Variations: Asparagus

As many of you may know, I LOVE to cook. The dishes associated with said activity are another subject, but I am more than content to spend some time in the kitchen. Since that isn't always possible and because I have a somewhat limited budget, I try to make the food that I whip up last for more than one meal. This is great for a gal like me, since I'm usually cooking for one, but if you are cooking for more then you can just make extras at the same time and have them on hand for your variations. This will still save you time and money.

Now eating the same leftovers over and over again is actually the definition of unexciting, so I try to take one ingredient and play with different variations. If you haven't figured it out yet, I am going to do a series of posts about these variations and today's subject is asparagus!

Photo via vegkitchen.com

Last night I cooked up a batch of these tree-looking gems and per usual there were some left overs. Below is the original recipe and the ways that I plan to use these babies follow.

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon

1 bunch asparagus (I tend to like the skinner guys, but any fresh ones will work)

Drizzle of olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Juice from half a lemon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Chop of the hard ends of the asparagus (not the tops that look like trees) and place them in a single layer in a pan. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle on the S&P. Toss to coat. Stick them in the oven for about 7 minutes, more if they are thicker. They are ready when you can stick a fork in them (haha). Squirt the lemon juice on them and serve.

Variations:

- A piece of good bread toasted and topped with cheddar, asparagus and avocado.

- Mixed in to a scramble. I like mine with goat cheese and fresh herbs.

- Thrown into a pasta salad with tomatoes, basil, feta and olives. Throw on a little olive oil and balsamic and you are good to go.

Are you a fan of these green giants? What variations would you whip up?