Ask for Asparagus!

If you love fresh asparagus, then spring is the perfect time to buy a bunch of hand-cut, fresh-from-the-fields spears at the grocery store. The healthy benefits of asparagus can’t be beat. In fact, it’s the king of veggies when it comes to providing folate, the B vitamin that’s thought to play an important role in preventing heart attacks.

Asparagus is also a good source of vitamin C, part of the nutrition arsenal that keeps your immune system in fighting form. Just 10 spears can provide about 20 percent of the daily recommendation for C.

And best of all, no vegetable is more elegant than asparagus. With flavor both distinctive and unique, it dazzles when prepared simply, as in this family favorite Hazelnut Asparagus Salad:

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fresh asparagus, cut into 1½-inch pieces
• 3 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons walnut oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts
• Red leaf lettuce
• Grape tomatoes

Instructions:

Place the asparagus in a heavy saucepan with just enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat, and cook the asparagus gently, just until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour off the hot water, then rinse the asparagus in cold water to stop cooking. Pat dry. Place in a glass or plastic bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, oil, honey, and hazelnuts. Pour over the asparagus. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Serve on a bed of red leaf lettuce. Garnish with the tomatoes, and enjoy!

 

Yield: 6 servings