Healthy choice

Spring Asparagus with mushroom sauce

April 8, 2015
milkandbun
16 comments
asparagus, cooking, food, mushroom sauce, recipe, spring recipe

Happy Easter to all who had celebrated it on the 5th April! I know, you’d already eaten a dozen of eggs, so today’s recipe without an egg in it. 🙂

A bunch of asparagus reminds me flowers, the start of spring and a time of new beginnings. Do you know that the name asparagus come from Greek word meaning ‘sprout’ or ‘shoot’. This vegetable is believed to have originated 2000 years ago in eastern Mediterranean region. Asparagus is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients, and has an aphrodisiac qualities! 😉

I’ve been enjoying crunchy asparagus for a breakfast with a poached or scrambled eggs, but I’ve been looking for new recipes.. I also made a quiche with asparagus and roast chicken leftovers, which was tasty as any pie. Finally, I stumbled upon an interesting recipe which called to blanch asparagus and then top it with a mushroom sauce. I love this delicious and full of flavor mushroom sauce, that can be great with other spring vegetables as well or even with eggs! Below recipe can be served as a nice appetizer or a side dish which you can make very quick!

Spring Asparagus with mushroom sauce

Servings: 2
Time: 15-20mins
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

300-400g asparagus

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped, optional

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried

2 tbsp water or veg.broth

1 tbsp dry white wine, optional

2 tbsp cream cheese

5-6 medium mushrooms (button or oyster), sliced

1+1 tbsp grated parmesan

sea salt and white pepper to taste

For the sauce, in a frying pan heat oil, add onion, garlic, thyme, season to taste; cook until tender. Stir in water, wine and cream cheese. Bring to boil, then add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until mushrooms ready and sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in 1 tbsp parmesan.
Wash and discard woody bases from asparagus. Cook it in a boiling water for 3-4 minutes or until crispy, drain.
Arrange asparagus on a serving plate, top with mushroom sauce, sprinkle with remaining parmesan.

Enjoy!

recipe adapted from here

Citrusy Scampi with fennel salad

One day my husband brought home these strange-looking shrimps from a local fish market. A fishmonger called it ‘scampi’, wikipedia told it’s a kind of shrimps or langoustines. So, I’d decided to make a citrusy marinade as for shrimps and then fried it. Sliced fennel with cubes of bell pepper and orange segments worked out great with fried scampi. The smell was amazing! It turned out unbelievably delicious! This scampi recipe can be done in minimal time, super tasty and will leave you satisfied!

Now, it’s one of my favorite seafood meals. Moreover, it looks elegant and you can serve it as a top-class dish for your guests or for a romantic dinner under the stars in your garden. 🙂

Citrusy scampi with fennel salad

Servings: 2
Time: 1hr
Difficulty: moderate
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You can substitute scampi with large prawns.

Ingredients

3 large scampi per person as a starter or 6-7 as a main course

Marinade

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lime juice

1/2-1 tbsp orange juice

2-3 tsp orange zest

2-3 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped, as you like

1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander

S&P to taste

Salad

1/2 red onion

1 small fennel bulb or 1/2 large

1/2-1 bell pepper, red

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp white balsamic vinegar

1 orange

S&P to taste

Serving

fresh chopped coriander

extra virgin olive oil or basil oil

Preparation method

Cut the fennel and onion into julienne (thin slices) and add to the mixing bowl with the balsamic vinegar and oil, toss in. Cut bell pepper into small cubes, add to the bowl. Remove the rind on the orange then cut into segments and add to the mixing bowl (save all orange juices and add it to the salad); gently toss in the bowl with all ingredients. Reserve at room temperature.
Clean scampi, leave tails on if desired. In a bowl mix together olive oil, citrus juices, garlic, chopped coriander and orange zest. Add scampi and leave to marinate for 30 minutes to 1-2 hours. Heat the frying pan on a medium-high heat, add scampi without marinade. Cook for 2-4 minutes on each side, depends on the size of scampi. Season to taste.
Season the salad and gently mix. Divide the salad evenly on plates. Serve salad with scampi placed on top. Sprinkle with finely chopped coriander and drizzle even more oil, if desired.

Enjoy!

Sharing at 62nd FF party with Angie, co-hosts Jess, Prudy and all guests! Hope you all gonna love these bright, healthy and delicious dish!

Braised Rabbit with red wine, prunes and thyme

I’m sure you know that Easter is on the way (Catholic falls on April 5 and Orthodox April 12), and you’re probably planning what to cook, or searching your notes with traditional recipes. I think some of you have a special main course recipe for this occasion, or may be it’s a wide range of recipes. What will you choose this year? An elegant dish or simple&casual? I think, with spring bringing nice and pretty weather, that you’re likely to be in the mood for something hearty and light! 🙂 I’ve always been partial to rabbit; when I’m visiting my parents in Russia I’m always pleased to eat a rabbit stewed in sour cream. It’s always tender and delicious, of course because it’s prepared by my mom. 😀 Today recipe is elegant and great for a special dinner! I’d like you to try rabbit with prunes and thyme, braised in red wine. It requires few ingredients to be transformed into a flavoursome meal! Enjoy!

Braised Rabbit with red wine, prunes and thyme

Servings: 3-4
Time: 2hr
Difficulty: moderate
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Ingredients

1 rabbit, 1.3-1.5kg

water

1-2 tsp apple or wine vinegar, optional

2 tbsp olive oil

20g butter

1-2 garlic clove, peeled, chopped

5-6 shallots or 1 onion, chopped

1 bay leaf

4 black peppercorns, optional

4-5 juniper berries

12-15 prunes, pitted

4 springs thyme or 1 tsp dried

150ml dry red wine

100ml or more hot water, if needed

sea salt and white pepper to taste

Garnish

boiled or roasted potatoes

sour cream

Preparation method

Joint the rabbit, wash it and put in a large bowl, fully cover the meat with water, add vinegar if using, then cover with a wrap and leave to marinate for 1-3 hours. It helps to make rabbit meat more tender and get rid of any unpleasant smell.
Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-bottom pan on a medium-high heat. Add the rabbit pieces and brown each side for 6-8 minutes or until golden colour. Take out the rabbit pieces and place aside. Don’t clean the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium, add onions, garlic, peppercorns (if using), juniper berries, bay leaf, some thyme leaves and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until onion have softened. Add rabbit, pour over wine and scrape up the bottom of the pan. Bring to boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes.
Fold in prunes and remaining thyme. Season to taste. The liquid should come half way up the rabbit pieces. So, add some water, if needed. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid (keep a small slit) and braise the rabbit for 45 minutes. Now turn the rabbit pieces on the other side, adjust the seasoning, again cover the pan with a lid and braise for further 40-45 minutes. The rabbit should be easily pulling off the bone.
Serve with sliced boiled/roasted potatoes, or rice. Add a tablespoon of sour creme, if desired.

Russian buckwheat kasha with mushrooms

Buckwheat has always been a popular grain in Russia. It was brought in 7th century from Greece and soon became extremely popular. Buckwheat was new and unknown grain in Russia, so it was called “Greek grain” or shortly “grechka”. It’s not a surprise why buckwheat was very beloved in old Russia: peasants called it “mother”, they grown it in a large amounts, so it was cheap and affordable grain. Moreover, it’s cooked quickly and has a high nutritional value – a plate of buckwheat kasha (porridge) for breakfast can keep you full for a long time. Buckwheat porridge was a favorite meal not only among peasants, it was also cooked for upper classes but with plenty of butter or sour cream.

Nowadays, there are lots of recipes with buckwheat, it’s cooked with milk and eaten for breakfast or as a side dish for meat like beefstroganov. Buckwheat porridge with fried onion and mushrooms is a popular dish in Russia, especially during the Great Lent when grains, vegetables and mushrooms become the main foods.

Hope all lovely bloggers partying at Fiesta Friday will like this Russian buckwheat porridge, it contains vitamins, healthy organic acids and oils! Enjoy! 🙂

Russian buckwheat kasha with mushrooms

Servings: 2
Time: 30-40mins
Difficulty: easy
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During the Great Lent or for vegetarian option omit the butter or substitute it with any veg.oil

Ingredients

200ml buckwheat

400ml water

1 tsp butter

1 Tbsp sunflower or other veg.oil

1 large onion, chopped

200g mixed mushrooms (or 400g frozen), chopped

25-30g butter

salt, pepper to taste

fresh chopped parsley, optional

Wash buckwheat, put it a thick-bottomed or iron-castle pan, fry on a low heat without any oil for 2-3 minutes. Add water and good pinch of salt. Bring it to boil on a medium heat, then reduce the heat to low, add a teaspoon butter and simmer for 17-20 minutes or until all water will be absorbed. Don’t stir buckwheat during the cooking. When it’s ready, take the pan off the heat, cover with lid and few kitchen towels, let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, add onion and fry for few minutes. Stir in mushrooms, season to taste and fry on a medium-high heat until mushrooms are ready.
Stir the mushroom mixture and butter into buckwheat. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve warm as a main dish or side dish to chicken, stewed meat or sausages. Enjoy!

Masoor dal (red lentil) Soup

Masoor dal is a split red lentils, widely used in Asian cuisine, particularly in Indian. Lentil is a good source of protein and fiber. These lentils do not need to soak overnight, they cook very quickly, so the recipe is perfect for everyday cooking. Adding aromatic Asian spices enhances lentils’ taste and brings loads of flavour to the soup! Rich, amazingly good vegetarian thick soup; you should give this recipe a try! 🙂

Masoor dal (red lentil) Soup

Servings: 4
Time: 30mins
Difficulty: easy
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You can skip chilli if you don’t want the soup hot, or add more if you like it really spicy.

The longer you cook the soup – more creamy it’ll be.

Ingredients

300g red lentils, washed

200g (2 small) potatoes, cut into small cubes

2 Tbsp olive or sunflower oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/3-1/2 tsp chilli seeds, optional

1 clove

2 bay leaves

5-6 pink peppercorns, crushed

sea salt, to taste

3-4 Tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

naan/flatbread, to serve

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add mustard seeds, chilli (if using), cumin, bay leaves, clove and fry until fragrant. Add onion and garlic, cook for 5-7 minutes until soft. Stir in potatoes – fully coat it in oil and spices. Sprinkle with turmeric, pink pepper and salt, stir.
Stir in lentils, add water to cover the mixture. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until vegetables are cooked. Add more boiling water or continue to simmer further to achieve your preferred consistency. Adjust the seasoning.
Stir in fresh coriander. Serve with bread.