asparagus Archives - Healthy Green Kitchen

There is so much to love about Sara Forte’s recently published book: The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon: Simple and Inspired Whole Foods Recipes to Savor and Share.

Like her blog (and her first book), Bowl and Spoon is filled with recipes that celebrate beautiful, nourishing produce, and is sumptuously photographed by her husband, Hugh Forte. Sara’s warm and wise words are a joy to read, as always.

I really adore the premise of Bowl and Spoon. In Sara’s words: “food in a bowl has an aesthetic gentleness to it that feels stark on a plate- ingredients nestled within each other, tangled to make most sense as a sum of their parts.” With recipes for “Morning Bowls”, “Side Bowls”, “Big Bowls”, “Sweet Bowls”, and “Dressings and Sauces”, this book is meant to inspire colorful, wholesome meals. The food is stunning but it’s not fussy; Sara is all about practicality.

I had a hard time deciding what to make, but in honor of it finally feeling like spring around here, I went with Sara’s Roasted Asparagus Bowl. It’s a tasty combination of roasted asparagus, green lentils, toasted walnuts, and a vinaigrette replete with herbs.

I ate this for lunch with some baguette slathered with fresh ricotta, and I refrigerated the leftovers and ate them the following day with 2 soft-boiled eggs mixed in. I will definitely make this recipe again. And again.

It does not take all that much to make me happy in the food department these days: a thick slice of homemade honey-sweetened bread topped with fat spears of oil-doused, roasted asparagus and a perfectly-poached egg definitely does it.

I recently wrote about wanting more cake in my life. Same goes for bread.

You are probably wondering what’s going on. Am I on a carb binge or something? No… not at all, but I AM eating more carbs (and more food in general) these days. Since I started doing a lot of weight training a few months ago, I have found that I simply need to eat more that I was eating previously (plus I really do believe there is room for both bread AND cake in a healthy, balanced diet).

Good bread is tasty, and it’s a damn convenient food to have in the house. When I have time, I bake my own. It’s something I have always loved to do, but I will be honest with you: for years, I felt like I was doing something “wrong” when I baked bread since I’d convinced myself bread was “bad” for me based on everything I’ve read that demonizes wheat and gluten. Well, I am done with that way of thinking. I am done with categorizing foods as “bad” or “good”. It’s all just food after all: I choose to eat more of some things and less of others, and that’s that (no one in my family has problems with wheat or gluten so there is simply no reason for us to completely avoid them).

If you want to read a little more about where I am at with all of this right now, here you go: My Open Letter To Everyone Who Eats.

The recipe for the honey wheat bread and this dish both come from a new book called Relish: An Adventure in Food, Style, and Everyday Fun by Daphne Oz. I don’t spend much time in front of the tv (unless you count the re-runs of The Nanny and Full House that I watch with my daughter), so I had honestly never heard of the author before this book landed in my mailbox (thanks to the publisher, who sent me a review copy). That said, Daphne is apparently the cohost of a show called The Chew; she is also Dr Mehmet Oz’s daughter.

I’ve only perused the book so far and really can’t speak to much of the content, but I will say that the recipes are pretty lovely, and the photography is really stunning. Also, the book just has a happy “vibe” to it so I do plan to sit down and actually read it soon.

I had this dish for lunch yesterday, but I think it would make the perfect Mother’s Day meal if you are looking for something to that effect. Have a happy weekend, everyone!

Sara’s Roasted Asparagus Bowl

Honey Wheat Toast with Roasted Asparagus and Poached Egg

Black Rice and Spring Vegetable Pilaf

Leek and Asparagus Pizza

Quinoa With Asparagus and Mushrooms