Asparagus Parmesan

Last night was my first attempt, ever, at making asparagus. I've had it in restaurants a few times and liked it well enough that I thought I could try it. I wasn't expecting to like it since I figure the restaurants had cooked it in a hundred pounds of butter and other fattening things. But I was willing to try.

As I'm prone to do, I omitted a few things from the original recipe - and you'll learn that I add along the way too (usually omitting things that aren't as good for me). I got my first borderline high blood pressure report at the doctor Friday so salt is pretty much out (not that I eat that much of it to begin with). The doctor and I are pretty sure it was a fluke - stress from school, work, and two family members in the hospital. But it's a definite concern with my genetics so I'm taking it seriously.

Asparagus Parmesan

Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon butter (I used margarine)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed (no idea what "trimmed" means, but I cut off the bottom because it looked funny?)
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I just used a handful)
- salt and pepper to taste (I completely omitted these)

Directions:
Melt margarine with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus spears and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or to desired firmness. Drain off excess oil, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper.

Yeah, that's really it. Overall, it was good. I'd give it about a B overall. I think my asparagus was larger than normal and could have used a little longer cooking. Some of them were the perfect crispiness and some were just a little too hard. I think if I cut them up a little they would cook more evently. I still have half the bundle of asparagus left so I might try another recipe another day.

Calories: 199 | Total Fat: 17.5g | Cholesterol: 19mg