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Broiled Asparagus

Broiled asparagus is a fast, easy and delicious way to cook this green vegetable! Throw it in the broiler and cook until charred and tender.

Broiled asparagus

Here’s a genius ways to cook this green vegetable to charred and tender without even preheating your oven. Yes, it’s our new favorite way to make it: Broiled Asparagus! Just throw it in the broiler with a few lemon wheels, and it comes out just like roasted asparagus…but even better. Once spring comes along, these beautiful green spears are everywhere. Now that we’ve tried it, we think this is the best way to cook them. Throw them alongside pistachio crusted salmon for a lovely dinner, or baked eggs for a special brunch. Here’s how to make this easy asparagus recipe!

How to make broiled asparagus: basic method

You don’t even need a recipe for broiled asparagus. Once you’ve tried it once, memorize the principles and make it over and over! All you need to know is the basic cook time and seasoning. Here’s how to broil asparagus:

  • Trim the ends of the asparagus. More on how to cut asparagus is below.
  • Line a baking sheet with foil. This makes for easy cleanup.
  • Add the asparagus, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Quantities are in the recipe below.
  • Add 4 lemon wheels right to the tray. This infuses lemon flavor as the asparagus cooks.
  • Broil 3 minutes, stir, then 2 to 3 minutes more. Cook until the thickest parts of the asparagus are tender when pierced with a fork. Easy as that!
Broiled asparagus recipe

How to trim asparagus…the right way

Have you been snapping off the ends of your asparagus? Not only does it take longer to trim that way: it removes some of the edible part of the vegetable! This tasty veggie requires trimming before you cook it to remove the tough ends. Here’s the quickest way to cut asparagus:

  • Line up the asparagus facing the same way. Grab a large chef’s knife.
  • Cut off right where the green part turns to white. You can do about half a 1 pound bunch at once. It takes literally 1 minute!

Ways to serve easy broiled asparagus

We love asparagus for its flavor, but almost even more so for its looks! (Is that superficial?) Asparagus makes a plate of anything look better. Here are our top ways to serve it:

Broiled asparagus

More ways to cook asparagus

We’ve tried all the ways to cook asparagus…and this is one of our favorite methods! If you’re looking for more, here are our top easy ways to prep this tasty spring vegetable:

Asparagus nutrition

Lastly…want another reason to eat asparagus? It’s ridiculously good for you. Here are a few of the top health benefits of this veggie:

  • It’s a great source of fiber: 1 cup of cooked asparagus has 4 grams of fiber. (Source)
  • It’s relatively high in protein for a green vegetable: 1 cup also has 4 grams protein. (Source) That’s a similar level to broccoli and potatoes.
  • It can aid in eye and hair health and it has potential anti-aging properties! Who knew. (Source)

This broiled asparagus recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

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Broiled asparagus

Broiled Asparagus (Fast & Easy!)

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 3 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 8 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

Broiled asparagus is a fast, easy and delicious way to cook this green vegetable! Throw it in the broiler and cook until charred and tender. 

Ingredients

  • 1 pound asparagus
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese (optional; omit for vegan)

Instructions

  1. Preheat a broiler to high.
  2. Cut off the tough bottom ends of the asparagus. Add the asparagus stalks to a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil, and add the kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. 
  3. Thinly slice 4 lemon wheels from the lemon, then add them right on the baking sheet. 
  4. Broil 3 minutes. Remove the tray and stir. Then broil 2 to 3 minutes more, until the spears are tender when pierced by a fork at the thickest part. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese (optional) and serve. 
  • Category: Side dish
  • Method: Broiled
  • Cuisine: Vegetables

Keywords: Broiled asparagus, broiled asparagus recipe, how to broil asparagus, easy asparagus recipe

A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes



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- March 31, 2021
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Simple Baked Eggs

Oven baked eggs are a simple way to make a special breakfast! Bake them in small dishes then serve with a variety of toppings. Bon appetit!

Baked eggs

We love finding unique ways to eat the same ingredients, and this trick falls into that category. Try these Oven Baked Eggs! It’s a simple way to make a special breakfast out of everyday ingredients. (What can’t an egg do? Seriously.) Here you’ll throw the eggs into small baking dishes, then load them up with toppings of your choice. Go simple like Parmesan and herbs, or fancy like sauteed spinach and mushrooms. Here’s the basic method, and a few more fun topping ideas!

How to make baked eggs: basic method

Baked eggs are so simple, you barely need a recipe! Actually, you don’t need one. Memorize this simple method and you can make them on repeat for special brunch:

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. The perfect temperature for baking eggs.
  • Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter for each dish. Throw them in the already warm oven to make quick work of it. Then brush it around your dish. Substitute neutral oil for dairy free.
  • Add 2 eggs per dish. To avoid shells, crack them into a small bowl first, then slide them in. But you can also go right into the dish.
  • Add salt and pepper. Just 1/8 teaspoon salt per dish does the trick!
  • Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Usually ours is perfect at 13 minutes. Keep reading for more about bake time!
Baked eggs

How long to bake eggs?

The exact timing for baked eggs varies based on a few variables: the exact heat of the oven, the thickness of the baking dish, and how runny you’d like the yolk.

  • It takes about 12 to 15 minutes to cook eggs in a ramekin to where the yolk is runny and the white is set. The style is closest to sunny side up eggs.
  • Cook longer to fully cook the yolk. This would be closer to over hard eggs.
  • Thicker baking dishes cause the timing to be slightly longer.
  • Start checking at 12 minutes: look at the whites around the yolk and make sure they are just set.

Baked egg toppings

Here’s the fun part: adding toppings to your baked eggs! This can be as complicated or simple as you like. Our favorite is just Parmesan and fresh herbs, which takes no time at all. Here are some ideas to get your wheels turning:

Oven baked eggs

What else to serve with them

Are you cooking up a special brunch? There are so many fun things to serve with baked eggs…in fact, we’re not sure where to begin! Here are a few of our favorite ideas:

More ways to cook eggs

Are you egg obsessed like we are? There are so many tasty ways to cook eggs! Here are some favorites:

Oven baked eggs

This baked eggs recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.

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Baked eggs

Simple Baked Eggs

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 7 minutes
  • Cook Time: 13 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 1 serving
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

Oven baked eggs are a simple way to make a special breakfast! Bake them in small dishes then serve with a variety of toppings. Bon appetit!

Ingredients

For each serving

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tablespoon butter (or substitute neutral oil for dairy free)
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh ground pepper

Topping ideas:

  • Shredded Parmesan cheese, fresh thyme sprigs
  • Shredded cheddar cheese, salsa or pico de gallo
  • Sauteed spinach and mushrooms, feta cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. While the oven preheats, add 1/2 tablespoon butter to each small baking dish or ramekin. Add to the oven until it melts (about 1 minute), then use a brush to spread it around the inside of the dish.
  3. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, then slide 2 into each dish. Sprinkle each with 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Bake 12 to 15 minutes (ours usually take 13 minutes), until whites are set and yolk reach desired firmness. The exact timing depends on the thickness of the dish. (If desired, you can cook longer to get a fully cooked yolk.)
  4. Sprinkle with toppings and serve. Keep in mind the baking dishes are hot, so place them on a separate plate for serving.
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Eggs

Keywords: Baked eggs, Oven baked eggs

A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes



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- March 30, 2021
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Monstera Cake Roll with Pandan Whipped Cream & Kaya

Hello, springtime! This springy, spongy, stenciled cake roll is filled with a layer of rich kaya (coconut jam) and fluffy pandan whipped cream.

If your piping skills aren’t up to snuff, stencils make for gorgeous prints and patterns with minimal effort… like screen printing, but with cake batter. This monstera leaf design is achieved with 3 different colors of green batter for a water-color like effect, on a pale pink background that’s perfectly on trend.

Pink cake roll with stenciled monstera leaf design, sliced to show the spiral of green pandan whipped cream filling

This recipe is the product of months of dreaming and weeks of testing. It’s something I’ve been planning for quite a long time (I actually bought the monstera stencil before the wood-grain stencil from my holiday cake roll), but ended up waiting until spring when the design would better match the weather.

The idea for the design popped into my brain and has remained pretty much unchanged (and the fact that the final result matches my vision so closely… well, I’m pleased as punch).

But that still left me with the question of… what do I fill it with?

I knew I wanted something green, to match the monstera leaf design. And I also wanted something a bit different than my usual green-go-to’s (aka matcha and pistachio). The perfect solution came in the form of Pandan: a grass-like leaf native to Southeast Asia which is often used in flavoring sweets and desserts.

I also added a thin layer of Kaya, a coconut-egg jam popular in Southeast Asia (especially Malaysia and Singapore), to give it an extra kick of flavor and sweetness and again, to make it a little bit different from my previous cake roll recipes. The punch of coconut is a perfect pairing for the subtle vanilla notes of the pandan. I simply adore this combination and couldn’t be more delighted with how the final product turned out (although, I’d maybe be slightly more delighted if it didn’t take me 5 rolls to get it just right…)

Two slices of Monstera Stenciled Roll Cake on rectangular plate

As is the case with this recipe, I am often inspired by Asian ingredients, flavors, and techniques, and I try my best to show my appreciation for the origins and cultural histories of these amazing and diverse foods. I truly believe we can all enjoy these unique recipes and ingredients, while still appreciating the cultures from which they hail and without laying claim to them as our own (there is a fine line between appropriation and appreciation, and I try very much to fall under the later with my recipes).

I simply didn’t feel comfortable posting a recipe like this one, inspired by Japanese techniques and Southeast Asian flavors, without addressing the increasing violence and hateful rhetoric directed towards Asian Americans in this country. Sadly, it is nothing new: Asian-Americans have been discriminated against in this country since before it was a country, even. This Twitter thread is rather eye-opening; did you learn about any of this in history class? Because I sure didn’t.

Talk is good and all (the more we can create awareness about what’s happening, the better), but I’m committed to putting my money where my mouth is, as they say. So I’ve committed to donating 100% of the ad revenue from this post to the AAPI Community Fund, which aims to address the urgent issues that face the AAPI community as well as broader, systemic problems through grants issued to trusted AAPI organizations working to rectify the racial inequalities in our society.

(more…)



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- March 30, 2021
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Easy Vegetarian Enchiladas

This vegetarian enchiladas recipe is fast and easy: a total crowd pleaser! The simple pinto bean and cheese filling is full of flavor.

Vegetarian enchiladas

Enchiladas are one of our favorite dinner recipes around here. But they can take a while to prep for a weeknight. Here’s a new recipe we designed to work in 30 minutes flat: these easy Vegetarian Enchiladas! The filling takes no time to whip up: it’s just spiced pinto beans and spices. Roll ’em up, bake until golden and cheesy, and load with all your favorite toppings. These are so quick, we’ve ditched our other favorite recipes for this one (oops!).

Ingredients in these easy vegetarian enchiladas

Many vegan and vegetarian enchilada recipes have long lead times, because it takes a while to cook or roast vegetables for the filling. But many traditional Mexican enchiladas recipes are supremely simple. We honor the great tradition of Mexican cuisine in this recipe. It’s inspired by the simplicity of the cheese enchiladas we had in Mexico years ago. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:

  • Red enchilada sauce: For fast enchiladas, we recommend a great store-bought sauce. More below!
  • Pinto beans or black beans: Canned beans make it fast and easy!
  • Cheddar and pepper jack cheese: Using two types of cheese adds nuance to the flavor
  • Spices: Grab the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika
  • Tortillas: Corn tortillas are traditional in Mexican enchiladas and a gluten free option; flour tortillas tend to be more durable

Quickly saute the beans and spices, roll them into tortillas with cheese, and douse with enchilada sauce (and more cheese). It takes just 10 minutes to bake: so you should be able to go from 0 to dinner in 30 minutes.

Vegetarian enchilada recipe

Grab a great red enchilada sauce (or make in advance)

Often for enchiladas we recommend making your own enchilada sauce. But this recipe is all about speed! So here are your best options:

  • Purchased red enchilada sauce: There are lots of fantastic enchilada sauce brands at the store: most of them are minimally processed and made with real food ingredients. Every brand is different, so experiment to find one you love.
  • Homemade, made in advance: Make a batch of our Homemade Red Enchilada sauce! Just make sure to make it in advance to ensure quick prep.

Flour tortillas vs corn tortillas

Corn tortillas are traditional in Mexican-style enchiladas. Flour tortillas are more traditional in Tex Mex and American style enchiladas. There are pros and cons to both! Here’s what to know:

  • Corn tortillas are gluten-free. Keep in mind that many brands easily split when you go to roll them! To combat this, find the best quality corn tortilla brand you can. Then brush it with oil and cook it 15 seconds per side before assembling. This makes it easier to roll.
  • Flour tortillas are not gluten-free but they are much easier to roll and more durable in general. They also get nice and gooey from the enchilada sauce.

What about grain free tortillas? There are also lots of other types of grain-free tortillas these days: like almond flour, cassava flour, or chickpea flour (try Siete brand). We have not tried them in enchiladas, so please let us know in the comments below if they hold up and what your favorites are.

Vegetarian enchiladas

How to assemble vegetarian enchiladas: a few tips!

The most time-consuming part of making vegetarian enchiladas? Assembling them! If you can, it’s helpful to have another person to help you in this step: but it’s not required! Here are a few tips for a smooth and speedy process:

  • Don’t overfill the tortillas. It’s easy to want to put in way too much filling. All you need is a scant 1/4 cup beans and 1/4 cup cheese. Spread them in a line down the center.
  • Roll them tightly and place seam side down. Placing seam side down helps them stay rolled.
  • If using corn tortillas, use a durable brand and cook in oil prior to rolling. Corn tortillas taste great and are gluten-free, but they can easily tear and split when rolling them. See the instructions in the recipe and the section below for more!

Favorite enchilada toppings

The best part of this easy enchiladas recipe? Loading them up with all the best toppings! Here are a few topping ideas we love to add:

  • Sour cream: it’s a must in our book
  • Guacamole
  • Feta or queso fresco crumbles
  • Red onion or green onion
  • Sliced jalapeno or fresno peppers: bright red fresno peppers look lovely and have just enough heat; they’re a nice option if you can find them
  • Cilantro
  • Pickled jalapenos or pickled onions
Easy enchiladas

What to serve with enchiladas

If you’ve got a need for speed…you need some fast side dishes to go with it! What are the best sides to serve with enchiladas? Here are some favorite ideas:

This vegetarian enchiladas recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free (with corn or grain-free tortillas noted above).

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Vegetarian enchiladas

Easy Vegetarian Enchiladas (30 Minutes!)

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

This vegetarian enchiladas recipe is fast and easy: a total crowd pleaser! The simple pinto bean and cheese filling is full of flavor.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups red enchilada sauce (or Homemade Enchilada Sauce made in advance)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 15-ounce cans pinto beans (or black beans), drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1/2 tablespoon each garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and kosher salt
  • 14 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 ounces shredded pepper jack cheese
  • 12 8-inch flour or corn tortillas
  • For the garnish: guacamole, sour cream, feta or queso fresco crumbles, minced red onion, sliced jalapeno or fresno peppers, torn cilantro

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 
  2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the beans (drained and rinsed), cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and kosher salt. Cook for 2 minutes until warmed through and fragrant.
  3. Spread 1 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish. 
  4. If using corn tortillas ONLY: Brush both sides of each tortilla lightly with olive oil. Heat a large griddle to medium-high heat. Cook the tortillas in batches for 15 seconds per side until lightly browned.
  5. Fill each tortilla with scant 1/4 cup of beans and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Roll it up and place it in the baking dish seam side down. Once all of the 12 tortillas are in the dish, pour over the remaining 2 cups of enchilada sauce. Top with the pepper jack and the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes. If desired, broil or torch until browned. Top with garnishes and serve. (Leftovers keep well refrigerated.)
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Mexican American

Keywords: Vegetarian enchiladas, vegetarian enchilada recipe, Easy enchiladas, Easy enchilada recipe

A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes



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- March 29, 2021
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