Asparagus Ribbon Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

One of my favorite Spring vegetables is asparagus.  I usually prepare them on the grill, make Green Gazpacho cold soup or roast them in the oven.  And lately, I fall in love with eating them raw as in this Asparagus Ribbon Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette.  They are shaved to ribbon thin and the acidic vinaigrette helps soften them a little.  So, the texture of the asparagus holds up and is crisp-tender.  Really refreshing and delightful to eat.       
 


Preparing the Lemon Vinaigrette couldn’t be any easier.  It consists of lemon juice, Dijon mustard, a little bit agave to balance out the tartness, extra virgin olive oil (I used a Meyer lemon infused olive oil), kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.  It compliment the flavors of the fresh asparagus very well.



I top the salad with a few shaved parmigiano reggiano and toasted pine nuts.  You can use any other nuts that you like but I love the buttery pine nuts and the slightly salty and very flavorful parmigiano reggiano here.  Each bite is perfect and leave me craving for more!



Here’s how I prepare this salad:
1) In a small pan, toast the pine nuts on low heat until golden brown.  Be careful not to burn them, toss them frequently.  Set aside and let cool.

2) Gently wash and pat dry the asparagus.  Trip off about 1-inch off the root. 
3) With a vegetable peeler, peel off the outer layer on the bottom 5 to 6-inches.  Discard the peels. 



4) With the vegetable peeler, shave along the long strands of the asparagus from tip to end.  Place asparagus ribbons in a large mixing bowl, set aside.
5) In a medium mixing bowl, whisk lemon juice, mustard, agave together. 
6) While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until vinaigrette emulsified.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.  Gently toss enough vinaigrette to moisten the asparagus ribbons.  You might not need all the vinaigrette.  You can toss in the pine nuts, or sprinkle them on top.  With a vegetable peeler, shave a few parmigiano reggiano on top and enjoy!



As simple as this!  I hope you enjoy today’s post and recipe.   Give it a try and I’m sure you’ll love this salad a lot too.  Stay tuned for more refreshing Spring and Summer time recipes to come!



Props used in this post:

Core Bamboo 3-Piece Cutlery Set (Click here to see product information)

Wood Print Photography Backdrop (Click here to see similar product)
Libbey County Fair Drinking Jars (Click here to see product information)
Core Bamboo Cutting Board (Click here to see product information)
Aqus Striped Paper Straws (Click here to see product information)
Salad Plate (Click here to see similar product)

Green Gazpacho

You know Spring is here when you see the gorgeous and vibrant green asparagus at the market stands.  Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables to prepare and I couldn't help but to grab a few bunches whenever I see them available.  Can you believe we’re having 80+ F. degree in April?  After living in L.A. for so many years, I’m not surprise though.  With the hot weather, it’s very natural that I crave for something light and refreshing, such as gazpacho.  Gazpacho is usually a tomato-based, vegetable soup, traditionally served cold, originating in the southern Spanish region of Andalucía. Gazpacho is widely consumed in Spanish cuisine, as well as in neighboring Portugal, where it is known as gaspacho.  Did you know that my hubby is half Portuguese?  No wonder he likes this soup a lot.  



In this Green Gazpacho, I used asparagus, spinach, Lindsay Naturals’ California Green Ripe Olives, fresh mint leaves, a little lemon juice and some vegetable stock for the soup base.  Then, I top it all off with some sweet and juicy jumbo lump crab meat, a few rounds of Lindsay’s olive for texture, a dollop of crème fraîche for creaminess, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and garnish with a spring of mint.  It was the most refreshing soup I've ever tasted!  If you want to keep it vegetarian, you can skip the crab meat.  But I’m telling you, the sweetness from the crab meat really matches wonderfully with this light and healthy soup.



As I mentioned above, I used Lindsay Naturals’ California Green Ripe Olives in the soup.  They are pretty mild, yet very buttery and smooth.  The taste is slightly salty and nutty.  They are definitely my favorite olives to use.  Make sure you use this kind and not the one from the jar for this recipe as the later ones tend to be too strong and salty for the soup. 



I save a few and cut them in rounds to garnish the soup.  They make a great snack as well and my Daughter is a big fan.  You can serve this soup as an appetizer or a side dish.  How about serving a bigger portion and call it a meal?  That's what I did the other day and it was a satisfying lunch!



Here goes the perfect spoonful of goodness.  A little bit of everything. 



It was a light and refreshing lunch that I’ll be making very often this Spring.




This would be festive and prefect for St. Patrick's Day too!





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Mascarpone Asparagus Tarts (with pictorial)—For Mother’s Day

From my previous posts, we have desserts, a home made gift, and an entrée all covered for Mother’s day.  Now, it’s time to talk about appetizers.  This is probably one of the easiest appetizer that you can prepare that’s tastes and looks so sophisticated that it’s almost a crime, almost! 



I love appetizers, and I think all celebrations and gatherings should include an appetizer, if not 2, or 3.  This one is super easy to put together that you have no reason not to give it a try.  Plus, the flavor is amazing.  The creamy mascarpone is perfectly seasoned and flavored with the herbs.  The chive adds a nice and mild oniony flavor without overpowering the delicate mascarpone.  The thyme adds a nice and refreshing lemony scent to the filling.  The puff pastry is buttery and crispy, which goes really well with the creamy filling.  The flavor of the asparagus are intensified after roasting with a crisp-tender texture, which is perfect in my opinion.



Now, let’s move on to the step-by-step pictorial, shall we? 

1) In a medium bowl, mix the chives, thyme, salt and pepper and mascarpone cheese together.
2)With a pizza cutter, divide dough into 4 equal size squares.
3) With a pairing knife, gently create an 1/2-inch border on all 4 portioned dough.
4) With a fork, gently prick on the puff pastries within the border.



5) Spread the mascarpone mixture over the puff pastry.
6) Top with trimmed asparagus.
7) Whisk an egg yolk and a tablespoon of cream together.
8) Brush the puff pastry edges and bake to golden brown.



See, I told you it is super simple, right?  The flavor is incredible too.  I cut them in half to create 8 servings for appetizer.  If you’re serving these as entrée, which is totally a wonderful option, you can serve them as is and maybe have a side salad or soup to complete the meal.




Last but not least, Happy Mother’s Day to all Mothers, Grandmothers, and Mother-to-Be’s!  Have a blast and enjoy your day with great food and wonderful family. 

BBQ Galore

Hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day.  In the States, it’s the “official” BBQ day.  So, here we go.  A recap of what we had to celebrate 4th of July with family and friends.



What’s a celebration without some bubbly?  Plus, the person who “man the grill” needed a chilled drink too, especially with the hot weather.  It was nice to add a few frozen blueberries to keep it super cold.



On the menu, we had baby back ribs, citrus marinated chicken wings and chicken drumsticks.  We also had some shrimps and sweet onions skewers marinated with olive oil and thyme.
 


BBQ shrimps are the best when you’re hungry, they were done in just a few minutes. 



Of course we needed more veggies.  I used to roast asparagus in the oven and thought they were good.  After trying these grilled version, I can totally start the grill just for them!  They were so flavorful!  The grilling really enhance their natural sweetness and added a lovely charcoal flavor at the same time.  These asparagus were really tender, yet still had a great crunch to them.  nom, nom, nom….



Corn was another wonderful item to BBQ.  These were particular sweet and juicy.  I had some crimini mushrooms wrapped in foil too, but they were all gone before I had a chance to take pictures.



The chicken wings are my favorite items to BBQ as well (I really have that many favorites!)  With a coat of honey at the end, they are out-of-this-world-succulent.  Yes, wings are a little messy to eat, but totally worth it because they are finger licking good.



I totally forgot to take a closed up shot for the chicken drumsticks, the wings are too distracting!  LOL.  The drumsticks were juicy and flavorful with a hint of smoky flavor.  Not bad at all.



By the time the baby back ribs were done, I was quite full already.  But, still can’t help but to cut myself a piece or two. 




For dessert, we had Nutella Macarons, Mixed Berries Sorbet with Meyer Lemon and Basil, and lots of ice cream!  We’ll have another BBQ party coming up soon to celebrate baby girl’s birthday.  Can’t wait to enjoy more BBQ goodness with my family and friends.

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday
Sweets For Saturday

Broccoli-Beef and Shiitake Mushroom Rice Noodle

Just realized I haven’t post that many Asian or Chinese dishes on my blog.  You might see all kinds of breads, cookies, and desserts here.  But trust me, those are not what we normally consume everyday, although I have no problem with that at all…LOL.  On average, at least five out of seven days a week, I cook a traditional Chinese dinner, which includes steam rice and 1 to 2 main dishes that contains meat (or seafood) and vegetables.  I tend to make more simple dishes on the weekdays and perhaps make the more time consuming ones over the weekends.  Nevertheless, it’s still not a simple task to cook up 2 different dishes every night, let alone came up with new dishes to cook every day.



Thanks to my son, our dinner menu has been changed quite a bit lately!  He is a big time noodle lover, really, any kind of noodles.  Whenever I serve noodle instead of rice for lunch or dinner, he sits down quietly and finishes his plate in no time.  So, we’ve been eating noodles and pastas more often, well, a lot more often lately!  Happy kids, happy parents, why not?!  :)  Now, this Broccoli-Beef and Shiitake Mushroom Rice Noodle is one of the most requested dish in the house, beside spaghetti with meat balls and pink sauce.  It’s easy to make, delicious and very flavorful.  Of course, I have no problem cooking this, any day of the week.  Simply change up the protein and veggies and you got a whole new dish!  I used beef and ham here for the protein, you can substitute with shrimp, chicken, pork, squid or eggs.  Besides broccoli, you can use spinach, asparagus, carrots, enokitake mushroom, snow peas or bak choy for the veggies.  Why this dish is so delicious?  The secret is in the shiitake mushroom sauce and the noodle base seasonings.  Of course, I’ll include the recipe for you below.  After you try this recipe yourself, please kindly let me know how you like it.  :)  Once you’ve tried this recipe, maybe that would change up the dinner menu at your home, too.   

        

Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Shaved Parmesan Cheese

What are your new year resolutions for 2011?  Is getting on a diet one of them?  If it is, that’s really too bad because “diet” is not on my dictionary list.  I’m pretty sure visiting my blog and looking at all kinds of mouth-watering food won’t help either.  Honestly, I love food too much to ever get on a diet (and yes, I always eat for 2 even when I’m not pregnant, according to my husband).  Plus, dieting never works for me.  If I lose 2 pounds this month, I’ll surely gain back 4 pounds the following month.  So, what’s the point?     

Anyhow, eating more healthy is definitely one of my New Year Resolutions.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ready to give up my cheesecakes or dark chocolates just yet.   You’ll still see posts and recipes with cakes and desserts on this blog.  Of course, I do taste test on all my finished products (and sometimes, taste tests during the cooking process) before posting recipes here just to make sure the dishes taste excellent!  To me, moderation is the key to a healthy diet.  Eating 1 particular food group too much or cutting a particular category entirely from your diet never sounds right to me.  I always like to eat a well balanced diet and I DO count my calories intake (and to me, fluffy cakes contain ZERO calories).  Unfortunately, I usually lost count on my 5th visit to the cookie jar before mid-afternoon, so go figure.  Sometimes, I purposely eat a lighter brunch so I can have a bigger piece of cake for my afternoon tea.  (hm….somehow that doesn’t sound right at all!  LOL)   



This is one of my favorite light weekend brunch, Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Shaved Parmesan Cheese.  You can serve it with a piece of toast on the side for dipping if you like.  I love the runny yolk on my asparagus, it’s beautiful and delicious!  I made this dish with this Egg Poacher Set, which I received as a Christmas Gift this past year!  It’s now one of my favorite kitchen gadget.  It is so easy to use and produce perfect poached eggs every single time!  The non-stick coating does wonder and made clean-up a breeze.  If you don’t have an egg poacher, simply poach your eggs with a small non-stick saucepan with a few drops of vinegar added to the water.  They’ll come out perfect.  (Please see additional tips and recipe from this post below.)          

                                                                     

                                    **GIVEAWAY**

The American Egg Board is giving a year’s worth of eggs (valued at around $100) to six lucky food bloggers. This is your opportunity to prove that food bloggers are the new media by helping to break this story! To qualify to win, you can do one of two things (or both, separately, if want to increase your chances of winning). You can:

1. Write and publish an original post which provides a favorite breakfast recipe that uses eggs and includes mentions and links to Kitchen Play and the American Egg Board.
2. Venture into the world of food journalism by writing and publishing an original post discussing the new study which shows that eggs are lower in cholesterol, and how this news affects the way you cook with eggs. Posts must include mentions and links to Kitchen Play and the American Egg Board. For more information about this study, click here. To speak with a representative of the AEB, send Kitchen Play an email via the Contact page and we will refer you to the appropriate person.
3. This contest is open to US residents only.

Once your post (or posts) is published, leave a link to it in the comments section below. The contest is open until midnight, February 28, 2011. Winners will be chosen at random.

                                      

Salmon and Garden Vegetable Farfalle (Bow Tie Pasta)

Recently, some of my girlfriends (who are also moms) shared with me that they are struggling to put veggies into their kids’ diet.  Let’s just say, I’m very fortunate that both of my kids love vegetables (and seafood, isn’t that weird?)  In this post, I just want to share this delicious recipe with you all that you can “trick” your kids into eating more veggies.  This Salmon and Garden Vegetable Farfalle not only tastes good, it's also healthy.  For example, salmon provides your body with a great sauce of omega 3 fatty acid, which is essential for kid’s brain development.  (Read more Omega 3 health benefits from here) 



Kids are very simple, they like to eat delicious food (who doesn’t?).  So, besides making a dish delicious (and nutritious), make it fun, and make it colorful.  Also, get your kids involved in the cooking process.  That would certainly makes a difference.   This dish is so simple to prepare that your kids can definitely help out in some of the steps.  So, what are you waiting for?  Let’s get cooking!

Roasted Asparagus and Shrimp Salad

Summer is almost coming to an end, almost.  I’m still enjoying the hot weather before I have to re-arrange my closet (and my kids’) again.  Packing up the summer clothes and digging out the sweaters and jackets... the thoughts of them give me headache when thinking about it.  Instead, let me enjoy a plate of refreshing salad and wash it all down with a passion fruit ice tea.  I’ve been having salad for dinner quite often lately, at least 4 time a week, hoping to offset the sugar intake from the first half of the year.  Hahaha….does it work that way?  Probably not, but it makes me feel good, both physically and mentally, when I’m eating healthy.



The Roasted Asparagus and Shrimp Salad is one of my favorite.  It's flavorful and satisfying!  Not to mention that it is also very figure friendly and nutritious.  I always make my own salad dressings so they match perfectly with the ingredients.  Besides, I think the "store shelf" dressings are just too greasy…. with ingredients that are difficult to pronounce!  When it’s super simple to make your own, why pay more for the preservative or whatever they put into that bottle?!

With a salad this yummy, who wants summer to end so soon!?