Asparagus with Caramelized Balsamic Onions

I can't tell you enough how much Paul and I love asparagus. I am actually surprised this is our first post for an asparagus recipe. The caramelized onions provide so much flavor, that this would make for an excellent side dish for dinner any night of the week.


Bundle of Asparagus
1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion
Pepper
3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
2 Teaspoons Mustard
Parsley, fresh or dried


You can choose to steam or bake your asparagus. We chose to bake.  So start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the onion thinly and place in a pan over medium heat with the olive oil.

Go ahead and put the asparagus in the oven.  By the time the onions are caramelized, the asparagus should be ready (about 10 minutes).  

Once the onions start to brown and start to get a bit translucent, take off the stove top.

Mix the vinegar, mustard, and pepper in a small bowl.  The originally recipe called for salt, but we decided to leave it out. 

Stir in the mixture with the onions, and put it back on the burner.  You can not put the mixture in with the onions still on the stove or it will splatter. Let the vinegar reduce until it forms into a thick sauce coating the onions, about 5 minutes.

Place the caramelized balsamic onions over the asparagus and top with parsley.

ENJOY!

This recipe was adapted from joyfulabode.com

Balsamic Oven-Roasted Carrots

My new goal is to try to get Paul to like carrots.  So my first attempt was to bake them in the oven.  They turned out really good, and I honestly think Paul might be coming around...


1 lb Carrots, trimmed and peeled
1/2 Teaspoon of Nutmeg
2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coarse Sea Salt and Fresh Black Pepper


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


Cut carrots into bite-size chunks and place on a baking sheet. 


Then top the carrots with the nutmeg first, followed by the balsamic vinegar, sea salt, black pepper and olive oil (the amounts are just a guide, feel free to use more making sure the carrots are well coated). 


Toss everything together with your hands, then spread the carrots in a single layer on the baking sheet.


Bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes, until they are cooked through on the inside.

ENJOY!

This recipe was originally posted on theperfectpantry.com

Cheesy Baked Tomatoes

This was such a simple recipe, and healthy too!

4 Tomatoes, halved

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 oz Provolone Cheese, shredded

1 Teaspoon Basil

1 Teaspoon Oregano

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Place tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut-side up.

Top with Parmesan, provolone, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.

Mist lightly with non-fat cooking spray and bake until the tomatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

ENJOY!!

This recipe was originally found on laloosh.com

Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

1 Large Sweet Potato
1 & 1/2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Sweet Paprika
1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/8 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
2 Tablespoons Butter, melted 
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Peel sweet potato and slice, about 1 inch thick.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.  Add sweet potato slices and boil for about 10-15 minutes, until somewhat soft but not cooked all the way through.

Let them cool for about 10 minutes.  On a parchment lined baking sheet flatten each sweet potato piece slightly, being careful not go squash them too much.

Blend all the spices together, making sure to get the sugar completely incorporated.

Drizzle each of the pieces with a mixture of the melted butter and olive oil.

Sprinkle each one with the spice mixture, pressing it lightly on the surface. Flip them over, carefully, and coat with the butter/olive oil and spice mixture.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then turn them over and bake for another 10 minutes. 

Paul and I had these as a side dish with salmon last night. Delish!

Enjoy!!