Asparagus Frittata with Mushrooms and Spring Onions

Spring has officially begun in my book because there is asparagus at the farmer’s market!  I have gotten 2 bundles of these delicious, tender and nutritious greens for the past two weeks.  The thing about asparagus is that if you want to get it locally, the season is SHORT- 3-4 weeks at the maximum.  So this is definitely a get it while you can commodity when eating locally.

Frittatas are an easy omelet to make because there is no flipping involved.  Once you pour the eggs into the pan, you basically let the heat take care of the rest.

Asparagus Frittata with Mushrooms and Spring Onions

Ingredients:

6 eggs (from my dear friend Jeanine’s mom’s chickens)

2 T cream/milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 T EVOO

1 T butter

Asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces (Lyon Farms)

Spring onion, diced (Cane Creek Farms)

Mushrooms, medium dice (somewhere in PA)

Garlic, one clove, minced

Cheese, shredded, as much as you want (1/3-2/3 cup is usually good), we used raw milk cheddar this time

Method:

1. Preheat Broiler.
2. In a bowl, beat together eggs, milk and salt and pepper.
3. In a medium to large skillet, melt the EVOO and butter.
4. Add veggies to the pan, and saute. (I would add everything other than the asparagus first and then add the asparagus for only the last minute or so, so that is stays bright green and crisp).
5. Put the heat to medium-high, pour in the egg mixture.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Spring the cheese evenly over the eggs.
7. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 2 more minutes, until the bottom has started to set (the top will be runny still)
8. Broil for about 5 minutes- until the top is set and golden brown and delicious looking.
9. Remove from oven, and let stand for about 2 minutes.
10. Carefully flip onto a plate and then cut into slices to serve. (Or if you break it like I did, just serve in clumps, it’ll still  be just as yummy)

My frittata (before I flipped it out of the pan) while it was still pretty and whole!

Frittata is a great yummy choice for all seasons; if you use the freshest produce available it will always be so yummy!

Fig and Blue Cheese Appetizers

At  the farmer’s market, during the summer, you may go one Saturday and find that the berries you thought you were going to buy are no longer available.  Fresh fruit is always on our list, but buying locally, I have definitely branched out on the fruits I will try.

We were pleasantly surprised a few weeks last summer when Lyon Farms had fresh figs available.  The only way I had ever had figs before was inside of a fig newton so I was game to try them. Figs are quite yummy, we found.

When we find a fruit that we like, we buy double and freeze some.  This is a good thing now, in March, while we are running out of canned foods and there are still a couple of weeks before the markets are back in full swing.

Last night we went to wing night at a friend’s house, and made these fig appetizers out of some of the figs we had still frozen.  Because I make tend to food the “Tom Sawyer” way, I also made my own French bread, but as that takes about 2 hours one day and 5 hours the next, well I realize not everyone has that kind of time. By all means, buy the bread, but definitely try this appetizer!

Fig and Blue Cheese Appetizers:

Ingredients:

1 loaf of French Bread baguette

Fresh *frozen* figs, halved, thawed (from Lyon Farms)

1/2 Cup Blue cheese crumbles

1/2 Cup Walnut pieces

Honey/Agave nectar, to taste

Method:

1. Cut the French bread into slices that are about 1/4 inch thick.  Line up on a baking tray.
2. In a small bowl,  mix together the blue cheese, walnuts and just enough honey or agave to hold them together.
3. Scoop about a tablespoon of this mixture onto each piece of bread.
4. Place 1/2 of a fig on top of each piece of bread.
5. Drizzle the top with more honey or agave.
6. Broil just long enough for everything to ooze together.

Yummy, healthy and local snack or appetizer: you must try this!

Chipotle Roasted Mashed Sweet Potatoes

So it is spring, and SOON very soon the Farmer’s Market will be in full swing and I will have fresh local produce that is NOT a potato. But until then, there are still potatoes and sweet potatoes a plenty. Yesterday I made dinner for my husband and the side dish was these sweet potatoes. A few people have asked for the recipe, so here it is.

Chipotle (Roasted) Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes (cane creek farms)

1 chipotle in adobo + 2-3 tsp of the sauce

1 T butter

2 T orange juice

1 T milk (I used goats milk this time)

EVOO

Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Chop the sweet potatoes into quarters.
3. Place on a sheet tray and drizzle with EVOO.  Then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
4. Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes (until you can stick a knife in them without resistance).
5. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
6. Chop the chipotle into small pieces.
7. Scrap the potato guts out of their skins in into a small bowl.
8. Add chipotle, adobo sauce, and butter. Smash (or whip if you want them smoother).
9. Add in the OJ and milk.  Mix in to get a creamier consistency.
10. Enjoy the yumminess!

P.S. Happy birthday to my favorite set of twins: Casey and Courtney!