The Age Of Asparagus

Supper, Thursday April 6: beans; fried okra; beets greens and feta; asparagus.

We have a small asparagus patch. It is just big enough to have a little bit every few days for a few weeks. This was only four spears for the two of us, but cutting it into pieces made it seem like more. I just simmered it in a little water for a few minutes so that it was softened but still had a little tooth.

The beet greens are pretty easy. Chop the greens and sauteed in olive oil til tender. Add a little onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper in the last  couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle some crumbled feta and gently fold in.

Wait Isn't Saag Supposed To Be Green?

Supper, Wednesday April 5: lamb saag (lamb, carrot, onion, beet, spinach, chili, coriander cardamom, pepper, butter); aromatic rice (basmati, anise seed, coriander, olive oil); microgreen salad (baby romaine, mandarin, pistachio oil, blackberry balsamic).

Yes it should be green, that is unless you put beets in it, then the two colors blend to give this rich cooked beef blood look and consistency. We thought it was awesome but I can see some people getting turned off. Alexis would say, "More for me!" I made up the Saag sauce this past summer when I pulled the spinach to make room for beans. It was an experiment. I made a giant batch of sauce then divided it into pint bags then froze it. It worked great. An easy and tasty way to take advantage of the spring spinach bounty. 

Microgreens is a culinary trend of late. Lettuce seed is cheap, especially if you purchase it at a "feed and seed," some sort of concern catering to at least hobby farmers. You can get a gazillion seeds for a few dollars. Seeds, a couple of seedling flats, a bag of seedling starter mix, and a sunny patio or window is all you need. What we ate in the meal above was just the thinning of my romaine starts. 

Manhandled Tortillas

Breakfast, Wednesday April 5: huevos rancheros kinda thingy (tortilla shards, chili, fried egg, smoked habanero cheddar, cilantro, sour cream); peaches.

There are several things here to comment on.

Peaches and cilantro is an odd combination, but it really works. A lifetime ago I worked in a restaurant where we made peach salsa. I was not a huge fan mostly because I did not like the peaches with hot sauce. There were other ingredients, but that one didn't work for me. The cilantro on the other hand. . .

The nacho shards are something that Alexis likes to nibble on, so we keep the end of the bag, This bag must have gone through baggage claim at LAX. There were a lot of shards. So I'm trying to think of a use and I came up with huevos rancheros variant.

The chili is leftover from Sunday. It is made with ground lamb. We have had several variations over the last few days. Nothing of great import so I haven't posted, but five way chili is worth checking out.

A Slightly Healthier Version

Breakfast, Thursday March 30: Eggs Reddnekkt variation (whole wheat biscuit, homemade sausage gravy, eggs, egg substitute, mild chili, scallion, arugula, cheddar).

I've started to use whole wheat, 50%, in my biscuits. Honestly I would pick the white flour version, all things being equal, but the preference is small. I have a medical condition that forces me to get a lot of fiber. This is just another small change that when added to the others makes a big difference. I also added vegetables to the egg. Another small change that means the meal is not just carbs and protein.