Roasted Asparagus & Oranges

I don't make romantic meals for two . . . yet.

I'm persuaded, however, that when my days are full of wifely love and cooking for two, my meal planning might involve the following: vegetables, citrus, fish, a 400° oven, and about 30 minutes to impress.

Roasting will.save.lives. 

Or at least it could save your Valentine's Day (in case you forgot to plan ahead and make reservations for your love's favorite restaurant, and now you feel weighted down by shame and persecution and lack of ideas and stomach groans . . .). 

Redeem yourself!  

Asparagus. Oranges. Fish. 

It's not at all impossible to take three ordinary foods and create a warm, delectable, and sophisticated dish.

 

 

Roasted Asparagus & Oranges

Ingredients:

          1. a stalk of asparagus (cleaned and thick ends trimmed off)

          2. one or two oranges (cut into wedges)

          3. olive oil, basil, paprika, and sea salt

Directions:

          1. Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with tin foil or 

              parchment paper.

          2. Spread out asparagus and orange wedges on sheet and drizzle 

              with a little olive oil.

          3. Sprinkle basil, paprika, and sea salt over top.

          4. Roast in oven for 30 minutes.

          5. Let the oranges cool for a few minutes before serving.

Baked Fish Fillet

Now don't go all crazy with the fish. I didn't catch and scale it myself or anything. Not that I know how to do either of those two activities. 

I will learn. 

One day.

The frozen fish section of your local grocer is magical. I made swai for this dish but have used haddock, cod, and salmon before too.

Ingredients:

          1. two fish fillets

          2. sea salt, turmeric, rosemary

Directions:

          1. Cut a large piece of tin foil and place the fillets in the center

          2. Sprinkle with salt, turmeric, and rosemary

          3. Creating a pouch, bring long ends of tin foil together and fold tightly. 

              Fold the smaller ends inward to create a seal.

          4. Place the pouch directly on the oven rack and bake along with the 

              vegetables and oranges (400 for 30 minutes).

          5. Optional: drizzle the excess juice from the fish pouch over the 

              asparagus. So good.

Roast! Toast! And eat warm basil-ly fruit! 

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White Gazpacho



Soup is welcomed at my table all months of the year. I have no qualms about sharing my bowl and spoon in the summer for something other than cereal or ice cream.

Perhaps my Romanian-ness bred in me this penchant for the slurpy goodness.
Or maybe my jaw's just lazy. It's a toss-up.

For those of you believing that soup's big debut is reserved for winter's frigidity: stop. Just quit it. It's all a myth.

Major thanks to my friend, John Mark, for ushering me into the realm of summer soup: Gazpacho!



Gazpacho is a cold soup that's bread- and vegetable-based. It takes practically no time at all to put together.

Think, C. B. C.

Chop.

Blend.

Chill.

That's it. Your blender is totes jealous at how easy your workload is compared to his (hers?).

And seriously, any food that can demand another food to serve its contents is pretty rockstar. Soup + bread bowl = the reason Panera is so legit.

Dish out your soup in style. Check out these awesome bowls from Anthropologie:

I want to serve ginormous spoonfuls of soup in these bowls!!! And maybe possibly even share. Maybe.

So if you're still not convinced soup can be served without wearing sweaters, scarves, and long-johns, ease your way into soup season with this flavorful chilled concoction.

White Gazpacho

Food creds: Panera Bread

Ingredients:

             4-5 slices french bread*

             2 cups water

             1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped

             2 medium cucumbers, peeled and coarsely chopped

             1/2 cup champagne vinegar

             1/2 cup almond or olive oil

             3 Tbsp sugar

             2 tsp salt

             1/2 tsp white pepper

             1/2 lb green grapes, rinsed and halved

             1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:

             1. Remove crusts from bread slices. Cut bread into 1/2" to make 2

                 cups of bread cubes.

             2. Put bread, water, onion, cucumber, vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, and

                 white pepper in a blender. Puree until smooth.

             3. Chill soup until it's very cold (at least 2 hours). Serve in cold bowls

                 and garnish with halved grapes and toasted almonds.

*I used rice cakes this time around for a friend who's on a no-yeast fast.

Mmm. Cukes.





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Black Bean Burgers

I'm not a vegetarian. I'm not. I promise. I love a well prepared fillet mignon and spinach|feta-stuffed chicken every now and again. But I also love healthy veggies, too. So when I stumbled across this recipe in June during a meatless fast I was undertaking, I said "Heck yes! Hand over the beans, please. I will make these." Yep. That's what I said.

So I made them. And then a week later I made them again. And then just last night I made them... again. Obsessed? Me?! Nah. Okay, maybe just a little. But really, it's because they are just that delicious. Super healthy, super filling, super easy to throw together. Who wouldn't be making these at least one night of the week? People with too much time on their hands, that's who. But then again, I don't know too many of those folks. Do you?

I loved these. My mom loved these. My roommates loved these. My 5 year old nephew, not so much. But as suspected, his carnivorous tendencies refused a burger that was not made from meat. You can't win 'em all, I suppose.

The spices really do it for me. It's so flavorful. Cumin and cayenne pepper add just enough excitement to say Wake up, tastebuds. Don't be fooled by a burger with beans. I'll cause you to forget all about those meaty imposters you thought you loved so much. It'll be like healthy codependency. Right? No? Not okay? Alright then.   

And just look at these colors! I've heard it said that you should eat the rainbow. It's true! Vegetables are vibrant and alluring. Ever notice how prepackaged meals are super bland in color? Not this guy. No siree. 





Excuse the naked thumb nail in bottom left corner. Made time for bean burgers that night just not nail polish. 

Black Bean Burgers

Food creds: Annie's eats

Ingredients:

              3/4 cup panko (can be substituted with bread crumbs)

              3 T., plus 2 t. of olive oil, divided

              2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided

              2 large eggs

              1 t. ground cumin

              1/2 t. salt

              1/4 t. cayenne pepper

              1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (yellow or
                orange work nicely as well)

              1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

              1 shallot, minced (half of a vedalia onion will also work, finely
                 chopped)

Directions:

1. Place a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. Blend the panko and 2 teaspoons of olive oil with a fork. Add the mixture to the skillet and, stirring frequently, toast until light golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Place 2 1/2 cups of beans in a bowl and mash with a potato masher (or fork) until mostly smooth. In another bowl, combine eggs, 1 tablespoon oil, cumin, salt, and cayenne, and whisk until blended. To the mashed beans, add the egg mixture, toasted panko, remaining 1/2 cup beans, bell pepper, shallots, and cilantro. Stir together until combined.
3. Divide into 6 equal portions and form into patties*. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large skillet over medium heat. Place 3 patties in skillet and cook until well browned on both sides (about 8-10 minutes total). Remove cooked burgers and repeat with last tablespoon of oil and 3 patties. Serve warm.

*Once divided, you can cook all six or refrigerate the patties that won't be eaten at that time and then cook them the next day. Wrap in either plastic wrap or tin foil.

Or, you can cook all six, refrigerate, and reheat uneaten burgers the next day. Both turn out just as yummy.

Enjoy!

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