Asparagus and Goat Cheese Pasta

It's Spring! It's Spring! It's Spring! I love using spring vegetables fresh from the farm and this recipe uses asparagus an abundant spring veggie at the moment. The recipe idea came from Smitten Kitchen a wonderful cooking blog that I suggest everyone check out: http://smittenkitchen.com/ She uses a few more ingredients in her brew; such as tarragon which I didn't have handy when I wanted to try it out, but I'm sure would be tasty next time around. She also used olive oil instead of reserved pasta water, but that is a personal choice. I added Parmesan for a little more kick. This recipe is fast and easy.

Aparagus and Goat Cheese Pasta

2 cups pasta (preferably spiral or penne)

1 bunch slender asparagus spears trimmed and cut into pieces
1 5- to 5 1/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese
1 cup reserved pasta water
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese or to taste
Fresh lemon juice to taste

Boil the pasta and in the last 3 minutes add the aparagus, once cooked drain (reserving at least 1 cup of pasta water) add the goat chees and parmesan and lemon juice to the pasta and asparagus and mix, adding in the pasta water to help melt the goat cheese and mix everything together. Simple and delicious! Enjoy.

Chicken, Wild Leek and Mushroom Meatloaf

I found some beautiful Wild Leeks this weekend at the farmers market and knew I had to make this special meatloaf! Most of us think of meatloaf as boring and everyday, but this recipe is really delicious, and very easy to make. The prep time/bake time takes awhile but if made on a Sunday you will have leftovers on Monday for sure! I found this recipe on Martha Stewarts - Everyday Food and adapted it a little bit for my tastes. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Chicken, Wild Leek and Mushroom Meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1 bunch wild leeks chopped (white and green parts) or 2 stalks regular leeks
2 1/2 to 3 cups cremini mushrooms sliced
1 clove garlic minced
1 handful sage chopped
1 cup fontina cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 slices of bread (preferably a bit stale) roughly chopped

Saute the mushrooms in half olive oil and butter until just soft, remove from heat and let cool about 5 minutes. Saute the leeks and garlic in the half olive oil/ butter and let cool about 5 minutes.
Mix all remaining ingredients in a large bowl till combined, place mixture on parchment paper on a baking sheet and shape into a log. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. Serve with herb/chicken rice and greens. Delicious!