Leeks

The leek may be one of my favorite vegetables to cook with.  This evening we prepared dinner at home, on the grill.  We grilled asparagus, small potatoes, and a tuna steak.  I prepared a healthy, light and flavorful leek based sauce to accompany grilled fish.  

To make the sauce, I stated with a large, heavy pan.  Adding just a splash of water, salt and two handfuls of sliced leeks.  I covered the pan with its lid.  After a few minutes, the leeks had cooked, I added some Smart Balance buttery spread (vegan, heart healthy butter alternative) and chopped garlic, covered the pan. I let that go for a few minutes at a low temperature, being careful not to burn the garlic.  I then scraped the contents of the pan into my blender, turned the blender on high and let that go for about 45 seconds.  I returned the sauce to the still warm pan, thinned it out with a little olive oil and kept it covered until the the other food was ready.  While I paired this with fish, I think that it would also be delicious on asparagus or on crepes or in a sandwich.  It makes a healthier alternative to cream sauce.  It will be slightly green in color depending on how much of the outer green leaves of the plant you use.

I should mention that at breakfast today, as Beto and I ate our egg sandwiches at the local market cafe we saw a funny site.  Rolling down the sidewalk in Kensington, in his power-chair, was an old man, with a dog on a leash beside him, and a large parrot on his shoulder.  Yep.