Cooking Veggies - 5 Different Methods

So I love asparagus and had some fun photographing this wonderful veggie!

 

I love it's simplicity, yet versatility!

It is great served along side a fancy protein or hamburger off the grill. 

It compliments any grain. Adds crunch to salad. 

Can withstand a vinaigrette sauce.

Or stand out with just a little oil, salt and pepper.

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Today, I thought I would share some cooking methods for vegetables. I used asparagus since it's my favorite, but these same techniques could apply to most vegetables - green beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, to name a few.

With any vegetable the first step in preparation is getting them nice and clean with a good rinse.

Asparagus spears have a tough fibrous end on each stalk - not great to eat. So, how do you know how much to remove?

Hold the asparagus stalk towards the fibrous end and start to slightly bend, until it snaps. The snap will occur naturally where the asparagus becomes tender. 

 

It is not necessary to do this to each stalk, once you have snapped one, line them all up and chop the ends of all the remaining pieces. This will allow for a nice clean edge on the end of the spears and consistent size.

Now we are ready to cook. Note as I go through these different methods, cooking times will all vary depending slightly on the size of the spears. The thinner (what I prefer), the shorter the cooking time, but thinner is not always an option at the grocery store the week you want them. I think a lot of people overcook their veggies, so your goal is to make the asparagus tender, but still crispy - and of course the cook gets to sample along the way to make sure the goal is met :).

Steamed  

I don't have a steamer, so I make my steamed asparagus by filing a pot of water and bringing it to a boil. Then place a strainer over the pot with your asparagus in it and cover. Let the steam from the boiling water cook the asparagus for 5-10 minutes. 

 
 

Boiled 

Place the asparagus spears in a pot of salted boiling water and cook for 5 -10 minutes.

Better Bonus Tip: For additional flavor, try boiling in chicken or veggie stock, either full concentration or half water/half stock.

 
If you are serving the asparagus cold and are cooking with either the steamed or boiled method, it is important to blanch the spears after cooking to preserve color and stop the cooking process. To do this, place the asparagus into a ice water bowl.

 Sauteed 

To saute the asparagus, leave whole or chop and cook over the stove top in some oil for 5-10 minutes. This is a great method for stir fry.

Grilled 

This is one of my favorite ways to cook asparagus for a few reasons. The flavor that comes from a grill is delicious plus cooking outside is fun (and less dishes to clean). To cook the asparagus, add oil, salt and pepper or any additional seasoning you might want and grill on high heat for 5-10 minutes.

 

 

 

 Roasted 

This is my other favorite way of making asparagus - and the year round option that provides great flavor and crispy texture. Complete the same steps as you would for grilled asparagus (oil, salt, pepper, seasonings) and place on a baking sheet in a 400 degrees oven for 15 minutes.

 
Better Bonus Tips: Once you feel comfortable with the various techniques, start to experiment:

• Try adding different seasonings
• Add chopped garlic and onion
• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
• Drizzle with warm balsamic butter (melt butter on stove top and stir in couple of teaspoons of balsamic vinegar; serve immediately)
• Add citrus (lemon or orange juice and zest)
• For presentation variety, try cutting the asparagus in different ways (in small 1-2 inch pieces, on a diagonal, diced into thin circles, use a vegetable peeler to make thin strips)

Eat your veggies! Which way do you like the best?

~Ashley

Frontega Chicken Sandwich Remake and Avocado Fries

So this week I am making a remake of one of my favorite sandwiches (yes, I said sandwiches). If you know me very well, you may know that sandwiches aren't my favorite food. My husband on the other hand loves them, so I try to find ones I really like and make them at home. Most of my favorite sandwiches are warm grilled varieties.  My work is right next to Panera so if I need to buy lunch, I usually end up at Panera and the Frontega Chicken Sandwich is one of their sandwiches I really enjoy! Hopefully you will find this easy enough and you can save yourself some cash and make it at home! 

Next up, is my avocado fries. I saw a picture of avocado fries on a new website I am addicted to called Pinterest. It is an online bulletin board where people share pictures of basically anything they like - I think of it as an electronic vision board, if you are familiar with that term. I love to look at home decor and design pictures and of course food. I post all of the pictures from my blog and then also get to see others work. The great thing is when someone 'pins' a picture, it links back to the original author so appropriate credit is received. One item I saw a few weeks ago was avocado fries.  Unfortunately, when I tried to link back this time, it must have been 'pinned' incorrectly, because it took me to a blog about Christmas. I figured I would just guess what she did. If you don't like avocados, try portabella mushrooms - I have done this many times. If you don't like either, back to the traditional spud fries for you I guess. 

Better Bonus Tips: Avocados are not only delicious, but have great health benefits, which you can read more about here. More on this in a later blog.

Frontega Chicken Sandwich Remake

Inspired by Panera's Frontega Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients:

Bread
Chicken
Basil
Red onion
Tomatoes
Mozzarella

More on the ingredients. You get to be flexible and do what you want, but here is what I did:

• I like sourdough, but use your favorite bread or what you have around.
• I used oven roasted deli chicken breast, but feel free to shred a chicken breast and use that. 
• I have made this a few times and sometimes I leave the basil as the entire leaf, other times I cut into small ribbons. If you can't remember how to chiffonade basil (make tiny ribbons), see instructions here.
• I decided to do half slices of red onion.
• Thinly slice the tomato.
• If you don't have or want to use mozzarella, try monterey jack. I like shredded, but if you have slices at home, use those.

Lay out your bread slices and layer ingredients. A lot of people like to butter both sides of the bread, but I find spraying the pan with oil spray works just fine.

Grill using a panni maker or grill pan, that is sprayed with oil spray. If you don't have either, you can use a skillet. Place the sandwich in the skillet and then place another smaller skillet on top of the sandwich. Adding a can of soup or veggies from your pantry will provide pressure to cook the sandwich, just like a panni maker would. The only difference is if you use the skillet method, you won't have the grill lines, but it will still be nice and crunchy.  Make sure to watch the bread while it is cooking and flip over once one side is browned.

Enjoy your homemade Frontega Chicken Sandwich with a side of my avocado fries below.

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Avocado Fries

Inspired by Pinterest (original blog: EXPRESS - O)

Ingredients:

Avocado (1 - 2 depending on size and how many fries you want)

Lemon, 1

Panko bread crumbs (you may be catching on that I love to use these)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice avocado into thin strips.

Squeeze lemon juice onto all sides of avocado slices and then add the avocado slices to the bowl of panko bread crumbs to coat edges.  A lot of people use an egg wash and flour combination, but the lemon juice helps the panko adhere well enough for me. Some benefits of using lemon instead of the egg wash and flour is the lemon will add great flavor and help the avocado from turning brown, plus a little healthier.

 

Spread out onto a greased baking sheet. Spray the tops of the fries with oil spray. Cook until brown and crispy, 20-30 minutes. 

Salt when warm out of the oven and enjoy these light, creamy, buttery delicious fries!

 

Better Bonus Tip: Next time I am going to try adding some seasonings and parmesan cheese. Maybe even try a dipping sauce. Try these modifications if you would like!

~Ashley
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Twice Baked Potato Crisps

I love the flavors in a twice baked potato, but sometimes the idea of a huge baked potato sounds like too much food to have as a side dish. I came up with these twice baked potato crisps as an alternative option. We have eaten them as a side dish during a meal and also as an appetizer. You can also do some of the steps the day before, which is a big win for me, because twice baked potatoes can be time consuming.

Twice Baked Potato Crisps

Servings: 18-20 mini crisps (will vary depending on size of potatoes)

Ingredients:

Baked Potatoes, 4

Bacon, 6 slices

Shredded cheese, 1/2 - 1 cup

Chives or green onions, chopped, 1/4 cup

Sour Cream, 1/2 - 3/4 cup

Panko bread crumbs, 1 cup (if you don't have panko, you can use regular, they just may not be as crispy)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Bake potatoes for 1 hour. During the last 15 minutes, put slices of bacon onto a baking sheet and add to the oven. 

Better Bonus Tip: Poking holes in the baked potatoes before baking will help release pressure and steam and prevent the potatoes from bursting. 

Cool potatoes and bacon once done baking. All of the above steps can be done the day prior.

Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice in half and remove flesh. Add the potato flesh to a bowl along with cheese, chives, chopped bacon, sour cream. Mash well and ensure all ingredients are mixed thoroughly. 

Form into patties, ensuring consistent size to allow for equal cooking temperature. Place each patty into a bowl of panko bread crumbs, coating each side. Lay formed patties onto a greased baking sheet. 

Lightly drizzle the top of the patties with oil or an oil spray. Bake at 400 degrees for an additional 30 minutes, until lightly golden brown. 

Serve warm out of the oven as a crispy appetizer or side dish to an entree. 

Better Bonus Tip: If you have left over sour cream and chives (or green onions), mix together and add some lemon juice to serve along side potato crisps.

~Ashley

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New Year, Better Choices: Demand Higher Quality Food

So 2012 is here. I can't believe it, time just seems to go by so fast. Did you set a new year's resolution? I don't really set one specific resolution. I used to end up setting a somewhat unattainable one, which ended in too much pressure and eventually failure. A few years back, Zach and I decided we would sit down and make mini personal and professional goals, both as a couple and individually. The important part (and most of the time the difficult part) is following through. To make sure we would follow through, half way through the year, sometime during the summer, Zach and I look at our written list of goals and see how we are doing. We have found the more you keep it in your forefront, the more likely you are to continue to try. To me it isn't "I met the resolution" or "didn't meet the resolution," it is the continual attention, effort and hopefully improvement and progress towards whatever it is you are working towards. 

I bet if I googled 'top five new years resolutions', one of them would be eating healthier. One goal Zach and I set for ourselves a few years back was to try to eat higher quality food. To us a huge factor in healthy food, is the quality of the ingredients. I am not sure if that is ever a thought that crossed your mind, but I thought I would share our background and how we got to the point we are at today, in case you are interested in taking small steps towards supporting and consuming better quality food. 

Our journey started a couple of years ago. We heard about a company called Door to Door Organics and immediately signed up for an every other week shipment of fruits and veggies (mostly locally grown) that would be dropped off at Zach’s office. This was a small step we could make to start eating better quality produce and was an extremely convenient first step. We were able to pick if we wanted our box to contain both fruits and veggies or just one or the other and also the frequency of the delivery. We did this for quite a while, but eventually decided we wanted to consider eating more organic foods, besides just produce. Due to my interest in cooking and constantly wanting to try new foods, we also felt we wanted a little more variety than our Door to Door Organics box was offering. We started paying attention to what types of foods had organic varietals and where we could get organic food. We typically shopped at Hy-Vee, so just started looking in their Health Market section. This is a great little area that is separate from the rest of the store and has both refrigerated, frozen and pantry products. We decided we wanted to add some dairy and various packaged products, such as canned foods, pasta sauce, cereal, etc. to our organic food line up.

After about a year or so, we continued to have the urge to do more. Our next logical step was Whole Foods, a natural and organic grocery store. I didn't really like the idea of starting to shop at this store, because there are only two in the area and neither of them close to us. We decided to go in just to see what it was all about and the rest was just history.You will probably hear me mention Whole Foods many times during the life of this blog, but it truly changed the way I think about food - the way food is grown, raised, prepared, stored, even presented to the buyer. As much as you can love a grocery store, we did and still do. I used to hate, and I mean hate, going to the grocery store. I always thought that was weird, because I loved to cook, but I hated it until we started shopping at Whole Foods. Even Zach doesn't mind going with me now, so it's a win win!

Yes, Whole Foods can be more expensive, which I would bet is the number one thought crossing most of your minds at this time. That can be true, but in some cases I found it to be just as much as the HyVee Health Market and in some instances Whole Foods was actually cheaper than what we were currently buying. Some items can even be purchased in bulk, which is normally a better option. They also have sales and coupons just like other stores, so if you utilize those benefits, the cost is even lower. Lastly, the store isn't entirely organic. Even when we aren't eating their organic products, we still feel better about the quality of their natural food because they have strict regulations and a list of ingredients that they consider unacceptable in the products they sell. To me that is one of the biggest benefits, you don’t have to think about what is in your food because they are doing it for you.

Better Bonus Tip: Whole Foods has their own store brand - 365 (both organic and not) - which can help save you money. Anytime they have what I need in their 365 brand I get that and have found it to be cheaper.

So why organic?

To be completely honest, I can’t remember the specific reason that persuaded us to decide to make this change (probably an article or documentary). I do know the more time that passes, the more we learn, the more we know this will be a life time priority for us.  We by no means eat organically all of the time, but our goal is to try to eat organically at least 85% of the time and I think we accomplish that goal. Do we eat out? Yes. Do we eat non organic food? Yes. Do we eat processed food? Yes. Do we eat crap (pardon the term)? Yes, sometimes. I think one of my biggest fears is that friends and family will feel uncomfortable having us over for dinner because they don't serve us organic food.  We don't have to eat organically, just choose to do it as often as we can.

I mentioned Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution in a previous blog about beef. He did another demonstration on his TV show a while back that I think shares in a very dramatic way one reason we choose to continue to eat organically as often as possible. 

So yes, this is a pretty drastic way to make the point (if you watched the show or the other clip I posted, you will agree he always does that doesn't he). You get the idea though, if you can't pronounce an ingredient, you don't know what it is, or it sounds like something you could use in a science experiment, you probably don't want to consume it! There are tons of articles out there and top 10 reason lists to eat organically, but bottom line is organic food is grown naturally, without pesticides, radiation, synthetic fertilizers, or organisms that have been genetically modified. You are simply getting the natural product the way it was intended to be. Eating organically means you take into consideration what is added to the food, while growing or during the production process, and strive to keep the food in it's natural state. You can still eat ice cream sundaes, just like Jamie showed in the video, just consider modifying the ingredients to ensure you know what is being put in your body.

Do what you can or want to do. 

You don't have to eat organically, that is just a choice Zach and I made. Organic food has strict regulations, so not all good quality food has the organic label. The point I am trying to make on my soap box is demand higher quality food, you deserve it! Better quality food is a vital part of eating healthy. 

Better Bonus Tip: If you can't or choose not to eat organically, look at the ingredients listed on packaged products and try to consume products that only contain items you are familiar with. Also, usually the shorter the ingredient list, the more natural state the food is in. I will caution you to be weary of the words all natural on products. As I have mentioned before, there is much debate about what regulations surround the use of this disclaimer.

If you want to eat organically, you don’t have to shop at Whole Foods. As more people are bringing awareness to food quality, the more organic food that is becoming available and the better the price. Give Door to Door Organics a try. I just received an email this week that they are adding a lot of foods to their service, including meats and pantry items.  Trader Joes is now open, which sells both organic and natural food. HyVee is getting more and more organic produce, in addition to their products in the Health Market.  Walmart and Target even sell organic products now! Demand better!!!

Better Bonus Tip: Start small as a goal for 2012. If you can only do a little, take a peek at the dirty dozen list. According to the Environmental Working Group, consuming 5 servings of fruits and vegetables from the 12 most contaminated list would cause you to consume an average of 14 different pesticides a day!  

~Ashley