Last Saturday I went to my local Farmers Market. It was pretty cold and lightly raining. I was thinking that there were plenty of places I would rather be than out in this cold and rain. Very quickly, I was reminded that Spring may not always have the best weather here in Ohio, but there are still
lots of wonderful foods that can be found during this season. I try to eat seasonally for a lot of reasons. I talk about some of those reasons in this earlier post. Just about everywhere I looked, I saw beautiful, green asparagus. It really stood out against the grey back drop of the day.
My family isn’t really known for being asparagus eaters. It’s not that we don’t like it, we just never really ate it much. Let’s just say………they don’t have it at any of our former favorite fast food establishments. I decided to take my own advice and try a new food. I have eaten asparagus before, but I’ve never cooked it. My kids have never eaten it, unless someone snuck it to them………….ahhh………….that probably never happened.
Asparagus is attractive to me because of its nutritional benefits. It is a very low calorie food. It actually takes more calories to eat asparagus than it has in it. It is one of those zero calorie or negative calorie foods. I love foods in this category because I can eat as much as I want and not worry about it. My Spring schedule has me running more than ever so I’ve been really hungry lately. According to the article “Asparagus Nutrition Facts” on the website nutrition-and-you.com asparagus is a good source of antioxidants which protect the body from possible cancer, neuro-degenerative diseases, and viral infections. It is also rich in folates which are important for women to consume pre-conception and during early pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects in newborn babies. Asparagus is also rich in vitamins C, A, E, K, and lots of minerals as well.
OK………..so we know it’s good for us, but how do we cook it? I found cooking asparagus to be quite simple. The danger is overcooking it. Even overcooking it by a few minutes, can make it a mushy mess.
There are lots of ways to cook asparagus, so I’m going to focus on one simple recipe that is pretty much full-proof, tastes delicious, and quick. That’s what Juggling Real Food and Real Life is all about. This recipe was prepared at my house after my son’s first baseball game of the season. Everyone at the fields were talking about where they were stopping to grab dinner and I refused to cave. I could make something just as quick and far more delicious and nutritious.
Roasted Aparagus with Lemon and Herbs
Ingredients:
- Asparagus
- Olive Oil
- Dried or Fresh Herbs (I used Thyme and Rosemary)
- Lemon Juice
- Salt and Pepper
Directions:
1. Prepare your asparagus. This is done by washing. Gently rub the stalks while running under water. Thin spears are more tender, simply trim the cut ends. The thicker spears (these are the ones I like) need to have the ends broken off. Grab the spear in two hands near the bottom and bend until it snaps. This removes the tough end. There is no need to peel the asparagus.
2. Place in bowl and drizzle olive oil over the asparagus spears.
3. Add herbs seasoning to taste.
4. Drizzle lemon juice over the asparagus spears. Again this is to taste. I like a couple of tablespoons.
5. Place asparagus spears on cookie sheet or other baking pan.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
7. Bake in 450 degree F oven uncovered for about 15 minutes.
8. Enjoy!
Now it’s your turn………..Let me know all about your asparagus experiences. Do you like it? Never tried it? Thinking you might try it? I would also love to hear how you enjoy this recipe and other asparagus recipes you have tried.
Thank you for all of the love and support. Don’t forget you can join us on Facebook for more fun and support along the way. You can also follow us on Twitter @Jugglngrealfood if you are interested in learning more about the Real Food Movement. You can also follow our boards on Pinterest.
My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find a lot of your
post's to be what precisely I'm looking for.
Does one offer guest writers to write content for you?
I wouldn't mind composing a post or elaborating on a few of the subjects you write with regards to here. Again, awesome site!
My web blog; cardsharing faq dbox2
YUM! That's the way I generally cook asparagus – cookie sheet, high temp. I usually just use olive oil and coarse sea salt. (No one in my immediate family likes it, but I do – all the more for me!)
Thanks for stopping by Jules! My family had mixed reaction to the asparagus (as they do with everything). I figure I do the cooking, I should get to eat what I like once in a while. As you said, all the more for me!
Oh I'm so glad I saw this!! My hubby loves asparagus….I've never been a fan but knew I should try to be but just haven't known how to cook it! I'm definitely going to try this!! Thanks Christina!!~~Ang
Thanks for stopping by Ang! Give this recipe a try and maybe you will be a fan too and if you don't like it, at least your husband will. And we all know what that means………the "Honey Do" list for him is allowed to get a little longer. LOL!
Love asparagus and wrote my own post about it a few weeks ago. Kudos to you for not caving in when other families were talking about where to pick up dinner. It can be hard at first, but with time you find your way in the kitchen. I have a few go to items that can be cooked up in a jiffy. I keep my pantry well stocked so that I can pull together dinner quickly. I recently wrote a post about how good food can be created quickly. One of the ideas was to cook a thin cut skillet steak with vegetables. It comes together so fast. Asparagus would be a good choice here. The entire meal can be cooked and on the table in about 10 minutes. You can hardly get through a crowded drive through in that amount of time.
http://www.lifelesshurried.com/2013/05/fast-food-healthy-way.html
I have to admit…….at the moment I was feeling weak. I almost caved, but I knew I would feel horrible afterwards. I'll have to check out your posts as well. I am always looking for ways to get dinner to the table fast and Real.
Now this looks so good! Have a blessed week!!
Ashley from http://theheartofashley.blogspot.com/
Thanks for stopping by Ashley. I hope you come back often. I would love to hear more from you.
"This recipe was prepared at my house after my son's first baseball game of the season. Everyone at the fields were talking about where they were stopping to grab dinner and I refused to cave. I could make something just as quick and far more delicious and nutritious. "
Good for you. This is exactly the mentality I try to keep every day. Nutritious food doesn't have to be difficult to cook, it's usually quite simple. I love asparagus and eat a lot of it every spring. My kids are quite resistant but one son has finally started eating it, he is 25 and is now buying it himself on our trips to the market!
I just found your blog and I am obsessed! Thanks for sharing, i'll be using these tips 🙂
Check out my beauty blog:
http://yourbeautyfixreviews.blogspot.com/
Thank you for stopping by and linking up at Family Fun Friday on HappyandBlessedHome.com! Now I am hungry for asparagus! 🙂 blessings!
Hopping over from Frugal Fit Family.
This looks great!
I would love for you to share and link up at my TGIF Link Party. The party is open every Thursday night and closes Wednesday’s at midnight.
http://apeekintomyparadise.blogspot.com/
Have a wonderful week!
Hugs, Cathy
i love love LOVE asparagus! It's one of those quintessential Spring things! I usually just drop it in a pan of boiling water for 2-5 minutes (depending on the thickness of the veg), drop in some ice water and then gently re-heat in the same pan, squeeze a little lemon juice on, S & P and grate a tiny bit of parmesan on top. Easy, quick, delicious and just barely fork tender 🙂
Just an FYI m'dear – this post will be featured on the monthly Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up Round Up this week! If you have a chance, feel free to stop by and check out the other featurettes 🙂 Hope to see you again soon with more seasonal & real food posts! xo, kristy
This is one of the most challenging food to cook in my own humble opinion. Not much options to mix with.