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6 servings
A nourishing, Mediterranean Inspired dish featuring Bluebird’s Ancient Whole Grain Blend, creamy homemade tzatziki, fresh asparagus, and arugula—perfect as a light entrée or hearty side. This recipe highlights fresh, whole ingredients and is naturally vegetarian. Copyright: Bluebird Grain Farms
Ingredients
For the Grain Base
- 1 cup Bluebird's Ancient Whole Grain Blend dry
- 3 cups stock or water
- dash salt
- 2 cups arugula
For the Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt full fat
- 1/2 cucumber English or Persian recommended
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh dill chopped (can substitute mint), optional
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
For the Asparagus
- 1 pound fresh asparagus about 25 stalks
- salt for boiling water
- olive oil for tossing
- sea salt to taste
To Garnish
- fresh lemons thinly sliced
Methods
Cooking Ancient Grain Blend
- In a medium pot, bring 3 cups of water or stock to a boil with a dash of salt.
- Add 1 cup Bluebird Ancient Grain Blend. Return to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Cover and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
- OR: Use a rice cooker (brown rice setting) with 1 cup dry blend to 3 cups water.
- Let grains cool to room temperature.
Make the Tzatziki Sauce
- Grate cucumber and squeeze out moisture using a cheesecloth or clean towel.
- In a bowl, combine yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and dill.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes to meld flavors.
Prepare the Asparagus (10–15 minutes before serving)
- Trim the woody ends (1–2 inches) off the stalks.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Boil Asparagus: Thin stalks: 2-3 minutes, Thick stalks: 4–5 minutes
- Drain and plunge into ice water to stop cooking.
- Toss with olive oil and sea salt.
Assemble the Dish
- In a large bowl, mix the cooled grain blend with 1 cup tzatziki sauce and arugula. Reserve the remaining tzatziki for garnishing the asparagus.
- Spread mixture on a serving platter.
- Lay the cooked asparagus on top whole grain/arugula mixture.
- Drizzle with remaining tzatziki sauce on top of asparagus.
- Garnish with lemon slices. Serve and enjoy!