Asparagus and Arugula Risotto

Risotto is more of a winterish meal, but you can make it springy with beautiful green vegetables! I made this risotto a couple weeks ago for dinner and Greg and I loved it. The risotto has a great flavor and texture, and it is loaded with healthy green things. Since asparagus is more in season now, it is less pricey at the grocery store. When I went to the Outer Banks, NC for spring break (in March), I ended up paying over 10 dollars for a pound of asparagus. Note to self - when a price isn't marked on something in the grocery store, it means it is way too expensive to buy!

I think you'll love this risotto recipe. It's not too filling and it's completely vegetarian, but it is also entirely satisfying. It's a great meal to celebrate spring, which I think is finally here to stay. Happy Spring to all!

Recipe for Asparagus & Arugula Risotto 

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups of vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. of Extra-Virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. of unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 cups of chopped chives
3 basil leaves, torn into smallish pieces
1/4 tsp. of dried fennel seed
1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice
2/3 cup of white cooking wine
1 lb of asparagus, tough ends removed & then cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
A handful or two of Arugula leaves

3 Tbsp. of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. of kosher salt
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
Finely grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the broth in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Once it is hot, leave it on the burner but adjust the heat to the lowest setting.

Heat the olive oil and 1 Tbsp. of butter in a large stockpot set over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the chives, basil, and fennel seed. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Add in the Arborio rice, and stir consistently for 1 minute, until it is coated with the oil and butter. Pour in the cooking wine and cook on low, stirring frequently, until it is fully absorbed. Ladle the hot broth mixture into the rice mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time. After each addition of broth, stir constantly and allow it to cook and absorb into the rice. This process should take about 20 minutes total.

When you are about halfway finished with the broth additions, cook the asparagus. Put asparagus in a saucepan with boiling water and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Immediately drain asparagus in colander and rinse with very cold water. (Make sure you are continuing to do the broth additions while you are cooking the asparagus).

When you are just about finished with the broth additions, add in the lemon zest, arugula leaves, salt, pepper, and asparagus to the risotto. Add in the remaining amount of hot broth into the risotto. Once  the broth is all gone and it is fully cooked into the mixture, add in the remaining tablespoon of butter, cream cheese, and lemon juice. Stir until ingredients are fully incorporated. Serve risotto in bowls. Top each bowl with extra black pepper and some finely grated Parmesan cheese.

*Makes approximately 6 - 8 servings of risotto. 

Recipe Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten

Looking for more risotto recipes? Try the Butternut Squash Risotto

The Best French Onion Soup in the World!

I have ALWAYS loved french onion soup. I think I love it so much because it comes with a mountain of cheese on top of it - which I always considered the best part. I actually thought the bowl of french onion soup from TGIFridays was really good, because it was loaded with so much cheese. But looking back, I think once the cheese was gone, I didn't actually eat any of the soup! When I saw a recipe for french onion soup on Annie's Eats a couple years back, I knew I wanted to try it. At that time, I had just started getting into cooking, so I thought the recipe was really difficult to make. It turned out AMAZING, but it was a lot of work. Greg didn't think he would like it, because he has never been a fan. I remember he thought it was one of the best soups he had ever tasted (and this coming from someone who doesn't like french onion soup). I'm thankful Greg is willing to try foods that he doesn't think he will like, because it's always neat when he is pleasantly surprised.

It had been quite some time since I made the french onion soup. I decided to make it a few weeks ago when the weather was really cold, so I went out to buy the ingredients. Things came up and I was never able to make the soup before Greg and I left to go to the beach for spring break that felt like winter break. Luckily when I got home, the leeks I had bought were still good. I made the soup and this time it was so much easier. I can't even figure out why I would have thought it was hard before, but it must just be because I was still a total beginner in the kitchen. The thing that it is so great about this recipe is that the flavor of the broth and onion really stands out. It's not the cheese that is the shining star in this soup (even though I would never leave it out). The entire bowl of soup gets eaten, and it's so good that it leaves me wanting to eat even more! So yes, the weather is slightly warmer, but I'd still make the soup again before fall. I don't want to wait as long as I did to make it again. I think you'll love this recipe and I hope you find it as satisfying as I do. Enjoy! 

Recipe for The Best French Onion Soup in the World

INGREDIENTS:
For the broth
2 Tbsp. of unsalted butter

1 1/2 Tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium red onions, sliced thin

1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
1/2 tsp. of sugar
2 leeks, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 1/4 cup of beef broth
1/4 cup of dry red wine
2 sprigs of fresh Italian leaf parsley
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/8 tsp. of kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the toasty & cheesy topping
Slices of french bread
Slices of high quality Parmesan or Romano cheese

DIRECTIONS:
For the broth
Put the butter and olive oil in a large stockpot set over medium heat. Once the butter has completely melted, add in the slices of onion. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes. Then add in the leeks and sugar. Continue to cook and stir, until the onions are caramelized (about 12 - 15 minutes). Add the pressed garlic in and cook for 1 minute. Add in the chicken broth, beef broth, and red wine. After you add in the red wine, scrape the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add in the sprigs of parsley and thyme. Stir in the salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 25 - 30 minutes. Once if has finished cooking, remove the parsley and thyme from the pot. Sprinkle with extra salt and pepper to taste.

Adjust your oven so the rack is in the second to highest position in the oven. Preheat the broiler. Ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls and place them on a sturdy baking sheet. Top the soups with slices of bread and cheese. I usually try to cover the entire top with bread and layer the cheese on top of the bread slices. Put the baking sheet with the bowls into the oven under the broiler and cook until the cheese is bubbly (watch it the entire time, it should take only a few minutes). Remove from oven, let rest a couple minutes, then serve!

Recipe Adapted from Annie's Eats 

Lemon Bar Blondies

I ate this lemon bar blondie for dinner last night, and I am totally okay with it. Do you support "dessert for dinner?" I know I totally do! It was a pretty low calorie dinner too, since each lemon bar is only 200 - 250 calories (depending on whether or not you cut 9 or 12 squares). I think I'm going to eat dessert for dinner more often. Oh yeah, and it's healthy, because lemons have Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Vitamin B5!

I made these lemon bar blondies last weekend. My parents came down for dinner (well actually, my mom made dinner and brought it to my house), and I wanted to make a dessert for my dad's birthday. At first I thought I'd make a cheesecake, but then I realized I didn't have anything for a crust. Then I decided that I wanted to make lemon bars...but that also required a crust that I couldn't make. What was I to do? I searched the web for easy lemony desserts, and I came across this tasty and delicious recipe.

The combination of zesty and sweet in this dessert is awesome. The lemon bar blondies are the perfect dessert (or dinner) - they aren't too rich or sinful but they definitely hit the spot. Enjoy!

Recipe for Lemon Bar Blondies 

INGREDIENTS:
1 stick of butter, softened at room temperature

3/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 eggs

2 Tbsp. of freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup of flour, sifted
2 tsp. of cream
1 1/2 tsp. of lemon zest

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of an 8 x 8 baking pan. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and use an electric hand mixer to beat on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy (about 3 minutes). Add in the eggs and mix well. Add in the 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice and mix. Stir in the flour and set the hand mixer on low speed to mix the flour in until it is fully incorporated. Use a spoon to stir in the lemon zest and cream. Carefully pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread so it is evenly distributed. Place in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the edges are slightly browned. Once they are finished cooking, remove from oven and cool completely.

For the lemon glaze
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp. of butter
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon

DIRECTIONS:
Put the butter into a small saucepan and set it over medium-low heat. Once the butter is completely melted, take off heat and immediately stir in the powdered sugar. Stir quickly, then pour in the lemon juice. Stir until it is completely smooth, adding more lemon juice if needed. Pour the hot glaze over the completely cooled lemon bars. While the glaze is still warm, zest 1 lemon over it, allowing the lemon zest to fall on top of the glaze. Cover the pan with foil and place in the fridge until the glaze hardens. Once the glaze has hardened, the lemon bars can be cut into 9 or 12 squares.

Recipe Adapted from: Ashely Marie's Kitchen
Each lemon bar blondie has approximately 200 - 250 calories. 

Tasty Turkey Burgers with Sundried Tomato, Basil & Parsley

Recipe for Tasty Turkey Burgers with Sundried Tomato, Basil & Parsley

INGREDIENTS:
Please visit my new website, Make It and Bake It with Beth, for the Turkey Burger Recipe