Butter-Roasted Asparagus

Organic Valley

1 lb fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed off

1 to 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

½ c cherry tomatoes, quartered

Salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

¼ to 1/3 c. shredded parmesan (or feat or blue cheese crumbles)

½ c fresh mushrooms

The trick with asparagus (that I learned from my friend Faye) is to snap it with your hands - it'll naturally separate between the touch part and the delicious part. If you cut it you can't really tell where that line is.

Heat oven to 425F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Use your hands to toss the asparagus spears with melted butter. Spread spears out on the baking sheet (try to avoid letting them touch each other). Sprinkle with quartered cherry tomatoes and mushrooms, and season lightly with salt and pepper.

This really is a gorgeous dish.

Roast until asparagus is barely tender—this could take as little as 6 to 8 minutes if the spears are thin, or twice as long if they are thick. (Go ahead and taste one to be sure.)

Transfer the spears to a platter, sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately. (Alternatively, you can sprinkle the cheese on the spears while they’re still on the baking sheet, and then return them to the oven for a couple more minutes.)

I was a little worried that I might actually be eating healthy food, so I made sure to serve this with mac and cheese to balance everything out.

My Rating: 4/5 "A delicious side to a meat or some carbs. Just enough butter and cheese to make it substantial while the roasted veggie flavors shine at the forefront. Plus it's super low-cal."