GO GREEN!!! ... Asparagus

I always try and keep a green vegetable in my fridge at all times. They make for really good snacks as well as sides to a meal. Today I ate asparagus as a light snack in between lunch and dinner.

First what I did was I took 5 pieces of asparagus, washed them, cut the bottom off and cut them in half. I stuck them into boiling water for about 8 minutes, or until they are cooked to the texture of your liking

Afterwards I drained them out, stuck them into a small bowl, drizzled them with a teaspoon of olive oil and some fresh ground pepper. I cannot tell you how delicious this was! AND it was extremely simple! I know that a lot of people do not like the stringy texture, the smell and maybe even the effects it can have on your urine. I have found that drinking a lot of water helps to eliminate that, or make it less profound.

My friend Zach Wells told me about Blanching (yes, yes I am learning new things here too)

For those of you who do not know what it is (like me until now)

here you go:

Blanching is an easy technique that many chefs use to help keep vegetables crisp and tender. By boiling asparagus briefly, chilling them in ice water, and then reheating them slowly, blanching preserves texture, color and flavor.

This will eliminate that stringy texture that we sometime think is gross. This will also make it so that you can eat them a few hours later and they will not be mushy. :)

THANKS ZACH!!

***Green vegetables are very rich in Vitamin K, and should be a MANDATORY part of your diet!!!!

Benefits of Asparagus

Found on HealthMad.com

• High in Vitamin K and Folate
• Eat asparagus when you are pregnant, thinking about conceiving because it can help prevent birth defects i.e: spina bifida
• Great for your heart (HELLLOO)
• Helps with menstral cramps (YAY)
• great for your gastrointestincal tract and your colon
• Great food to help treat depression
• Increases the sucess rate of chemo therapy
• helps lower cholesterol
• helps fight off high blood pressure

These are only some of the fantastic effect of Asparagus. They are really easy to make and need to be added to your diet!! Really GO GREEN with this one.

OTHER RECIPE IDEAS:

fat- free cream cheese, wrapped w. turkey bacon

olive-oil, pepper, fat-free feta

(feel free to leave your ideas on how to cook healthy asparagus)