Shaved Asparagus & Roasted Blueberry Quesadillas with Herbed Yogurt

We are officially Chicagoans. I must say packing then unpacking my kitchen was probably one of the most difficult things I've ever experienced. I think between Nate and I we uttered the words "If I have to unpack another (insert expletive here) mason jar I'm going to kill someone" at least a dozen times. But hey, at least all my kitchen stuff is being put to good use? 

Parts of living in the city feel seamless; I live five minutes from whole foods and trader joes. Pumpkin is loving the dog friendliness of it all and is getting tons of walks. Everything is so accessible. I could go to a farmer's market 7 days a week if I wanted to. The energy of the city is right outside my door. It's good.

But parts feel more difficult, readjusting to a new space, without jobs, without community, without connection. I attach so much of my identity to that of a yoga teacher, so I wonder who I am if I'm not teaching. I wonder if and when life here will feel normal. I panic when I hear the voice in the back of my head questioning whether or not we've made the best decision. Whether this will ever feel like home.

Then I find a yoga class and even though the teacher is a stranger and the studio is new and I'm in a different city in a different region of the country, I feel my breath and almost instantly I'm brought back home again. What a gift this practice is. That no matter where I am or what I'm doing I can bring myself back. I find more often than not my intention for class is "to come back home to myself". Rumi says "When you feel a peaceful that's when you are near truth". And I think that's beautiful. 

One of the last things I made before the we packed up the kitchen were these quesadillas. They are filled with more vegetables than the ones you ate as a kid. And don't worry, asparagus and blueberries may sound like a completely odd pairing but it totally works. I wish I could take all the credit but it's totally a recreation of a quesadilla I had in a restaurant recently. These quesadillas are good, in a funky, super interesting, fresh summery kind of way. 

Shaved Asparagus & Roasted Blueberry Quesadillas with Herbed Yogurt
Makes two quesadillas

for the yogurt: 
2/3 cup greek yogurt (I use Fage 2%) 
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
2 small garlic cloves, minced
pinch of salt

2/3 cup fresh blueberries
1 pound asparagus
4 spring onions
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1 lemon
large pinch of salt
fresh ground pepper
2/3 cup grated extra sharp cheddar
1/2 cup crumbed goat cheese
4 tortillas

Preheat the oven (or toaster oven) to 425 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with parchment. Combine all the yogurt ingredients in a small prep bowl, stir, cover and refrigerate while you prepare the other ingredients. 

Cook blueberries on baking sheet for about 5 minutes until some are just beginning to burst. Set aside to cool. Using a vegetable peeler, Y-shaped ones work best, shave the asparagus. Don't worry about making the shavings perfect, they can be different shapes and thicknesses. Toss the shaved aparagus in a bowl with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. Dice the green onions, set aside about 1/4 cup for topping, then toss the rest in with the asparagus and combine. Heat a fry pan over high heat. Cook the asparagus for about five minutes until slightly browned. Set aside.

Warm two tortillas at a time in a fry pan. Top one tortilla with half the cheddar and goat cheese. Top the cheese with half the asparagus. To the asparagus with half the blueberries. Then top with the second tortilla. Cook on medium until slightly crispy. To flip, don't risk disaster by transfering quesadilla to a plate. Top with another plate and invert. Finish cooking both sides until crispy and slightly browned. Repeat. To serve, top quesadillas with yogurt, and green onions. 

 

Creamiest Restaurant-Style Scrambled Egg Tartine with Sriracha Aioli

You know those foods that only taste good when made either in someone else's house or in a restaurant but when made by you taste infinitely more boring, and almost inedible? Enter, the creamiest restaurant style scramble eggs. For me, scrambled eggs epitomize this food group. At home they are spongy, over-cooked, and flat but in restaurants they are velvety, creamy, and flavorful. The gap between the two left me uninterested in making scrambled eggs at home for years. Then, about a year ago I read an article from Food52. They claimed the secret to restaurant style eggs was actually through a "low and slow" method  of cooking over excruciatingly low heat. I experimented with great success but the eggs took upwards of 25 minutes to make. Not cool for hungry Sunday mornings...

It wasn't until I stumbled upon an Gordon Ramsay youtube video (with 11 million reviews!) a couple months ago, that my creamy egg experimentation reached a new height. So here we are, the secrets to the creamiest, ever, restaurant style eggs (and all the things we've been doing wrong all these years!) 

1. Ditch the fry pan. Cook your eggs in a saucepan. Weird, right? That's what I thought until I tried it. Then I went to the famous Egg Slut in downtown la and sure enough they scramble their eggs in a saucepan. 
2. Low heat. If your eggs stick to the pan, your burner is too hot. (When we move next month I'm getting an electric stove. It's going to be a sob story.)
3. On and off heat, whisking constantly. As Ramsay says, think of making scrambled eggs like making risotto. Stir constantly and don't take your eyes off them. Also, remove the saucepan from the burner every 1-2 minutes. The eggs will continue to cook from the heat of the pan, and will stay creamy. 
4. Season last. Apparently adding salt right away, like I've done my entire life, breaks down the flavor of the eggs. Add it at the very end. 
5. Add fat. Which I'm sure isn't news to you. For extra creamiest add an extra yolk, a knob of butter, a splash of cream; in our case we added goat cheese.  

I've been making these open face egg sandwiches almost weekly since discovering the secret to the perfect scramble. They're ready in under 15 minutes, tastes fresh and restaurant-made, and keep me full for hours. If you can swing it buy cage-free, organic eggs, or better yet pasteur-raised eggs from a local farm available at most farmer's markets. Farmer's Market eggs, though a splurge, will yield the brightest yolks and richest flavor, and the chickens they come from will live happier lives. It's a win win. 

Creamiest Restaurant-Style Scrambled Egg Tartine with Sriracha Aioli, Goat Cheese, and Avocado
Makes 1 tartine  

For the sriracha aioli: 
3 tablespoons mayo
1 tablespoon sriracha 
pinch of salt 
1 small garlic clove, minced 

3 large organic eggs 
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, plus more for topping 
1-2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese 
1 large slice sourdough bread 
avocado for topping 

Make aioli. In a small prep bowl combine all of the ingredients, stir, and refrigerate. This aioli can be made in advance and stores well in the fridge for about a week. For larger portions feel free to double or triple the recipe. 

Crack the eggs into a small saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk the eggs to scramble, then continue to gently whisk. After about 1-2 minutes, remove the saucepan from the burner (keeping the burner on) and continue to whisk for about 30 seconds off-heat. The heat from the pan will continue to cook the eggs. Return the saucepan to the burner, and repeat, whisking constantly, and removing the saucepan from heat every 1-2 minutes until the eggs begin to curdle and thicken.

If the eggs begin to stick to the pan, turn your heat down. Keep the eggs creamy, be mindful not to overcook (see photos). The eggs should come completely together in about 5-6 minutes. When the eggs are about 85% done, stir in the chives, goat cheese, a generous pinch of salt, and fresh ground pepper. Toast the bread. Remove the saucepan from the heat right before the eggs are done. If you wait until they're done, they will overcook. 

Top the toast with sriracha aioli (you probably won't use it all), eggs, avocado slices and extra chives. Enjoy! 

Notes: 
This is more of a technique than a recipe. Take 4 minutes of your time and watch Gordon Ramsay's video, which shows the technique perfectly. 

Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Maple Buttered Pecans in Balsamic Vinaigrette

Guys, I've been putting off buying strawberries for weeks. I've seen them at the store, over-priced and under-ripe, and I've been patiently waiting until the start of spring when their price drops and their quality skyrockets and all is well in the world. Woohoo it's here! I celebrated by taking myself to the farmer's market and splurging on a giant crate of them. 

With Easter Sunday days away I figured I'd make something light yet festive. Also I've noticed my recipes have gotten a bit involved lately and I think we're overdue for something simple. There is nothing wrong with simple, people. So we're celebrating spring with strawberries, goat cheese, spinach, and maple buttered pecans.

Did you catch that last part? These pecans are deadly good. It was my first time making my own candied pecans (store-bought can get $$$) and after a couple of texts back and forth with my mom and some Pinterest research we went simple with just butter, maple syrup, and salt stewed up all nice and cozy on a sheet pan with a big bag of raw pecan halves and slow-roasted them in the oven. 

Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Maple Buttered Pecans in Balsamic Vinaigrette 
Serves 4-6 as an appetizer

For the maple buttered pecans: 
8oz raw pecan halves (2 scant cups)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
4 tablespoons unsalted butter 
1/4 cup pure maple syrup 

For the Salad:
6-8 oz baby spinach 
2.5 oz goat cheese, crumbled 
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced 

For the dressing: 
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 
1 garlic clove, minced 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard 
pepper to taste 

Make the maple buttered pecans. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small saucepan warm the maple syrup and butter just until the butter is melted and the mixture is combined. Meanwhile, toss pecans halves with cinnamon and salt. Pour maple butter sauce over the pecans and mix well. Pour pecans and their juices onto your baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, tossing the pecans about 3 times throughout baking to ensure even browning. You will know they are ready when they smell SO GOOD and when about 90% of the liquid has caramelized onto the pecans.  Remove from oven and let cool completely, the last bit of liquid will harden and caramelize as they cool so don't worry if they are sticky.

Meanwhile make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a mason jar and shake! How easy is that? (channeling Ina) You could also prepare everything but the oil in a small bowl and slowly whisk in the olive oil. Adjust salt + pepper to taste. 

In a large bowl combine spinach, goat cheese, strawberries and pecans (you'll have extra for snacking. you're welcome) and about 1/4 of the dressing and toss. Add more dressing if needed and serve. 

Notes: For a vegan option I'd imagine you could sub coconut oil for the butter and just omit the goat cheese, though I haven't actually tried it.