YEAH!! Spring Has Sprung
A sure sign of spring, is the emergence of fresh asparagus. Asparagus is an excellent source of folacin and vitamin C, thiamine and vitamin B-6. It is also low in calories, and is a source of fiber and potassium. A cup of asparagus only contains 35 calories.
When you buy asparagus choose spears with firm, green stalks and hard-closed tips. If the tips have begun to spread, then they have lost flavor. Also avoid yellow or limp asparagus. Pencil thin asparagus are simply thin stalks of common green asparagus – a thin stalk does not indicate tenderness or age. White asparagus is a thick variant grown by heavy fertilization and deep mulching.
Before cooking asparagus, rinse thoroughly and snap off the stem ends where they are tough. You can simply bend the stalk until it snaps between the tough and the tender sections. White asparagus must be peeled before cooking. Some people also prefer to peel green asparagus, but it is not necessary.
- Steaming: Lay spears or cut stalks into steam basket, cover and steam for 5-8 minutes.
- Microwave: A quick way to prepare it is to trim 1 pound of spears, place in a 2 quart microwave safe dish. Add 2 tablespoons of stock or water, cover, and cook on high until crisp tender, 4-9 minutes, rearranging every 3 minutes. Let stand, covered, for 2 minutes.
- Boiling: Lay spear in a large skillet with 1 inch of water. Boil up to 5 minutes.
- Stir Frying: Cut spears into pieces, and stir fry with a teaspoon of oil for about 3 minutes.
- Roasting: Layer asparagus spears on a baking sheet, drizzle with favor olive oil and roast in 450° F oven for 10 -15 minutes.
- Grilling: Coat grill grates with cooking spray, place spears on medium-high heat grill and cook 5-8 minutes, turning occasionally.
Although it is spring, I am not quite ready to relinquish my soups and stews so I found a recipe that marries both my love of soups and my desire to indulge in use of spring produce. The original recipe came from Taste of Home, but I shaved some of the calories, fat and sodium off the original recipe, as well as, making a smaller batch to just two. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have.
Creamy Asparagus Soup
| 1 | medium onion, chopped |
| 1/4 cup | chopped celery |
| 1 Tbsp | butter |
| 1 | clove garlic, minced |
| 1 | potato, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes |
| 1/4 cup | all purpose flour |
| 2 cups | skim milk |
| 2 cups | fat free, sodium reduced chicken broth |
| 1/4 tsp | dried thyme |
| 1/4 tsp | dried marjoram |
| 4 cups | chopped fresh asparagus, cooked and drained |
| …………… | salt and pepper to taste |
| In Dutch oven, saute onions and celery in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in flour. Add the potato, milk, broth and herbs; cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the potato is tender and soup is thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the asparagus, salt and pepper; heat through. |
| Can serve with almonds, cheese, and chopped tomato. Yield: 1 1/4 quarts. Nutrition information (without condiments added): 102 calories, 1.6 g fat, 269 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 6 g protein |
No matter how you like to prepare your asparagus, take the time to enjoy this wonderful tasty spring produce.
