Chickpea and Asparagus Salad

I'm working at home this week on a big project, so dinner has been simple for the last few days. Dinner last night was literally 10 minutes to prepare - and it was certainly 10 minutes well spent.

From the grocery I picked up some fresh pencil thin locally grown asparagus spears, a container of pesto and some grilled chicken breast. 

I chopped the asparagus into a skillet and sauteed with olive oil until tender.
Rinsed a can of good creamy chickpeas, stirred them into the asparagus, tossed that with the pesto and served it at room temperature beside the grilled chicken.



Note: that is NOT chocolate sauce on the chicken! It's balsamic glaze!

Asparagus and Prosciutto Rolls

I count myself lucky to live in the sunny South, where spring is greeted with glee because I know that one of my favorite vegetables is arriving in markets right now. 

This recipe was intended to serve as an elegant appetizer for a formal dinner, but you might consider cutting each of these tasty spears into two or three pieces and serving them as finger food or cocktail snacks. If you do, I suggest serving the sauce on the side for dipping.

Asparagus and Prosciutto Rolls

3 Tbs goat cheese or cream cheese
3 thin slices prosciutto, cut in half crosswise
12 stalks asparagus, steamed until tender
3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 Tbs chopped fresh chives
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Spread the goat cheese on the prosciutto and roll stalks of asparagus in each piece of prosciutto.
Whisk together the remaining ingredients and drizzle over the rolls.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Serves 4 as an appetizer.

Asparagus and Leek Soup

The fresh asparagus is coming in and it is luscious. This lovely soup gets much of its flavor from the frugal use of the asparagus and leek trimmings. 

Asparagus Leek Soup

Calories 64
Total Fat 2.5g
Saturated Fat 1.4g
Cholesterol 5mg
Sodium 531mg
Total Carbohydrates 9.3g
Dietary Fiber 2.4g
Sugars 3.8g
Protein 2.8g

1 lb asparagus
2 medium leeks
1 medium onion, sliced
4 cups chicken stock
1 Tbs butter
Salt and white pepper to taste
A grating of fresh nutmeg
Chopped chives for garnish

Trim the tough ends from the asparagus and the tough green parts of the leeks and reserve the trimmings.
Chop the trimmings coarsely and combine them with the onion and stock in a large saucepan.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.Remove from the heat, strain the broth, and discard the trimmings.
Meanwhile, slice the leeks thinly and cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces.
Wash thoroughly.
Heat the butter in a skillet over moderate heat and saute the leeks for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the asparagus and saute 2 more minutes.
Transfer the asparagus and leeks to the stock and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
Remove 1 cup of the vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Puree the remaining soup in batches in an electric blender or food processor.
Add the reserved vegetables and bring to a simmer.

Serve garnished with chopped chives.

Serves 4 to 6

Cook's Note: I've been known to stir in a tiny dollop of heavy cream and/or greek yogurt just before serving to kick up the "Luxurious" factor.

Asparagus Mushroom Quiche

Beautiful asparagus at the store last night.. Looks like a crustless quiche for the wife and I tonight, with leftovers for lunch tomorrow!



Nutritional values per serving
Calories 155
Total Fat 6.4g
Saturated Fat 3.4g
Cholesterol 84mg
Sodium 403mg
Total Carbohydrates 7.1g
Dietary Fiber 2.0g
Sugars 2.2g
Protein 17.9g



1 1/2 lbs asparagus, trimmed
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
2 1/2 cup cottage cheese
4 oz Mozzarella cheese
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley
3 eggs
1 tsp mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Coat 10 inch quiche pan with nonstick cooking spray
Cut asparagus into 2 inch pieces
Steam until tender - about 5 minutes
Cool and chop saving 8 pieces to decorate the top.
Saute mushrooms until tender, cool and chop
Puree cottage cheese, Mozzarella, onion, parsley, eggs and mustard in processor
Fold in chopped asparagus and mushrooms
Pour into prepared quiche pan (I used a 10 in cast iron skillet)
Sprinkle with Parmesan
Bake in preheated 325F oven for 1 hour or until set

Serves 8