it's OFFICIALLY spring!

Ontario asparagus have arrived! I wasn't expecting to see any for a couple more weeks, but low and behold, they appeared...like miniature green angels...ok yes, a bit over-the-top, but the first taste of those little green stalks come spring is one of life's great simple pleasures.  Laugh at me all you want, but I taste happiness in fresh asparagus. 

Below are the contents of my first Wanigan Basket (which did not include the asparagus).
Everything looked good other than the lettuce - already dry and rusted at the leaf edges and cores the same day I received it.  Local apples, tomatoes, mushrooms and lettuce; all else was imported.  I was little disppointed in the delivery time - it came at 6:30pm Thursday evening, just as I had lost all hope and started prepping a box of KD for dins (gasp! I know...don't judge, I can't live without my once weekly-ish box).
This is the first time I didn't receive some sort of bin along with my delivery; a very organic-friendly looking man (you're on the right track if you're thinking long hair and beard) rang the doorbell and presented me with a large plastic bag of produce, which I then tossed into the recycling bin.  Surely, it must be recyclable - this is an organic food company...right?
I did receive an email prior to my delivery highlighting the week's upcoming available produce, as well as a link to what would come in my bag specifically.  I did not try to use the substitution option this week, but I will report on it next time - I should be able to substitute two items for no charge.
Verdict so far on the produce - GREAT fruit! Strawberries (tasted like REAL strawberries, not the grocery store frankenberries), extra juicy valencia oranges and crisp golden delicious apples (surprising considering these apples have been stored since the fall!). 

On to some cooking - which I admit has been far too infrequent.  Spring and summer bring about so much socializing!  It can be hard to find enough time to cook as much I'd like to.  It's not that I haven't been cooking meals at home, I've just been doing a lot of repeats, and nothing really blog-worthy unfortunately.  If anyone out there is willing to pay me to cook and develop amazing seasonal/local/healthy recipes as a full time career, please speak up now!

First up... 

Toasted Egg, Tomato (Local Wanigan), Cheddar, and Spinach Sammer

served with

Roasted Sunchoke, Carrot, and Potato Soup

Kind of a side note - but I wanted to point out a new grocery store find.  While I've repeatedly encouraged followers to make their own chicken stock whenever possible, I realize when you're short on time the tetrapaks are super duper convenient.  PC now makes no salt added chicken broth!  The sodium content of the commercial chicken broth (even the low sodium options) can be a little steep...voila! A perfect alternative!

This is a jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke; each of these is a size of a small potato.

Here I've chopped up 3 yellow carrots (local MEO), 2 potatoes (local MEO), and the sunchokes (MEO) pictured above. Roasted for about 30 minutes at 400F with some EVOO and s&p.  Once roasted, add them to a pan on the stovetop with enough chicken stock to cover all the veggies (about 3 cups), and simmer for 10 mins until everything is soft enough to blend up.  Blend with an immersion blender until smooth, add more stock if needed, and s&p to taste...to make it decadent, stir in a few Tbsp of cream or yogurt before serving.

The sunchokes have a great mild root vegetable flavour... sorry, terrible description!  This soup would be a crowd pleaser though; it's nice and thick, mild tasting, a little sweet, and a little decadent.

Next up... 

Seared Pork Tenderloin, Steamed Ontario Asparagus, and a Braised Swiss Chard and Bulgur Melange

Here is the gorgeous swiss chard all prepped for braising! To prep, wash thoroughly and chop.  To cook, heat 1 Tbsp EVOO over med-low heat, add 2 cloves minced garlic and sautee for 1 minute.  Add wet chard, and sautee for about 8 minutes, adding more liquid (water or chicken stock) as needed to avoid burning/drying out the chard. Add s&p to taste.

Pictured is Bob's Red Mill Bulgur - Bulgur is whole grain cracked wheat kernal.  To prepare - bring 2 parts water or other liquid to a boil with a pinch of salt, then add 1 part bulgur.  Simmer over low heat, covered, for 15 minutes.  I've never cooked it before, and it was easy peasy.  I mixed about 1 cup in with my braised chard, and it was a nice mix of textures - mixing it in with a veg also keeps you from overdoing the portion size - which I find is SO easy to do with starches at dinner.

I had a couple 3/4cup portions left over after dinner and packing a lunch, so I tried the leftovers as hot cereal the next two mornings.  I added 1/2 cup of milk and a little honey one day, and milk and strawberry jam the next.  Delicious! Try it! It kept me full for SO long too!

The finnished yumminess!!  This is what a healthy plate looks like in my opinion - mostly vegetables, no more than 6oz of lean meat, and a small portion of fibre-rich whole grains.

Looking at the Foodland Ontario website, I'm getting excited about the produce that's starting pop up!  While my love for root vegetables runs deep, after this week's asparagus, I am just aching for some more fresh spring goodness!

Enjoy this fabulous weather :) Get that BBQ going!