Start your meal off this month with asparagus, a March Foods of the Month. These dark green stem veggies are versatile and can be used as side dishes to accompany a main dish or as appetizers. Here are our favorite ways to start a meal with asparagus:
Asparagus Tapenade – Dip veggies or whole grain chips into this easy and healthy tapenade. Simply chop up boiled asparagus spears, then combine in a blender with lemon juice, fresh parsley, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Do a taste test and add more ingredients if needed (for thicker tapenade add whole wheat bread crumbs and blend). Enjoy!
Mini Egg and Asparagus Toasts – Hard boil an egg and slice. Meanwhile, drizzle asparagus spears (with the ends trimmed off) with extra-virgin olive oil and roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, until slightly browned. Cut the roasted spears into small pieces. Spread french mustard on slices of toasted whole wheat baguette, then top with the egg and asparagus. Add lemon, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Baked Asparagus Fries – Trim the ends off of asparagus spears to desired length. Then, whisk two eggs with a fork and set aside in a bowl. Dip the asparagus into the egg, then roll them in a mixture of whole wheat bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper (the egg helps the breadcrumbs stick). Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until the asparagus is golden brown.
