asparagus Archives - A Calculated Whisk

Paleo Chicken Piccata with Asparagus

February 29, 2016 By Becky 10 Comments

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This paleo chicken piccata is an easy, quick, and super flavorful weeknight dinner. Adding asparagus makes the already delicious combo of chicken, lemon, and capers even tastier and more nutritious.

Do you see those little green leaves gracing the top of this paleo chicken piccata? Can you guess what they are?

If you guessed parsley I can see why, but they’re actually carrot tops. Yup, as in the lengthy greens that sometimes come with a bunch of carrots, making the whole shebang almost impossible to fit into one of those little produce bags at the grocery store (I’m not the only one who has trouble with that, right?!).

I’m not a big fan of parsley. While it looks nice as a garnish, I often find its flavor too assertive, and sometimes I can barely taste whatever is underneath. So when I was at the grocery store yesterday and they were out of organic parsley, my eyes landed on a gorgeous bunch of organic rainbow carrots with their pristine, frilly greens still attached. I had no particular plan for the carrots, but I knew exactly what I’d do with the greens: chop them up and sprinkle them all over this dish. I actually just snipped them with kitchen shears, which was much easier than chopping, and their delicate flavor was perfect here. This paleo chicken piccata is so flavorful already from the capers, lemons, and ghee that it doesn’t need an assertive herb on top. (This garnish won’t use up all of your carrot tops, but you can use the rest to make carrot top-kale pesto! It’s amazing. Of course, you can also just use parsley here if you like it more than I do.)

That’s probably enough about the garnish, though–let’s talk about the paleo chicken piccata itself. This dish is so easy to make. Basically we’re pounding out chicken cutlets to make sure they’re nice and thin, dipping them in some seasoned tapioca flour, and pan-frying them in ghee and olive oil until they’re golden brown. Next we’re quickly steam-sautéing some asparagus in the same pan and making a quick sauce with chicken stock, lemon juice, capers, and a little more ghee or butter. That’s it, and dinner is served! I sometimes find chicken piccata too lemony, but the asparagus and ghee add some richer, earthier flavors here so that the balance of tart and savory tastes is just perfect.

Roasted Shrimp and Asparagus with Green Goddess Dressing

June 29, 2015 By Becky 10 Comments

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Roasted Shrimp & Asparagus with Green Goddess Dressing (Paleo) | acalculatedwhisk.com #30minuteMondays

Succulent roasted shrimp and asparagus are served with a tangy garlic scape green goddess dressing for an easy, 30-minute paleo dinner that’s also Whole30-compliant.

I’m kind of mad at myself because I missed the boat on ramps this year. At the photography workshop I went to in May we ate them at almost every meal (there’s a picture of them in this post), and when I got home I vowed to track some down so I could cook with them myself for the first time. However, I’m a lazy late-evening grocery shopper and there were never any ramps left. Before long, their short season had ended.

You’ll be relieved to hear that I am NOT missing out on garlic scapes.

While ramps are their own kind of plant and are usually foraged wild (hence their limited availability), garlic scapes are the flowering stalks of garlic plants that farmers cut off so the plant’s energy can be fully devoted to the bulb forming below. Garlic scapes are cool looking (see evidence above) and I like their name: it sounds like they’ve been trying to escape from the head of garlic, which is pretty much what they actually do.

Garlic scapes are milder than regular garlic with some fresher, grassier notes to their flavor–kind of like a cross between garlic, scallions, and chives. Here I used them to make a green goddess dressing with some fresh herbs and Primal Kitchen’s avocado oil mayo, which I just tried for the first time. I’m not a mayo person at all so I don’t foresee myself ever eating it straight up, but once some other flavors are mixed in to create a dressing or aioli, I can usually hop on board. (If you haven’t seen garlic scapes at your local market, don’t worry. You can substitute scallions and a clove of regular old garlic.)

Crispy Chicken with Spring Vegetables

March 13, 2015 By Becky 2 Comments

Remember when Dorothy threw a bucket of water on the Wicked Witch of the West? And the witch screamed in agony: “I’m melting! Melting! Oh, what a world!”

As I walked to the train station yesterday afternoon, I could almost hear my city’s dirty snow screaming the exact same thing. Boston is not free of snow yet, but we sure have a lot less of it.

The thaw seemed like my cue to start celebrating spring in the kitchen by making a dish with bright green veggies. For the protein I went with crispy chicken thighs, because truly crispy chicken skin is the best thing ever. Ben only likes skin-on chicken when it’s as crunchy as possible and not moist at all, so I practiced and practiced and now have my routine for chicken-crisping down pat.

Here’s how you do it: sear the chicken skin side down in a very hot skillet for a little longer than it seems like you should, and then flip it over and finish it in a 450 degree oven. While the chicken roasts, you’ll have just enough time to fry some bacon and chop your veggies. Then, while the chicken rests, the vegetables cook in the fat from the chicken infused with a bit of lemon.

Cashew Chicken with Asparagus & Shiitake Mushrooms

April 12, 2014 By Becky 12 Comments

It’s finally spring, which means it’s asparagus time. I love asparagus, and usually just roast it or dip it raw into some hummus. This time I decided to change things up and add it to a paleo version of one of my favorite Chinese stir-fries, cashew chicken. I love the taste of roasted cashews coated in a savory sauce, and crisp asparagus spears add another level of freshness and flavor. The shiitake mushrooms and a tiny bit of fish sauce give this recipe plenty of umami, which really takes things over the top. (Are you as obsessed with shiitake mushrooms as I am? You could use any mushroom in a recipe like this, but I find the meaty flavor and tender texture of shiitakes totally irresistible.)

Easy French Frittata

March 8, 2014 By Becky Leave a Comment

This omelette is inspired by the best breakfast I ever had, which was at a little French cafe in Montreal two summers ago. Ben and I drove up there and stayed for about a week, and this meal has been stuck in my head ever since. The whole trip was pretty great (it was our first vacation together), but this omelette was a definite highlight, and I’ve been trying to recreate it ever since. I’m really mad at myself because I can’t remember the name of the cafe–I didn’t have a blog back then, so there wasn’t an easy place to store my restaurant ramblings. If it comes to me, I’ll be sure to update this post with a link.

Here’s a picture of our breakfasts that day: my omelette had Brie and spinach, and Ben’s had duck confit and gruyere. Both were deliciously creamy, with eggs cooked to perfection and thick slices of cheese that were barely melted in the middle. They were amazing. The sides of hash browns, buttery baguette, and breakfast beans were also ridiculously tasty.

Veggie Hash & Eggs

August 2, 2013 By Becky 4 Comments

This morning when I woke up, I wanted to do something a little different with my eggs. When I saw the vegetables we had in the fridge (asparagus and Brussels sprouts), I started to wonder why some vegetables are a common find at breakfast time, while some are not. Mushrooms, peppers, and onions are often seen as omelette fillings, but Brussels sprouts not so much.

Asparagus Bundles with Bacon & Poached Eggs

July 22, 2013 By Becky 1 Comment

Can you think of a non-dessert ingredient that isn’t better wrapped in bacon? It’s hard, right? Ever since making these shrimp, I have been wanting to wrap all things in bacon. Here is a great way to start.

This recipe is paleo, and dairy and gluten-free. It’s got a lot of asparagus and some good protein, so I’m calling it healthy. Besides, it’s beautiful, delicious, and easy. The hardest part is waiting for it to roast.

You can make this without the eggs for an elegant side dish that would go well with a steak or almost any dinner I can think of. This would also be great for a weekend brunch, and I just enjoyed it immensely for my Monday lunch. Try it! It looks fancy, and everyone you feed it to will love you for wrapping their veggies up in bacon.

Ingredients (serves 4; adapted from How Sweet It Is):

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
4 slices thick-cut bacon
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
4 eggs, poached or fried (I use these adorable poach pods)
Salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, coconut oil, and sesame oil.

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and place a rack on top. Divide the asparagus spears into four equal bundles, and wrap each one with a piece of bacon. Place the bundles on the rack with the ends of the bacon underneath so it stays put.

Brush the garlic and oil mixture over the bundles, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp. Top with the eggs, sprinkle with a little salt, and serve.

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