Recipe: Roasted Asparagus with Spring Onions and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Asparagus not only is a pleasant and affordable harbinger of spring, it also does great things for a healthy diet.

Asparagus is extremely low in calories and is packed with vitamins. When buying asparagus, choose stalks with dry, tight tips and firm, unwrinkled stalks. And fat stalks don't necessarily mean tough asparagus. Older plants produce thicker spears, but they can be just as tender and flavorful as thin ones.

It's more important to select spears that have a uniform thickness so they cook at the same rate.

Asparagus loses its vitamins and sugars quickly when left at room temperature and is best eaten the day it is purchased. To keep asparagus for longer, treat it as you would a bouquet of flowers by cutting off a bit of the woody base and standing the bunch in an inch of water in a container in the refrigerator.

To preserve nutrients and flavor, don't boil asparagus. Better is to steam the stalks for 5 minutes. Other options are to grill them for 2 minutes per side, stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, or microwave in a covered, vented container with 1/4 cup of water on high for 4 to 6 minutes.

Cooking asparagus at high heat in the oven concentrates its flavors and yields stalks that are delicately wilted and beautifully browned.

This recipe for roasted asparagus with spring onions and sun-dried tomatoes straddles seasonal flavors with the deep richness of the tomatoes and the freshness of scallions. The dish has only a small amount of added fat, which comes from the flavorful oil the tomatoes are packed in.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH SPRING ONIONS AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Makes 4 servings

1 1/2 pounds asparagus, bottoms trimmed

2 bunches scallions, ends trimmed

2 tablespoons finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, plus 1 tablespoon of oil from the jar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the asparagus and scallions with the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. Transfer to a baking sheet and arrange in an even layer. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Roast for 7 minutes. Stir the vegetables and roast until tender and slightly browned, about another 5 minutes.

3. Sprinkle with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and toss to combine. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 94 calories; 36 calories from fat; 4 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrate; 5 g protein; 5 g fiber; 161 mg sodium.