Asparagus

Simply steamed the asparagus for a few minutes, adding some salt to the water. I selected thin and very fresh asparagus. When complete, run under cold water to stop the cooking process. You may want to use the water from parboiling the broccoli rabe.

Potato

Pierce the potato all over with a fork to allow it to vent during the cooking process. To speed cooking time, I placed the potatoes in the microwave for ten minutes. I used three medium potatoes in a 900 watt microwave, you’ll need to adjust appropriately.

When the potatoes have finished pre-cooking, take each out (handle carefully as they are hot), and lay down on a sheet of aluminum foil, one at a time. Generously douse the potato with vegetable oil and then sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Again, more is better; you can always wipe it off. And finally, generously sprinkle the potato with herbs d’Provence. Make sure to coat each side evenly. Roll up the potato in the foil, trying to ensure an even thickness of foil around the potato.  Toss them on a pre-heated grill, at a temperature of 425 degrees. Close the grill and bake for about 45 minutes, occasionally rolling the potatoes.

Broccoli Rabe

The secret to removing the bitterness from Broccoli Rabe is to blanch it for a few minutes; it completely changes the flavor of this vegetable.

The first thing I like to do with the broccoli rabe is to cut off most of the stems (after thoroughly washing it, of course). Next, I bunch it all together, and with a long, sharp knife, make a bunch of slices across the width of it, about one inch apart. Throw all of it into a large pot of salted, rapidly boiling water and cook for a few minutes – the stems should have lost their crunchiness and have a nice texture while biting through them. Quickly, remove the broccoli rabe and cool it under cold water to halt the cooking process. I reserved some of the water to use for steaming the asparagus. Drain the cooled asparagus on a bunch of paper towels.

Slice a medium-large sweet onion into strips, and do the same to a large red bell pepper. In a large saute pan (with high sides), saute the onions and pepper in a little bit of olive oil (no more than one tablespoon). I like to spray the pan with Pam (or equivalent) to use less olive oil. Saute the onions and peppers over medium heat for a while until the onions become translucent and soft, about 20 to 30 minutes. While these are cooking, slice 8oz of mushrooms to add to the mix, about 10 minutes before the onions and peppers are finished. Continue cooking all of this until the mushrooms have a nice color and have shrunk down to a reasonable size. At this point, if there is too much water in the pan, you can drain it or try to evaporate it. While this is cooking, dice about four cloves of garlic, but do not make the pieces too small or it will over-power the dish. With a few minutes left, add the garlic to the pan and continue to saute. When complete, season with salt and pepper and toss again.

Eating It

Enjoy the individual components of the meal. When finished eating the potatoes and leaving the skins, take some of the sauteed broccoli rabe and the asparagus and put it into the empty potato skin half. Next, take a bite. And if you enjoyed it (or not), please let me know.

• 1/2 large head chopped romaine
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1/3 small can sliced beets, diced
• several artichoke hearts, diced
• 5 hearts of palm, diced
• 1/2 oz sunflower seeds
• 1 large plum tomato, diced
• 1 avocado, diced, large chunks
• 1 smallish sweet onion, diced
• Walden Farms Honey Dijon Dressing (Sugar Free, Calorie Free, Fat Free, Carb Free, Gluten Free) to taste
• pepper to taste

I used the Progressive International Fruit and Vegetable Chopper to diced the veggies and it works beautifully. With all the different colors, the salad has a beautiful presentation and a taste to match.

Ingredients

• 3 cups oatmeal
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup butter (melted)
• choice of add-ins: raisins, chopped nuts, …

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Spray a thin coat of cooking spray onto a large, non-stick cookie sheet.
• In a large glass bowl, combine all ingredients with a spatula until well blended.
• Spread the mixture onto the cookie sheet, keeping the mixture uniform in height.
• Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until the oats have developed a nice golden color. Be careful not to brown or burn.
• When finished cooking, remove the cookie sheet and let rest to cool. Upon removal, the mixture will be soft, but as it cools, it will dry out and become hard. Wait at least 1/2 hour for the mixture to cool completely.
• When completely cool, scrape under the cereal with a spatua, breaking up the cereal into bite-sized pieeces.

Enjoy your cereal. It’s wonderful plain and even better mixed in with some low-fat vanilla yogurt (in place of milk).

Don’t be afraid to be creative – substitue different types and quantities of sweeteners. I have enjoyed molasses in place of the maple syrup. I also enjoy mixing in golden raisins and chopped almonds; any crunchy mix-in should work well.