Asparagus w/Fava Beans

I decided a nice non-meat dish was needed today. After work I went to Central Market to do a little grocery shopping. Right away I decided upon the Asparagus and Fava Beans. I was not sure what I would use them in just then, however I did have a few ideas. Once I got home, an idea popped into my head. This is the result.

Ingredients:
6 Fava Beans
1 lb Asparagus
1/2 stick Butter
Dill
Paprika
Ground Black Pepper
Garlic Salt
Fennel Powder
Italian Herb Mix

I began by gathering my ingredients.

My second step was to focus on the Fava Beans first. I began by peeling the bean casings themselves apart and taking out the beans. I also started a pot of water boiling with a dash of salt in it.

Now in go the beans once the water is boiling. Look, pretty.

Get a mixing bowl with some ice in it ready for the beans. They need this right after they are done cooking, which is only a minute or three.

Turn off the heat and strain the beans out into the bowl of ice. You can use ice water if you want, either way it works to cool them off somewhat. Once they are cool enough to the touch, you peel the shells off of the beans. It's pretty easy, just get one end of the casing off and squeeze the bean right on out.

Now turn your attention to the Asparagus. Cut off the base of the stalks. This isn't really needed but I find it solves the issue of having one end overdone and the other just barely cooked.

Start some butter melting in a large saucepan.

Then add the Asparagus.

I dusted with the Ground Black Pepper and Garlic Salt at this point.

Then I mixed it all together and added the Fennel Powder with a smaller dash of Dill. On top of that a nice sprinkling of Paprika.

Mix again. Cook this way for awhile until done. Taste test to make sure, should not be more than 8 minutes. Then serve. I used the Italian Herb Mix as a sprinkle once plated.

Potatoes on Quinoa

So awhile back I posted a potatoes recipe that is quite similar to this one, however several different ingredients have changed. See if you can notice what they are! In all seriousness, I have had a craving for potatoes lately and that is what brought this about.





Ingredients:
5 Red Potatoes
Apple Cider Vinegar
Port
Sherry
Vegetable Oil
Fennel Powder
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Dill
Ground Black Pepper
Paprika
Italian Herb Mix

I began this recipe by assembling the interested parties, i.e. ingredients. Which really isn't that hard when it's just potatoes and what I will cook them in...or is it? I did make Quinoa in my rice cooker as well, which I guess means I didn't put that in the picture. Oh well, still tastes great! (Quinoa follows same rules as Medium Grain Rice in Rice Cookers)

I started by dicing up the potatoes and putting them in a mixing bowl.

I then made sure I had all my spices.

I put my saucepan on the stovetop and turned the heat to medium.

I quickly poured some Apple Cider Vinegar in.

Then some Port wine.

And some Sherry.

I forgot to take a picture as I was pouring, however I did put in about 1 cup of Vegetable Oil here.

On top of all that went the spices. I did a good dusting of everything but the Dill and Italian Herb Mix. I only use a small pinch of Dill since it goes a long way. The Italian Herb Mix, well, I used a massive HULK sized pinch of that.

Once it started boiling, I added in the potatoes.

Then I mixed them around to coat them with the mixture.

Now, stir on occasion. Make sure they cook properly.

I taste tested to see when they were done. Here's a picture of what they look like while I'm tasting one that's done. Hooray!

Now the Quinoa should be done in the rice cooker by now, which you should unplug right when it's done so the warming setting doesn't dry it out.

Alright, I plated the Quinoa first with some Potatoes on top. I think it looks nice with the minuscule pinch of Italian Herb Mix I added.

Chunky Taste O' Autumn

Today I decided that I wanted to make tomato sauce. Well, I got everything out and did not feel like getting the food processor out to puree everything into a nice chunk-free sauce. Then I thought, why not make tomato sauce in a different way. So I did, by leaving it extremely chunky which oddly enough now tastes like autumn instead of strictly being tomato sauce.








Ingredients:
2 Large Tomatoes
1 Large White Onion
1 Green Bell Pepper
1/2 stick Butter
1.5 cups of Red Wine
dash of Teriyaki Sauce
Dash of Lime Juice
Paprika
Ground Black Pepper
Italian Herb Mix
Fennel Powder
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Turmeric
Cumin/Coriander Mix
Dill

So I began this whole recipe by putting a pot on the stove and cutting up the 1/2 stick of Butter and putting that in. I turned the heat to medium. I then turned back to the Tomatoes. These I cut up into chunks and dumped them into the pot 1 Tomato at a time. To this, I diced the Green Bell Pepper and added it. Finishing this part I diced the Large White Onion and dumped it in as well. Then I stirred it all together.

After a minute or so, I added the spices. They went in as follows:
-dash of Paprika
-dash of Turmeric
-dash of Dill
-dash of Onion Powder
-coating of Garlic Powder
-heavy dash of Ground Black Pepper
-1/2 cup Italian Herb Mix
-heavy dash of Fennel Powder
-2 spoons of Cumin/Coriander Mix

After this stage, I added a 1/4 cup of Lime Juice, 1 1/2 cups of Red Wine, and a dash of Teriyaki Sauce. Then mix. Mix regularly so as to not let anything cook itself into being a new part of your pot and to make sure all of it is cooking properly.

Taste test to see that it is done to your specifications. I chose to leave it at this stage as it is delicious.

If you choose to make it into a sauce, let it cool a bit and pour into a blender to puree. Boom, instant sauce!

Taters!

Last night I decided for dinner to put together something I have not done in a very long time. Taters. That's Potatoes for those who do not know. This is a recipe I have used many times and am finally throwing up here.







Ingredients:
Potatoes
Butter
Hot Spanish Smoked Paprika
Dill Weed
Italian Herb Mix
Ground Black Pepper
Fennel Seed
Sea Salt

Start by putting a saucepan on the stovetop. Put in your butter. I used a Tuscan Herbed Butter I bought at a local Grocer.

Then get your potatoes and cut them up into small chunks. Turn the burner on to medium so your butter melts like so:

Once the butter is melted, toss in your potatoes. Add your seasonings to the amount you think is good. I didn't use much of anything but the Italian Herb Mix.

Stir it all together. Repeat.

I taste tested to see when done. When the potatoes look like they do in the picture above, they should be about done. Just take off and serve. Enjoy.