Recipe - Roasted Asparagus

I went shopping this weekend and got some nice asparagus. I’m going to roast them to use as part of my salads for lunch for the coming week. I’m using a technique that I’ve used for other things like oven-baked fries and pita chips. It’s super easy and super healthy.

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh asparagus

Cooking spray (lemon, olive oil or butter flavored works well)

No-salt seasoning (I like Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb, the one with the turquoise cap)

Preparation:

Trim asparagus and place in a glass baking dish. Spray with cooking spray until the top layer is thoroughly coated. Sprinkle liberally with No-salt seasoning of your choice. Toss the asparagus until evenly coated with the cooking spray and seasoning. Roast in the oven at 350° for 15 - 20 minutes. Toss one more time before serving and adjust seasoning as necessary.

It's just that easy!

How do I like mine?

Very garlicky with a squeeze of fresh lemon to top it off

Recipe - Lemonheads Cake

I’m going to a potluck on Sunday. I’ve decided to bring this cake so I thought I’d share the “recipe” with you. The reason I say “recipe” in parenthesis is it’s really more of a way to jazz up a lemon cake which you can make from scratch or from a box. I don’t bake so my roommate does that for me but we just buy cake mix and frosting in the can.

Ingredients:

1 lemon cake made from scratch or from a box.

1 can of vanilla frosting or a batch of your favorite vanilla frosting recipe.

1 bag of Lemonheads (use according to taste)

Preparation:

Bake lemon cake according to your recipe or box directions. Make frosting according to your recipe if you’re making it from scratch. While cake is baking, grind Lemonheads until they are mostly powder. I use a spice grinder to save a lot of time and hassle. Crack some more of the Lemonheads into small chunks. Mix some of the ground Lemonheads into frosting, tasting after adding. Continue to add Lemonheads and taste until the frosting tastes as tart and lemony as you like. Cool cake. Frost with Lemonhead spiked frosting. Sprinkle cracked Lemonheads over cake.

That's all there is to it.

How do I like mine?

Super tart and lemony. By the time I’ve added enough Lemonheads to reach my flavor level the frosting will definitely be yellow.

One caveat: When I made this the first time my downstairs neighbor came to the door to complain about the pounding.

Recipe - Greek Broiled Lamb Chops

When it comes to red meat lamb is my absolute favorite. I love it. The dish I most often make for special occasions is Greek Roasted Leg of Lamb. But that’s expensive and not really practical when you’re only cooking for two. I came up with this recipe when I found some nice lamb chops at the store. It’s quick and easy, so you can whip it up on a weekday.

Ingredients:

2 lamb chops

2 teaspoons of your favorite Greek or Mediterranean spice blend*

1 medium lemon

1 teaspoon salt*

* My favorite spice blend is Mediterranean Sea Salt from San Diego Coffee, Tea and Spice Inc. http://www.sandiegocoffee.com/. Since it already contains salt I use one tablespoon of it and leave out the added salt.

Preparation:

Sprinkle chops on both sides with spice blend and salt. Squeeze one half of the lemon over the side of the chops facing up. Save the other half for the other side. Place chops under broiler. Broil for approximately five minutes. Turn chops and squeeze remaining lemon over them. Broil another five minutes or until they are done to your liking.

Quick and simple, huh?

Serves 2.

How do I like mine?

Rare

Recipe - Farmer's Salad (Jewish deli style)

aIf you Google farmer's salad you'll find a large number of recipes that seem to have nothing in common. Apparently there is a version of farmer's salad for every region, country or culture. This version is the one my mother used to make and is very similar to the one served at the local Jewish deli. A good choice for a meatless meal. It's healthy, low fat, super easy to make and yummy. Great on a hot day.

Ingredients:

1 quart cottage cheese

1 pint sour cream

1 large cucumber

1 bunch red radishes

1 bunch green onions

salt

pepper

Preparation:

Chop cucumber (peeled or not) into small, evenly sized chunks. Chop cleaned radishes into small, evenly sized chunks. Chop green onions in small, evenly sized pieces. Mix chopped cucumber, radishes and green onions together.

That's it

Serve cottage cheese, sour cream and vegetables in separate bowls for family style dining. Allow diners to help themselves and season to their liking with salt and pepper.

Serves approximately 6 hearty eaters.

How do I like mine?

Cucumbers partially peeled. A generous portion of cottage cheese, lots of vegetables and a dollop of sour cream with a touch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. If I'm really hungry I might have a few woven wheat crackers on the side.