White Asparagus Goat Cheese Soup

I’ve been meaning to make this soup for quite awhile now. Since last June, in fact, when I tasted it at a conference in Washington D.C. I’d never had white asparagus before, and it tasted so good and creamy in soup form. Plus, add goat cheese to anything and I’m a goner. Anyway, it’s a rainy and cold day, so I figured today would be the perfect time to post this recipe. Since I only knew that the original recipe contained white asparagus and goat cheese, I kept it pretty basic.

A fair warning though- white asparagus MUST be peeled before eating. As I had never worked with this variation of asparagus before, I was unaware until I started chopping it up and came away with long, woody pieces. So yes, there is a bit of prep required for this recipe. Luckily for me, I was in the middle of my 13 Reasons Why Netflix binge while peeling. Made the process so much easier as I was sympathizing with Clay while having ill thoughts about several of the other characters the whole time. Most addicting show ever.

White Asparagus Goat Cheese Soup

1 lb white asparagus, PEELED and chopped into 1 inch-sized pieces

1 large onion, chopped

3 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)

2 cups water

2 oz goat cheese

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

Garnish: chives

Directions:

Add the asparagus, onion, broth, and water to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 20 minutes. With an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Add in the goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir until the goat cheese has melted. Top individual bowls with chives before serving.

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Lemon Chicken with Asparagus and Mushrooms (Paleo)

Sorry for such the late post this week. I was fortunate enough to attend an education conference in Washington D.C this past week. I love going to this conference as it lets me meet with pre-service educators from all around the country. Sounds a little corny, but it gets me really excited for teaching!

Anyway, right before I left for D.C, I made this scrumptious meal that even my brother liked (ok, he wouldn’t eat the mushrooms, but hey, it’s something!).

When I make soups, I sometimes add in a cheese rind to enhance flavor (see this recipe for an example). So to add a lemony flavor to this recipe, I threw in lemon rinds during cooking time.

Lemon Chicken with Asparagus and Mushrooms (Paleo)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp avocado oil

1 lb skin-less chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

10 asparagus spears, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 portobello mushrooms, diced 

1 cup canned coconut milk (full-fat)

1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 lemon, cut into quarters

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Vegetable or chicken broth

Directions:

In a deep skillet, heat oil and add chicken. Season with salt and pepper, cook completely and set aside on a plate.

Add onions and garlic cloves to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes. Add in asparagus and mushrooms and cook for an additional 12 minutes, or until onions begin to brown and mushrooms shrink in size. If vegetables begin to stick to the skillet, add in a splash of vegetable/chicken broth. Return chicken to the skillet and mix altogether.

Add in coconut milk and rosemary. Squeeze in the lemon juice from lemons (careful for seeds) and then add in the lemon rinds.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove lemon rinds and season with salt and pepper before serving.

Date and Coconut Asparagus

Sometimes it takes more than one person to get the creative juices following.

Luckily, I have a very creative friend who helped me come up with this appetizer. Considering my house was supplied with the bare minimum in food, I was very proud and happy that this recipe turned out so great! 

Date and Coconut Asparagus

Ingredients: 

1 lb asparagus

6 dates (soaked for 1 hour) 

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp water 

3 tbsp shredded coconut 

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

pepper

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cover a baking pan with foil. Snap off hard ends of asparagus and place on the baking sheet in a single layer. In a small food processor, combine dates, soy sauce, water, and coconut until a paste. Spread out over asparagus. Top with cheddar cheese and bake for 25 minutes.  

Asparagus Salad

I love recreating meals I’ve had while eating out. Granted, I usually put my own twist on the dish. But still, I try to get as close to the original dish’s taste as possible. It’s like a challenge for me.

For my birthday this year, I went to a restaurant and ended up eating an asparagus salad. Overall, it was pretty simple to guess the ingredients. What really captured my interest in recreating this dish, however, was the egg on top. I love eggs. And on top of a salad? I’m in.

In non-related food news, I’m excited to announce that I’m going to India in January 2015! Not only do I get to do some sight seeing, but I’m also going to be teaching in some of the villages! And I know, that’s still awhile away, but this is a big deal for me. I’ve never been outside the country (or traveled around this country, as a matter of fact). I’ve lived in South Jersey all my life, surrounded by corn fields and apple orchards. The most exciting thing that happens to me is a runaway horse or sheep wandering into my front yard. So, let the count down begin!

Asparagus Salad 

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp pine nuts

2 lb Asparagus

1 pint cherry tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

feta cheese, (optional)

salt and pepper, to taste

eggs (1 for each person)

Directions: 

In a bread pan, spread out pine nuts. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes, shaking pan occasionally to prevent burning. Afterwards, IMMEDIATELY transfer the pine nuts to a bowl to stop the cooking process and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Break off the tough ends of the asparagus. Place spears and tomatoes in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice. Pour on top of asparagus and tomatoes, add salt and pepper, and toss. Place the asparagus and tomatoes on baking pans and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook egg(s), sunny side up.

After asparagus and tomatoes are done, spread out on individual plates. Sprinkle with cooled pine nuts and feta cheese. Slide 1 egg on top of each plate and finish with more salt and pepper, to taste.

Baked Asparagus Fries

One more week and then I’m done my semester! Yay! Unfortunately, this also means hardcore studying time.

Eh.

I’m so bad when it comes to procrastination. Instead of going out or stalking people on social media sites, I cook or bake. And then eat. A lot. And this right here is just one of the results from my procrastination. In my defense though, I practiced my sign language between baking times 🙂

Baked Asparagus Fries 

Ingredients:

2 bunches of fresh, organic asparagus

1 large egg

hot sauce

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking oil. Wash asparagus and break off the tough ends. Beat egg and a couple drops of hot sauce together in a bowl. In a shallow dish, mix together panko breadcrumbs, mozzarella cheese, pepper flakes, oregano, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Using your hands, take one asparagus spear and place it in the egg mixture. Shake off the excess yolk and place in panko bowl. Completely cover with crumbs and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with every asparagus spear. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Flip after 10 minutes.

Note: If you want a nice, thick coat on your “fries,” coat them in flour after you dunk them in the yolk and before you dip them in the panko mixture. I did not do this because I didn’t have the time (I did eventually have to write a paper, after all) and just wanted a light, crunchy coat.