Experimenting in the Kitchen Lab

Yesterday's dinner was an experiment so I set my expectations low and am very pleased to say that I was pleasantly surprised!  Rummaging through a fridge that is dwindling on grocery stock can be frustrating, but when something delicious comes out of it, you'll be glad you drove PAST Fort Street's fast food row and made it to the safety of your own kitchen...where real meals can be made.  Anyways, back to the dish: Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta. YUM.

Ingredients:


~10 spears of asparagus 
1/2 cup of chopped Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil
1/4 cup of minced onions
2-3 cloves of minced garlic (depending on how you feel about garlic)
1 Tbsp of butter
2 servings of Whole Wheat/Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti
Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
Garlic Salt (to taste)
Ground Pepper (to taste)
*Serves 2


Cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces and place them in a saute pan with about 3/4 inch of water in the bottom.  Cook them on med-high until they soften (but still have a bit of a crispness to them).  In the meantime, mince your onions and garlic and saute these with 1 Tbsp of butter in a separate pan.  Keep an eye on the asparagus and turn the temperature down to low when they've reached the desired texture.  Place a pot of water on high and allow it to come to a boil before adding your pasta. While the water is coming to a boil, let the onions soften and add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  Turn the temperature to low on the onion and tomato mixture and add the asparagus.  Cover your sauce and leave it on low while the pasta cooks.  Drain your pasta and mix it together with the sauce mixture, letting the noodles absorb some of the flavor of the tomatoes, onions, and asparagus.  Plate it, parm cheese it, and eat it!


Nutritional benefits: Whole wheat/grain pasta is a great source of carbohydrates - which are NOT your enemy - they are your body's main source of energy and whole grain products allow you to obtain the nutrients from all parts of the grain.  Garlic contains the compound allicin and can possibly contribute to lowering cholesterol.  Asparagus is a good source of potassium and vitamin C and is thought to contain detoxifying and anti-aging agents.  Olive oil contains healthy fats - the good kind that our body needs! WHEW!  This dish is packed with nutrients and tastes great too!