Asparagus and ...

We are getting lots of local fresh asparagus this time of year so I'm gobbling it up. The simplist thing to do is steam it and add a little lemon and a little date sugar if you want a little sweetness. Date sugar is just ground dates and you can get it in a health food store. Or don't bother with the sweetness and just enjoy the full flavor of the asparagus! You can add to that ground sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds. Finally you can add to that a peeled, sliced mango or pineapple (I prefer mango). Any combination of these ingredients is good. For example, on Saturday I think I will eat my next bunch of asparagus with lemon and ground sunflower seeds. So to make it look like a real recipe here it is.

Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus
slice of lemon
1-2 Tbsp raw sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds (I keep these in my freezer)
1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced (optional)

Chop off the ends of the asparagus, then chop the rest into your favorite size (I usually do ~three pieces per). Steam. I leave out the tops for about 5 minutes because they cook faster than the stems.

Grind the sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds in a coffee grinder.

Put the asparagus in a bowl, squeeze the lemon from the slice (don't need much). I then mix it up with my hands to spread the lemon around. Add the seeds and the optional mango.

Dr. Fuhrman says that fat with a meal helps you absorb nutrients. But it has to be healthy fats like sunfower seeds (not oils). And seeds also gives you protein which I want since I'm trying to build a little muscle on my scrawny frame. However, the asparagus alone has about 6 grams of protein. I added 1 Tbsp sunflower and 1 Tbsp of pumpkin seeds. I think that added another 6 grams or so. So a good high protein meal.