Creamy Asparagus Leek Soup with Creme Fraiche

Keeping things green today in the spirit of St Patrick's Day! Cream of asparagus is one of my favorite Spring soups. The addition of leeks, a relative of onions, scallions and shallots gives this soup a wonderful subtle flavor. But the star here is a touch of creme fraiche added on top, which I like to swirl in to my soup for a creamy delicious finish.

My daughter Madison loves helping me in the kitchen, here I let her snap off the tough ends of the asparagus – she's a pro!

Creme fraiche is wonderfully creamy, and a bit thinner than sour cream. If that's not available near you can swap it for sour cream or even Greek yogurt. If you want to go dairy-free, you can of course leave it out, it will still taste wonderful. Enjoy!

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Flounder Milanese with Arugula and Tomatoes

Breaded flounder lightly pan sauteed and topped with an arugula, lemon and tomato salad – a simple yet delicious way to prepare fish. Perfect for Lent, or any night you're in the mood for fish.

I was on a cruise a few weeks ago aboard the Norwegian and one of the meals I ordered more than once was the Flounder Milanese. I was able to recreate a lighter version of that meal; rather than deep frying it, I generously sprayed the fish with olive oil and pan sauteed it until golden. I love everything about this dish, it's light, quick and satisfying all for under 225 calories. You can use any white fish fillet you wish, and if you rather make this in the oven, I would broil it instead. Hope you enjoy!

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Cauliflower Fritters

This is a delicious way to prepare cauliflower. It's similar to the taste of a potato pancake and makes a fabulous side dish – your kids will love them!

My Sicilian friend Julia is a wonderful cook. I remember the first meal I ate in her NYC apartment; lamb chops and fried cauliflower which she calls broccoli a pasteta. She joked that day you can fry a sponge and it would taste good – she's probably right. These are a lightened version of her recipe, made with Pecorino Romano, parsley, egg, garlic, white whole wheat flour and just enough oil to saute them in a pan.

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Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread Muffins

These whole wheat Irish soda bread muffins are delicious, the perfect start a lazy cold March Sunday morning. Speckled with raisins, they are sweet and perfect enjoyed with a hot cup of tea.

Plus, making them in muffin tins is perfect for better portion control. I first posted these back in 2010, and almost forgot just how good these were! I used a combination of King Arthur unbleached white whole wheat flour with unbleached all purpose flour, and the flavor and texture was perfect – they don't taste whole wheat at all. If you like caraway seeds in your bread, you can add about an eighth of a teaspoon.

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Chicken and Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry

Although the weather outside still feels like winter, I'm excited to see signs of Spring all around. One of those signs is asparagus. Asparagus is one of my favorite Spring vegetables, and this quick stir-fry made with chicken, lemon, garlic and ginger is a great way to make it a weeknight meal.

I used a reduced-sodium Japanese soy sauce called Shoyu which is similar to Chinese soy sauce, but has a more full bodied flavored and a touch of sweetness that I'm really in love with. I like Eden, which is organic and non-GMO. You can use either one, or even Tamari if you're gluten free. We served this over brown rice to complete the meal. 

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Crock Pot Carne Guisada (Latin Beef Stew)

Slow cooked Latin beef stew with baby red potatoes and Latin seasonings. Serve this topped with fresh aji picante – it's is a must and really brightens the flavors and rounds out the dish!

Last week I was on a cruise to the Bahamas from New York having fun in the sun. I was hoping to return to Spring weather but so far March is starting off really cold in New York. This Latin beef stew is the perfect way to warm up and it's a favorite in my home. A bit different than traditional beef stew because the meat and potatoes simmer with light beer, scallions, garlic, tomatoes, cumin, achiote (also known as annato) and spices. If you can't find achiote which is traditionally used in Latin cuisine and can be purchased at any Latin market or on Amazon, no worries, you can use Badia Sazon or even sweet paprika instead. If you prefer to make this without beer, you can replace it with water, it will still taste great.

I usually make it on the stove, but with some minor adjustments I was able to make this in the slow cooker. If you don't have a slow cooker you can see the stove top recipe here. Pictured here I served this over brown rice with some avocado on the side. Enjoy!

And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!

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Dirty Brown Rice with Shrimp

A healthier twist on a Cajun classic, the addition of shrimp turns this into a fabulous main dish. I'd like to think of this as a Cajun shrimp fried rice. With Mardi Gras ends tomorrow, I thought this would be the perfect timing to share this recipe from the archives because I LOVE this dish!

Dirty rice is a classic Cajun dish made "dirty" by cooking the rice with minced livers or gizzards. I created a healthier version using brown rice and lean ground beef in place of the chicken livers that normally make dirty rice "dirty".

But don't worry, this healthier version does not skimp on flavor! It has plenty of spices and a bit of kick, you can adjust the heat to your taste but don't be shy with the cayenne if you can handle it!

Normally a rice dish like this if made with white rice would be cooked all in one pot, but after several attempts to perfect this I found that cooking the brown rice all together created an unpleasant mushy texture. By cooking the brown rice separate, the texture of the rice was perfect when mixed with the beef and shrimp and made a delicious main dish even my "non-brown rice eating" husband enjoyed. 

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