Sauteed Asparagus

This recipe was inspired by a Chinese beef with asparagus dish.  I cut out the beef, and just made the asparagus.  The sauce is all the same so if you want to add in meat, it would go well with the dish.  But the asparagus is really the highlight.

Sauce Ingredients:

1 Tbs soy sauce

3 Tbs hoisin sauce

1 Tsp cornstarch

1 tsp grated ginger or powder ginger

2 garlic cloves (minced)

Other Ingredients:

1lb asparagus

2 Tbs olive oil

-Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.  Cut the asparagus into about 1 inch lengths.  If the asparagus bases are larger cut them in half lengthwise to allow for better sauteing.  Heat a skillet up with the olive oil and then throw in all the asparagus, add a few splashes of water to get a steam going and then after about a minute throw the sauce on.  I cook it for about another 5 minutes continuously stirring.

Enjoy!

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Amazing Sketches

I was in the middle of my job hunt today and came across Rafael Venoly Architects.  They have an amazing intro to their website, check it out:

http://www.rvapc.com/

Their projects are equally impressive.  My favorites are UCSF’s regenerative medicine facility and the new Stanford hospital.  If I injure myself take me here.

New Stanford Hospital

 

 

Firstsite Contemporary Art Museum:United Kingdom

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Oatmeal Cookies

Mix ingredients in the order listed.  Bake 12-13 minutes, at 350.  Take them out while still a bit underdone…they’re good chewy, not crispy.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups rolled oats

*The Kids Cookbook “Yum! I Eat It.”

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Sweet Potato Burrito (Give it a Chance!)

This is actually really good!  I definitely had my reservations, but the chili powder and cumin spices complement the sweet potato and bean mash.  You will be pleasantly surprised with this dish.

Filling Ingredients:

2 Big Sweet Potatoes

1 can Kidney Beans (15oz can)

1 can Black Beans (150z can)

1 Small/Medium Onion (I use brown)

3 cloves garlic

1.5 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon & 1.5 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons prepared mustard (stuff in the yellow bottle in your fridge)

1 tablespoon & 1.5 teaspoons soy sauce

1 cup water

Burrito Ingredients:

Flour Tortillas

Cheese

Toppings (Tomato, Avocado, Cabbage, Salsa, Sour Cream, Rice, Etc)

-Peel your sweet potatoes, cut them into 1 inch thick rounds.  Boil a pot of water and toss the sweet potatoes in.  They’ll take about 20-30 minutes to cook.

-While the sweet potatoes are cooking chop the onion and mince the garlic.  Also measure out all the spices and place them in a tiny bowl so they are ready to go.  Open both cans of beans.  Pour out the liquid, and then rinse the beans 2 or 3 times.

-When the sweet potatoes are done, place the chunks into a bowl/blender.    Add both cans of beans and then mash/blend until you’ve got something that looks like orange cookie dough.

-Heat up a large skillet with the oil.  Add the onion and garlic and cook till they become translucent. Lower the heat and at this point scoop the sweet potato & bean mash into the pan with 1 cup of water.  Mix in the spices and add the soy sauce and mustard.  Mix until you’ve got a consistent filling.

* You can serve in burrito form with some cheese.  If you’ve got the patience form the burrito and then place in the oven for 10minutes at 350.

Leftovers: The filling last about a week in the fridge…plenty of time for 2-3 nights of burritos.  You can also use the filling as basic healthy side dish.

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Sweet Potato Fries

An attempt to make one of my favorites…w/o a deep fryer.  If you’ve got a deep fryer, you should take the extra calories and use it, but for a healthier, more realistic option for the average you, here’s how I did it.

Ingredients:

2 Sweet Potatoes

olive oil

salt

pepper

garlic salt/powder/or the real thing

Preheat to 450.

Peel the sweet potatoes, and slice them into 1/4″ wide wedges, and then cut those into 1/4″ fries.  In a bowl or a large zip-lock freezer bag coat the fries in a minimal amount of olive oil (make them look like they’re barely sweating).  Then toss/shake the fries with your choice of spices, go minimal at first, you can always add more later.

Once the oven is 450 (its important for this it gets to 450 first) lay out the fries in a single layer (don’t get impatient and put a pile in, they’ll be soggier at the end).   Cook for about 15-20 minutes.  You can attempt to broil them the final minute to give them an extra crisp, but be sure to keep a close eye on them.  I take them out when a few tips start to blacken.

Enjoy with ketchup/mustard.

Freeze: Also make a double batch and keep the prepared (uncooked) sweet potato fries in the freezer, for a great side dish or snack later on.

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