Roasted Asparagus + Hummus Toasts

Our most recent trip to Aldi was yet again $108. I'll get into the specifics in another post this week. Sort of strange how that worked out, as we didn't buy the same stuff the time around -- yet we had another huge cart for $108. Also figured into that number were some items we took to a cookout this weekend.

My favorite items this week? The hummus and italian bread!

We're sort of bread snobs and usually only make our own or buy from Wegmans or local bakeries. But when I saw this round, I figured we should give it a try. Ends up that it's absolutely perfect for grilling! It's hearty and GIGANTIC and taste great.

And so do these toasts/sandwiches. Everything you see if made from Aldi food!


// WHAT I USED:

• 4 gigantic slices of Italian bread
• Four flavors of hummus -- my favorite is the green (jalapeño)!
• Some block Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
• 4 sauces: Ranch dressing, hot sauce, BBQ sauce, and salsa
• Roasted asparagus spears*

// HOW I ASSEMBLED:

1. I roasted the asparagus spears using the directions below.
2. I toasted the bread in a standard toaster first. This required having half the slice stick out the stop and rotating a couple times until lightly golden.
3. Then I turned the oven to its broil setting, spread the hummus on the slices of bread and topped with some cheese. I let broil until browned and bubbly.
4. Then I put the sauces on each -- there was no flavor matching. I just did it at random.
5. Then I put the spears atop each slice and cut the toasts down the middle.

// ROASTED ASPARAGUS SPEARS

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Get out a rimmed baking sheet.
• Wash and cut ends off your asparagus spears. Then drizzle with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, then flip around and cook another 15 minutes. You'll likely want to roast again until you start to see some deep brown marks. Possibly 45 minutes or more in all.
• Asparagus should be somewhat limp and crisp (weird, but true) when you take them out of the oven.

So, another day -- another delicious sandwich (Stephen topped his with arugula). You could easily adapt this "recipe" to make the whole thing on the grill as well! Just grill your asparagus first, lay a bit of foil down so your bread doesn't burn and do everything as detailed above . . . just on an open flame.

Now I'm hungry!

More #unsponsored ALDI recipes/posts:

• A whole + HUGE cart! $108!
• Zucchini Burgers Recipe -- vegan + gluten-free
• What $77 Looks like at Aldi
• Fresh Orange Wakeup Smoothie -- 19 grams of protein!
• Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup -- lots of hidden veggies!
• A month of groceries = $291!
• The FULL THREAD of Aldi posts...

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Roasted Veggies on Pizza

We make a lot of pizza. You all know this from the ridiculous number of recipes we post. Lately, though, we've been going far beyond the usual sauce and cheese. It started with the Mexican Pizza with Tequila Shot Crust.

Now? We can't get enough veggies. Especially of the roasted variety.

STEP 1: Make pumpkin pizza dough, which is our go-to whenever we want pizza or knots. Actually, Stephen steamed some carrots and pureed them versus using canned pumpkin. Turned out great AND we had a spoon-able dinner for Ada!


STEP 2: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Then chop, if necessary, the following ingredients into large chunks and assemble on a large, rimmed baking pan.

• 1 large summer squash
• 1 large white onion
• 15 (or so) sprigs of asparagus
• Couple handfuls walnuts

Just drizzle everything with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. We also added a lot of red pepper flakes for heat. Then place in the oven for 45 minutes, mixing every 15 minutes until you reach your desired black-ness. Set aside.


STEP 3: While they are roasting, make a tasty sauce. We recommend this one.


STEP 4: Up the oven temp to 425 degrees F and place a pizza stone inside. Divide dough into two balls and save one for a rainy day. Then flatten out and put on your pizza stone (a regular pizza or baking sheet would work fine, too). Bake for 4 to 5 minutes. Then flip over and spread your sauce and toppings. We used half a package of mozzarella and some parmesan cheese.

Bake for for 12 minutes. Then broil for a couple to crisp it up.


Slice and enjoy. My favorite part of this particular pizza? The WALNUTS! What a wonderful afterthought. I am definitely adding them to more pies in the future. Otherwise, roasting veggies has become my new obsession, so look for more recipes like this one in the very near future.

SITE UPDATES:

• We are still working on synching the comments up. If you visit the main page, the counter by each post usually says "no new comments" because it isn't pulling from DISQUS. But usually there are lots of wonderful comments. So, it's annoying.
• I added several drop-down menus to the top navigation bar. I think it helps find content much faster than before.
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And today on Writing Chapter Three, we've written installment two of the Baby Must-Haves series. This time, it's the 3 to 6 month edition.

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Open-Faced Asparagus and Tofu Sandwich

Those Chevron Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are a tough act to follow. That's for sure. But today's recipe is for a super open-faced sandwich. And it's pretty customizable, which I love. It may seem like a lot of steps for a sandwich -- but well worth it, I promise.

NOM.

OPEN-FACED ASPARAGUS AND TOFU SANDWICH

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cake of extra firm tofu, drained
• Some type of spices to rub in (we used a smoked paprika-chipotle combo)
• 6 to 9 sprigs of asparagus
• Goat cheese (ours was a fig variety)
• Sliced French bread (3 slices)
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

Method . . .

1. Once you've drained the tofu, cut it into three big slabs. Then rub in a generous amount of spice.
2. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, toss in 2 tablespoons oil. Then cook tofu on each side until well browned. Set aside.
3. In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Then toss in the onions. Cook for a couple minutes. Then add the maple syrup. Cook until browned. Set aside.
4. Steam asparagus by pouring 1/4 cup of water into a high rimmed pan. Put in your asparagus once the water is boiling. Then cover and let steam for 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside.
5. Toast bread to your liking. Then spread a generous amount of goat cheese on each slice.
6. Place a slab of cooked tofu atop the bread. Then the asparagus. Then the onions.
7. Repeat with all slices.

So, as you see, we're eating more soy. (By the way, we got a ton of great, thoughtful comments on last week's post about the topic. If you haven't weighed in yet, now's your chance!)

If you're following Writing Chapter Three, there are a couple new posts for you to catch up on. First, I wrote about how Ada's 5 months old and we're swaddling again. And today I wrote the second installment of the Zero-Intervention Hospital Birth series: Goals.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Asparagus Melt: Inspired by Moosewood

If you haven't checked already, we announced our giveaway winners earlier this morning. Congrats to them. And stay tuned for the next big giveaway . . . set for when (never home)maker reaches 500 subscribers!

I heart asparagus more than any other vegetable. Steamed is my favorite . . . so when I found a recipe for a "broccolini cheddar melt" in Moosewood's Simple Suppers cookbook, I decided to try it out with asparagus. Just as I suspected, I loved it. But it's imperative you cook the asparagus before slapping it onto the bread . . . otherwise, it'll be far too hard and crunchy to enjoy.

What you'll need . . .

• 10-12 asparagus stems
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 large slices (or 4 small slices) whole wheat or multi-grain bread
• 3 ounces cheddar cheese (shredded)
• Dijon or yellow mustard

Method . . .

1. Rinse the asparagus and chop it into 1/2 inch-long pieces.
2. In a skillet on medium-high heat, cook the asparagus and garlic in the oil for 4 or 5 minutes (until it is bright green and just tender).
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan -- steam the asparagus until the water has evaporated.
4. Remove from heat.
5. While the asparagus cooks, toast the bread, grate the cheese, and spread mustard on the toast -- placing it in a broiler pan.
6. Top each piece of toast with cooked asparagus and then a generous amount of cheese.
7. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling (3-5 minutes).
8. Serve hot, open-faced.

Looking another amazing Moosewood favorite? Head over to last month's Thai Butternut Squash Soup post. And if you're at all thinking of making the pilgrimage to Moosewood, I'll make your research a little easier:

Moosewood Restaurant
215 N. Cayuga Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
Directions

And while you're there, stop by GreenStar, a cooperative grocery market specializing in fair-trade, free-range, organic, vegetarian foods. Though I'm not entirely sure, I imagine Moosewood buys many of its ingredients there (locally). *Sniff* -- there I go getting sad again. Someday we'll move back!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever <3

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