Asparagus Soup

I LOVE SOUP! In the summer it's difficult to find a soup that tastes appropriate, but this recipe is light and springy and absolutely scrumptious. I like to serve it with some sort of toasted bread for dipping.

2 lbs asparagus washed and trimmed into 1/2-1" pieces
1 large yellow onion chopped
3T butter or olive oil
5 cups vegetable broth
2 sprigs thyme
1/3 cup heavy cream
1-3T lemon juice (to taste)

1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Salt and Pepper to taste

In large pot over medium heat melt butter, add onion and sauté until transparent. Add asparagus and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté 5 min
Add broth and thyme and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes or until asparagus is tender
Put 3/4 of the mixture into food processor or blender and puree then put back into pot, stir in cream, lemon to taste and cheese.

Berry Pie Tartlettes

Good news- dessert is vegetarian! Well, I am sure there is some nasty meat dessert exception out there, but I don't know about it and want to keep it that way. This was a really simple and easy dessert that my sister gave me that idea for and my husband couldn't get enough of. I made a batch of pie crust. You could you use any recipe you like or even a store bought refrigerated crust. I rolled it into balls and then smashed them flat into little disks (If you are using a store bought crust, chances are it's pre-rolled so go ahead and used a large round cookie cutter) Make them as big as you like then sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees until the edges start to turn golden. Once those are done I topped them with tons of berries that had been tossed in a strawberry glaze and a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream. Yum. As you can see I was also eating two giant pieces of banana bread. As much as I try to eat healthy, I give myself a break sometimes. OK, all the time. Best lunch ever.

Strawberry Glaze Recipe
1/2 cup water
1/2 c pureed strawberries
3/4 cup white sugar
3T agar agar
3T cornstarch

Whisk all ingredients in small saucepan and bring to boil. Boil for 3 minutes or until beginning to thicken. Stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool before using.

Ravioli Primavera

I saw THIS RECIPE on msn about a week ago and decided to try it out, and we ended up really liking it. I used four color fresh mini ravioli's that I found at Costco that were delicious. Don't get all cheap and skip out on the good fontina cheese and tarragon. They add just the right touch to make the sauce unique. Make your recipes right people! You won't regret it. This was very filling, but still light enough to feel summer appropriate. I am a salt-a-holic and had to add some kosher salt, but other than that I made it exactly (except maybe sneaking in an extra cup of veggies!) Fresh produce is everywhere this time of year, so go buy yourself something fresh and cheap. I used carrots, broccoli, sugar snap peas and a yellow squash. It was dark so I had to use my flash, but here is my attempt at the recipe. I am no studio photographer as you can see.

Messy Burgers

Let's start this blog off right, with my most used dinner dish, veggie burgers. That's right. I am a vegetarian. Don't let that scare you away. Veggie burgers get a bad rap. People think they are supposed to tasted like a hamburger, which to me, is disgusting. Veggie burgers have their own unique taste and you have to learn to cook with it. I like to buy Boca vegan burgers because they are some of the least flavorful of veggie patties, which means I can manipulate the flavor into whatever I want. My husband and I aren't really your standard ketchup and mustard on a bun kinda folks, so here is our spin














Messy Burgers Ingredients:

4 Whole wheat buns
2 T butter
4 veggie patties
4 t. balsamic vinegar
2-3 T olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, chopped
4 c packed baby spinach
kosher salt as needed

4-5 cloves garlic minced
1 c. feta cheese

1) Lay veggie patties on grill, drizzle 1 t. balsamic vinegar on each patty then cook according to directions.
2) Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet. Add minced garlic until fragrant, then add onions, cook until the onions start to get transparent, add spinach and salt and sauté until wilted.
3) Butter whole wheat buns and grill for about 1 minute or to your liking, then top with veggie patty, a generous scoop of the spinach and onion mixture then top it all off with a good 1/4 c of feta.

Serving this with sweet potato fries is a real winner. We eat these babies for dinner or lunch.