Tomato & Avocado Salad

This is a good use of fresh summer vegetables.  If you can still get good tomatoes, this would be a lovely transitional salad to have with grilled chicken or steaks this month.

Recipe Notes

For the champagne vinaigrette, I like Girard's light champagne vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• Large tomatoes (preferably heirloom), sliced
• Grape tomatoes (preferably mixed colors), sliced in half
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced into strips
• Champagne vinaigrette (store bought or homemade)
• Chopped tarragon
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1.  Arrange large tomato slices on a plate, followed by the avocado slices.

2.  Scatter grape tomatoes and red onion slices over plate and sprinkle with tarragon, salt, and pepper.

3.  Drizzle with champagne vinaigrette and serve.

Creamy Avocado Basil Pesto

I found this recipe on Pinterest (original recipe credit to Ambitious Kitchen) and I modified it slightly.  The original recipe may be found here.  This was a great topping for grilled chicken and would likely work with several other meats as well.  It is creamy and tastes like a pesto, but there is no oil, so the result is better for you!

CREAMY AVOCADO BASIL PESTO

Recipe Notes

The original recipe calls for pine nuts, but I used walnuts instead.  I also used more avocado than the original recipe called for, which made it extra creamy.  The original recipe also called for the cook to stir in the Parmesan at the end.  I added it to the food processor instead.

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 large ripe avocado
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp. walnuts
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
• 3 tbsp. water, plus more to thin if desired
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1.  Place first five ingredients in a food processor and pulse until chopped and roughly combined.

2.  Add 3 tbsp. water and process until smooth.  Add more water at this stage, if needed, to achieve desired consistency.

3.  Add Parmesan cheese and pulse until combined.

4.  Store in an airtight container (or sealed mason jar) and refrigerate.  Pesto will keep for a few days in fridge if properly stored on the front end.

Frankie's Topping-for-Anything

I have slightly adapted this recipe, which I found in InStyle Magazine, as noted below.  Credit for original recipe goes to New Yorker Frank Castronovo of Frankie's Spuntino and Frankie's 457 fame.

FRANKIE'S TOPPING-FOR-ANYTHING

Recipe Notes

I modified this from the original recipe by cutting the olive oil in half and swapping red onions for white onions.  I put my tomatoes on small, individual beds of arugula tossed with a little Wishbone balsamic vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c. pitted Castelvetrano olives, chopped
• 2 tbsp. brined capers, rinsed and chopped
• 1/4 c. finely-chopped red onion
• 1/4 c. loosely-packed small basil leaves, chopped
• 1/4 c. loosely-packed flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• Sea salt
• Heirloom tomatoes, sliced thick

Instructions

1.  Combine all ingredients through crushed red pepper in a bowl.

2.  Season to taste with sea salt and toss.

3.  Arrange tomato slices on a platter and season with salt and black pepper.  Spoon olive topping over tomatoes and serve.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

This is an old Martha Stewart FOOD Magazine recipe that I'd never gotten around to trying.  These are a little bit sweet and a little bit savory, which is a nice combination.

TWICE-BAKED SWEET POTATOES

Recipe Notes

These take between 1.5-2 hours start to finish, so make sure to allow for extra preparation time.  I omitted the chives in the version shown above and it turned out great.  If your sweet potato skin falls apart a little bit when you scoop out the sweet potato, you can reshape the skin when you add the contents back in.  The skin will adhere to the filling.  This recipe is easily halved.

Ingredients

• 5 medium sweet potatoes
• 4 oz. fresh goat cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 c. chopped pecans
• 1/4 c. panko bread crumbs
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Prick sweet potatoes several times with a fork and wrap in foil.

3.  Bake approximately 1 hour or until tender when pierced with a knife.

4.  When cool enough to handle, cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise.  

5.  Scoop out all but 1/4 inch flesh from inside sweet potato skins.

6.  Arrange skins in a single layer in a 9x13-inch baking dish.

7.  Place sweet potato flesh, goat cheese, salt, pepper, chives, and 2 tbsp. butter in a food processor.  Process until smooth.

8.  Spoon mixture into potato skins.

9.  In a small bowl, combine remaining butter, panko, and chopped pecans.  Spoon panko mixture over the top of the sweet potatoes.

10.  Bake at 375 degrees or until topping is golden, approx. 10-12 minutes.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Sweet Potatoes

Great fall side alert!  I found this while browsing Pinterest and it went great with grilled chicken.  It requires some chopping but otherwise this is a super-easy side.

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS & SWEET POTATOES

Recipe Notes

The original recipe includes pecans (which I've included here as well).  I skipped the pecans in the version above and it turned out great without as well.  Recipe credit to www.theroastedroot.net.)

Ingredients

• 4 c. brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch to 1 inch chunks
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin (go lightly here)
• Pinch of allspice
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt, or more to taste
• 1/4 c. raw pecans (may exclude)
• 1/3 c. feta cheese
• 1/2 c. balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Mix all ingredients through sea salt in a bowl, stir well to combine.

3.  Turn out vegetables in a glass 8x8 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

4.  Place on center rack in oven and bake for 45-60 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.  Stir once halfway through cooking.

4.  While vegetables roast, heat balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until boiling.

5.  Cook at a full controlled boil, stirring frequently, until vinegar is reduced to between 1/3 and 1/2 of its original volume (approx. 5-7 minutes).

6.  Remove vegetables from oven and sprinkle with feta cheese.  Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the top and serve.

Tomato Salad with Caesar Breadcrumbs

This Cooking Light recipe was a nice little twist on fresh tomatoes.  

TOMATO SALAD WITH CAESAR BREADCRUMBS

Recipe Notes

I tossed the arugula in a small amount of Wishbone balsamic vinaigrette instead of making my own as the recipe recommends.  It was faster, and I also generally think that bottled vinaigrettes are superior to those that I can make myself, anyway.  I also skipped the anchovy paste in this recipe.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 4)

95 calories - 7.2 g. fat

Ingredients

• 6 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 tsp. anchovy paste
• 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 cups arugula
• 1-1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt

Instructions

1.  Heat 4 tsp. olive oil, garlic, and anchovy paste in a skillet over medium heat (1 minute).

2.  Add fresh breadcrumbs and cook for 1-1/2 minutes.

3.  Combine remaining olive oil, arugula, and balsamic vinegar (or substitute bottled vinaigrette for the vinegar and oil).

4.  Top arugula with sliced tomatoes.  Sprinkle breadcrumbs and kosher salt over tomatoes.

Creamed Corn

This Southern Living recipe for creamed corn was easy and really good.  I halved the recipe (13 ears of corn is a LOT of corn!) and still had plenty to spare.

CREAMED CORN

Recipe Notes

This recipe uses a corn reamer.  I would recommend buying one because it makes recipe assembly MUCH easier.  They are not expensive, either.  Mine was less than $10.

Ingredients

• 13 ears of fresh corn, husked
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• Minced chives for garnish

Instructions

1.  Cut kernels off cobs using a corn reamer.  Discard cobs.

2.  Cook kernels in a small Dutch oven over low heat, stirring often, for approximately 30 minutes or until corn is tender.  (Add water as needed, one tbsp. at a time, to keep corn from drying out during cooking.)

3.  Stir in cream and butter.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until mixture reaches desired consistency.

4.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Garnish with chives.

Baked Zucchini Chips

This Southern Living recipe made for a great, crunchy side.  And my kids could help cook because they were able to dunk the zucchini in panko!

BAKED ZUCCHINI CHIPS

Recipe Notes

I had a good amount of panko/basil/cheese mixture left over after coating the zucchini.  This recipe generally uses one large zucchini.

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1/4 c. loosely-packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 c. shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 lb. zucchini, sliced thinly into rounds
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Cooking spray

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2.  Process panko, basil, salt, and cheese in a food processor for 10-15 seconds or until finely-ground.

3.  Pour panko mixture into a medium bowl.

4.  Toss zucchini rounds in olive oil.  

5.  Dredge zucchini pieces, one at a time, in panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere.

6.  Place rounds in a single layer on a foil-lined jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray.

7.  Bake 30 minutes or until browned and crispy.  Serve hot.

Zucchini & Onion Gratin

This Cooking Light side was easy and delicious and really good for you.  I had at least seconds and maybe thirds.

ZUCCHINI & ONION GRATIN

Recipe Notes

I really, really love tomato paste in recipes, so I doubled the tomato paste from the original recipe.  I used a mandoline slicer to get my onions really thin.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 6)

92 calories - 6.3 g. fat - 4 g. protein - 7 g. carbohydrates - 2 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. grated lemon rind
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 1-1/2 lb. zuccini, diagonally-sliced thin
• 1 oz. Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated (about 1/4 cup)

Instructions

1.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 tbsp. oil to pan and swirl to coat.

2.  Add onion and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.  Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.

4.  Stir in lemon rind, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Cook two minutes more, stirring occasionally.

5.  Preheat broiler to high.

6.  Combine zucchini slices and 1 tbsp. olive oil.  Toss gently to coat.

7.  Arrange zucchini on a jelly roll pan lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with Pam.

8.  Broil for 7 minutes or until lightly charred.  Sprinkle with approx. 1/4 tsp. salt.

9.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

10.  Spread onion mixture into the bottom of a 2 qt. oven-safe dish coated with cooking spray.

11.  Arrange zucchini over onion mixture.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

12.  Cover and bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

13.  Remove from oven and preheat broiler to high once more.

14.  Uncover zucchini mixture and broil approx. 1 minute more or until lightly browned.

Creamy Rice Casserole

I adapted this rice from a recipe that Aaron Sanchez published called "Zarela's Famous Creamy Rice".  I made my version healthier and also took out the poblano chiles, which saved some time.  If you want the original recipe, it can be found here.

CREAMY RICE CASSEROLE

Recipe Notes

This dish is great with grilled chicken and a big salad.  It's Mexican-inspired with the rice, corn, and cilantro flavors, so it will go well with Mexican dishes and just about anything grilled.

Ingredients

• 2 c. uncooked basmati rice
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 c. light sour cream
• 3/4 c. onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 c. cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 ears of corn, kernels cut from the cob
• 4 oz. shredded white cheddar cheese

Instructions

1.  Cook rice according to package directions either on the stovetop or in a rice cooker.  Set aside to cool.

2.  Meanwhile, spray a large skillet with cooking spray.  Saute corn with 1 tbsp. butter until charred, stirring occasionally.  Set aside to cool.

3.  Wipe out skillet and heat with 1 tbsp. vegetable oil.  Add onion and minced garlic and saute until soft and fragrant.

4.  Combine cooked and cooled rice, cooled corn, and onion/garlic mixture.  Fold in sour cream, grated white cheddar cheese, and cilantro.

5.  Turn rice and corn mixture out into a 9x13 glass baking dish sprayed with Pam.

6.  Bake for approx. 30 minutes at 350 degrees until heated through.

7.  Serve immediately.

Sun Dried Tomato Roasted Potatoes

Easy side dish alert!  Jazz up your roasted potatoes with a little sun dried tomato paste.  I like to then roast my potatoes at a low temperature (300 degrees) for longer (between 45-60 minutes) to ensure a soft inside and crispy outside.

SUNDRIED TOMATO ROASTED POTATOES

Recipe Notes

Sun dried tomato paste can be found in the pasta section of the grocery store in a toothpaste-looking tube.

Ingredients

• Baby potatoes (I prefer yukon gold) - approx. 2 lbs.
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. sun dried tomato paste
• Coarse salt and black pepper

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2.  Line a jelly roll pan with foil and spray generously with cooking spray.

3.  Wash and halve baby potatoes.  Toss with olive oil, tomato paste, salt, and pepper.

4.  Turn potatoes out onto baking sheet.  Roast at 300 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until very tender.

Green Beans with Citrus & Pecans

This festive holiday side was recently featured in Southern Living.  I have two problems with the original recipe: 1) there is waaaaay too much vinaigrette called for in the original recipe (I ultimately used about 1/3 of the recipe) and 2) the original recipe says to chill and serve cold.  I like room temp or hot green beans, so I made mine accordingly.

GREEN BEANS WITH CITRUS & PECANS

Recipe Notes

Walnuts may also be substituted for the pecans.  I had never used cane syrup before.  I think that molasses can generally be substituted for the cane syrup here.

Ingredients

• 1 shallot, diced small
• 3/4 c. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. orange zest
• 1/3 c. fresh orange juice
• 1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 c. cane syrup
• 2 lb. green beans or haricot verts (very thin green beans)
• 2 oranges, sectioned
• 1/2 c. chopped, toasted pecans

Instructions

1.  Whisk together first six ingredients (through cane syrup) and add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

2.  Cook green beans until crisp-tender and drain.

3.  Pat beans dry with paper towels.  Place beans and orange sections in a zip-top plastic bag.  Add vinaigrette (I would only recommend adding a few tbsp.) and seal bag.

4.  Turn bag several times to coat beans and oranges.

5.  Serve topped with pecans.

Fall Vegetable Hash

I lightened up this Southern Living recipe a bit.  It's a nice alternative for a starchy vegetable when you are trying to cook healthy and don't want all of the extra carbs from mashed potatoes or pasta.

FALL VEGETABLE HASH

Recipe Notes

The original recipe calls for "thick bacon slices".  I used center cut bacon and it worked great while trimming fat and calories.  The original recipe also called for 2 tbsp. of olive oil.  I eliminated the olive oil and just used the limited bacon drippings in the pan for sauteing the vegetables, which further eliminated fat and calories from the original recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bacon (I used center-cut), chopped
• 1 medium-sized sweet onion, chopped
• 1 medium-sized sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 medium turnip, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 lb. small fresh Brussels sprouts, halved with bottoms cut off
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

Instructions

1.  Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until cooked through but not crisp.  Remove bacon to paper towels and pat dry.

2.  Add onion and sweet potato to hot skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 5 minutes.  Add turnip and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes.

3.  Add bacon back to skillet.

4.  Add Brussels sprouts and garlic to skillet.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until Brussels sprouts are softened (5-10 minutes).

5.  Mix vinegar with 2 tbsp. water.  Add vinegar mixture to skillet.

6.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

7.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Asparagus with Lemon & Pecorino

This is a great, simple Cooking Light side dish.

ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON & PECORINO

Recipe Notes

I used shaved Parmesan because I couldn't find pecorino Romano that day.  I recommend a Microplane grater for your lemon rind.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 4)

53 calories - 3.1 g. fat

Ingredients

• 1 lb. thin asparagus, trimmed
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. grated lemon rind
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 oz. shaved pecorino Romano cheese

Instructions

1.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes or until crisp/tender.

2.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add oil to the pan and swirl to coat.  

3.  Add asparagus and cook 1-2 minutes.

4.  Sprinkle asparagus evenly with lemon rind, salt, and pepper.  Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Esquites (Mexican Corn Salad)

I have been using Corey as a guinea pig for lots of Pinterest recipes lately.  This recipe for Mexican corn salad looked good and relatively healthy (I made some modifications to the original to skinny it up).  I ran this through the Weight Watchers Points Plus tracker, and I come up with a value of 3 Points+ based on six servings.

ESQUITES

Recipe Notes

The author of the original recipe (the blogger behind Closet Cooking) also posted a version with avocado, which looks yummy but will add to the Points if you are following Weight Watchers.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 4 ears of fresh corn, cut from the cob
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• 2 tbsp. light mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 handful of cilantro, chopped
• Juice of one lime
• 2 tbsp. feta cheese (crumbled)
• Chili powder to taste

Instructions

1.  Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium high.

2.  Add corn, toss to coat, and then let it sit cooking until charred (5-ish minutes).  Mix it up and char it again.

3.  Add jalapeno and garlic, saute for one minute.  Remove from heat.

4.  Mix the balance of the ingredients in and gently toss.

5.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

BLT Chopped Salad

I found this salad on Pinterest and thought it looked interesting for summer....fresh corn, avocado, tomatoes, and my husband's favorite (bacon!) made for a really nice salad.

Recipe Notes

I ran this version through the WW Points Plus tracker and I came up with a Points value of 5.  I did make modifications from the original recipe that I found (I added more lettuce, used less cheese, and used center-cut bacon instead of slab to make it healthier).

Ingredients

• 3 c. Bibb lettuce, chopped
• 3 c. arugula, chopped
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
• Fresh corn kernels from one large ear of corn
• 1 avocado, diced
• 4 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• 1-1/2 tbsp. olive oil
• Juice from one lime
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1.  Combine Bibb lettuce, arugula, grape tomatoes, corn kernels, avocado, bacon, and feta in a large bowl.

2.  Whisk olive oil and lime juice to make the dressing.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

3.  Toss salad gently with dressing and serve immediately.

Mediterranean Tomatoes

This is a very simple recipe for fresh tomatoes to enjoy while the tomatoes are still good here at the end of the summer!

MEDITERRANEAN TOMATOES

Recipe Notes

None.

Ingredients

• Beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
• Feta cheese (from the deli, such as Murray's Cheese, preferred)
• Kalamata olives, sliced or chopped
• Fresh basil, cut in a chiffonnade
• Fresh oregano, chopped
• Olive oil (use sparingly)
• Good-quality salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Instructions

1.  Arrange tomatoes on a plate.

2.  Sprinkle with feta, olives, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper.  Drizzle sparingly with olive oil.

3.  Chill for 20-30 minutes and serve.

Snappy Green Rice

My mom took an old Houston Junior League Cookbook recipe for this "Snappy Green Rice" and made it healthier.  I took it and made it even a bit more healthier.  We served this rice with a large salad, grilled chicken, and mango-avocado salsa.  I little bit goes a long way.  I did the WW points for this recipe, assuming 16 servings, and came up with a Points Plus value of just 3 points.

SNAPPY GREEN RICE

Recipe Notes

I used light sour cream and regular shredded cheddar (but reduced the portion by 3/4).  I bet you could use fat free sour cream and low fat shredded cheddar to further "healthify" this recipe, but I am not sure how the low fat cheddar would melt.  I used cheddar cheese, but I bet you could use monterey jack cheese successfully here too.

Ingredients

• 2 c. uncooked white rice, prepared according to package directions
• 1 c. parsley, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, finely diced
• 4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 oz. diced canned green chiles
• 1 c. reduced fat sour cream
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1.  Prepare rice according to package directions. 

2.  In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and stir in rice when cooked through.

3.  Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

4.  Add rice mixture to a 2 qt. casserole dish sprayed with Pam.  Bake at 275 degrees for one hour.

5.  Serve hot with chicken or steak.

Carrots with Mustard Seeds & Dill

This tasty side appeared in a recent issue of Real Simple.  I served it with grilled chicken and a salad and both my husband and I liked it very much.

CARROTS WITH MUSTARD SEEDS & DILL

Recipe Notes

I could not find "young or small carrots", so I got a bunch of regular sized carrots and cut each one into at least quarters, which ended up being a good size.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 4)

73 calories - 3 g. fat - 1 g. protein - 10 g. carbs - 4 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter (the recipe calls for 1 tbsp, but I used half that)
• 1 lb. young or small carrots, halved lengthwise
• 2 tsp. mustard seeds (I used ground mustard seeds so that the carrots almost had a type of mustard glaze on them after cooking)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped

Instructions

1.  Melt butter in a large skillet.  Add carrots, mustard seeds, salt, and 3/4 c. water.

2.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender and water has cooked off (15-17 minutes).

3.  Add vinegar and dill.  Toss to combine and serve.

Roasted Asparagus with Garlic & Red Pepper

Cooking Light does a nice job with really quick little sides that they include paired with larger dishes.  This was one of them.  They don't give full nutritional information, but this side dish did have less than 100 calories per serving, and I think that it has between 1-2 WW Points Plus only because of the olive oil.

 

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH GARLIC & RED PEPPER

 

Recipe Notes

I roasted mine significantly longer than the original recipe called for....you can cook these anywhere from 8-15 minutes depending on your preference.

 

I prefer long, very thin asparagus.  If you get more traditional, thicker asparagus, your roasting time will need to increase.  This dish serves four.

 

Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

 

1.  Line a jelly roll pan with foil.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Combine asparagus, olive oil, crushed red pepper, garlic, and salt and pepper on the jelly roll pan.  Toss well to coat.

3.  Roast for between 8-15 minutes, depending on preference.  I roasted mine for 13 minutes.  Toss at least once during cooking.

4.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with additional salt.