Mizkan® Challenge # 4 – My Favorite Light Recipe – Pan Roasted Asparagus!

As you know, I've been privileged to take part in a series of Cooking Challenges by Mizkan^®  along with several other Latina bloggers. You can find my other challenge recipes (& videos!) here, here, and here.

This week's challenge is My Favorite Light Recipe. It was kind of fun to take a recipe that I usually make with a heavy sauce and switch it up a bit and make it both lighter and delicious.

Growing up Cuban meant growing up not eating vegetables. (There I said it.)

I rarely remember salads on the table, except for a rare special occasion. There was not much greenery to be had except for as garnish in stews and fricasés. 

Of course, we had our black beans and rice – almost every night, as I recall. And we ate root vegetables often, (Hello, yuca con mojo!) but as far as green vegetables went, they were only rarely served, and then it was with some fabulous, but heavy, sauce, but that's not important right now.

Fast forward to now. 

My family is used to me cooking traditional Cuban food all the time. But they’ve also grown accustomed to having a mixture of fresh vegetables. They love brussels sprouts, artichokes, and asparagus. Stuff that I grew up thinking only came frozen or in a can. 

Growing up in America meant changing things up. Let me just say that we Cubans are no slouches in the kitchen and we’re quick learners. And I’m very proud of the fact that I can make a pretty mean hollandaise sauce thankyouverymuch. *takes bow*

 But as delicious as the original hollandaise is, with its creamy eggs, dijon and butter, it’s a bit heavy when served regularly in the context of our everyday meals.

I’m happy to say that I have found a wonderful alternative to the Heavy (but fabulous!) Hollandaise sauce without sacrificing flavor.

Watch this:

My Favorite Light Recipe: Pan Roasted Asparagus with Red Wine Vinegar

 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of asparagus
• 3 cloves garlic (peeled & sliced)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1/4 cup [email protected] Red Wine Vinegar – Italian Herb flavor
• Salt & pepper to taste

1) In a large frying pan, add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil and 1 Tbsp. of water until hot and noisy.

2) Break off the woody ends of the asparagus and add to pan.

3) Add the sliced garlic. 

4) Sauté the asparagus and garlic in the olive oil over high heat.

5) When the asparagus is coated and the water has evaporated (about 1 minute), cover and cook for about 3 minutes.

6) Remove from heat and splash on the Nakano® Red Wine Vinegar and toss lightly.

7) Remove to serving platter.

8) Add salt and pepper to taste.

There you have it. This is My Favorite Light Recipe and a happily light alternative to heavy sauces for vegetables.

And for all you Cubans who are reading this (and you know who you are) eat your vegetables! 😉

Buen Provecho!  

 {Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored series to promote Mizkan cooking wines, vinegars and marinades. I also received samples of Mizkan’s Holland House, Nakano and World Harbor brand products and promotional material from Mizkan to assist in preparing the posts. All opinions and recipes in this series are my very own.}

For more ideas for splashing Nakano goodness onto your food, visit the Nakano page on Facebook.

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