Numbers you need to know:
Recipe yields 5 ½-6 cups = 8 servings, 4-5 spears per serving. Per serving info: 55 calories; 3g fat; trace saturated fat; 3g protein; 6g carbohydrate; 3g dietary fiber; 0mg cholesterol; 61mg sodium (3mg sodium, if sea salt is omitted).
Delicious fresh off the grill or chilled and eaten cold with a Hollondaise-y sauce or my Sorta Tzatziki Sauce (see previous blog post). This simple, yet elegant, dish is great for any holiday; but, especially, the summer blockbusters!
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Start to Finish: 10-20 minutes
This is a simply delicious side dish—high marks on both SIMPLY and DELICIOUS! You can add more seasonings if you like; but, don’t get too carried away. The grilled (or roasted) asparagus should carry the flavor, not the seasonings. With this recipe, believe me, less is so very much more.
Ingredients:
· 2 pounds fresh asparagus (32-40 spears—cleaned, woody ends snapped off)
· 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
· 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
· ¼ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, or to taste
· 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
· 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
· ¼ teaspoon sea salt, optional (only add AFTER you’ve tasted the grilled asparagus without salt! and, don't use more than 1/4 teaspoon!)
Preparation:
1. Preheat countertop grill to medium-high heat. (Alternatively, to roast asparagus or “grill” in the oven, preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.)
2. Clean asparagus under cold running water. Snap and discard woody ends. Dab cleaned and trimmed spears with paper towel and set aside. (Special note: when shopping for fresh asparagus, look for slender green spears with tight tips. Avoid any whose woody ends appear white and dried out.)
3. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, pepper and garlic in a large, shallow dish. Add the asparagus to the shallow dish and toss to coat well.
4. Lay asparagus in a single layer on preheated grill (or on a cookie sheet with sides if doing in the oven). Grill (or roast) 2-3 minutes on each side. If you are using a countertop grill with top- and bottom-side grids, you will grill a total of 2-3 minutes with the lid closed. If you are roasting in the oven, stir the asparagus after the first 2-3 minutes and roast 2-3 minutes more for a total of 4-6 minutes roasting time. You want the asparagus to still have a slight crunch to it, whichever method you use.
5. Toast sesame seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat for two to three minutes until the seeds become fragrant. Remove to small bowl to cool.
6. When asparagus reaches desired doneness, remove from grill. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
7. Serve as a barbecue side dish or as a chilled appetizer or snack!
Helpful Hints for Happy and Healthy Holidays:
If you’re planning to host (or just planning to attend) a shindig, don’t for one minute think that you can’t eat anything, that you’ll just have to go off in a corner all by yourself and bear your Scarlet D (iabetes) stoically. That’s what I do. (And, if you believe that….) Be prepared—I take delicious, safe-for-me food to EVERY gathering, unless I’ve “grilled” the host/ess to make sure there’s more than one something there that’s fit for me to eat. (And, I’m not counting diet colas.) No holiday should be off limits to people with diabetes. But, we do have to take special precautions to make sure the holiday fare fits within our carb-cal limits.
Keep everything simple to avoid carb overload. Lay off the bottle completely! In this day and age (yes, I’m preaching good nutrition here), bought sauces almost always equal high carb, high sodium, high calorie. You don’t need that or really even want that. It’s just EASY; but, it sure ain’t GOOD. Here’s my corporate food philosophy (and please weigh in--but only if you agree with me 100%...): if a company pours sugar and/or salt on an old shoe, shrink-wraps it and sells it as a cheap and “fast” food product, people will buy it and eat it. Easy. NOT GOOD.
But, making good food choices doesn’t have to equal difficult or time-consuming. Simple choices make a big difference. Mix up a little garlic-herb pre-grill rub of your own and let the flavor of “your choice of protein here” shine through. A couple tablespoons fresh-ground black pepper, garlic powder to taste, a LITTLE salt (if absolutely necessary) and a tablespoon (chopped fresh) or a teaspoon (dried leaves) of your favorite herb (like basil, tarragon or oregano). Mix it together and rub-a-dub-dub! Takes five minutes and tastes SO good.
Still feel the need for something saucy? Mix up a simple vinaigrette with three parts vegetable oil to one part vinegar and add a touch of Splenda or Equal, if you feel sweet-deprived . (For example: 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil mixed well with 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar. Artificially sweeten to taste.) Use this tangy, low-carb sauce like you would barbecue sauce—served at the table!
Make healthier choices for a happier life! Have a glorious Fourth of July!
Anita Peacock
Lifelong Type 1 Diabetic
Owner/Manager/Designer
MyDiabeticBag.com
peacockproducts@bellsouth.net
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