 |
| Fresh asparagus and tomatoes. Photo: SXC.HU |
There are those few that linger at the bottom of the list, and I usually only eat them if they're covered in a creamy sauce or swimming in so much butter they're no longer considered a vegetable.
Asparagus fits in this group. I know I'm not alone when it comes to being a little shy around this stalky vegetable.
So, to kick off the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I'm going to try to learn to love asparagus. I encourage my readers to be healthier and eat whole foods, so I need to practice what I preach!
I bought a fresh bunch of asparagus at the store and have committed to finding a way to make it tasty. After browsing my stacks of cookbooks, I decided to try preparing the veggie two ways: roasted in a hot oven and sauteed in olive oil.
The roasted asparagus had a wonderful, earthy flavor but was limp and kind of soggy. Maybe my oven wasn't hot enough or I used too much olive oil. The sauteed asparagus was much better. I lightly tossed it with fresh sliced mushrooms and onions before mixing it with pasta. The asparagus was still firm and reminded me of eating fresh green beans from the garden. Yum!
So, how do you like your asparagus? Please make my mouth water by leaving your ideas in the comments below!
Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!
Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living
PS: This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Each day during April (excluding Sundays) my posts will relate to a specific letter of the alphabet. Stop back tomorrow, join this site with Google Friend Connect, or sign up for email reminders on the top, left side of this page to keep up with what I've got cooking! Thank you!
###
Mmmmn - I love asparagus! I love a big lattice of lightly steamed asparagus with a poached egg on top and lots of cracked black pepper. Good luck with the A-Z Challenge :0)
ReplyDeleteOh, Sarah that sounds really yummy! I've never thought about mixing eggs with asparagus! Thanks! Happy A-to-Z 2013! ~Angela, Whole Foods Living
DeleteOh I so love Asparagus so much. I like it plain but dripping it butter or creamy sauce is good too.
ReplyDeleteYou're the second blog I found this morning that started with asparagus. I went with avocados :)
Great letter A!
I haven't tried dipping it in butter, but I'm sure that's wonderful! Anything in butter is wonderful! LOL!Thanks for stopping by! ~Angela
DeleteI just recently had a lunch very similar to those mentioned already - lightly steamed asparagus, poached egg and baby roasted potatoes. A squirt of fresh lemon juice goes well with the veggie - and pepper, yes, definitely pepper! Love veggies - have to have at least 7 a day to feel right. Good looking website by the way - I'll come back tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of adding a fresh squeeze of lemon juice. Thanks for stopping by!! ~Angela
DeleteI love asparagus! I steam it, roast in the oven with herbs and salt and pepper. I put it in aluminum foil with a couple of ice cubes and put it on the grill or put it in my grill pan and roast them. I even make soup-creamed with them! Yum!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the ideas, Jen! I have never heard of the ice cube trick when grilling! I suppose that helps steam them and so they don't stick to the foil? Thanks! ~Angela
DeleteI love asparagus but it's one of those veggies that I do not eat very often. Maybe I'll have to pick some up. Great A post. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Tracy! It's plentiful in the grocery stores right now so I had to give it a whirl. It's a bit expensive, so I'll only pick it up every once in awhile. But, I am finally learning to like it--I think! :) ~Angela
DeleteI love asparagus! When I lived in South Korea it was available, but never in good quality and always at a high price. I enjoy it steamed, but if you've got time and don't mind a little butter, I'd recommend just sauteeing it in butter for about 10 minutes on a medium-low heat. What a great way to start the A to Z challenge, I wish I had thought of Asparagus ;).
ReplyDeleteHi Charlie! Thanks for stopping by! Next time I will try butter instead of olive oil. It may be saturated fat, but it's yummy and fine in moderation! Happy A-to-Z 2013! ~Angela
DeletePlease don't throw asparagus at me, but I've never tasted it. I want to, I just haven't. I love brussel sprouts and broccoli. I just haven't tried Asparagus.
ReplyDeleteLOL! No food fights here! Just lots of ideas and cooking tips, that's for sure! Before last week I think I had only had canned asparagus (AKA flavorless mush) and fresh asparagus a few times with my grandmother, which always included a wonderful creamy sauce that could make anything taste good! ~Angela
DeleteWe were just talking about trying roasted asparagus. I'm going to try it and see how it turns out. We've roasted green beans and they were awesome:)
ReplyDeleteGood luck! The flavor was great, but the texture a little flimsy. I like mine with sea salt and black pepper. And now I have to try a squeeze of lemon per another readers suggestion. YUM! ~Angela
DeleteI steam mine and serve with hollandaise sauce. Good luck with the challenge!
ReplyDeleteOMG! I love hollandaise sauce! SOLD! That's how I'm making it next!! Thank you!
DeleteYumm! I love asparagus. I had some yesterday wrapped in prosciutto and dusted with paramsean cheese
ReplyDeleteOh, fancy! I'm not a meat eater, but the Parmesan sounds wonderful. I've never added cheese. Great idea! Thank you! ~Angela
DeleteOnce you start loving them, you won't be able to stop eating them! They're one of my favorites after I also had my initial reservations. Next, I want to try growing them...
ReplyDeleteThat sounds great! It grows very well in my area (the Midwest). You can even find it growing wild in the ditches! Have fun! ~Angela
Delete