A sure sign that spring is near or has arrived is when asparagus starts appearing in grocery stores and at local farm markets. (Or maybe you’re lucky enough to have asparagus growing in your vegetable garden!)
There are lots of ways to cook this non-starchy vegetable. These often involve steaming it, boiling it, or even grilling it. But after a busy day, cooking dinner needs to be fast and easy in our household.
Great asparagus without grilling it
Grilling asparagus can be a great way to cook it, but after a long day, it’s sometimes too much trouble to deal with getting the grill going and cleaning it after dinner. So I developed an easy way to cook asparagus using a frying pan. If you have one, I recommend a cast iron frying pan, but any pan will work.
Best of all, you only need three other ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
Making it fun to cook
As you prepare the asparagus for cooking, you can chop it, but with fresh asparagus, you can also snap it with your fingers. This is quick and can be a great stress reliever after work. Snapping it to break it into bite-sized pieces is also something children do, so it’s a great way to get them involved with vegetables and cooking.
Make extra to serve later in the week
If you can, make extra portions of this vegetable side dish. Since you can serve it warm or cold, it’s a perfect addition to a future lunch or supper. Serve it by itself as a side dish, add it to a salad, or even put it in an omelet or wrap.
Asparagus nutrition
Many of us eat asparagus because we like it, but it’s also a healthy, nutritious, non-starchy vegetable that can benefit your health.
Six spears of asparagus (about 1 cup) cooked with only water has only 20 calories and just under 4 grams of carbohydrates. This makes it an excellent choice for people who have diabetes or for anyone who is trying to lose weight, avoid gaining weight, or is at risk of developing diabetes.
Asparagus also provides fiber and important micronutrients. In fact, eating 6 spears provides you with 33% of the recommended daily value of folate. This vitamin helps prevent birth defects and cancer and is essential for brain development and cognitive function. If you follow a gluten free diet, which tends to be low in folate, eating asparagus can help you get this important micronutrient.
Six spears of asparagus also provide you with 57% of the recommended daily value of vitamin K. Vitamin K has several roles in your body, including keeping your bones healthy and strong as you age.
If you are a vegetarian, or rarely consume red meat, eating six spears of asparagus is also a tasty way to get just under 5% of the recommended daily value of iron.
So the next time you’re enjoying eating asparagus, know that your body will benefit from your vegetable choice!
Looking for simple changes to help you eat healthier, lose weight or have a healthier gut?
Adding healthy and delicious non-starch vegetables such as fresh asparagus to your meals is a good way to start. If you’re looking for more ideas on how to eat healthier, click here and instantly download your free guide, “5 Secrets to Successfully Changing How You Eat”
Then get more personalized help related to your eating habits or health by booking your free discovery call with me. We can discuss what you want to accomplish and see if working with me would be helpful to you.
Balsamic Asparagus
Here's a quick and easy way to enhance the flavor of asparagus with a few simple ingredients. It works as a warm side dish or chilled.
Having personally struggled with weight and gut health issues, I understand how easy it is to think that food is the enemy especially with the changes our bodies undergo as we age. It doesn’t have to be that way!
I love using my extensive education and coach approach to help people realize it is possible to feel better and be healthier while still enjoying their life and food.
