Asparagus Soup

This low carb soup is much healthier than any canned soup you can find. Enjoy the fresh flavours of this recipe, using whatever spices you choose to make it your own.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups fresh asparagus, ends removed, and chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
• 1 tsp grapeseed oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional seasonings to try: Curry, Paprika, etc. 
• 2 Tbsp chopped chives
• Ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the grapeseed oil in a pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic with a tablespoon of water, with salt and pepper to taste (or spice of choice). Cook until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
3. Add the asparagus to the pot and cover with broth.
4. Cover the pot with a lid and cook on medium heat until the asparagus is soft and tender (approx.10 minutes).
5. Transfer the soup to a food processor, or using an immersion blender, and process until soup is smooth and creamy.
6. Pour into soup bowls and sprinkle with ground pepper and chives.

Asparagus Guacamole

This guacamole makes a wonderful low carb, low fat substitute for delicious summer dipping. From of Florence Fabricant of the New York Times.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound asparagus, medium thick
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp onion or green onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp sweet red pepper, finely minced
• 1 small canned green chili, seeded and minced (approx. 1 Tbsp) or minced fresh green chili to taste
• 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
• pinch of salt
• cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Wash asparagus, snap off the ends and simmer in water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and allow to cool. Cut off the tips and reserve them.
2. Cut the spears into half-inch pieces and process to a smooth puree in a blender or food processor.
3. Fold in remaining ingredients. Either fold in the tips or use them to garnish the dip. Serve raw cut vegetables.

Asparagus and Mushroom Frittata

This Phase 1 Asparagus and Mushroom Frittata offers a nice dinner option for egg lovers and vegetarians.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp grapeseed oil
• 2 cups asparagus, trimmed and cut to 1 inch pieces
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 8 eggs
• 2 Tbsp dried chives, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Adjust or add spices to your taste (onion powder, garlic powder, etc)

Directions:

1. Arrange an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Heat 2 tsp of the grapeseed oil in an 8-inch, ovenproof, nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. 
3. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the asparagus. Cook for 2 minutes more.
4. While the mushrooms are cooking, in a bowl whisk together the eggs, chives, parsley, salt and pepper.
5. Pour the egg mixture over the mushrooms and asparagus and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 2 minutes.
6. When the eggs are set, put the pan under the broiler for 2 & 1/2 to 3 minutes or until frittata is golden brown. 

Makes 2 servings (protein + 2 cups vegetables) for Phase 1.

Asparagus and Jicama Spring Salad

This spring slaw is perfect for a pot luck. Impress your friends with this beautiful nutritious and delicious dish. The fresh spring flavours of asparagus, crisp radish, sweet jicama and licorice (from the fennel) blend perfectly with the mustard lime dressing.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium jicama - peel brown skin and julienne the white part
• 6-8 radishes - julienne 
• 6-8 spears asparagus - use a potato peeler to peel thin strips off the asparagus
• 1 small fennel bulb - cut in half remove core use potato peeler to peel thin strips
• 1 Tbsp stone ground mustard
• handful of fresh chives
• 2 tsp basil 
• a handful of fennel fronds
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp Cayenne pepper (optional)
• salt and pepper

Note: If you have trouble finding jicama, substitute chayote.

Directions:

1. Cut and prepare the jicama, radishes, asparagus and fennel as noted. Combine in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, blend together the rest of the ingredients to make the dressing. 
3. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss until evenly coated. Serve.

All About Asparagus

Asparagus is a spring vegetable coming into season in Ontario.

From the Ontario Asparagus website (http://asparagus.on.ca/consumers/):

[Asparagus] is a member of the Lily family that includes onions, garlic, leeks, turnips and gladioli. There are three different colours of asparagus:

• GREEN asparagus has color because of a process called ‘photosynthesis.’ This is a process where plants use sunlight to produce chlorophyll, which gives them their green colour.
• WHITE asparagus is actually just green asparagus but the farmer mounds soil on top of the spears so they never see sunlight! So it does not perform ‘photosynthesis’ and therefore has no colour!
• PURPLE asparagus is simply a variety of green asparagus that has a gene that makes it purple, even though it still uses photosynthesis (i.e. produces chlorophyll). It is sweeter than green asparagus.

Asparagus has only 4 calories per spear and is very low in sodium. It is a good source of Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K calcium, magnesium and zinc, and a very good source of dietary fibre, protein, beta-carotene, thiamin, riboflavin, rutin, niacin, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, manganese and selenium.

Best eaten fresh, asparagus can be refrigerated for two or three days. Wrap stem ends in damp paper towels, then cover the bunch with plastic wrap or stand straight up in a jug of water.

Asparagus can be prepared many different ways. Here are some simple methods for cooking it. We will be posting more delicious recipes throughout the month of May.

How to Steam Asparagus

1. Fill a pot with ¾ inch of water (2.0 cm) and bring it to a boil. 
2. Place an open fan steamer in the bottom of the pot and lay the stalks in it. 
3. Cover and steam for about 5 minutes, checking occasionally as you may need to turn the heat down. 
4. After 5 minutes, check that the spears have been cooked to taste using a fork to test tenderness.

How to Blanch Asparagus

Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is needed before freezing vegetables and also before drying them.

1. Rinse the asparagus spears and cut or snap the woody ends off.
2. Have a large bowl of iced water ready.
3. Fill a pot with water- It is important that when the asparagus is immersed in the boiling water it comes back to boil within one minute. So if you are using a large pot you will probably need about 1 litre or 4 cups of water boiling ¼ pound of asparagus (about 6-8 spears).
4. Bring the water to the boil.
5. With the heat still on high, immerse the asparagus in the boiling water so that it comes back to the boil as quickly as possible. Boil for 2- 4 minutes depending on the thickness of the stalks. (2 minutes for thin, 3 for medium, 4 for fat).
6. Remove from the water and dunk straight away in the iced water. You need to stop the cooking process as quickly as possible to preserve the asparagus’ texture.

To freeze: When the blanched asparagus spears are cold dry on kitchen paper and pack in airtight freezer containers or freezer bags. Freeze immediately.

How to Roast Asparagus

1. Rinse and snap or slice off bottom of asparagus spears. 
2. Lay them out on foil or dish, drizzling olive oil and rolling the spears to ensure that they are all covered in a thin layer of oil. Sprinkle the spears with salt and pepper to taste. 
3. Place the dish in a preheated oven at 400F, 200C. 
4. Cook the asparagus in the oven for approximately 8 – 10 minutes; this does depend on how thick the spears are. They should be lightly browned and nicely tender when done. 
5. Check with a fork to ensure that they are cooked to your taste. Remove and serve.

How to Grill Asparagus

1. Roll the spears in a little olive oil so that they are evenly covered and place them at an angle on the metal bars of the grill so that they do not drop down between the bars. Sprinkle on a little salt and pepper to taste.
2. Depending on the heat of your grill and the thickness of the spears, you need to check them after two or three minutes. If they are grilling nicely, then roll them over gently.
3. After another couple of minutes, check that they are cooked to your desired tenderness by using a fork or sharp knife. Remove from the grill and serve with drizzled oil or lemon.
4. Skewering option: soak wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes then thread the asparagus sideways. You should end up with 10-15 spears on 2 skewers (top and bottom) in a rectangular shape. Now you can handle them easily for brushing with olive oil, turning etc. This works best with thicker spears.