Make it easy Monday: Grilled Asparagus with Lemon

After I posted this picture on Facebook last night…

I thought a disclaimer was in order — I didn’t eat everything on the table.

Although it was tempting, I sent home this tray of goodies with my brother-in-law and niece to enjoy.

And because Mark’s mom made a special GF bunny cake, I nibbled off a little of his ear, to be nice. And it was tasty. (but I was so full of ham, potatoes and asparagus that I was at the point of an over-full-stomach-ache on the way home. 😦

So this morning I got up at 5am, made my way back to the gym — I sort of forgot where it was located since the honeymoon — and got back on the treadmill.

And probably sweat sugar.

But that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to talk easy-peasy Monday meal ideas. And to show you our real contribution to Easter dinner — grilled asparagus with lemon.

Grilled Asparagus with Lemon

1 bunch of asparagus, soaked/drained (we used 4 bunches for just over 40 peeps)

1 lemon, cut in 1/2 inch slices

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Bust your grill out of the garage and start it up, medium heat is fine.

*Side note* Grilling can be perfect for gluten-free purposes, even on other people’s grills. An easy way to clean a grill off, so it is safe for you, is to heat it up to high heat and burn off all the gunk that gets stuck on the grate — and foil works great for cleaning the grate. It’s safer than using someone’s grill brush. (and cleaner too, those things can get pretty gross!) We’ve been to plenty of cookouts where friends have saved a corner of the grill for me to safely cook my goods.

Lay asparagus out onto a baking sheet in a nice layer. Coat evenly by drizzling olive oil on top. You don’t need them dripping with oil, but you want to coat them enough that they don’t stick to the grill. Salt and pepper generously.

On a separate plate, lay out your lemons and drizzle a bit of olive oil on them too — same idea, we don’t want stuck lemons.

It’s grill time! Transfer the asparagus and lemons to the grill and cook to your desired tenderness. We are fans of more firm veggies, but feel free to keep them on until they are mushy, if you’d like. (if the lemons start getting to dark, just lay them on top of the asparagus spears to finish cooking, or take them off the grill)

You can choose a fancier looking serving tray than the one pictured — we were hungry and the fam was waiting, so we went straight from grill to table. They taste good either way.

Other ways we serve up asparagus:

• drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar
• a dollop of goat cheese on top
• season salt is tasty too
• dipped in hollandaise sauce

And if you are grill-less… you can roast them in the oven too.

The only thing that didn’t work out? No leftovers. 😦

Tonight we are going to clean out the fridge/freezer with some shrimp stir fry over brown rice. What are you making for Monday?

PS – I’m going to Nourished – A Food Blogger Conference this Friday… decided last-minute to get a ticket and just go for it. There are workshops on food photography, recipe writing, and more. Watch out blog world, here I come!