Asparagus with Lime-Parmesan Sauce

After a whirlwind start to the week, including a stretch of time from Monday until yesterday during which I went 48 hours without sleep (thanks to going straight from work, to class, to lab, and then to work again over the course of those three days), I'm back, well rested, and returned to the land of the energetic once more!

and I am incredibly proud of this dish... It's not conceptually unusual, per se, but it looked so lovely, a tower of asparagus and steamed soft egg perched proudly on the plate, that I couldn't resist squeaking "look, look!" multiple times during the assembly, calling Zach over to witness the plating...

Then Zach took a bite, and proclaimed this dish his "new favorite meal ever."

Who could ask for more?

Asparagus with Lime-Parmesan Sauce and Soft Steamed Eggs

2 T lime juice
3 T coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp spicy brown mustard
6 T olive oil
1 lb asparagus, woody ends removed (and saved for something else scrumptious, like soup!)
4 slices lean smoked ham or turkey (optional)
4 eggs

~ Vigorously whisk together the lime juice, Parmesan, salt, pepper, spicy mustard, and olive oil.
~ Steam the asparagus for 3 to 5 minutes - until crisp tender.
~ If you're using the ham or turkey, stack the 4 slices, roll them up tightly, then cut the roll into 1/4" crosswise. Gently heat the little circles in the microwave or a small oil-less skillet until warm.
~ Coat another skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium heat. When the skillet has warmed, add the eggs, sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper, and cover. As soon as the top of the yolk regions begin to turn white, remove the skillet from the heat.
~ To assemble, place 3 or 4 medallions of ham or turkey on a plate, if you're using the ham or turkey. Neatly align 10 asparagus spear or so, either on top of the ham or turkey or on top of the plate. Place a soft egg gently atop the asparagus. Drizzle the egg and asparagus spears alike with 2 T or so of the dressing. Repeat the assembly for the remaining 3 servings, and, ta da...

Whole Wheat Macaroni with Spinach and Mozarella

I adore whole wheat elbow macaroni. It seems like such happy food, and it makes me feel like a kid again - even though I didn't actually have elbow macaroni as a child, because my mother didn't like it for some reason, but I always imagined it was the sort of food children would love. I think my hypothesis about kids and elbow macaroni is true, too - the first time I fixed chicken Parmesan for my friend Chalete's adorable, sweet, wonderful 5 year old son, who's usually very shy about trying "new" dishes, I served it over whole wheat elbow macaroni and he inhaled two whole plates, roasted garlic and chiffonaded ribbons of fresh basil and all.

I especially adore the very grown-up flavors in the Macaroni and Paneer Cheese from Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen. Lisa is an incredibly talented vegetarian chef, able to delight the palate with Indian dishes, Indian-fusion dishes, and any other cuisine imaginable! Every time I visit Lisa's blog I find myself bookmarking a recipe, from curries to scones! As soon as I read Lisa's recipe for Macaroni and Paneer Cheese I did a little dance of delight, pressed the print button, and could hardly wait until Friday evening to prepare it for our supper! Well, silly me even took a study break Friday afternoon to go grocery shopping, and still managed to come home with another 5 lbs of mozzarella (yep, I went to the bulk foods store again!) and no paneer. Sigh. Thus began the emergence of a variation on Lisa's gorgeous original. While I fully intend to fix Lisa's recipe properly very soon, the results of my experimentations were so scrumptious that I absolutely had to share them, with gratitude to Lisa for the inspiration!

Whole Wheat Macaroni with Spinach and Mozzarella
(Inspired by Lisa's Macaroni and Paneer Cheese)

2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni
2 T olive oil
1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
3 giant handfuls baby spinach leaves
1 large tomato, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 cups grated part-skim mozzarella

~ Cook the whole wheat macaroni according to package directions, reserving 3/4 cup cooking water before draining the rest of the water, rinsing the macaroni, and setting it aside.
~ In a large skillet over medium heat, stir-fry the mustard seeds until they begin to pop.
~ Add the spinach, a handful at a time, allowing each handful to wilt as you stir in the next handful.
~ Once the spinach has wilted, add the tomato, salt, Cayenne, and paprika, and stir just until heated through.
~ Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the macaroni, reserved cooking water, and mozzarella cheese. Continue to stir just until the mozzarella is melted... Then serve warm...