Grilled Asparagus- You won't believe asparagus can taste this good!
You will need:
Olive oil- about a tablespoon
Crushed Garlic 2 large cloves (thru a press is best)
Asparagus (one bunch) medium in diameter. don't use the real thin ones as they will cook too fast and burn crispy. The thicker ones work better for this recipe.
Wash the asparagus very thoroughly and cut of ends. The white on the butt end is what you want to cut off. If they are green all the way down then just slice of the end of it. I learned the best way to trim them was by hand. Hold a handful of tips in your fist and grab the butt end with your thumb and fingers from the other hand and bend it. It is suppose to break at the end of the tough part and you cook what's left. Many find this wasteful so you choose.
ok, get out a shallow dish or gallon size Ziploc bag and put the cleaned and trimmed asparagus in. add the garlic and olive oil and shake it around ( or in the pan mix it all around to coat the asparagus.
You can grill this or bake it in a 400 degree oven. Either way it comes out very good. For the grill, just dump the asparagus on the already heated grill. Make sure to lay them so they don't fall through. The oil will flare up the flame so use caution when you first put them on. Cook until just starting to char and turn them. It only takes a couple minutes each side depending on the heat of your grill.
For the oven method simply lay them on a cookie sheet in an even layer and check on them after two to three minutes. make sure you don't have any excess oil on the pan. if you do just blot it up with a paper towel before you bake it. You just want to lightly brown, or lightly char them before turning.
That's it, take them out, let them cool a couple minutes and you will be eating them like shoestring potatoes! They are very tasty.
Squash and Tomato Medley
I just made that name up, this is one of my favorite dishes when it's cooked properly. It never had a name that I know of so if someone else ever had this please let me know if it has a name.
You will need:
2 teaspoons of Olive oil ( or canola.....butter works too but I always prefer olive oil.)
1 small yellow onion, cut in 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces
8 red ripe tomatoes, diced (Roma are good) or one can of whole tomatoes (14-16 oz)
3 cloves garlic (thru a press is best) if not, chopped finely works
1 yellow squash, sliced
1 zucchini squash, sliced
salt and pepper to taste ( I like 1/4 cracked pepper and sea salt)
Add oil to medium size sauce pan and turn on medium heat. When the oil is hot add onion and garlic and stir around just until translucent, not browned. Then add tomatoes and green chili and cook for five minutes, stirring often, until hot and bubbling. Add squash and cook for about three minutes, stirring a couple times. Squash get soft rather quickly and I like mine with a little crunch so use your own judgement. Remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
This is a great anytime snack or make a meal of it. It goes well with fresh home made garlic bread.
Vegetable Recipe Ideas
