Friday, March 31, 2017

Exercise and A to Z

Well, I expected to feel it after my exercise class on Wednesday, but I was aching all over on Thursday and bowled like a man with no arms. I barely crept over the 100 in all three games. Even a glass of wine (aiming fluid) didn't help. I felt like the 100 I w as trying to score. I will be going again this afternoon and hopefully will begin to loosen up. In fact, I had to pick up a scrip on the way home so I also picked up a rotisserie chicken for supper. Had it for supper with some sautéed snow peas.

Well, the A to Z starts on Saturday, but this year I will not be participating. Too much going on in my life at the moment - not least of which is the dentistry stuff I have talked about. Just couldn't cope with A to Z this year although I will probably still be writing a blog every day except Sunday. However, I don't feel bound to do so nor to do all the necessary visiting which takes up masses of amounts of time. So my best wishes to all of you who are participating and I hope you make it through to the end successfully. I know many write their posts before it all starts, I always did, but it's the rest of it which takes such a lot of time which I just don't have at the moment.

Asparagus season is nearly here. Could be at the end of April or early May. As most of my readers know, I go nutty about asparagus and publish asparagus recipes practically the whole time. I also eat some every day. Here is one recipe to be going on with.

Asparagus, Lemon, and Mint Soup

This soup is easy to make. Asparagus has a strong flavor by itself, so I chose to add a few mint leaves and lemon zest to give it a wonderfully fresh.

1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed (unless farm fresh, when you can eat the whole stalk)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 Tbs chopped fresh mint
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups chicken stock, or more if needed
1 tsp lemon zest
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped

1. Cut tips from 6 asparagus spears, about 1 1/2 inches from the top; reserve for garnish later. Chop the remaining asparagus into chunks.

2. Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat; cook and stir shallot in the hot oil until softened, about 3 minutes. Add chopped asparagus; season with mint, salt, and pepper. Cook until asparagus are slightly tender, about 3 minutes.

3. Pour chicken stock into asparagus mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until asparagus are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in lemon zest.

4. Blend soup using a hand blender or a food processor until smooth.

5. Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook asparagus tips in the boiling water until just turning bright green, about 2 minutes. Strain asparagus tips and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Garnish soup with asparagus tips and hard-boiled egg.

Servings: 2

Tips: You may substitute a leek for the shallot, if desired.

Source: fromgardentosoupbowl.com


Have a great day
 

12 comments:

  1. And that's the nice thing - not feeling obligated. Tomorrow, the chaos begins. I'll peek in on a couple blogs and then go enjoy my Saturday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's about what I will do to Alex. If I find it a strain, it must have been a thousand times worse for you.

      Delete
  2. I am participating again this year and still have to write most of my posts! I am a sick individual.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is fun to do the posts, that part I always enjoyed Birgit. Best wishes.

      Delete
  3. We had asparagus last night and they were so good! I am gonna start going to Planet Fitness....I bet I'll be feeling it too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They were JoJo? Where did you buy them.

      Don't know Planet Fitness, but the classes I go to are in house and designed for older people. I went again today.

      Delete
  4. Hi Jo, now that's an interesting ingredient for soup: mint. I love asparagus but only grilled in EVOO and garlic. The more garlic the better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Should taste good Stephen, waiting for the fresh stuff at the end of the month. I post recipes for asparagus, you should try some, they are delicious.

      Delete
  5. Hope you feel better soon. I'm posting but only on the 1st and on every Monday with that's weeks letters. Too much to do to try for everyday. Posting is easy, it's finding time to comment and return comments. Happy April!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Yolanda. You are right, posting is easy, the commenting part takes up such a lot of time.

      Delete
  6. I'm not doing A to Z this year either. I burned out on it last year. I found lots of good blogs in the past with it, including yours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Burned out is a good description Susan. It is pretty exhausting isn't it? Thanks.

      Delete