Now That's The "Spear-It"

Only twenty calories in five spears, nutritionally well balanced, in season and great tasting. Only a few minutes of cooking time and I am munching those spears one after another as if they were pretzel rods. I seem to do the same thing with brussel sprouts I eat them as if they were popcorn. It's not that I can't have the pretzels or the popcorn; I actually enjoy the asparagus and the brussel sprouts and find them to be a treat and not a deprivation.
Asparagus is so low in calorie that you can actually fill your plate without fretting over the portion size. This recipe is perfect if you are looking for something a little different with loads of flavor without packing on too many additional calories.
If you would like to have this salad as a meal rather than a side, just add some tuna for the addition of protein. The tuna would actually make this more of a traditional Nicoise salad.

Asparagus Nicoise

3 lbs. of asparagus trimmed
6 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar
3 Teaspoons. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. of olive oil
3 shallots minced
3 plum tomatoes, diced (any nice ripe tomato will do)
1/2 c. Nicoise or Kalamata olives, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 Tablespoons drained capers

Place asparagus in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 4-5 minutes, then drain. Transfer asparagus to bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process.

Whisk vinegar and mustard in small bowl, slowly whisk in the oil until it emulsifies. Then add in the shallots, tomatoes, olives and capers, salt and pepper to taste. Drain asparagus and arrange on individual plates or on a big serving platter and let everyone help themselves. Spoon Nicoise mixture over asparagus and serve cold

Simply Better

The asparagus has been looking so perfect in the stores these days in both the green and the white. The stalks have been long and thin instead of thick and woody as they had been in the past. I do love asparagus as do most of my family and friends so when I see some so perfectly displayed it is a must purchase for our eating pleasure.
Even though asparagus holds its own in any fancy preparation, it really is at its best in its simplest form.

Fresh Asparagus

2 lb. asparagus
Salted water
1/4 c. butter, melted
Sprinkle of salt
Sprinkle of pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon or orange, optional (but a really delicious addition)!

Snap or cut off tough ends of asparagus. Wash. Leave whole or cut into bite-size diagonal pieces. Cook in salted water until tender. If you find tips cook too fast compared to ends when cooking whole, make a pillow of foil to hold tips up. Drain very well. Turn into shallow serving dish. Drizzle butter over top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Makes 4-6 servings of about 4-6 spears each.

Photo/savila/flickr