Food For Thought

So here’s how my life at school goes: Nothing to do, nothing to do, a little bit of homework, nothing to do, BAM week of hell.  This past week was the week of hell, so apologize for the lack of content.

Tremble for my Beloved – Collective Soul (and no, I did not get this from the Twilight soundtrack, it’s just a good song.)

Have you ever craved something?? Sure you have.  You want it more than anything, and once it gets in your head, you can’t find a way to get it out.  Like it’s trapped in some sort of elaborate labyrinth in your brain and the only way to get it out is to satisfy the craving.  That happened to me today.

I was flipping through some Bon Appetit magazines I’ve looked through loads of times before, and as I was going through, I saw asparagus.  Like usual, I just let it slide like green beans or carrots – nothing special.  I went to the grocery store later, and sure enough, asparagus was on sale.  I got some, being raised to buy anything on sale, even if you don’t need it right now.  As I was walking around the store, I started thinking what I could do with the green stems of mediocrity.  Roast them?? Eh, been done.  Fry them?? Too much oil.  I couldn’t think of what to do.  So I began thinking of other foods to put them with.  It immediately struck me that I’ve been holding onto sweet potatoes in my cabinet for who knows how long, waiting for something to make them with.  This. Was. It.

In my head I had the equivalence of a culinary orgasm, minus the food, or the messiness involved with the latter bit, and got crazy excited about making this for dinner.  When I got home, Kevin was back with his Mom and Grandparents; they were visiting for the day.  After a bit of jovial small talk, they invited to dinner at a restaurant I’ve been dying to go to.  I half-heartedly declined, claiming I had just eaten, knowing full well that I could’ve gone and had a wonderfully Italian feast. But no. I was determined to make this.  The two hours of introverted excitement was going to come to fruition in this meal, and nothing was going to stop me, not even lying to the nicest people in the world.

I did it.  I diced the potato (thankfully, Amy had a spare since mine had passed onto the next world about a month ago) and seasoned the veggies and roasted them together in the oven, and fried a couple eggs and it was delicious – run-on sentence worthy, even.  The way everything came together in the creaminess of the egg yolk, and sharp, spiciness of the potatoes and seasonings – it was perfect.  I sat down on the couch afterwards, and heaved out a sign of relief.  Craving. Gone.  I was content.

Asparagus, Sweet Potato, and Eggs

Feel free to leave the eggs out and just use the seasoning on veggies.  This is a bit spicy, but nothing too outrageous, so don’t be afraid of it!!  I will admit, the serrano pepper makes me run for the milk, but I like spicy things.  Go ahead and tailor this as necessary.

Serves 1-2 depending on portioning

½ sweet potato, peeled and diced

¼ pound of asparagus (about 15 stalks), trimmed

1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced small (optional)

½ teaspoon red curry powder

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon Chipotle seasoning

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, plus a drizzle at the end

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 eggs, fried sunny side up

Preheat oven to 450F.

In a large zip-top bag, pour in 2 Tbsp of Olive oil, and the spices.  Add the potatoes, asparagus and serrano peppers, zip up and coat evenly.  Put the veggies of a baking sheet and roast of 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, heat a non-stick skillet, sprayed lightly with non-stick spray over medium-low heat.  Add the eggs once the pan is heated, and turn the oven broiler to low.  Fry the eggs until the whites are set and the yolk is still liquid.  Take the veggies out of the oven and put on a plate.  Top with the eggs, a drizzle of olive oil and pepper.  Enjoy the wonderfulness.