"Asparagus inspires gentle thoughts."
- Charles Lamb
This is not exactly an Ayurvedic recipe, but one that I enjoy from time to time in the spring.
Apart from being delicious, asparagus is loaded with phytonutrients, chlorophyll, and fiber, helping you feel fully satisfied by your meal and helping the body get rid of the fat and mucus that it accumulated during the long and cold winter. Asparagus is also known to boost the mood because of its high content of vitamin B12, folate and tryptophan.
This recipe uses a spelt-buckwheat crepe, and can also be varied for a gluten-free version (see below). There are also vegan variations on the alfredo sauce and crepe recipe, if you prefer it.
This recipe has 4 fairly simple steps:
start with the alfredo sauce;
cook the vegetables (prep first and cook while alfredo sauce is cooking and set aside);
make the crepes;
prepare & serve.
The Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter or ghee
2 large garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 cup all purpose flour of your choice
3 cups organic whole milk (warmed)
2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon each salt, and pepper
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Once the butter is melted, add in the minced garlic cloves and cook for just 1 minute.
Once you've warmed the garlic, you can add in the flour. Use a whisk to combine the flour and the butter. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly and just slightly darker than when you started.
Next, warm the milk in a separate pan (you can do this while the flour is cooking).. It doesn't need to be hot but just warmed.
Add in 1/2 cup of the milk and whisk into the flour mixture until a dough forms. Keep adding milk 1/2 cup at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth.
Once you've added all of the milk, whisk continually until bubbly and cook for 5 more minutes.
Turn off the heat and add in your parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and parsley.
Whisk together until smooth and serve over crepes as soon as possible.
Sauteed Leeks and Asparagus*
Ingredients
1 bunch of asparagus
1/2 leek
1 tbsp ghee or butter
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cut the tips off the asparagus and the roots and greens off the leeks, leaving about an inch of green on the leeks.
Wash the leeks thoroughly and slice lengthwise, then thinly slice each half. Cut the asparagus into a rough chop, leaving the asparagus tips intact.
Melt butter in a saute pan, Add the leeks and asparagus and a pinch of salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender.
*you can also coat with ghee and a little salt and roast in the oven if you prefer.
Buckwheat Spelt Crepes
Ingredients
½ cup whole spelt flour (replace with buckwheat flour for gluten-free crepes)
¼ cup buckwheat flour*
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon ghee or unsalted butter, melted (plus more for greasing the pan)
Instructions:
In a large big bowl (or food processor), combine the flours and salt. Pulse it a few times or whisk it to combine.
Pour the milk into a liquid measuring cup and add the eggs and melted butter. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl (or food processor) and whisk until the batter is well blended. Scrape down the sides during the mixing process.
Heat a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, pour in a bit of melted butter. Use a spatula, clean rag, paper towel to spread the butter evenly.
You will use about ¼ cup of this batter in the pan. Quickly pick up the pan and swirl the batter around in so it evenly covers the entire surface of the base. Cook the crepe until the bottom is firm and speckled with brown spots, less than 1 minute.
Loosen the edges of the crepe gently, then flip it to cook on the other side.
Once the crepe is speckled and golden on both sides, slide it onto a plate. Repeat until you have used up the batter (keep stacking the crepes on the plate to keep them warm).
Assembly:
On a large plate, place one crepe; fill with sauteed leeks and asparagus and roll closed; top with alfredo sauce; garnish with a little parsley if desired, and serve. Enjoy!
About the Author
Briya (Rachel) Freeman facilitates courses in meditation, ayurveda and modern spirituality. She is passionate about exploring the potentials of human consciousness in a way that respects, unites and transcends global culture and tradition.
Briya is a long-term student of Berdhanya Swami Tierra, a female mystic and shaman of South American origin. She also holds studies in ayurveda at Anjali School of Ayurveda (Kerala, India) and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Ottawa. She is the creator of Ayurveda for Vibrant Living, a practical exploration of the fundamentals of the science of self-healing.
She can be reached at briyafreeman@gmail.com or at briyafreeman.com