Roasted Asparagus with Macadamia Gremolata

Asparagus is one of my favorite spring vegetables.  It is good just about any way you prepare it: raw, steamed, or my favorite roasted.  To roast, toss with a little olive oil and sea salt, then pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes.  It becomes so flavorful, a little crispy  and beautifully colored.  When prepared this way it makes a wonderful side dish for a protein.  I like to make it even more delicious and pretty if I am serving it to guests and add a little Gremolata on top, which is a sort of chunky flavorful pesto.  Mine has macadamia nuts, lemon, parsley and garlic, adding a bit of texture and flavor contrast to the mild asparagus.  The best part is this dish takes very little time to prepare but it is so good. This would make a perfect side for Easter.

Author: Amy Lyons O’Neil

Amy has worked for Fresh and Natural Foods since 2006 contributing to the variety of healthful foods we offer. She graduated with a degree in studio art from Bethel University in 2007, but in her senior year of college, found that her passion was with the art of food. She later used her photography and culinary skills to create a vegan food and recipe blog, Fragrant Vanilla Cake. She has also written 3 cookbooks. She specializes in vegan and vegetarian recipes. Local, fresh and organic food has always been her focus in whatever she creates.

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Servings: 6-8 servings | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Ready in: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs asparagus, bottom ends trimmed
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt to taste
• Gremolata
• 3/4 cup macadamia nuts, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbsp organic lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Sea salt to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil. Toss the asparagus with just enough olive oil to coat, and spread out on the sheet pan. Sprinkle with sea salt, and roast for 20 minutes or until tender and starting to brown.

Meanwhile, to make the gremolata, mix together all ingredients in a small bowl. Once the asparagus is done roasting place on a serving platter and spoon the gremolata over it. Serve warm or at room temperature.