Loaded with nutrients like folic acid and vitamin C, which help prevent hardening of the arteries, asparagus is also one of the best foods to help our bodies make glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that we need to protect our blood vessels from oxidative stress and keep our immune systems healthy. To boot, this top healing veggie is a great source of cardio-protective fiber, making it a prebiotic too.
*Choose organic produce whenever possible*
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 lemon, sliced in half
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Pinch garlic salt
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Wash and snap off the asparagus ends; by snapping the spears with your fingers as close to the bottom as possible, you find the natural point at which the tough, fibrous end becomes tender. Fill a sauté pan with about ½-inch water and add the asparagus spears. Cover pan with a lid and steam the asparagus on medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until “al dente” (i.e. firm but tender enough to bite through easily – the asparagus should still be bright green). While asparagus is cooking, peel and mince garlic. When asparagus is done, place it on a serving dish, squeeze the juice from 1/2 lemon over it and sprinkle with garlic. Add a pinch of garlic salt and drizzle with olive oil. Serves 2.
Even Quicker and Easier Asparagus Recipe
In this video, my son, Step and I make a super-quick asparagus recipe using garlic olive oil and lemon olive oil, instead of EVOO, garlic and lemon:
We steamed the asparagus – same as above, then drizzled the flavored olive oils over the asparagus. Then, we added a few grinds of natural salt blend and pepper blend (both available at Vervana.com). Voila… a delicious, nutritious asparagus in seconds!
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