It's So Easy Eating Green

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, but we weren't home.  Thus, today became our day to have a green dinner.  Let me say ahead of time that I find most holiday themed meals to be at best contrived and at worst really bad.  I mean, nothing is worse in my book than using food coloring to make green salmon or something of that nature.  And don't even get me started on the crap people pull for Mardi Gras, the 4th of July, and any other reason to do some sort of party with matching styled food and beverages.  However, when you are pescatarian, green food is fairly normal.  It just involves a bit of imagination to come up with good flavors to go with the color.  Tonight, I made asparagus soup and spinach-parmesan crostini.

Asparagus Soup (Serves 4-6)
2 bunches green asparagus, chopped
2 leeks, cleaned and chopped (discarding the dark green fibrous ends)
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
Vegetable stock, to cover
Garlic powder
Dried basil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 8 oz container of sour cream
Add vegetables and potatoes to stock and boil until soft.  Puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a stand blender, and season to taste.  Stir in sour cream before serving.


Spinach-Parmesan Crostini
1 loaf French bread (sourdough would work, as well)
Fresh baby spinach, washed
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, to taste
Parmesan cheese
In a blender, puree spinach with oil and lemon juice until it is the consistency of tomato paste.  Season to taste.  Slice your bread and smear with spinach mixture.  Top with cheese and back at 350 until the cheese melts (about 8 minutes).

So please, next year, skip the food coloring.  Nature provides such wonderful green foods if only you use them.