spring means greens

FINALLY! spring is here! little flowers popping up everywhere, trees budding and blooming, sunny days, rainy days, birds chirping--i'm loving it all. the brightness and freshness of everything is so uplifting. smiles all around~

along with the visual explosions, spring is one of the best seasons for food. there is such a great assortment of spring vegetables; it makes you feel healthy just looking at them. haha. i took things one step further and made a simple little lunch that popped with shades of green.

i had some leftover egg whites from ice cream making and wasn't quite in the mood for baking, so i went the savory route and made a veggie frittata. i added a couple whole eggs to bulk it up and tossed in handfuls of baby spinach, half a bunch of asparagus, and some crumbled feta. i served myself a generous slice over peppery arugula and half an avocado (so smooth). the eggs, cheese, and avocado are all fairly rich so the arugula helped to balance things out, and i liked the way the leaves wilted a bit from the heat of the frittata slice. it's also nice having all that spinach and asparagus in every bite. the frittata reheats nicely too which is great for a quick meal.

not to dismiss the sweet side of things, i also made a double batch of (eggless) pandan ice cream. i've made this flavor once before, but the pandan was so faint it just tasted like a plain ice cream base. i was super excited when jade forwarded me the link to weallscream's latest post for pandan ice cream. i had enough ingredients for two batches, so i went for it (more to share!), and it turned out great! just one little tip: do not try to churn double the amount of ice cream base just because it all fits in the container--it will not set. lesson learned :T

oh, and one other little tip (completely unrelated to ice cream): you can regrow green onions by trimming them and soaking the roots for about a week >> fresh green onions! whenever i buy green onions, i often end up with a few stalks in the fridge that start to get soft and unusable, so i was pretty happy this trick worked. of course i could just be better at using the onions when they're fresh, but at least now i bought myself some time~

happy spring, everybody!

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:: spinach and asparagus frittata ::
(makes one 10-inch frittata)

this recipe is easily adaptable and really more of a jumping off point. feel free to change up the veggies and proportions.

4-5 egg whites
2 eggs
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2-3 handfuls of baby spinach
half a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and diced (about 12 thin spears)
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil, enough to coat skillet

1. preheat oven to 350F degrees. whisk together the egg whites, eggs, and salt and pepper. set aside.
2. in an oven-safe skillet or pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. next add the asparagus and spinach. cook until the asparagus is tender and the spinach is wilted.
3. pour the egg mixture over the veggies. sprinkle half the feta on top. lower the heat and cook for another 5-6 minutes until the eggs begin to set.
4. sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. transfer the pan to the oven. bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the frittata is firm and cooked through and the cheese begins to melt.
5. slice up and serve warm.

serving suggestion: over a bed of arugula and chunks of avocado

:: pandan ice cream (eggless) ::
(adapted from weallscream)
makes 1 1/2 quarts
[i didn't make the palm sugar syrup for serving]

1 cup milk
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup (*i used agave syrup)
4 pandan leaves, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp milk
pinch of salt
powdered green food coloring, optional 
(*the original recipe uses 1-2 tsp of matcha powder for the color. if using food color, be very conservative--a little goes a long way.)

1. prepare the slurry: combine the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of milk. set aside.
2. in a large saucepan, bring to boil the cup of milk, coconut milk, heavy cream, sugar, corn syrup, and pandan leaves. boil for about 4 minutes.
3. remove from heat and let steep for 1 hour.
4. strain out leaves. whisk in slurry and return to heat for 1 minute, stirring until mixture is thickened.
5. in a large bowl, add pinch of salt and food coloring, if using. strain the milk mixture into the bowl and whisk thoroughly.
6. place in an ice bath or let stand to cool. refrigerate until cold.
7. transfer to ice cream maker and churn until creamy.
8. transfer to container and freeze for a few hours to set.
9. ENJOY!