Asian Inspired….

I bought some beautiful asparagus on Saturday when I went grocery shopping without any real plans as to how I was going to use it. Since I am the only one who likes it I figured I would just do a quick steam and eat it as is. Monday hubby had to work late, and the kids wanted oatmeal for dinner so I decided to throw together a quick recipe just as a shot in the dark to see if I had a new sensation on my hands. I have to admit that I fell in love at first bite.

We have been eating salmon and I wanted to do some sort of glaze over the top, but decided there was no better way to try then to make a glaze to drizzle over the top of my asparagus. I decided to go the teriyaki route and I am so glad that I did. I had some leftover Forbidden Black Rice and Cherries that was just begging to be eaten so I made a nice bed of rice on my plate and topped it with the entire bunch of asparagus. I broke the recipe down into two servings because I don’t know of many people that would seriously eat the entire bunch at one sitting beside me, but if you want to GO FOR IT!

Per serving there are only 58 calories, 1 gram of fat, 8 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein! You also get a nice well rounded dose of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Iron. All the carbs are healthy, the fats are healthy, and the sodium is minimal at 48 milligrams per serving.

This recipe is super quick, 15 minutes from prep to plate. When you are choosing your asparagus make sure that it is a nice green color, not to dark, or to light. You also want to make sure that your spears are about medium size. If they are too thin they will wilt and get flimsy, and if they are too thick they will generally be stringy, and woody. After washing the asparagus, you can remove the ends two ways. I choose to bend each spear and where it bends is where you snap it. Some people do that with one spear and then cut the rest to match, but I find that just because one spear bends in a spot that doesn’t mean that all of the spears will be tender at the same spot. Whichever way you choose to do it make sure that you save the ends you snap off. You can make asparagus soup, chop them up and throw them into some stir fry, or you can chop them and toss them into just about any meal that you are eating. This recipe will make a great addition to any main dish, or can be a main dish on its own, and it will make any meal taste like a celebration. Make sure that when you make these amazing little green spears that you have time to sit back, relax, and enjoy!

How do you usually cook your asparagus?

Teriyaki Roasted Asparagus

By Angie Gouchenour

2 servings

Ingredients

26 asparagus spears – washed and snapped (see above)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon low sodium soy sauce

½ teaspoon red wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 425’f

Wash, trim, and dry the asparagus spears (Save the ends and throw them in the freezer)

In a small bowl whisk together the brown sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce vinegar, and sesame seeds

Place trimmed asparagus spears on a non-stick cookie sheet

Drizzle the teriyaki sauce over the top and gently spread the sauce lightly over the spears

Cook for 10 minutes in the preheated oven

Remove and transfer to a serving dish (or your own plate) tip the baking sheet and pour off any glaze that is on the tray (About ¼-1/2 teaspoon)

Enjoy!

1 serving 58 calories