Balsamic Asparagus

As promised, I am sharing my asparagus recipe that I made the other night when our friends came over for dinner.  The four of us love asparagus so it was the perfect side dish to our lasagna!  I wanted to spice it up a little bit so I added some balsamic vinegar which gave it the perfect flavor.

Ingredients for asparagus:

·         1 ½ lbs asparagus

·         3 cloves garlic, minced (again I used my Spice World garlic)

·         2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used an 18 year old aged balsamic that my boyfriend’s dad got us from Olive Oil Etcetera and it’s truly the best I have ever tasted)

Directions:

1.       Trim the ends off of the asparagus.

2.       Place enough water in a big pot to cover the bottom but not much more.  Bring the water to a boil.

3.       Once the water is boiling, add your steamer basket and place the asparagus inside.  Cover with a lid and steam for about 4-5 minutes (I like my asparagus a little softer so if you like it a little hard, boil it for about 3 minutes).

4.       Once the asparagus is done steaming, bring a medium sauté pan to medium heat and add the garlic.  Sauté the garlic until fragrant then add the asparagus and sauté for about 3 minutes.

5.       About 30 seconds before the asparagus is finished, drizzle the 2 tablespoons of vinegar over the stalks and toss to coat.

Nutritional information for asparagus (serves 4):  39 calories, .2g fat, 7.4g carbohydrates, 3.6g fiber, 3.2g sugar, 3.9g protein

Weight watchers points per serving:  0 points plus