*Asparagus*
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 85 kJ (20 kcal) |
| Carbohydrates | 3.88 g |
| - Sugars | 1.88 g |
| - Dietary fiber | 2.1 g |
| Fat | 0.12 g |
| Protein | 2.20 g |
| Thiamine (Vit. B1) | 0.143 mg (11%) |
| Riboflavin (Vit. B2) | 0.141 mg (9%) |
| Niacin (Vit. B3) | 0.978 mg (7%) |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.274 mg (5%) |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.091 mg (7%) |
| Folate (Vit. B9) | 52 μg (13%) |
| Vitamin C | 5.6 mg (9%) |
| Vitamin E | 1.1 mg (7%) |
| Vitamin K | 41.6 μg (40%) |
| Calcium | 24 mg (2%) |
| Iron | 2.14 mg (17%) |
| Magnesium | 14 mg (4%) |
| Manganese | 0.2 mg (10%) |
| Phosphorus | 52 mg (7%) |
| Potassium | 202 mg (4%) |
| Zinc | 0.54 mg (5%) |
| Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database | |
Asparagus is low in calories and is very low in sodium. It is a good source of vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium and zinc, and a very good source of dietary fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, rutin, niacin, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, manganese and selenium , as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells. The amino acid asparagine gets its name from asparagus, the asparagus plant being rich in this compound.
The shoots are prepared and served in a number of ways around the world, typically as an appetizer or vegetable side dish. In Asian-style cooking, asparagus is often stir-fried. Cantonese restaurants in the United States often serve asparagus stir-fried with chicken, shrimp, or beef, and also wrapped in bacon. Asparagus may also be quickly grilled over charcoal or hardwood embers. It is also used as an ingredient in some stews and soups. In the French style, it is often boiled or steamed and served with hollandaise sauce, melted butter or olive oil, Parmesan cheese or mayonnaise. Tall, narrow asparagus cooking pots allow the shoots to be steamed gently, their tips staying out of the water. In recent years, almost as a cycle dating back to early culinary habits, asparagus has regained its popularity eaten raw as a component of a salad.
Asparagus can also be pickled and stored for several years. Some brands may label shoots prepared this way as "marinated".
*Asparagus Souffle*
*Asparagus Frittata*
**Easy to make, quick, and healthy egg frittata with asparagus, potato, onion, garlic.**
Ingredients:
- 7 large eggs
- 1 1/2 oz parmesan cheese
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 10 large asparagus spears
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 oz onions, chopped
- 5 small red potatoes, thinly sliced
Directions:
- Roast asparagus to taste.
- Beat together eggs and 1 oz shredded parmesan, salt and pepper to taste, and rosemary if desired/on hand.
- Heat olive oil in skillet, and cook garlic (crushed with side of kitchen knife) in it until garlic is softened. This infuses olive oil with garlic flavor, so you can either leave the garlic in, or remove it, depending on preference.
- Add onions and potatoes to skillet, and cook until potatoes are cooked through and golden brown.
- Add roasted asparagus and mix to combine. Pour egg mixture on top, and combine again.
- Cook until bottom of eggs have set up, and top is just beginning to do so.
- Top with remaining parmesan cheese, and put into oven set to high broil, until eggs are finished cooking and cheese browns (keep an eye on it, this happens very quickly! About 2 minutes).
- Cool for 3-5 minutes and serve. Enjoy!
*Peaches*
When shopping for peaches, choose fragrant fruits which are unblemished and not overly firm. Because fresh peaches are highly perishable, don't buy more than you plan to use. Even when unripe, they spoil easily. Peaches that are greenish colored were probably picked too early should be avoided. Sweetness does not increase after picking, so ripe-picked fruit is always the tastiest.
*Escarole*
Escarole is a variety of endive whose leaves are broader, paler and less bitter than other members of the endive family. In taste -- but not color -- it is almost indistinguishable from radicchio.
Like radicchio, kale and chard, escarole is a hearty green that thrives late into the growing season. The heart of an escarole head is less bitter because the leaves haven't gotten as much sunlight. (Some farmers even cultivate these pale leaves by covering the plants and depriving them of sunlight.)
High in folic acid, fiber, and vitamins A and K, escarole can be eaten raw or gently cooked. Try tossing a few escarole leaves into a mild salad, serving some quickly wilted with lemon juice, or stir chopped escarole into soup. A medium head of escarole usually yields about seven cups of torn leaves.
*Peach & Escarole Salad*
*Peach Muffins*
Peaches have been a popular fruit in the South since the Spaniards first brought them to North America. California, Georgia and South Carolina are the largest producers of peaches in the United States.
Peaches can be dried, canned, made into jams, jellies, and preserves, used as filling for desserts, and used as an ingredient in many other dishes, from appetizers to entrees. When shopping for peaches, choose fragrant fruits which are unblemished and not overly firm. Because fresh peaches are highly perishable, don't buy more than you plan to use. Even when unripe, they spoil easily. Peaches that are greenish colored were probably picked too early should be avoided. Sweetness does not increase after picking, so ripe-picked fruit is always the tastiest.
*Escarole*
Like radicchio, kale and chard, escarole is a hearty green that thrives late into the growing season. The heart of an escarole head is less bitter because the leaves haven't gotten as much sunlight. (Some farmers even cultivate these pale leaves by covering the plants and depriving them of sunlight.)
High in folic acid, fiber, and vitamins A and K, escarole can be eaten raw or gently cooked. Try tossing a few escarole leaves into a mild salad, serving some quickly wilted with lemon juice, or stir chopped escarole into soup. A medium head of escarole usually yields about seven cups of torn leaves.
*Peach & Escarole Salad*
*Peach Muffins*
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup chopped fresh or frozen peaches
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Directions
- In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, sour cream and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour and baking powder; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in peaches and pecans. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack.
*Zucchini*
When used for food, zucchini are usually picked when under 8 inches in length, when the seeds are still soft and immature. Mature zucchini can be as much as three feet long, but the larger ones are often fibrous and with the flowers attached are a sign of a truly fresh and immature fruit, and are especially sought by many people.
Unlike cucumber, zucchini is usually served cooked. It can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques, including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes such as soufflés. It also can be baked into a bread, zucchini bread or incorporated into a cake mix. Its flowers can be eaten stuffed and are a delicacy when deep fried, as tempura.
The zucchini has a delicate flavor and requires little more than quick cooking with butter or olive oil, with or without fresh herbs. The skin is left in place. Quick cooking of barely wet zucchini in oil or butter allows the fruit to partially boil and steam, with the juices concentrated in the final moments of frying when the water has gone, prior to serving. Zucchini can also be eaten raw, sliced or shredded in a cold salad, baked into a bread similar to banana bread, as well as lightly cooked in hot salads, as in Thai or Vietnamese recipes. Mature (larger sized) zucchini, while not often eaten by themselves, are well suited for cooking in breads.
Zucchini should be stored not longer than three days. They are prone to chilling damage which shows as sunken pits in the surface of the fruit, especially when brought up to room temperature after cool storage.
*Cream Cheese Zucchini*
*Zucchini Flowers*
The female flower is a golden blossom on the end of each emergent zucchini. The male flower grows directly on the stem of the zucchini plant in the leaf axils (where leaf petiole meets stem), on a long stalk, and is slightly smaller than the female. Both flowers are edible, and are often used to dress a meal or garnish the cooked fruit.
Firm and fresh blossoms that are only slightly open are cooked to be eaten, with pistils removed from female flowers, and stamens removed from male flowers. The stem on the flowers can be retained as a way of giving the cook something to hold onto during cooking, rather than injuring the delicate petals, or they can be removed prior to cooking, or prior to serving. There are a variety of recipes in which the flowers may be deep fried as fritters or tempura (after dipping in a light tempura batter), stuffed, sautéed, baked, or used in soups.
In Mexico, the flower is often used as an ingredient for soup, sopa de flor de calabaza, and it is quite popular in a variation of the traditional quesadillas, becoming quesadillas de flor de calabaza. Zucchini is also used in a variety of other dishes (rajas), and as a side dish.
*Stuffed Zucchiini Flowers*
Place the flowers on the bottom of a large saucepan, with the openings facing the bottom. Pour in enough water to cover. Add 1 pinch of salt, 1 pinch of pepper and the rest of the olive oil and lemon juice. Cover and simmer gently for about 40 minutes until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
*Waldorf Salad*
A Waldorf salad is a salad traditionally made of fresh apples, celery and walnuts, dressed in mayonnaise, and usually served on a bed of lettuce as an appetizer or a light meal.
The salad was first created between 1893 and 1896 at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City (the precursor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which opened in 1931).
Oscar Tschirky, who was the Waldorf's maître d'hôtel and developed or inspired many of its signature dishes, is widely credited with creating the recipe. In 1896, Waldorf Salad appeared in The Cook Book by 'Oscar of the Waldorf'; the original recipe did not contain nuts, but they had been added by the time the recipe appeared in the Rector Cook Book in 1928. The salad became popular enough that Cole Porter featured it in his song "You're the Top".
Cultural references
"Waldorf Salad" is the title of a 1979 episode of Fawlty Towers which concerns an American guest's increasing frustration with Basil Fawlty's incompetence, symbolised by Fawlty's continuing inability to produce the salad of the title: "I think we're just out of Waldorfs."
June serves Waldorf salad as part of a special dinner for Ward in the Leave it to Beaver episode "Beaver’s Short Pants."
In the 1991 novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, at a Christmas party thrown by protagonist Patrick Bateman's fiancé Evelyn Williams, Evelyn worries about how well the Waldorf salad is received.
Unlike cucumber, zucchini is usually served cooked. It can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques, including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes such as soufflés. It also can be baked into a bread, zucchini bread or incorporated into a cake mix. Its flowers can be eaten stuffed and are a delicacy when deep fried, as tempura.
The zucchini has a delicate flavor and requires little more than quick cooking with butter or olive oil, with or without fresh herbs. The skin is left in place. Quick cooking of barely wet zucchini in oil or butter allows the fruit to partially boil and steam, with the juices concentrated in the final moments of frying when the water has gone, prior to serving. Zucchini can also be eaten raw, sliced or shredded in a cold salad, baked into a bread similar to banana bread, as well as lightly cooked in hot salads, as in Thai or Vietnamese recipes. Mature (larger sized) zucchini, while not often eaten by themselves, are well suited for cooking in breads.
Zucchini should be stored not longer than three days. They are prone to chilling damage which shows as sunken pits in the surface of the fruit, especially when brought up to room temperature after cool storage.
*Cream Cheese Zucchini*
*Zucchini Flowers*
Firm and fresh blossoms that are only slightly open are cooked to be eaten, with pistils removed from female flowers, and stamens removed from male flowers. The stem on the flowers can be retained as a way of giving the cook something to hold onto during cooking, rather than injuring the delicate petals, or they can be removed prior to cooking, or prior to serving. There are a variety of recipes in which the flowers may be deep fried as fritters or tempura (after dipping in a light tempura batter), stuffed, sautéed, baked, or used in soups.
In Mexico, the flower is often used as an ingredient for soup, sopa de flor de calabaza, and it is quite popular in a variation of the traditional quesadillas, becoming quesadillas de flor de calabaza. Zucchini is also used in a variety of other dishes (rajas), and as a side dish.
*Stuffed Zucchiini Flowers*
Ingredients
- 20 zucchini flowers
- 3/4 cup white rice
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped mint leaves
- 1-ounce onion, grated
- 1-ounce zucchini, grated
- 1-ounce tomato, grated
- 3/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 pinches salt
- 2 pinches pepper
Directions
Place the zucchini flowers in cold water to open and make the preparation easier.
In a large mixing bowl place the rice, all the chopped and grated ingredients, half of the olive oil and lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well. With a small spoon, take small amounts of the stuffing and fill the zucchini flowers. Fold over the ends to seal the stuffing inside. Place the flowers on the bottom of a large saucepan, with the openings facing the bottom. Pour in enough water to cover. Add 1 pinch of salt, 1 pinch of pepper and the rest of the olive oil and lemon juice. Cover and simmer gently for about 40 minutes until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
Notes
*Cooks Note: Place a plate (upside down) on top of the stuffed vegetables before cooking so that the parcels cannot rise or move.**Waldorf Salad*
The salad was first created between 1893 and 1896 at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City (the precursor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which opened in 1931).
Oscar Tschirky, who was the Waldorf's maître d'hôtel and developed or inspired many of its signature dishes, is widely credited with creating the recipe. In 1896, Waldorf Salad appeared in The Cook Book by 'Oscar of the Waldorf'; the original recipe did not contain nuts, but they had been added by the time the recipe appeared in the Rector Cook Book in 1928. The salad became popular enough that Cole Porter featured it in his song "You're the Top".
Cultural references
"Waldorf Salad" is the title of a 1979 episode of Fawlty Towers which concerns an American guest's increasing frustration with Basil Fawlty's incompetence, symbolised by Fawlty's continuing inability to produce the salad of the title: "I think we're just out of Waldorfs."
June serves Waldorf salad as part of a special dinner for Ward in the Leave it to Beaver episode "Beaver’s Short Pants."
In the 1991 novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, at a Christmas party thrown by protagonist Patrick Bateman's fiancé Evelyn Williams, Evelyn worries about how well the Waldorf salad is received.
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