My cooking course is as traditionally French as it gets, so I have to admit I feel a little thrill when we make something that’s not covered in cream and cheese. Last week’s workshop was a truly special treat: Antipasti and Stuffed Pasta, two of my favorite foods to eat with a big glass of red at a cozy restaurant.

In general, Antipasti includes cooked vegetables that are dressed or marinated and served at room temperature at the beginning of a meal. Here’s a quick sampling of some of the dishes we made — none of which took more than around half an hour, by the way, and all of which would make excellent side dishes as well.

Marinated and Grilled Portabello Mushrooms

Grilled Asparagus in a Tangy Vinaigrette (my contribution!)

Whole Roasted Sweet Onions

Steamed Cauliflower with Herb Salsa (admittedly not the biggest winner of the day)

Eggplant and Zucchini Sauté

And then it was onto the Stuffed Pastas, which I’m dying to master. I think what people don’t realize is how easy it really is to make pasta by hand, and these are especially easy because they don’t require a pasta machine.

If you have some eggs, oil and flour in your pantry and a rolling pin (or empty bottle of wine?) you can whip up pasta in no time. Just make the dough, roll it out as thin as you can, cut it into squares, and stuff it with some ricotta or goat cheese and herbs. After that, the pasta takes literally 3 minutes to cook in boiling water. It is the definition of easy entertaining.

Here are the ones we made:

Cappellaci with Sweet Potatoes and a Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Tortellini with Prosciutto in a Cream Sauce

Spinach Ravioli with Marinara Sauce

Honestly, these were all good, but the sweet potatoes in brown butter were hard to beat. An extra bonus: all of them freeze really well, so they’re perfect to make ahead and have on hand… as soon as I have a free afternoon one of these days.

One of the questions people always ask me about being in school is whether I still like to cook when I get home. It may come as a surprise, but the answer is definitely YES! I look forward to it, and it relaxes me. And it’s at home where I can make all the stuff I really want to eat — wheatberries and squash and anything healthy, these days — without having to stick to the school program.

So basically, I cook all day, everyday. And when I’m not cooking, I’m thinking about all of the many restaurants I want to try.

Gazpacho has been calling my name this season. First it was the Late Summer Tomato Soup in my Frank Stitt cookbook, Frank Stitt’s Southern Table. Then it was reading other bloggers’ chilled soup experiments, like this one at EatLiveRun. The last straw was the latest issue of Cook’s Illustrated, featuring their Creamy Gazpacho Andaluz, which finally made me give in and try it myself.

Even though no cooking is actually involved in the recipe, don’t be fooled: It still takes over an hour to prepare and has to chill overnight for the flavors to mesh. If you’re interested in making it, decide the day before you actually want to eat it. Other than that, the process was largely hassle-free and very rewarding, because this soup has been sitting in my fridge for 2 days now, tasting better and better each time.

I used Early Girl tomatoes for this recipe, because they were the ones that looked best at the farmer’s market. Any red, plump tomatoes would work, though, as long as they’re ripe and sweet. Even “juicy” is an appropriate word here, because you’re literally relying on the juice for the soup base.

I like to serve this gazpacho garnished with a little basil and with a hunk of French baguette on the side. In fact, I have a confession to make: I haven’t shared any of it. Almost a full week’s worth of lunch just for me — and I’m not the least bit sorry.

Early Girl Gazpacho

Adapted from the Creamy Gazpacho Andaluz in Cook’s Illustrated, July & August 2010

Ingredients (Serves 4):

10 medium Early Girl tomatoes

1 cucumber, peeled

1 bell pepper (any color you like — I chose orange)

1 red onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small green chili pepper

2 tsp. salt, divided

1 hunk French baguette (about 6 inches long), crust removed and torn into small pieces

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Fresh basil for garnish

Chop 7 tomatoes, half of the cucumber (seeds removed), half the bell pepper, half the onion and half the chili pepper into a small dice. Add the minced garlic. Place in a large bowl and add 1 tsp. salt. Toss well to combine. Transfer chopped vegetables to a strainer set over a large bowl, and set aside for one hour.

Chop the rest of the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion and chili pepper into a small dice. Add 2 tsp. of salt, toss to distribute, and set aside.

Transfer the drained diced vegetables to a large bowl and set aside. Submerge the bread chunks into the exuded liquid from the vegetables and soak for 1 minute. Add soaked bread and remaining liquid to chopped vegetables. Transfer half of the mixture to a blender or food processor (as I used) and process for 30 seconds. With the processor running, drizzle in 1/4 cup of the olive oil and blend until smooth (1 to 2 minutes).

Add the rest of the vegetable and bread mixture to the processor and repeat: blend for 30 seconds, then keep blending as you drizzle in the remaining olive oil. Strain soup through a strainer into a large bowl, using a spoon or your fingers to work the mixture through the strainer.

Stir in vinegar and the rest of the diced vegetables with the soup, and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight. Serve garnished with chopped basil.

My assistant and I just shelled out some cash to join Costco. It seems a little ridiculous since I live within a one-block walking distance of no less than three grocery stores (truly), but when I heard that I could buy a whole quart of Fage yogurt for $5, I was sold. I eat a lot of yogurt, and that stuff isn’t cheap.

However, I am cheap, which is why I decided to grab an enormous jar of kalamata olives while we were inching our way down the canned food aisle. I love stocking up on veggies like olives and sundried tomatoes because I know they won’t go bad before I have time to eat them.

With all of these olives in my possession, my mission became clear: tapenade.

As a dip, sandwich spread, sauce or topping, tapenade is impressively versatile. When I moved into my first post-college apartment in San Francisco and lived on pizza bagels, my sister taught me that I could use tapenade like pesto — toss it in some pasta and call it an easy weeknight meal. That’s what I did this week, topped with some leftover roasted cherry tomatoes and a little goat cheese for extra flavor.

And I still have about a hundred olives left to go.

Kalamata Olive Tapenade

Ingredients (Makes 1 cup):

2 cloves garlic

1 cup pitted kalamata olives

2 tbsp. capers

1 anchovy filet

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil

Chop garlic in a food processor until chunks are very small. Add remaining ingredients except olive oil, and pulse until combined. Slowly add olive oil while food processor is on, and keep puréeing until you get your desired consistency.

I like some chunks, so I went easy on the olive oil and didn’t process for too long. If you want more of a paste texture, keep going.

While considering an easy, Sunday night dinner for two, I settled on lettuce wraps. My assistant and I made them a while back with success, which turned out to be just the confidence I needed to take the basic recipe to the next level — but this time, I was cooking for a girlfriend instead of for him. 

While we were eating, she joked that she could never make lettuce wraps for the man in her life, because he’d be like, “This isn’t dinner!?” It’s true that the wraps probably make a better appetizer and party food than main course. My dad has set up a DIY lettuce wrap station at some dinner parties he’s hosted, and they’re perfect for a buffet-style setting. But I like to think of them as a variation on an Asian chicken salad of sorts, except you get to eat it with your hands. 

Since salad should never be all of a weekend dinner, I made some green beans to serve on the side. The sesame touches weren’t something I was super familiar with, but I’ll definitely be preparing this five-minute dish again. 

Not pictured: Brownies for dessert. I can’t take credit for those, but they were the perfect end to my weekend. 

Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients (Serves 4 as a main course, 6 to 8 as an appetizer):

1 clove garlic, minced

2 pounds ground chicken

3 tbsp. soy sauce

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup chopped green onions

1 cup bean sprouts

1/2 cup chopped cashews

About 1.5 heads iceberg lettuce

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large frying pan and add garlic. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, then add chicken. Cook chicken until brown and crumbly, about 10 minutes on medium heat. Add soy sauce and mix to distribute evenly. Add carrots, onions, sprouts and cashews to pan and stir to combine. 

Place chicken mixture in 4 individual bowls. Carefully tear off lettuce leaves from head, trying not to break the “cups.” Spoon chicken into lettuce cups to serve, and top with Peanut Sauce (recipe below). 

Peanut Sauce

Ingredients (Makes 

5 tbsp. milk (I used skim, but any would work)

4 tbsp. creamy peanut butter

1 and 1/4 tsp. rice wine vinegar

1 and 1/4 tsp. honey

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 and 1/4 tsp. red curry paste

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Spoon onto lettuce wraps to serve. 

Sesame Green Beans with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients (Serves 4): 

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1.5 pounds green beans

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. sesame seeds

Salt

Soy sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and roast in oven for 16 minutes, or until slightly brown. 

Steam green beans for 3 minutes. Heat sesame oil in large frying pan and add green beans. Sauté for five minutes, then add sesame seeds.

Toss green beans with roasted tomatoes and sprinkle with salt. (You could also toss in soy sauce as well, but I stuck to just a sprinkle of salt because of all the soy sauce in the lettuce wraps.)

My assistant and I were lucky enough to spend the majority of the past week with his mom in Miami, where it’s perpetually 80 degrees, sunny and all-around beach worthy. And while the produce we get in Northern California is hard to top, Florida does a pretty good job of competing — and not just when it comes to oranges.

My assistant’s mom Sharon was house- and dog-sitting for a couple of out-of-town neighbors, who entrusted her to water their plants while they were away. The major perk of that duty was that she was allowed to snag a few ripe, beautifully green and tart tomatoes from their garden, which we sliced up back in her kitchen for dinner.

The following recipe — a fried green tomato and goat cheese salad — is inspired by one at Julep restaurant in Jackson, Mississippi. They make a mean fried green tomato napoleon with crabmeat and sinful amounts of butter. My version is a lighter one (if fried foods can even be considered light?) but it easily did the trick. In fact, we ate it alongside a more complex and expensive pasta dish, but the salad was clearly the stand-out.

Fried Green Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients (Makes 4 side salads):

4 medium green tomatoes

2 eggs

1 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola would work; so would olive oil in a pinch)

4 cups mixed greens

Juice of 2 lemons

1 tsp. honey

1 tsp. olive oil

Pinch each of salt and pepper

4 oz. goat cheese

Cut tomatoes into 1/2-inch thick slices. Whisk eggs in a small bowl, and set aside. On a large plate or bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper and paprika.

Cover tomato slices in egg mixture on both sides, then transfer to flour mixture. Cover with flour mixture on both sides.

Heat oil in large skillet on high heat. When it begins to bubble, add in tomatoes, making sure there is plenty of room so that tomatoes don’t overlap. Let tomatoes fry for about 1 minute or until a crust forms, then flip over and fry for another minute on the other side.

Remove tomatoes from oil and place on a paper towel-covered plate to absorb excess oil.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour over mixed greens and toss in a large bowl so that dressing is well-distributed. Divide greens among four plates, and top each plate with tomato slices (about four per plate, depending on the size of the tomatoes). Crumble goat cheese on top.

Nothing says light, springtime tapas to me like a flatbread, which have been popping up on appetizer menus for the past several years. After sharing a stand-out one with my sister, mom and aunt in Denver recently, I grew excited about trying to make one on my own. 

After having done it, I’m convinced flatbreads are the perfect dishes for entertaining. Make a couple of different ones for hors d’oeuvres, or serve as a side dish with a salad and protein. It’s fast, simple and seems way more impressive than it should for the work you put in. 

I had a feeling from the beginning of the toppings I wanted on my flatbread. But my assistant likes to experiment in the kitchen as much as I do, and I’ve been getting the feeling lately that my bossiness is starting to stifle his creativity (and test his patience). Thus, I decided a “Make Your Own Flatbread” night was a good compromise against my kitchen tyranny. 

After the thyme flatbreads were made, the topping began. I dressed mine with some torn red chard leaves, caramelized onions, kalamata olives and prosciutto — with just a couple of tablespoons of parmesan sprinkled on top. My assistant covered his with fresh mozzarella, topped with long strips of prosciutto. Observe:

After all was said and done, he admitted defeat in a side-by-side taste test, conceding that layers of cheese were perhaps not the best way to go. He mused, “I guess I didn’t understand the point of the exercise.”

In his defense, layers of cheese are almost always a great thing.

Thyme Flatbread with Red Chard, Caramelized Onions and Prosciutto

For the flatbread, I used Smitten Kitchen’s Crisp Rosemary Flatbread as a base, because I liked that there was no yeast and I wouldn’t have to wait for the dough to rise. Here’s my adaptation of her recipe, with my toppings and preparation: 

Ingredients (Makes 2 flatbreads):

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp. thyme leaves, plus more for sprinkling, chopped

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling

Sea Salt

1 cup (packed) torn red chard leaves

1/2 red onion, julienned

1 tsp. sugar

3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

1/3 lb. prosciutto

4 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stir together flour, chopped thyme, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a  spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface several times. 

Divide dough into 2 pieces and place each on a greased baking sheet. Use fingers to flatten it into a circle or rectangle — whichever you like. You could also use a rolling pin to roll it thin, but mine worked fine with just my hands. Drizzle a bit more olive oil, thyme and sea salt on top.

Saute chard in a medium skillet for 3 to 4 minutes until it begins to wilt, but not until it’s fully cooked. 

Saute onion in olive oil for about five minutes, then add sugar. Cover and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes or until onions are translucent and slightly brown. 

Top flatbreads with chard leaves, arranging them evenly on the surface. Add caramelized onions and olives on top of that, also distributing evenly. Top with prosciutto slices, and sprinkle cheese all over. 

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until edges are crispy. 

Not surprisingly, I did find a use for the rest of that cilantro pesto I had leftover last week. My dad and stepmom were in town for a short California vacation, and I invited them over for a glass of wine + unspecified hors d’oeuvres so I could give them a tour of my little apartment. I decided to make vegetable crostinis that I could prepare while I was getting ready for dinner and throw in the oven as soon as they arrived.

Since I wanted to stick with spring-y ingredients, I picked up some mushrooms and asparagus at the market, as well as a baguette for making the crostini. The baguette, it turns out, was flavored with fennel seeds, so it had extra tastes going on that meshed fine, but I probably would have preferred better without. Note to self for next time!

I’d recommend making these for just a few guests to munch on before dinner. We’d bought some beautiful artichokes earlier in the day, so I steamed one of those to serve with a lemon butter sauce as well, and I put out a little bowl of wasabi almonds from the farmer’s market. With a bottle of Syrah, it was a perfect cocktail hour!

Asparagus and Mushroom Crostini with Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients (Serves 4):

12 brown mushrooms

1 bunch asparagus tips (about 15)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

A dash (about 1/2 tsp.) vanilla

Salt and pepper

1 baguette, sliced into 3/4-inch pieces

1/3 cup cilantro pesto (click for recipe)

1/3 cup grated pecorino romano cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roughly chop mushrooms and cut asparagus tips in half. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet, and add garlic. Add mushrooms and asparagus to pan, and then add vinegar and vanilla. Saute for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Place baguette slices on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then spread a layer of cilantro pesto on each one. Top with a spoonful of the sauteed vegetable mixture and a healthy pinch of cheese. Bake t 450 degrees for 10 minutes, or until bread is toasted and cheese begins to bubble and brown.

My assistant has told me time and time again that his favorite meal I’ve made for him was the Ricotta Gnocchi with Pesto and Pancetta I cooked last month, so at his urging, we stuck with the pesto/pancetta theme for yet another meal over the weekend. But then I realized that this post would mark the third time I’ve written about pesto in my short blogging career, which just seems excessive. So, in the interest of variety, I made a cilantro-based pesto.

Since cilantro has a naturally brighter flavor than basil, this pesto felt a little bit lighter and more spring-themed than other ones I’ve made. With one alternative pesto success story under my belt, I can’t wait to experiment with more herb and nut combos!

And to back up my assistant, the pesto/pancetta pairing is really something special. The salty meat demands a mild texture and flavor instead of a heavy sauce, and this one really delivers.

I served the following salad as a main course, but a smaller serving would be perfect as a starter. I predict I’ll be back soon with more ideas on how to serve this cilantro pesto, too. Stay tuned!

Golden Beet Salad with Cilantro Pesto and Pancetta

Ingredients (Serves 2 as a main course; 4 as a starter):

3 golden beets

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. honey

1 bag of mixed greens (about 5 cups)

1/4 cup cilantro pesto (see recipe below)

1/2 pound pancetta, cubed

1/4 cup goat cheese

Boil beets on high heat for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until tender — you should be able to easily stick a fork through them. Make cilantro pesto (below) and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard and honey. Drizzle over mixed greens in a large bowl and toss well.

Place pancetta in a large skillet and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes or until mostly crispy. Set aside and absorb excess oil with paper towel.

When beets are finished boiling, remove them from the water and peel, then slice into slices about 1/3-inch thick. Divide the greens between two large plates, and place half of the beet slices on top, with each slice barely covering the slice next to it. Top each beet slice with a small dollop (about a tsp.) of pesto, and a pinch of goat cheese.

When you’ve finished layering the beets on both plates, sprinkle half of the pancetta cubes on top of each salad. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients (makes about 1.5 cups):

2 bunches of fresh cilantro leaves (about 4 to 5 cups packed; I did not use the stems)

2 cloves of garlic

Juice of 1/2 small lime

1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, grated

1/4 cup whole almonds

1/4 cup olive oil

Pinch each of salt and pepper

Combine first 5 ingredients — cilantro, garlic, lime juice, cheese and almonds — in a food processor. Slowly add olive oil while pulsing. Add salt and pepper to taste.

One of my favorite restaurants in my hometown of Jackson, Mississippi is an uber-casual Greek spot called Keifer’s, located downtown. In high school, all of my friends (even the ones who lived half an hour away) would trek down for the sole purpose of indulging in their favorite Pita Mozz or Pita Feta — depending on cheese preference. This is exactly what it sounds like: a pita slathered in oil and cooked on the skillet with a generous helping of delicious, equally oily cheese.

The best part? The feta dressing that comes on the side. It’s a creamy, rich dressing bursting with that sharp feta flavor, so good that you can feel your pores practically clogging while you chow down.

With a recipe given to my by my assistant’s stepmom as my inspiration, I created an ever-so-slightly healthier version of the feta dressing I love so much. The trick was to use extra (extra!) thick plain yogurt as the base instead of the standard mayonnaise, but you can barely taste the difference. My version is a bit thicker than the mayo-based concoction, but the flavor is strikingly similar.

So far, I’ve used it to top a Greek salad, a Mediterranean pasta, and as a dip with crudités. Enjoy!

Yogurt Feta Dressing

Ingredients (makes about 3 cups, but it will keep in the fridge for up to a month):

1 cup plain thick Greek yogurt (I used Fage 2%, which I highly recommend)

2 cups feta cheese

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. olive oil

A pinch (about 1/2 tsp.) each of dried basil and dried oregano

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until combined. Don’t blend until it’s completely smooth; you want to preserve some of the feta chunks!

For the pasta, I boiled farfalle (1/2 box white and 1/2 box whole wheat, because that’s what I had on hand) and mixed in cherry tomatoes and a yellow pepper, both of which I had roasted on 375 degrees for about 20 minutes with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. I also added in canned quartered artichoke hearts and pitted kalamata olives, then mixed the pasta and veggies with about 3 tbsp. of the feta dressing. Can be served hot or cold.

I’m trying to eat with the seasons in mind, but it just doesn’t come naturally. Unfortunately, my body doesn’t care what’s growing on the trees/vines when I get a craving for figs or strawberries. One thing that does help steer my mind in the right direction is going to the farmer’s market, which my assistant and I did this weekend — it’s the only way to get that “mm, those butternut squash sure look good” trigger in my mind.

Actually, there’s nothing more fun than going to the farmer’s market on a Saturday. We went to San Francisco’s Ferry Building, which is overflowing from the inside with delicacies like fresh-baked bread and house cured meats, and from the outside with homemade yogurt and vine-grown tomatoes. It was a grey and freezing day, but I loved striking up conversations with the vendors and left feeling envious that they get to make flavored olive oils for a living.

The first thing I picked up was a new bottle of balsamic vinegar, because I’m always on the market for an exceptional one. Last time my dad was in town we stopped by O&Co. in Pacific Heights and bought a bottle of their Premium Balsamic Vinegar. After I tasted it, I realized I’d never actually had real balsamic before — not the sweet-tasting stuff aged 18 years that pours with the consistency of syrup. The only problem? An 8.5 fl. oz. bottle costs $34, which is much more than my balsamic vinegar budget allows and simply not feasible without generous parents around.

Luckily, a friendly guy was selling some oils and vinegars from Hare Hollow, made up in Healdsburg, which were just what I was looking for with a less stressful price tag (about $12). At his recommendation, I bought a bottle of the Blackberry and Ginger Balsamic Vinegar, which I’ve eaten literally every day since. I have to urge everyone reading this: Buy good balsamic vinegar! It doesn’t have to be expensive, and it will change your life.

Anyway, back to the produce: I was ecstatic to see that the blood oranges were in season (starting in December) and on the menu. I had one legendary salad at Bin 36 in Chicago back in the day — blood oranges with mixed greens, local goat cheese and fennel — so I figured I’d take my best shot at recreating something similar. Here’s what I came up with for my wintry salad:

Blood Orange and Roasted Beet Salad with Fennel

Ingredients (Serves 4 as appetizer, 2 as main course):

About 6 cups mixed field greens

2 blood oranges

2 beets, chopped into cubes

1/3 bulb fennel

4 oz. goat cheese

3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle beets with olive oil, salt and pepper and cook for about 25 minutes or until tender.

Slice oranges in 1/4-inch wide sections, creating “rounds.” Leave some juicy parts in the end pieces, because you’ll need extra juice later for the dressing. I found it was prettiest to cut the rind off at an angle, so that the final shape of the orange slice looks like a hexagon (or general polygon). If those are really large, cut them again into 2 or 3 pieces. Slice fennel into long, thin strips (julienned).

For the dressing, combine about a tbsp. and -a-half of fresh-squeezed blood orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper, and whisk until fully mixed.

Once beets are fully cooked, combine greens, beets, oranges, fennel, and goat cheese in a large bowl. Pour vinegar on top and toss well.

On that note about my lack of seasonability: I bought some asparagus last week for the couscous, even though they’re best eaten in the spring. But I had a few stalks left over that needed eating, so I decided to make an impromptu asparagus salad based on this Cooking Light recipe I’d seen earlier.

I didn’t have a number of ingredients the recipe called for, but the salad tasted wonderful regardless. And as long as you have asparagus around you can whip it up with regular pantry items, which is hugely convenient on a rainy day.

Asparagus Salad with Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients (serves 2):

Asparagus (I only had 6 stalks left, but you could easily make it with more)

1 fried egg

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Cilantro, chopped (about 1/2 tsp.)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 10 minutes or until cooked. Mix up last five ingredients in a small bowl. Fry an egg on the stove (or poach, but I haven’t mastered that art). When asparagus is cooked, top with egg and dressing.