure out if it's a Yam or a Sweet Potato? They aren't even in the same family. Yams are from the lily and grass family, they originate from Africa and are starchier and drier than the sweet potato. Yams are monocot which means they come from a plant having one embryonic seed leaf. Yams have a higher sugar content, they aren't very pretty on the outside, they look like bark and when you cut it open the flesh is very white. Sweet Potatoes are from South America and are a dicot, meaning they have two embryonic seed leaves and are in the morning glory family. They were domesticated over 5000 years ago. You may also think the sweet potato is Polynesian. Carbon dating shows that the earliest South American voyagers took sweet potatoes to the Cook Islands around 1000A.D. 


So why all the confusion? Sweet potatoes are quite colorful, they can range from white to yellow, red, purple or brown. They are classified by 'firm' or 'soft'. If you're in the grocery store it's good to remember that if it's not labeled a "yam", it's a sweet potato. By law yams are always to be labelled with stickers and you'll probably not find a yam in the typical grocery store produce section, but you would definitely find them in an international market. Those light colored things that are shaped almost the same and sit next to sweet potatoes are sweet potatoes too. It become confusing when you're in the canned aisle and you see "canned yams" which are really sweet potatoes and then in the produce section it's labeled yam/sweet potato. You'd think they could figure it all out to help the consumer.

Savory Baked Sweet Potatoes

This is a great side dish that goes especially well with chicken and pork. This simple recipe is hearty, healthy, delicious and satisfying. What more could you want?

Ingredients

3 sweet potatoes

2 tsp. Honey

1 heaping T. brown sugar

       (optional -4 slices of crumbled bacon)

1 T. Parsley chopped

lite olive oil (bertolli is the best)

salt & white pepper to taste

To make:

Toss  peeled and cubed sweet potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and white pepper

Bake sweet potatoes at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. In a sauce pan or microwave

safe container combine sugar and honey and melt. Pour over sweet potatoes, sprinkle with

crumbled bacon and parsley.

Serve immediately.

Scalloped Chile Sweet Potatoes  

4 to 6 servings

1 heaping tablespoon chipotle pepper puree
3 medium sweet potatoes peeled and thinly sliced 1/8-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk together cream and chipotle puree until smooth.

In a 9 by 9-inch casserole dish, arrange the potatoes in even layers. Drizzle with 

3 tablespoons of the cream mixture and season with salt and pepper. 

Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cream, and salt and pepper to form 10 layers.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes, remove cover and continue baking for 45 minutes to 1 hour, 

or until the cream has been absorbed and the potatoes are cooked through and the top is browned.

Sweet Potato Crumb Cake

Photo and Recipe courtesy of www.myrecipes.com

1 large sweet potato + 2 tsp. butter + 1/3 c. chopped pecans + 2 T. brown sugar + 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour + 

1/2 c. whole wheat flour + 3/4 c. packed brown sugar + 2 tsp. baking powder + 1 tsp. ground cinnamon + 

3/4 tsp. salt + 1/4 tsp. nutmeg + 2/3 c. orange juice + 3 T. vegetable oil + 1 large egg, lightly beaten + pam

Preheat oven to 350°

Pierce potato with a dork; place on a paper towel in microwave oven. Microwave at high 7 minutes, turning after 4 minutes. Wrap potato in paper towel; let stand 5 min. Peel potato; mash to measure 1 cup. 

Place butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at medium 20 seconds or until soft. Stir in pecans and 2 tablespoons sugar.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine all purpose flour and next 6 ingredients (flour through nutmeg) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add mashed sweet potato, juice, oil, and egg, stirring until well blended.

Spoon batter in to an 8X4 inch loaf pan coated with pam. Drop pecan mixture by spoonfuls over top of loaf; gently press into batter. 

Bake at 350° for 1 hour until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 min, then remove.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Spinach Risotto
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 cups vegetable broth

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach

To make the risotto, heat the vegetable broth in a medium sauce pan. Simmer on low while you make risotto. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the shallots and garlic on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, or until browned. Add the rice and stir until all of the grains are coated with butter. Add the white wine and cook for about 2 minutes. Add one cup of broth to the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until the broth is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the broth, one cup at a time. Keep stirring the risotto. When the mixture starts to dry out, add more broth. Continue until the rice is cooked, this will take about 30 minutes. Remove pan from the heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese, spinach, and roasted sweet potatoes. Stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.

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