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Grilled Asparagus with Garlic

Quick … you have 15 minutes, some asparagus, garlic, and lemon and you need some veggies … what do you do? Make this dish! This recipe is hands down, one of the fastest, easiest, and most delicious things you can do with the king of spring, asparagus. You can use this preparation to add into dozens of other recipes as well, making this not only a standalone side dish, but a building block of lots of other great food. A great option is this couscous with grilled asparagus. The whole thing will take 30 minutes, including grilling the asparagus.

Asparagus pro tip: Thin, thick, it doesn’t really matter, just make sure that the asparagus ends were submerged in water when you bought them. The thin stalks cook much faster, so adjust cooking times accordingly. Personally, if you are going to be chopping them to use in another dish, I think the fat stalks stand up better.

If you don’t have a grill, or just don’t feel like using it, you can easily do this in the broiler. Just make transfer everything to a large, rimmed baking sheet. Preheat the broiler on high, cook for 2-3 minutes, then shake the pan and roll the asparagus over and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

 

Grilled Asparagus with Garlic

Serves 4 as a side

10 minPrep Time

5 minCook Time

15 minTotal Time

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large bunch of asparagus, 1 to 1.5 lbs
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

METHOD

  1. Preheat the grill to medium. (You can also do this in the broiler. See the introduction above for the method).
  2. Snap the stiff, fibrous ends off of the asparagus stalks. Wash the asparagus.
  3. Transfer the asparagus to a flat bottomed baking dish long enough to let everything lay flat. The asparagus does not have to be in one layer.
  4. Mush the garlic through a garlic press directly onto the asparagus in the dish. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
  5. When the grill is ready, lie the asparagus in one layer on the grill. Cook for about two minutes and try and roll everything to the other side. You’ll probably have a piece or two fall through the grate. No worries, really. After about 4 minutes total cooking time, put the asparagus on a serving plate and you’re all done. If you have really thin stalks, the entire cooking time can be cut in half.
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Nutrition

Calories

458 cal

Fat

41 g

Carbs

20 g

Protein

10 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

0 Dinner

Spring Snap Peas with Pecorino

Snap Peas with Pecorino, Lemon, and Black Pepper

It’s been a pretty wet spring here in New Jersey. I think we have had somewhere north of 1000” inches of rain and it’s supposed to rain again tomorrow. All of this makes for an incredibly green landscape, teeming with fresh newness. It also makes for a lawn you need to mow every other day. This dish of snap peas with pecorino evokes all of that newness in a simple uncooked plate that will take you ten minutes to throw together. It plays on the traditional Italian flavors of fava beans and pecorino cheese, but saves you the 90 minutes of peeling fresh fava beans by hand to get enough for two people to eat.

Growing up, we always had this ceramic jar of grated Locatelli Romano cheese in our fridge. It was almost impossible to get the stuff in Richmond, VA in the 80s, so my dad would buy huge blocks of it when he would be in New Jersey visiting family, or even in Washington, DC for a work trip. Later, he would order it online six pounds at a time. I imagine that would last him over a year. Because of all of this Locatelli Romano we had lying around, the flavor of the stuff is really imprinted on me. I have since discovered that there is a whole world of great sheep’s milk cheese out there. (Pecorino is the name given to all Italian cheeses made from sheep’s milk).

Pair this dish with couscous with grilled asparagus and herbs, or a grilled pizza for a fantastic warm weather meal.

Split Snow Pea

Spring Snap Peas with Pecorino

serves 4

15 minPrep Time

15 minTotal Time

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb snap peas
  • Zest of ½ a lemon
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 tbsp good extra virgin olive oil (don’t skimp here)
  • 1 oz or so pecorino romano cheese
  • Flaky salt to taste
  • Very coarsely ground black pepper to taste

METHOD

  1. Cut the snap peas lengthwise into two or three pieces each. If you find any tough ones, either toss them, or set them aside for a recipe that calls for cooking the peas. Once everything is cut, put the snap peas into a medium bowl.
  2. Add the lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Toss the snap peas with your fingers to coat everything nicely. Transfer the peas to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with salt to taste and add pepper to taste. (A side note: I wanted the pepper extra coarse for this, so my 6 year old Silvia had a blast helping me grind the pepper in a mortar and pestle). Shave pecorino on top of the dish. Use as much as you like, but don’t over do it. Pecorino is strong stuff, and can overpower the peas if you go nuts with it. That’s it!

Notes

You could easily use this same method with java beans, or even fresh peas, though I would blanch those for about 30 seconds in boiling water, unless they are super fresh.

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Nutrition

Calories

579 cal

Fat

37 g

Carbs

37 g

Protein

22 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

1 Dinner

Zucchini Parmesan Fritters

Zucchini Parmesan Fritters. Serve with lemony yogurt sauce.

Warm weather has finally rolled in. While it’s not quite the height of the growing season when your friends with gardens are all doing their best to unload their zucchini on you at every possible moment, you can find some good ones in the grocery stores now. These fritters are absolutely delicious, and can pretty much make a meal all by themselves, or with a simple green salad, maybe a crusty piece of bread if you like. And, since they are in pancake form, my kids love them. I have no clue what it is about things that resemble pancakes, but they devour them every time. If you’re planning on leftovers, double the recipe.

Serves 4 as a main, 6 as a side

Zucchini Parmesan Fritters

9 - 10 fritters

15 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

30 minTotal Time

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb. zucchini (about 2 large)
  • 1/2 white onion, finely diced
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 3/4 cup flour (I used white whole wheat)
  • 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • zest of 1/2 lemon
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • salt to taste

METHOD

  1. On the large holes of a box grater, grate zucchini. Using a cheesecloth or clean dishtowel, squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
  2. In a large bowl, combine shredded zucchini with onion, eggs, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Mix in Parmesan and flour and stir until fully incorporated.
  3. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. For each fritter, scoop ¼ cup batter into skillet and cook until golden, 2-3 minutes per side.
  4. While the fritters are cooking, combine yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Mix to combine.
  5. Serve with yogurt sauce
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