Asparagus, bacon, Tomato Salad

• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and halved
• 6 cups halved cherry, grape, and pear tomatoes in varied colors
• 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
• 1 ripe avocado, cut into cubes
• 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 C  about 1/2 a lemon, juiced
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 T balsamic vinegar
• 1T honey 

• calories 213 
• caloriesfromfat 72 %
• protein 5.9 g
• fat 17 g
• satfat 4.1 g
• carbohydrate 13 g
• fiber 5.9 g
• sodium 347 mg
• cholesterol 8.3 mg

How to Make It

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   Boil asparagus in a large pot of salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
   

   Mix asparagus with remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well to coat evenly with dressing.
   
   
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Roasted Vegetable Puree.

My Husband and I recently went out for our Anniversary,

I ordered the Lamb and it was served on a bed

of these wonderful creamy Vegatable Puree.

The following is as close as I can get to this wonderful delight!

We went to one of our favorite restaurants here locally,

The Indigo Crow. It is in Corrales, NM.

I hope you will visit them when you come to NM!

www.indigocrowcafe.net

1/2 Bulb fresh fennel sliced 

1 carrot, diced

1 potato, peeled, diced

1 onion diced

1 parsnip diced

1 stick celery, diced
2 ears of corn,  or about 1 cup of frozen or fresh corn. cut the corn off the cob before cooking.

1 clove garlic

1/4 c olive oi1

1/4 C Cream

1/4 stick of butter

salt and pepper

Rinse,  and cut all vegatables. Place on roasting pan and toss with olive oil and salt. Roast in a 350 oven for at least 30 minutes, 

Let cool slightly and make sure all vegtables are cooked through.

Place all vegtables in one pot and use an immersion blender, any roughage like celery strands should catch in blender. Add butter, cream, salt and pepper. you may need to add a bit of liquid to make the right consistancy. Serve like mashed potatoes on the side or under your freshly grilled creation! Bon Appetite!

Roasted Eggplant and Red pepper humus/baba ganoush

Eggplant and red pepper salad/or a hummus baba ganoush

This is the time of year we find ourselves with an abundance of eggplant if you happen to be able to have a small kitchen garden. Even a couple of plants will make a nice yield without using a  huge amount of space. Great for container gardens too. This salad is a combination of recipes. Its easy and yet very flavourful! Enjoy and enjoy relish the beginning of fall!

1 Large Eggplant (or 2 smaller japanese varieties)

1 Lemon juice 

1 Red Bell Pepper, roasted and chopped

1/2 Purple onion chopped

1 can chickpeas Roasted

3T Olive Oi1
 Clove Garlic minced
3 T Tahini

salt

pepper

red pepper flakes 1/2 T
1 T 

siracha

Peel and slice eggplant, place on cookie sheet, brush with evoo evenly,

broil until nice and browned, both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add drained and dried chickpeas and red pepper to pan and broil intil nice and toasty.

Chop cooled eggplant. 

Combine, onion, pepper, garlic lemon juice, eggplant,

salt pepper and red pepper flakes and a dash of siracha. Toss to combine. Add Tahini and stir,

 add this mixture to a blender, add olive oil to garner consistency of peanut butter  blend on high speed. . Try with Naan or crackers! The roasting of the eggplant, pepper and chickpeas lend a very complex and earthy flavor to this luxurious dip or spread!
 Happy cooking! Please share! Thank you all for your support!

almost 11,000 readers!

Carolyn

Fresh heirloom, or just any kind of Tomato, Basil and spaghetti dinner

Tomatoes are in season and this is a quick and easy way to use some of the fresh bounty you have in your garden! Get the kids involved with the harvest of the Tomatoes, Basil and the shallot! This dish is so easy, quick and fun to make as a family! Also great for one person families! Make an easy salad to go with this yummy dish and viola!

Fresh Heirloom tomatoes with easy made-from-scratch pasta prepared using a pasta maker. Choose heirloom tomatoes in a  variety of colors for the prettiest presentation.

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 20 minutes

This recipe was inspired by Williams Sonoma. I have changed a few things, added Romano cheese. Cheese is just a little added niceness to this dish! Thank you for your support and happy cooking!

                                                 

• For the Pasta:
• 3 1/4 cups (1 lb./500 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 6 Tbs. water
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• For the sauce...
• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 2 Tbs. chopped shallots
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 plum tomatoes, grated
• 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) white wine
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 2 heirloom tomatoes, cut into bite-size wedges
• 1/4 cup (1 oz./30 g) grated Parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup (1/2 oz./15 g) chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 C Grated Romano cheese
• (Note, for a faster dinner, you certaintly can use store bought pasta. But the fresh made is so good! If you dont have a pasta maker, just make the dough, and cut into thin strips!!!!)
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Directions

Using a pasta maker fitted with the spaghetti die, use the flour, eggs and water to make spaghetti according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

While the pasta is being made, bring a large pot two-thirds full of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the cherry tomatoes and sauté until slightly wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the cherry tomatoes to a bowl. Add the shallots, garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and sauté until the shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the grated plum tomatoes and wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the butter and cook until the butter is melted and the mixture is reduced slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the heirloom tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup  
of the pasta cooking water. Add the pasta, cherry tomatoes and Parmesan to the sauce and toss, adding the reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the basil, Romano cheese and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Tyler Florence's influenced lemon blueberry scones

Its blueberry season, theres nothing like fresh gorgeous organic blueberries! The combination of lemon and blueberry just goes so well together! These scones are litterly the perfect recipe to wrap abound all those beautiful berries! I add more sugar to my recipe than Tyler does, I just like things a little sweeter! Happy Summer! Happy 4th of July! Happy baking!
Heat oven to 400 degrees!

Ingredients
Blueberry Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 C sugar
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones
1T Lemon Zest for batter, 2 T lemon juice
Lemon Glaze:
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 lemon, zest finely grated


Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough.
Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze.
You can make the lemon glaze in a double boiler, or for a simpler alternative, you can zap it in the microwave. Mix the lemon juice with the confectioners' until dissolved in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water for the double-boiler method, or in a microwave-safe bowl. Whisk in the butter and lemon zest. Either nuke the glaze for 30 seconds or continue whisking in the double boiler. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.
Enjoy!

Easy white bean soup

This easy soup recipe can be made at the last minute. It's vegan, inexpensive, Low fat, high fiber! Heart healthy! You can make it very low sodium!

After a long day at work, you would love to come home to a nice meal already prepared!
Here is a very easy dish you can make in just a few minutes! This dish is easy to also involve the kids! It can simmer while you all sit down with a nice cup of tea and share the details of your day!

2 Cans white beans (I rinse mine to reduce the salt)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 small package frozen spinich, or about 2 cups fresh from your garden
3 carrots, chopped
2 T olive oil
2 C Vegatable Broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Chili flakes
Herbs de Provance (optional)
Parmesean cheese for topping

In a large sauce pan, heat oil, place in onions and garlic, stir and cook till translucent, add
everything else! Simmer till carrots done. Top with cheese!

Yum!
Have a blessed day! Please like and share!

Red Chile Hummus with red peppers

New Mexico

 Vegan Red Chile Hummus with red peppers and Siracha

1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans

1/2 C Olive Oil

1 Clove Garlic (I use 2....because I love garlic)

(you can also use 1T crushed or minced garlic)

2T Siracha

2 T Tahini (sesame butter)

1/2 Lemon squeezed (about 2T juice)

1 t dried New Mexico Red Chili powder

1 large diced roasted red pepper for garnish

salt to taste

Drain garbanzo beans, place in blender along with everything but diced red pepper.

Blend until smooth. Add more olive oil if necessary to make a smoother than peanut butter

consistency. Enjoy with toasted pitas or snack chip of choice! Use on vegetarian sandwiches!

Vegan

Enjoy! Happy noshing! Thank you so much for your support! Be kind to all! Live a purpose driven life! Be positive! Set an example! Give back, find your calling...ie...Passion plus ability = your calling.  My favorite line from a movie...The Bucket List... Two questions..."Find the joy in your life and does your life bring joy to others?" Something to think about as you start your day! May God Bless!

 It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.