Holy moly, I am back from the desert! I’ll get into a little more about that in my next blog post, later this week. But, in short, I was working in Indio, at Coachella/Stagecoach, doing non-food things. Now that I’m back in town, I’m excited to get busy in the kitchen! Maybe I’ll make another batch of this spring asparagus herbed focaccia that I have for you, today. So flavorful. So impressive. Yet, pretty easy to make!

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You could liken this focaccia to a supremely fluffy flatbread. Or maybe even a pizza sans sauce, but loaded with tasty veggies and herbs. Ultimately, focaccia holds a special place in my heart, since my love of carbs is STRONG. When I was in Las Vegas for my Vegenation pop-up, I received a loaf of focaccia from Madeline of Bread for the People. It was A M A Z I N G. Like, I started ripping chunks out of it by hand, while waiting for a dish to arrive for my actual meal. Ever since then, I’ve been wanting to make some at home; even if I still think hers is the best.

If you don’t believe me, check out this picture of me being super lady-like while shoving the loaf in my face. 😉 Anyway, back to the recipe for spring asparagus herbed focaccia, at hand! Sautéed asparagus and peas, with umami-rich sun-dried tomatoes, and a garlic herb-infused oil? Yes, yes, yessss. If I may, I highly suggest sprinkling this with vegan parmesan shreds, before baking. I did this with the leftovers whenever I reheated them and added even more flavor to this already delicious bread.

Before we get to the spring asparagus herbed focaccia, here’s a list of some things coming to VYA this month!

• Korean Japchae Bowl review
• PB&J Brownies
• Quinoa-stuffed Mangos
• A fun take on mimosas
• But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan! recipe + giveaway
• and more!

If you’re worried about missing out on any of these, subscribe to my newsletter!

Now, go ahead, make this recipe, think of how delicious Spring’s seasonal offerings are, and how bread is life. <3

1 year: Cauliflower Lentil Tacos // 2 years: Spicy Teriyaki Tacos // 3 years: Pizza Party! // 4 years: Vegan Ceviche // 5 years: Mexican-style Tofu Frittata

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Spring Asparagus Herbed Focaccia

Spring Asparagus Herbed Focaccia with umami-rich sundried tomatoes, and a garlic herb-infused oil? Yes, please! Vegan, Soy-free, Nut-free

Course Appetizer, Dinner

Cuisine Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Seasonal, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

Focaccia

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 3 tablespoons olive oil plus more for baking

Sautéed Asparagus & Herbed Oil

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped asparagus
• 1/2 cup peas fresh or frozen then thawed
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh mint
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes julienne-cut
• 2 tablespoons capers
• fleur de sel or coarse salt
• fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a small cup or bowl, dissolve sugar into warm water. Sprinkle active dry yeast over the top and stir gently to incorporate. Set aside to raise for 15 minutes.

2. In a large mixing bowl, sift flour, salt and onion powder together. Once the yeast has activated, add it to dry mixture, along with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Knead for 1 to 2 minutes, or until fully incorporated and elastic, but not too wet. Add more flour if necessary. 

3. Place dough in an oil-coated bowl and cover with a damp towel. Place in a warm area for it to raise, for 30 minutes. It should roughly double in size. Meanwhile, get started on asparagus and oil.

4. In a saute pan, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Once hot, add asparagus and peas to the pan, sautéing for 3 minutes. Adjust heat to medium-low, add garlic and herbs to pan and sauté until garlic is fragrant and lightly golden, remove pan from heat. Separate asparagus and peas from saute pan, and place in a bowl.

5. Preheat oven to 425F and get out a quarter-size baking sheet (roughly 9"x13"x1"). The one pictured is double this size, so don't use that for scale!

6. Sprinkle flour over a working surface and roll out focaccia to roughly the size of the pan. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil into baking dish and place dough on top. Turn over, and poke holes into the top, through to the bottom, with your fingers, every inch or so. Let dough rest for 10 minutes, to rise.

7. Take the garlic/herb/oil mixture and brush it over top of the focaccia. Then top with asparagus and peas. Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle sun-dried tomatoes over the top, bake another 3-5 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

8. Remove focaccia from oven, top with capers, a large pinch of salt, and pepper. Wait 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Reheat in an oven or toaster oven.

Variations for this Spring Asparagus Herbed Focaccia:

• As mentioned before, add some vegan cheese shreds (preferably parmesan) to the top of this, before baking. So good!
• If you like red onion or shallots, thinly slice 1/4 cup and sauté them with asparagus mixture.
• Adding pine nuts to the toppings would also be quite tasty!