Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Bistro Asparagus Twists from American Vegan Kitchen, & Primal Strips vegan jerky

asparagus twists 461
This will be a quick post, but I couldn't keep these puff pastry-wrapped asparagus twists to myself.  They're from American Vegan Kitchen, by Tamasin Noyes.  Tami does the Vegan Appetite blog, which never fails to feature awesome vegan goodies.  The cookbook is exceptionally well done, and delivers on it's promise of "delicious comfort food from Blue Plate Specials to homestyle favorites."  I've also made the sweet garklicky ribz, and a fabulous non-meatloaf from this book.

This asparagus recipe is fairly simple, but looks and tastes totally elegant.  Asparagus spears are blanched and then wrapped in strips of puff pastry brushed with mustard, and baked.  There's a good dipping sauce to go with these too. 

I've become a big fan of Primal Strips vegan jerky, since the nice folks at Primal Spirit Foods sent me a sample pack a couple weeks ago.  There are six flavors - my favorites are the teryaki and mesquite lime, though they're all really good.  Some are seitan-based, some soy, and the "Hot and Spicy" version is made with shiitake mushrooms, which is really creative.  I was a big jerky fan in my younger days, so this is one more food I'm no longer denied, though I've long since lost the idea that eating vegan means "denial" in any way.  These are great, and have been my staple afternoon snack since I received them.

15 comments:

Trinity (of haiku tofu) said...

Those asparagus twists look delicious and classy! I need to have a party just so I can serve these! And I also love the primal strips- mesquite lime is where it's AT!

Crooked Moon Mama said...

Ha! Love the picture of the asparagus. It made me laugh. Not sure why...but I am still laughing.
Think I'll go make it now...

Anonymous said...

Those are so neat looking! Love it.

Bianca said...

Mmmm...I'm reviewing Tami's book soon and I somehow missed over this recipe. It looks amazing!! I made her Spicy Tofu Noodle Salad for a not-very-vegan potluck this weekend and it was a big hit.

Lisa said...

what a great recipe to make an impression! This reminds me of the recipes that feature pancetta wrapped food, but what a great vegan alternative.

Phred said...

Re: Primal Strips. You make no mention of the range of flavors/types, ingredients, nutritional content, fat, sodium, etc.

What a simplistic and vapid review. "Really good" and "great." That's all you had to say. It's this kind of lack of nutritional discrimination that isn't helping the vegan community and really, with all due respect, much of a product review.

You could have made your review much shorter by simply typing "Yum" for all the useful information it provided.

At least the asparagus looked good.

Duckduck said...

I don't think asparagus has ever been so adorable! And I love when tender asparagus is served with something kinda crunchy or bready.

I'm a fan of Primal Strips too, very flavorful and high-protein. Yum.

Virginia bed and breakfast | Victorian inn bed and breakfast | Romantic bed and breakfasts said...

I prepared something similar - brushed the puff pastry with olive oil, par baked with a pair of pieces of rosemary, then topped it with already roasted tomatoes (with lots of garlic) and Swiss cheese...and baked till nearly done. Its sound really delicious!

Best Regards,

River - The Crafty Kook said...

How pretty! They look so fancy and fun to eat. I love asparagus, but for some reason I don't treat myself to them very often. Man, you have the best cookbooks! I might be jealous...

Enjoy your chewy treats! :)

Debra said...

what a great idea!
Debra @ Vegan Family Style
PS There is a giveaway on my blog- ends in a few days.. check it out!

Kumudha said...

Visiting this blog for the first time!

Thank you so much for sharing wonderful vegan recipes!

Anonymous said...

I've always wanted to try those primal strips! I recently found another brand called vjerky that's local and super tasty. I'm excited to read more from your blog!

T said...

Those are so pretty! What a great thing for a dinner party.

Dish By Trish said...

they are so beautiful. what a great idea to really make asparagus feel special. cheers!

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