Brunch-Off: Asparagus Risotto Cakes

I was invited to participate in a Brunch-Off over at Blisstree.com this weekend! The "special ingredient" that we had to work with was asparagus, so I made asparagus risotto cakes, topped with a sunny-side up egg. It was delicious  and a great way to use leftover risotto.

My contender made an awesome-looking creamy asparagus soup with goat cheese. Be sure to head over to Blisstree to check out my participation in Brunch-Off and the others as well (so many great recipes over there!). Thanks to Blisstree for hosting me and thanks to all of you for supporting me!

Pasta topped with Asparagus & Egg

This is a flavorful, quick dinner. This recipe is great because, even though you're dealing with pasta, you won't need any sauce, because the egg yolk serves as the sauce. This recipe makes enough for one person.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
One (1) cup of fettuccine noodles
1/2 bundle of asparagus
Two (2) cloves of garlic, minced
One (1) egg 
One (1) tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil


Directions
Cook pasta according to directions on box.
About ten minutes before pasta is done, heat oil and garlic in frying pan.
Toss in asparagus and saute until slightly soft.
Set asparagus aside on a plate.
In same pan, without cleaning the oil and garlic out, fry one egg.
Strain pasta and place on plate with asparagus.
Once the egg is fried soft, place it in the middle of the dish.
Enjoy.

Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto

Risotto is probably one of my favorite carbs. This is probably one of my favorite dishes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
One (1) box of risotto -- I use Lundberg's Alfredo risotto.
1/2 bundle of asparagus
One (1) carton of button mushrooms
Two (2) tablespoons of butter -- I used vegan butter
Two (2) cloves of minced garlic

Directions
Cook risotto according to the box.

While risotto is cooking, wash and chop veggies. -- I left the button mushrooms whole, but if you are using larger mushrooms, you may want to chop them so they cook all the way through quickly.
When your risotto only has about five minutes left to cook, heat butter and garlic in a pan.

Place vegetables in the pan and saute for a few minutes. -- You'll know when they're done when the asparagus is a bright green color.
Spoon risotto onto plate and cover in veggies.
Eat ravenously.