I Love Veggies

Until I was part of this program, I had no idea what I was missing in the vegetable world. Oh, they are so good. Here are some of my faves: 

Asparagus Guacamole

 

• 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon fat-free Greek-style yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Boil asparagus
Blend it up
Add the rest and eat!

Tasty Leeks

 

• 4 leeks, well washed, root end and tops trimmed, sliced lengthwise into quarters and then chopped into 1/2-inch segments
• 1/3 cup fresh dill, well chopped
• 1 C Asparagus
• extra-virgin olive oil
• fine-grain sea salt

1. Put 1 T olive oil & salt in pot along with leeks & asparagus.
2. Stir until the leeks are coated and glossy. Cook, stirring regularly until a lot of the leeks are golden and crispy. I stir every minute or two in the beginning, and more often as they brown.
3. All in all it takes me roughly 7 - 10 minutes to brown the leeks. At this point stir in the dill.
4. Cook for a couple more minutes. Turn out into a bowl or onto a platter and serve immediately

Butternut Squash Fries

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Use a veggie peeler to cut away the peel from the squash. Cut the squash into sticks like French fries. Arrange squash pieces on a baking sheet and season with garlic salt or onion powder or just salt (or for sweet, cinnamon or nutmeg).
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, turning the fries over halfway through baking. Fries are done when they are starting to brown on the edges and become crispy.

Asian Green Beans

• * 1/4 cup whole almonds (about 1-1/2ounces)
• * 4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• * 1 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
• * 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• * 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• * 1 large garlic clove
• * 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• * 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
• * 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leave

1. Place almonds in small nonstick skillet. Stir over medium heat until almonds are lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Increase heat medium-high. Add 3 teaspoons soy sauce and stir until soy sauce evaporates and coats almonds, about 1 minute. Transfer to plate and cool. Chop almonds. Cook beans in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Rinse beans under cold water. Drain well. (Almonds and beans can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover almonds and store at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate beans; bring to room temperature before continuing.)
2. Whisk vinegar, oil, garlic, ginger and remaining 1 teaspoon soy sauce in large bowl to blend. Add beans and toss to coat. Sprinkle green onions, cilantro and almonds over salad and serve.