Roasted asparagus with black rice, avocado and radish sprouts

I need to remember to make this recipe! Every time I make it I say to myself that I need to make it more often but then forgot to.

Roasted asparagus Serves 2 to 4 people.
I often double this recipe; if you do roast extra, make sure the asparagus is in a single layer, so they cook evenly. You may need more or less cooking time depending on the thickness of your asparagus. Mine was a mixed bunch and I enjoyed the difference in textures from roasting them all together.

1 pound asparagus
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ a lemon or lime, optional

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
Wash asparagus very well. Cut two inches off the bottom or break off the ends at their natural breaking point. Place asparagus on baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle over a pinch of sea salt and fresh black pepper. Toss well and spread evenly over tray, in a single layer. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Remove and serve, with a squeeze of lemon or lime if you like.

Forbidden black rice Serves about 6
I like my rice very soft and sticky, but if you prefer a nuttier texture, reduce the cooking water to 2 ½ cups.

1 ¼ cups forbidden black rice, soaked overnight in 2 cups of filtered water
3 cups filtered water
½ teaspoon sea salt

Drain and rinse rice. Place in a heavy 2 to 4 quart pot and add filtered water and sea salt. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat to low and cook for 1 hour. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Tamari flax dressing Serves two.
Sometimes I add the juice of half a lime to this, which is delicious over the avocado.
1 tablespoon flax oil
1 ½  teaspoon tamari

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir well.
This tastes great over any plain cooked grain, steamed vegetable or (if you add lime) as a simple salad dressing.

To assemble; place about ¾ cup of black rice in a bowl. Top with ¼ of an avocado, diced. Drizzle with half the flax tamari dressing, sprinkle with toasted black sesame seeds, sliced scallions and radish sprouts. Serve the roasted asparagus on the side.

Marinated Artichokes Salad

My sister Mary made this salad and we decided to tweak it and added greens and cherry tomatoes. It's delicious!

Marinated Artichoke Hearts

·       1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

·       1 tsp. dried oregano

·       1 tsp. dried thyme

·       ¾ tsp. sea salt 

·       ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

·       2 15-oz. cans quartered artichoke hearts in water, well drained and patted slightly dry

·       Juice of 1 large lemon (2 Tbs.)

Salad

·       1 large ripe Haas avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced

·       Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

·       ¼ cup crunchy roasted, shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped

·       3 Tbs. shaved Parmesan cheese, optional to garnish

·       Greens – two handfuls

·       Cherry tomatoes

Preparation

1.     To make marinated artichoke hearts, combine olive oil, oregano, thyme, salt, and red pepper in small saucepan, and whisk gently to combine. Add artichokes, and toss gently to coat.

2.     Heat over low heat 10 minutes to warm and release the flavors of the spices. Remove from heat, and transfer contents to a non-reactive container, such as a mason jar or glass Pyrex dish. Stir in lemon juice, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

3.     To assemble salad, allow one half of Marinated Artichoke Hearts recipe to come to room temperature, or warm in a small saucepan over low heat to remove the refrigerator chill.

4.     In medium bowl, combine warmed artichoke hearts with prepared avocado, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss gently to thoroughly mix.

5.     Just before serving, mound salad attractively into the center of serving plate, sprinkle with prepared pistachios, and arrange cheese in small stack at center of salad. 

Calories: 400

·       Carbohydrate Content: 30 g

·       Fat Content: 29 g

·       Fiber Content: 8 g

·       Protein Content: 10 g

·       Saturated Fat Content: 4 g

·       Sodium Content: 1730 mg

·       Sugar Content: 1 g

The French Blonde

This is my friend Georgia's favorite summer cocktail (2019)  Funny that this recipe mentions it as a cold weather cocktail. In this cocktail, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice rounds out Lillet's inherent bite, creating a sweet, citrusy drink that's perfect for brightening up cold weather.

Yield: makes 1 Cocktail

Ingredients

• ¹⁄₂ oz. elderflower liqueur, like St. Germain
• 1 oz. dry gin
• 2 oz. Lillet Blanc
• 2 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
• A few dashes lemon bitters

Instructions

1. Vigorously shake together all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker for at least 30 seconds. Strain into a martini glass.

Sex on the Beach -- summer cocktail

My neighbor Marilyn introduced me to this drink when she hosted a summer backyard party to celebrate the completion of a big landscaping project. The finished results were beautiful and achieved what she wanted. Below is a recipe I found on line. Wonderful refreshing drink on a hot summer night and I imagine it would work well with substituting the vodka with rum (white rum.)

This is a popular summer drink and what is most likely the original. Popular substitutes include using pineapple for the orange, or Midori & Chambord instead of schnapps.

Scale ingredients to 16 servings

24 oz vodka

8 oz peach schnapps

32 oz cranberry juice

32 oz orange juice

Add vodka and peach schnapps to a highball glass over ice. Fill with equal measures of cranberry juice and orange juice, and stir.