Asparagus with pea purée

A vibrant asparagus and pea purée for warmer nights

Currently, our days are above 28 °C. Summer has arrived, and our bodies crave brighter, more vibrant meal preparations. I eat and cook as a celebration of ingredients, in part because the majority of my plate is produce if not all. I love asparagus, and so does Goji. There is white asparagus in season here now. I recently discovered Biviano Direct, which I am excited about. I will be placing an order next week to recreate images I found on Pinterest. My basket so far includes white asparagus, artichokes, fava beans, candy beetroots, radicchio, blood oranges, watermelon radish and various mushrooms. The asparagus was a Pinterest image find. I was looking for plating references, and I thought the purée was a fancier way of serving the asparagus I cook, currently twice a week. Whatever looks great is what is currently setting the tone for my cooking.

Honouring your body and its natural cues regardless of diet labels

I know some people are indifferent to cooking. For me, what I eat is a celebration of Mother Earth, her beauty and abundance. I’m in the process of planning next week's meals, which Amandine and I started in October and began posting on Instagram. The idea behind the series was to inspire us to connect, eat and appreciate food and to consider the complex interactions with our bodies and environment. Now also three months into practising Bikram, needing to better understand and connect with my body’s requirements to get the most out of my classes. I’m always cooking what I want to eat and feel like. Yes, food should be delicious, flavorful and indulgent, but also deeply nourishing and regenerative.

Asparagus contains dietary fibre (1.8 grams per cup)—I have written about the importance of fibre here before, and an abundance of Vitamins including C, A, K and folate. Calories are essential as they provide the energy our bodies need, supporting our systems and functions, but it is the nutrients that matter more. When you focus on the nutritional quality of your food (and can), the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, this is information for your body. The nutrients within the calories communicate to our bodies and impact how our immune systems function, hormones are produced, and the digestive system operates, which can fix bad skin, bad sleep, bad menstrual cycles, sterility…

Does your way of eating keep you grounded, strong, energised and aroused?

Because I was looking for new ways of working with in-season produce and experimenting with new ways to use it, that is my focus for next week, and this asparagus is one of four new dishes I am trying. Screenshots on my phone currently include butter beans with a miso broth, grilled celery with lemon peas, baked leeks with cannellini beans and grilled romaine lettuce with a herby avocado dressing. What are you cooking this week? Or wanting to? Food and calories communicate information to our bodies, so when planning your meals next, consider the quality of your ingredients. Can you buy organic or spray-free? Always check for additives in pantry and refrigerated/frozen items. Balance is important. Does your plate consist of healthy fats, plant protein, and fibre? And how much colour can you work into your meals? Colour indicates a variety of protective phytonutrients. If you eat out or order in a lot hopefully, my writing creates a shift in that you can also become blown away by the simplicity of just eating plant foods. Put on some music, maybe pull someone in with you, connect and cook more.