During the school year, I commute at least 2 hours a day. Because I work so far away from home, I’m always looking for quick, easy, and healthy dishes for dinner. The shorter the prep time, the better! For this dish, you’ll need one bunch of asparagus, olive oil, minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, and sliced almonds. To save prep time, I buy minced garlic and sliced almonds in bulk from a discount club store. This whole recipe takes me less then 20 minutes to prep and cook, so it makes an appearance at least once a week when asparagus is on sale.
Rinse and trim the asparagus to remove the tough bottom parts. I probably over-trim, but I like to make sure I get it all gone!
The knife marks where I usually cut. You can see some spears that I already cut at the top of the picture.
Then, place 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan on medium heat. When it’s warmed up, add 2 Tablespoons of minced garlic and saute it for about 2 minutes.
Next, add 1/2 cup of sliced almonds, mix them up really well with the minced garlic, and saute the mix for another two minutes.
Then, take the garlic-almond mixture out of the pan, and leave it resting on a plate to add back to the dish in a bit (try not to eat too much of this mixture…it is delicious! I sometimes make just this part of the recipe and use it in salads).
Yummy!
In the meantime, add 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar to the pan, and simmer it for about 2 minutes to reduce it just a bit.
Next, add the asparagus to the pan, and mix it to make sure the spears are coated with the balsamic vinegar. Saute for about 2 minutes, then turn the asparagus and saute for 1 more minute.
Mix the asparagus and balsamic vinegar well.
Add the garlic-almond mixture back to the pan, and mix it with the asparagus, sauteing the mixture for just 1 more minute to heat everything back to the full temperature.
This goes great with chicken, beef, fish, or as a stand-alone vegetarian meal. Plus, leftovers can be cut up into bite-sized pieces and added to salad for lunch the next day! Delicious, healthy, and quick…no need to hit the drive through on a work night
Common Sense Country Girl 