Strictly Nutritious: B vitamins

Image courtesy of worldcommunitycookbook.org

If I could eat asparagus every day of my life, I would. I mean, for starters, it's freakin' cute. It comes in a compact bunch... it's my favorite color... it has such lovely details on the end of its spears... it tastes fantastic. What's not to like? Now I admit, I sound nuts, but just ask Adam and he will confirm that I am preaching the truth here! I make a bee-line for asparagus just about every time we walk into the market. Long live asparagus! And yes, I'll take seconds!

Not only is asparagus tasty and good-lookin', but I'm happy to tell you that it's fantastic for your insides! Here's why...

CANCER FIGHTING - Asparagus contains many antioxidants, among them glutathione, which has been referred to as 'the mother of all antioxidants'. This antioxidant actually attracts toxins and free radicals, then removes them from the body. The anti-inflammatory compounds in asparagus also help to prevent cancer.

HEART HELPING - The fiber and B vitamins (among them, folate) in asparagus can help lower the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

FLUID BALANCING - The high potassium content in asparagus helps to maintain the fluid balance inside the cells and tissues. Potassium is also essential in maintaining the activities of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

DIGESTION SUPPORTING - The nutrient inulin (not to be confused with insulin) in asparagus passes undigested through the intestinal tract on its way to the large intestine, where it feeds the friendly bacteria that helps in nutrient absorption.

CELL GROWING - Just 1 cup of asparagus provides approximately 70% of your daily value of vitamin K, which is essential in cell growth, bone mineralization and blood clotting.

Now asparagus can be cooked in many different ways, but I'd like to share my favorite way with you now...

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. After washing the asparagus well, cut off the hard ends and then slice the spears in half.

Grab your army of spices. I suggest sea salt (or regular salt), pepper and garlic salt or garlic powder.


On a grill pan (or regular saute pan), heat 1-2 Tbs. of olive oil on medium-high heat, add the asparagus and lightly season with your army of spices (you can always add more later once you taste it).

Press down on the asparagus as it cooks so it starts to get the 'grilled effect'. After it starts to soften and becomes a deeper shade of green (approximately 5 minutes), remove from the heat and put the whole grill pan in the oven (ONLY IF your pan is oven-safe). If not, just lightly spray a baking pan with non-stick spray and evenly space the asparagus on the pan.

Roast the asparagus on 450 degrees until it starts to shrivel (approx. 5-10 minutes). It will look like the picture above.

Serve it up as a side. It goes great with fish and it's SOOOO easy!

Here are a few other recipes to get your wheels turning...

ROASTED ASPARAGUS AND CHERRY TACOS
Sometimes the oddest combinations end up surprising you! She raves about this one!

Image courtesy of thekitchn.com

SHAVED ASPARAGUS PIZZA

Image courtesy of smittenkitchen.com

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

My favorite holiday is Cinco de Mayo. Well, maybe Christmas... but Cinco de Mayo is definitely a close second. I adore Mexican food. In my 'former life', when I lived in Atlanta and was surrounded by cheap Mexican restaurants, I would sometimes go for lunch and order queso (my death row dish of choice) twice a week. It's really a miracle I didn't gain 1,000 pounds. I made people take me for Mexican on my birthday every single year. Sometimes I wore a sombrero. Mexican food is serious business in my book.

With all that said, I'm sad to admit that I have an extreme lack of enthusiasm for guacamole (Earth to Lauren! You LOVE Mexican. Get with the program!). Something about avocado just doesn't sit well with my taste buds. Frankly, I'm disappointed in them.

Despite their lack of enthusiasm, I've been trying to incorporate avocados into my diet because, well, they're just packed with so many good things! I hate to miss out on a good nutrient party.

Image courtesy of merchantcircle.com

There are more than 80 varieties of avocados, the most common in the United States being the Hass avocado or the 'alligator pear', a reference to it's dark green color and bumpy texture. Avocados have the highest protein content of any fruit, making it a great choice for people who want to incorporate plant-based protein into their diets.

Avocados are packed with 'good' fats, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated.These fast help lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol and help raise your HDL (good) cholesterol.
Avocados contain more potassium than a banana, the 'potassium poster-child'. Potassium plays an important role in metabolic function and muscle growth.
Avocados are rich in B vitamins (which help the immune system fight disease and break down protein), vitamin C (for growth and development), vitamin E (for healthy skin and hair and free-radical fighting) and vitamin K (which is responsible for blood clotting).
Avocados contain folate, which is instrumental in the development of healthy cells and tissues (folate is very important for pregnant women and infants).
Avocados are an excellent source of fiber, which aids in proper digestion.

Avocados can be a bit intimidating when it comes to picking them out and knowing when they're ripe. Here's a fantastic chart explaining what the avocado looks like in each stage of the ripening process... http://www.avocadocentral.com/how-to/how-to-pick-how-to-buy-avocados You'll know it's ready to eat when it yields slightly to firm pressure, and if you need to speed up the process, you can put it in a paper bag as it ripens.

My friend Katie found this amazing recipe for tilapia burgers with watermelon salsa and avocado http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/05/tilapia-burgers-with-watermelon-salsa-avocado/ It met my standards for sufficiently disguising the taste of avocado and tricking my taste buds into submission. Here's a play-by-play on how to make them (minus measurements...that's what the recipe link above is for!).

To make the watermelon salsa, finely dice the garlic.

Remove the insides of half a jalapeno and...

chop finely.

Wash and chop a small head of cilantro.

Finely chop a red onion.

Dice the watermelon into small pieces.

Combine all the ingredients and set your salsa aside.

Finely chop the tilapia (or use a food processor).

Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl (bread crumbs, spices, eggs).

Add the tilapia to the bowl of remaining ingredients...

and form burger patties (try not to make them too thick).

When the olive oil in your skillet is piping hot, cook the burgers for 3-4 minutes on each side or until brown.
When they're done, they'll feel firm when you press against the top.