Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

I made this tonight and it came out really good. I think it might be good with a little bit of bacon too, add some flavor to it, because everything is better with bacon! ^_~

Ingredients:

24 + shrimp (depending on the size) cleaned

1lbs- Asparagus, chopped

1 (14oz) can low sodium chicken broth

enough water added to chicken broth to make it 2-3 cups

2 cups Aborri rice

1tbsp butter

1tbsp EVOO

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 small chopped onion

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat melt the butter in the EVOO. Saute onions and garlic until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add rice and stir-fry until rice gives off a nutty smell. Slowly stir in 1 cup of water and chicken broth mixture, stirring constantly. Once broth is absorbed stir in 1/2 cup at a time in to rice and stir until broth is absorbed, do not add too much liquid (you might not use all the broth). Allow rice to absorb broth and cook until it is al dente.

In another sauce pan at the same time saute shrimp with asparagus in a little butter, season with salt and pepper. Once shrimp are pink and cooked all the way through pour into rice and mix well.

Add more salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Asparagus Tart

So this really isn't a tart, but I don't know what else to call it...maybe a flatbread thing? But I don't care what you call it, it's still tasty!

Ingredients:

1 container/roll refrigerated pizza crust, or fresh

1.5-2lbs of fresh asparagus, depending on the size of the spears

1/2 lbs of shrimp

1/2 container of button mushrooms sliced

1 container shredded parmesan cheese

1tbsp EVOO, enough to drizzle

salt and pepper to taste

1tsp Italian Seasoning (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F

On a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray, unroll pizza crust and press into pan, be sure to fix any holes made. Poke holes with a fork in the middle of the crust leaving about a 1/2-1 in border. Bake crust for 3-4 minutes. Pull out of oven and place asparagus tip to end to cover crust. Spread mushrooms and shrimp evenly over top of asparagus. Drizzle EVOO and then sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 15-20 more minutes or until shrimp are cooked through. Pull out of oven and sprinkle cheese and italian seasoning over the top and put back into oven for a couple more minutes until cheese is melted.

*Dipping in fat free ranch is very tasty, marinara is good too ^_^*

Chicken Wrapped Asparagus

So I made this last night, it turned out really good. I paired it with brown rice that I made in my rice cooker, using chicken broth instead of water to give the rice a little extra flavor. Since this is my own recipe I only made enough for 2 servings, but it's not at all hard to double this recipe to make it for 4 people. So here goes:

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breast

8-12 Asparagus Spears, I used fresh but you can use frozen

Salt and Pepper

1/2 -1 cup*just enough to coat the outside of the chicken* of bread crumbs of your choice (I did a mixture of Zesty, Italian and a little Paramsean Cheese)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 F

2) Place chicken on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Using a mallet or large frying pan, pound chicken to about a 1/4 inch thick. Pat chicken dry.

3)*optional* Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken(where the asparagus will be place) or the asparagus

4) Place 4-6(depending on their size) asparagus spears on one end of the chicken breast, then roll and secure with a toothpick.

5) Dredge rolled chicken in breadcrumbs and place crease side down on a greased baking pan.

6) Bake for 20 mins, or until chicken in cooked all the way through.

*Before serving don't forget to remove the toothpick!

Flank Steak Stir-Fry

This seems like it's going to have to be a must try for me, who doesn't like steak with veggies, especially asparagus?! This might be a meal that I'll try next week, I'll make sure to post about how it comes out ^_^

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed, cut on the diagonal into 1 1/2 inch lengths (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 lb of flank steak, sliced in half lengthwise (along the grain) and then cut into thin strips, 2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide (put the steak in the freezer for 15 minutes before slicing to make it easier to slice)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded, de-ribbed, and cut into thin strips 2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide
• 2 teaspoons of cornstarch dissolved into 3 Tablespoons of water

All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce

• 3 Tbsp soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce for gluten-free version)
• 1 tsp finely chopped, peeled, fresh ginger
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 green onion, including green tops, chopped
• 1/2 tsp chili oil

METHOD

1 While you are chopping the ingredients in preparation, bring a small saucepan of water to boil. Parboil the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes, drain, rinse in cold water, drain, and set aside. If you are planning to serve this dish with rice, in a separate pan, prepare 2 cups of white rice, following the instructions on the rice package.

2 Prepare the All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce by combining the ingredients in a small dish, and set aside.

3 Stir-fry the asparagus in a wok (or a thick-bottomed pan with at least 2" sides that can take high heat) in 1 Tbsp of oil, on high heat, for about 2 minutes until lightly browned. Remove asparagus from pan and set aside.

4 Add another 1 Tbsp of oil to the pan and stir fry the beef strips, in 2 batches, for 2-3 minutes until browned but still pink inside. Return the first batch of beef to the pan and add the bell pepper. Stir and toss over high heat until just beginning to wilt, 1-2 minutes.

5 Quickly stir the cornstarch liquid and add it to the pan along with the stir fry sauce. Cook until sauce thickens, 1-2 minutes. Return the asparagus to the pan, toss to evenly coat and serve with steamed white rice (unless you are going low-carb, in which case, leave out the rice).

Serves 4.

Beer-battered Asparagus with Garlic Aioli

I usually don't particularly like Guy Fieri,  I think he's a a sell out, but this looks pretty good...and I do like Asparagus...and we are from the south so anything deep fried is worth trying, and beer batter tends to be good, from what I've tried ^_^

Ingredients:
1 bunch medium asparagus, ends trimmed
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, separated
3/4 cup beer, lager or pale ale
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups peanut oil
Sea salt
Garlic Aioli, recipe follows

Directions:

In shallow pan, soak asparagus in buttermilk 12 to 24 hours. Remove from buttermilk, but do not rinse.

In a large bowl, combine well the egg yolks, beer, flour, cornmeal, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper. In large deep sided pot, heat oil to 350 degrees F. Meanwhile, in a large clean bowl with an electric mixer, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold beaten egg whites into batter mixture. Dip spears, 1 at a time into batter, then carefully lay in oil. Do not overcrowd pan. Fry in batches, if necessary. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, turning the spears with tongs to ensure even cooking. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with sea salt, to taste. Serve immediately with Aioli.

Garlic Aioli:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 lemon, zested
4 tablespoons finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt
In a food processor, combine all ingredients well. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.