Savory Asparagus Bread Pudding

One 1-pound loaf sourdough or other crusty bread3 cups milk1 cup chicken or vegetable broth3 large eggs1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1/2 teaspoon dried dill1 pound asparagus3 to 4 ounces oyster mushrooms, coarsely chopped1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan or casserole with nonstick cooking spray (hs note: I greased the pan w/ butter).

Using a serrated knife, cut the bread into 3/4-inch slices, then stack 4 or 5 slices of bread. Cut them into 3/4-inch cubes. Repeat with the remaining bread and put all of the cubes in a large bowl.

In medium bowl, whish together the milk, broth, eggs, salt, pepper, and dill until combined. Pour the mixture over the bread.

Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus and cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Add them to the bread along with the mushrooms and shallots. Fold everything together well to combine the ingredients. Spoon them into the prepared pan and pat down the top to compact the ingredients.

Sprinkle the cheese evenly ever the top.

Bake the pudding for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned and crisp and there is no liquid in the center. Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into portions.

Ann's Stress Saver Tip: Look for frozen asparagus tips and bags of unseasoned bread cubes to save some prep time.

Ann's Eye Appeal Tip: Instead of mushrooms, ad 1 cup sliced pitted black olives for color contrast and a flavor complement to the asparagus (hs note: I went this route).
Serves 6-8.

Ultimate Veggie Burgers - Sprouted Garbanzo Burgers

These make great do-ahead meals, and you can store shaped, ready-to-cook patties in the refrigerator for a week's worth of work lunches. Sprouted garbanzos are becoming more readily available, but if you can't find them, canned or cooked garbanzos (chickpeas) will work great. Sprouting boosts their already fantastic nutritional value even more...
2 1/2 cups sprouted garbanzo beans (chickpeas) OR canned garbanzos, drained and rinsed4 large eggs1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro1 onion, choppedGrated zest of one large lemon1 cup micro sprouts, chopped (try brocolli, onion, or alfalfa sprouts - optional)1 cup toasted (whole-grain) bread crumbs1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or clarified butter)

If you are using sprouted garbanzos, steam them until just tender, about 10 minutes. Most of you will be using canned beans, so jump right in and combine the garbanzos, eggs, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a very thick, slightly chunky hummus. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro, onion, zest, and sprouts. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a moist mixture that you can easily form into twelve 1 1/2-inch-thick patties. I err on the moist side here, because it makes for a nicely textured burger. You can always add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm up the dough if need be.

Conversely, a bit of water or more egg can be used to moisten the batter.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Carefully cut each patty in half, insert your favorite fillings, and enjoy immediately.

Makes 12 mini burgers.

Dylan Pad Thai

4 tablespoons peanut oil 75 g dried shrimp100 g tofu, diced 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1/4 bunch kuchai (Chinese chives) 250 g bean sprouts 125 g cellophane noodles, cooked, rinsed with cold water 6 small red Thai chilli peppers, finely chopped 5 tablespoons fish sauce 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons ground peanuts 3 tablespoons lime juice 1 teaspoon paprika powder
Heat the oil in a wok. Stir-fry the shrimp and the tofu in the hot oil. Add the eggs and stir well. Add the remaining ingredients for the Pad Thai and stir-fry everything for 2 minutes.
Crepes
1 litre water 500 g spinach 2 eggs 500 g flour 2 tablespoons oil 1 1/2 teaspoon salt peanut oil for frying
Bring the water to the boil. Blanch the spinach in the water Puree the spinach with all the water. Pour the mixture through a sieve and allow the resulting liquid to cool. Beat the eggs, flour, oil and salt through the spinach mixture until you have a supple batter Heat some peanut oil in a frying pan and fry 8 pancakes Fry the pancakes on one side, until the top is dry Set aside a little of the batter.
To finish
1 sachet squid ink 16 gambas (large prawns), cleaned 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 tablespoon lime juice 1/2 litre green coriander curry (see below)1/2 litre basic curry (see below), blackened with a sachet of squid ink
Mix the sachet of squid ink into the remaining pancake batter. Fry a black-coloured pancake with it. Cut this pancake into thin strips. Slice the cleaned gambas (prawns) in half lengthwise. Stir them into the fish sauce and the lime juice. Put half a gamba (prawn) in the middle of each pancake.
Divide the Pad Thai over the pancakes. Put another half gamba on top of the Pad Thai. Fold the pancakes into neat parcels. Fold a strip of black pancake in the middle of the Pad Thai parcels. Wrap the Pad Thai parcels in heatproof plastic wrap. Steam the parcels for 15 minutes. Pour the green curry onto one half of each plate and the black curry into the other half. To arrange put two parcels of Pad Thai on each plate.
Serves 8.
Green Coriander Curry
3 litres Thai coconut milk250 ml Thai fish sauce250 g sugar250 ml (kaffir) lime juice4 lime leaves3 stalks lemon grass5 red Thai chile peppers, coarsely chopped200 g root ginger, coarsely chopped200 g galangal, coarsely chopped10 g dried shrimp pastestalks of 1 bunch coriander (cilantro)leaves of one bunch coriander (cilantro)250 g green peas
Bring the coconut milk and fish sauce, sugar and lime juice to a boil. Add the remaining ingredients, except the coriander and the green peas. Put the pan on low and gently reduce the mixture until about 2 litres are left. In a blender or food processor puree the sauce with the coriander and the green peas. Pour the sauce through a sieve.
Basic Curry
3 litres Thai coconut milk250 ml Thai fish sauce250 g sugar250 ml (kaffir) lime juice4 lime leaves3 stalks lemon grass5 red Thai chile peppers, coarsely chopped200 g root ginger, coarsely chopped200 g galangal, coarsely chopped10 g dried shrimp paste6 ripe plum tomatoes
Bring the coconut milk and fish sauce, sugar and lime juice to a boil. Add the remaining ingredients. Put the pan on low and gently reduce the mixture until about 2 litres are left. In a blender or food processor puree the sauce. Pour the sauce through a sieve.