Crispy Baked Parmesan Asparagus Spears

Asparagus! Either you love it or you don't! I love it! Even more so baked.  Baking asparagus in the oven rather than steaming it won't leave your house smelling sour.  Plus it comes out so sweet and still has a fresh crispness to it.  Yummers! 

One cup has more than your daily allowance of vitamin K. And it's a great source of folate, vitamin C, vitamin A, thiamin, niacin, tryphtophan, fiber, and vitamin B6

 

Look at how crunchy they are!  These are not fried either, that's crust comes from using Panko bread crumbs. 

You'll need:

15-20 Fresh Asparagus
2 egg whites
1 C Panko bread crumbs.  I used plain, but seasoned ones would be great too!
1/2 C flour
1/2 C finely grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Mix the panko, flour and Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper in a large plate.  Set aside.

Place a wire rack in a cookie sheet and spray it with a non-stick product.  To make sure there is good heat flow I used a rack that stands about 4-5 inches above the sheet. 

Snap each asparagus spear to remove the woody end.  Just bend the spear and it will snap on its own in the correct spot. 

 Stir the egg whites with a fork just to break them up.  Roll the snapped spears in the egg whites to coat.

Dredge each spear in the panko-cheese-flour mix.  You can put the spears back in the egg white and dredge them a second time in the panko mix, if you want an even thicker crunchy crust. 

Place the asparagus on the wire rack and bake in 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  Serve immediately while hot.  They are good at room temperature too, but aren't as crunchy. 

 I served mine with my trusted friend Siriacha sauce. Enjoy!

Lobster Cucumber Cups

Well my intention was to make Lobster Lettuce Wraps, but the lettuce I had on-hand didn't work out well for photographing.  The wraps were delicious though.  So, rather than scrap the recipe I decided to change the delivery method and serve it up a different way. 

I can see serving these at a spring luncheon or bridal shower as an appetizer and they are wonderful just as a snack.

 

Aren't they cute?!!!

Here's how to make them:

I used 3-4ounces of Lobster meat from the Seafood department frozen section.  It's just quicker and easier. Chop it into large chunks.

Half small onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced

2T cucumber (diced), 1T red bell pepper (diced),  a few cilantro leaves for garnish.  I like a Serrano Pepper for some extra bite.

 I minced the Serrano Pepper. Don't be a hero, remove the seeds and membrane!

Saute your onion and garlic in a tsp of olive oil until they are golden brown about 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat then add your Lobster chunks.

Add some Asian sauces like, 1tsp Hoisin Sauce, 1tsp Asian Peanut Sauce, 1tsp Soy Sauce stir to mix.

Spoon lobster filling into lettuce leaves, fold sides of leave into center and roll. This would work better with a bib lettuce that forms a natural cup.  I had on-hand green curly lettuce which is too floppy, for photo purposes, but tasted fabulous.

Instead I reworked the delivery method by using cucumber cups 

Take a citrus zester and pull it along the skin of a large cucumber to form a decorative look.  Cut 1 1/2 inch sections from it. 

Using a melon baller remove the seeds, but be sure to leave some cucumber flesh at the bottom so your filling doesn't fall out.  

Sprinkle a few granules of kosher salt into your cup, then turn them upside down on a paper towel to drain for 10 minutes or so.

Spoon your filling into the center and garnish as desired.  Serve with extra Hoisin sauce and Sriracha on the side.  

 Lobster Cucumber Cups....These are so fun!

Let me know what you think? Did you try them?

Ahi Tuna Poke with Gomo Wakame

 I had this crazy craving for some really good sashimi today!  When I was in California last year I ate this stuff nearly everyday.  I'd dress up my grand daughter put her in the stroller and off we'd go to the local grocer.  The only difference is they used salmon instead of the traditional ahi tuna.  Poke (Po-kay) means tiny little pieces in this case tuna.  Because the tuna is uncooked and fresh it has a nice meaty texture, but is still very tender not mushy however.   I served mine today with a side of Gomo Wakame which is seaweed salad. 

So on the way home from work I picked up a 6oz. sashimi grade Ahi Tuna Steak from Wegman's.  I recommend the raw tuna at the sushi bar not at the fish counter.  Sashimi it is intended for raw consumption and is handled with a higher standard of food safety in mind, (so I tell myself). 

Now, this is not traditional Hawaiian poke as I didn't have some of the ingredients, but as you know I make due with what's in the pantry. 

After dicing the Ahi Tuna steak into 1/2 inch cubes I mixed it with about 1/4 cup Soy Sauce, half small onion minced, 2T  Gomo Wakame chopped, a pinch of red pepper flakes, 1 garlic clove minced.  Let it set in the refrigerator covered for about 30 minutes. 

Serve it on a bed of lettuce and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.  Grab a pair of chop sticks and Enjoy!!

Note: this is one of those foods that must be eaten at the time it is prepared.  If you let it sit around the texture goes horribly wrong. 

Here's a link to a video of how to make Spicey Ahi Tuna Poke.