“Asparagus inspires gentle thoughts.” ~ Charles Lamb, English poet and essayist (1775 – 1834)

Risotto traditionally requires a great deal of stovetop attention, stirring and adding the liquid just a bit at a time. Or, we can start it on the stovetop and finish it in the oven with a fraction of the effort…

Risotto, in case you’ve never had it, is made from Arborio rice, which is a short, rounded grain named for the city of Arborio, Italy. Like many types of specialty rice, it is more expensive than the regular rice we use most of the time. However, once you’ve tried it, you will understand that the natural creaminess without the addition of dairy products or eggs makes it truly worth it.

This version of Risotto is particularly good at this time of year, made to include the asparagus that is at its best in the spring. The lemon brightens the flavor, and the vegetable broth seasons it without having to rob the spice shelf. Easiest enough for everyday, beautiful enough for holidays.

Note: If you do not have a Dutch oven, you can do the stovetop work in a skillet, then transfer ingredients to a casserole dish. Cover with a lid or piece of foil and you’re good to go.

Spring Risotto
Serves 4
Time: 30 minutes

½ cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups asparagus cut in 1-inch pieces
2 cups mild tasting vegetable broth
1 cup Arborio rice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425° F.

In a Dutch oven or other lidded stovetop-to-oven casserole dish, soften the onion in the oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Stir in the mushroom slices and continue to sauté until they are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, heat the vegetable broth to boiling. (The microwave oven is fine for this.)

Stir the rice, zest, lemon juice, pepper and boiling vegetable broth into the mushroom and onion mixture. Cover with lid and place in oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and test rice for doneness. If it is not fully cooked, cover pot and return to oven for 5 more minutes. Serve while hot.

“If you’re frightened of leprechauns, the best thing to do is to get yourself a little leprechaun outfit and see how big they are. And then you’ll go, ‘Well I see. That’s like bein’ frightened of a hampster.’” ~ Craig Ferguson, Scottish-born American television show host and comedian (1962-)

Green is in fashion, but the best green of all happens to be spinach. No offense to leprechauns.

We all know that spinach is good for us. Did you know that it offers up 6 grams of protein per 1 cup serving? Or that it contains enormous amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron, and Calcium? All that, and flavor, too!

Fresh spinach is great to have on hand to throw into salads or sandwiches to be eaten raw, or to toss into soups or sauces for a nutritional boost. Unfortunately, it spoils rather quickly, so we try to always keep a bag of frozen spinach on hand. The frozen spinach often can be tossed into a recipe without defrosting, which makes it very easy to add.

For this quick soup, choose a frozen cut leaf spinach over the chopped so that the larger pieces of leaves can provide streaks of darker green against the creamier green broth. The potato can be prepared with the skin left on for more nutritional value, however, it will not break down to the smoothness the rest of the soup offers.

Leprechaun Green Soup
Serves 4
Time: 30 minutes

½ cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups frozen cut leaf spinach
(about ½ of a 12-ounce bag)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
3 cups strong flavored vegetable broth
1 medium baking potato cut in ½-inch cubes
½ cup Original So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer

Soften the onion in the olive oil in a large saucepan or small soup pot, but don’t allow it to brown. Stir in the garlic, spinach, cumin, coriander, vegetable broth, and potato. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes, until the potato falls apart when poked with a fork.

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Pour about half the soup into a blender and process until smooth. Return the puree to the pot with the remaining soup. Stir in the creamer. Bring back to just barely simmering, then remove from heat and serve immediately.

A bit of warning: If a leprechaun falls into this soup, he will be almost impossible to find. Eat with care.

“What I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.” ~ A. A. Milne, English author (1882 – 1956)

Ten ounces of baked red potatoes have similar nutrient levels as white potatoes – about 7 grams of protein, 5 grams of dietary fiber, 59 grams of carbohydrates, 12% of the USRDA of Iron, and 63% of Vitamin C. So, when we saw baby red potatoes on sale at the produce market, it didn’t take much thought to land them in the shopping cart.

For a supper that includes cabbage and carrots, roasted red potatoes are a natural for their color, texture, and (of course) tradition. In this recipe, we’ve coated them with a mustard dressing to up the interest a little.

Prepared mustard comes in many textures from smooth to very grainy, and flavors from mild to strong and spicy. For this recipe, use whatever mustard you like the most – the natural sugars in the potatoes smooth out a lot of the mustard bite.

Mustard Roasted Potatoes
Serves up to 6
Time: 10 minutes active + 40 minutes in the oven

2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon dried oregano
8-10 ounces of small red potatoes per
serving, up to 3 pounds
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Measure the mustard, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon peel, and oregano into a large bowl. Whisk until smooth.

Scrub the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Toss them into the dressing, stirring to coat completely. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes to a single layer on a baking sheet, leaving behind any dressing that doesn’t cling to the potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Note: Do NOT pour the dressing over the potatoes on the baking sheet. Dressing on the baking sheet will dry up and blacken as the potatoes cook (it doesn’t stick or taste burned, however). Save any excess dressing, refrigerated, to use again later in the week. It works well for roasting other vegetables, too.

Bake the potatoes for 20 minutes, turn and bake for 15 more minutes, until nicely browned and tender. Serve hot.

“Those big-shot writers could never dig the fact that there are more salted peanuts consumed than caviar” ~ Frank Morris “Mickey” Spillane, American mystery writer (1918 – 2006)

Salad doesn’t need to be all about the green. Sometimes, it can be about the carrot, the raisins, and the peanuts. Peanuts, while naturally high in fat, are a powerhouse of nutrition with high levels of protein, niacin, iron, calcium, thiamin, folate, and Vitamin E, so in limited quantities can contribute to a healthy diet.

A salad made from sturdier ingredients than lettuce makes it more lunchbox friendly, not getting soggy and collapsing under the weight of the dressing. In short, it travels well. In this salad, the dressing is very light but packed with an Asian-Mexican fusion of flavors that compliment the natural sweetness of the carrots and raisins.

The chipotle is a smoked pepper, usually jalapeño or moritas. Smoking adds a whole new dimension to the peppers. A jar of ground chipotle pepper can be expensive, but shop around because the price varies greatly. We’ve found that Penzeys has the best deal for this, and since we include it in a lot of our recipes, the 4-ounce size is just fine.

Sweet and Spicy Carrot Salad
Makes 2 ½ cups
Time: 7 minutes

Dressing
1 tablespoon peanut butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
⅛ teaspoon ground dried ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground dried chipotle pepper

Salad
2 cups coarsely shredded or julienned carrots
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup coarsely chopped peanuts

Whisk together the dressing ingredients until the peanut butter is fully incorporated. Toss the salad ingredients with the dressing and serve at room temperature or chilled. What could be easier?

“My greatest strength is… common sense. I’m really a standard brand – like Campbell’s tomato soup or Baker’s chocolate.” ~ Katharine Hepburn, American actress (1907 – 2003)

A standard on the Mediterranean table, Tomato-Lemon soup has as many variations as there are soup pots. Some contain eggs, some rice, some orzo… and some, like this one, include fennel.

If you have never bought fennel before, you have probably at least noticed it in the produce department at the grocery store. Sometimes it is labeled “anise” because they are very similar in flavor, but true anise does not have the beautiful white bulb that makes it look a little like pregnant celery.

Fennel has a sweet, clean flavor with a hint of licorice, and contains vitamin C, calcium, fiber, iron and protein. The entire plant can be used but most recipes include just the bulb or seeds. Save any parts you don’t immediately use and include them in a light stir-fry or homemade vegetable broth. The fresh fronds (leaves) make a beautiful garnish.

This soup, with the combination of lemon and fennel, is lighter than most tomato soups and is perfect for this weather that can’t seem to decide between winter and spring.

Tomato-Lemon Soup with Fennel
Makes 5 cups
Time: 20 minutes

1 cup finely chopped Fennel bulb
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup mild tasting vegetable broth
¼ cup lemon juice
Fennel fronds and lemon slices to garnish
Croutons (optional)

Lightly sauté the chopped fennel in olive oil over medium heat until tender crisp, being careful that it doesn’t brown. Stir in the tomatoes and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice and remove from heat.

Garnish with chopped fennel fronds (leaves), a small slice of lemon, and croutons (page 109 in the Mosaic Meals cookbook). Serve while hot.

While you are sipping on some bright red Tomato-Lemon Soup with Fennel, consider visiting Rock the Red Pump to learn about tomorrow’s National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.