Expecting the Unexpected

Today's entry earns its title from my dinner: two out of the three (yes, three) dishes that I prepared had results that were, as I expected, unexpected. They were expectedly unexpected.

The following recipe (which took all of my culinary prowess and kitchen expertise) came about because I needed a double entree, and since the rest of my meal seemed vaguely Italian (or at the very least not Mexican, which was my other option), I went for the Italian-inspired entrees. I thought they would go together more or less okay, but when I tasted them, it was like Walt Disney meeting Salvador Dali: each element contributing hints of their respective flavors to create something utterly new and inspired.

Chicken Ravioli Parmesan

Ingredients:
1 Chicken Pasta Parmesan HMR Entree
1 Cheese & Basil Ravioli HMR Entree

Directions:
1. Heat first entree according to packaging.
2. Heat second entree according to packaging.
3. Combine two entrees in an adequately sized bowl.

It took me longer to sing the praises of this soon-to-be frequently repeated combo than it did for me to make it (or to eat it, for that matter).

My next adventure is much closer to a legitimate recipe, being in fact based on one from A Veggie Venture. I didn't have any lemons, and rather than just using bottled lemon juice from the refrigerator, I thought I'd use fresh fruit and be creative, all at the same time. So I used an orange instead. I figured that the dish would come out palatable but weird. What I got was slightly crispy, slightly tender asparagus (roasted to perfection, in my opinion) that had been kissed with the essence of citrus, and a feast of savory, oregano-infused orange slices. Who knew?

Orange-Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:
About 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, woody ends trimmed off
1 navel orange, sliced very thin
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Zero-calorie olive oil cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees; spray a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray.
2. Slice orange and arrange slices on baking sheet; put in oven for 5 minutes. While the orange slices are in the oven, cut the woody ends off the asparagus.
3. After 5 minutes, remove pan from oven. Carefully remove the orange slices and set them aside. Now put the asparagus on the baking sheet (so none is overlapping), mist lightly with olive oil spray, and sprinkle with oregano, salt, and pepper. Give the pan a good shake to make sure that everything is evenly coated, then replace the orange slices on top of the asparagus (again, none of the slices should be overlapping).
4. Return to oven for 15 minutes, shaking the pan to toss the asparagus and turning the orange slices over once halfway through.

Full recipe makes 2 vegetable servings and 1 fruit serving (I ate half and put the rest in the fridge).