Vegging Out With Lula Brown


Ever been to a barbecue where the vegetables sit there to wilt while everyone scarfs down burgers and “artisanal” hot dogs? Hey, artisanal means healthy, right?!

Burgers and hot dogs are awesome, but vegetables have the potential to steal the show if they’re done right. The truth is – it’s easy to cook meat once you get the heat and timing thing down (I’ll teach you sometime), but making vegetables taste good is a little more nuanced.

Here’s the secret: Vegetables really need a good dose of fat to become showstoppers. Think butter, cheese or aioli.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to die by dairy if you’re lactose intolerant. There’s a zillion ways to add a dose of delicious to vegetables, no dairy necessary.

Today I’m going to teach you one of them: Grilled asparagus with Caesar drizzle.

This side dish is smoky, rich and satisfying. It’s also gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, paleo, and even Whole30-approved.

Do you get into a meat haze at BBQs and forget all about them? Let me bring you back to consciousness with this tasty dish.

Ingredients

Serves 3-4Asparagus 1

1 bunch asparagus

¼ cup olive oil

Salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Dressing

2 egg yolks

5 anchovy fillets, drained

½ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 clove of garlic, or to taste

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rinse and pat dry asparagus. Trim tough ends.

Arrange in one layer on large baking tray. Drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast for 15-20 minutes, until very tender and golden-brown.

Peel and roughly chop garlic.

Add egg yolks to high-speed blender. Blend on high for 15 seconds. Slowly start drizzling in olive oil while blender is running. Turn off blender.

Add garlic, anchovies, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper to blender and blend on high for 15 seconds or until combined and creamy. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Serve asparagus drizzled with Caesar dressing and with more lemon if desired.


 

Original Photograhy by Sasha Landskov

This post was guest written by Lula Brown, an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, writer, and chef based in New York City. She works with women to lose weight, gain energy, and get focused. Lula writes for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Mind Body Green, among other online publications. She takes a select number of catering events each season. 

Connect with Lula at goodtastebylula.com, on Instagram and Twitter @lulaibrown, and on Facebook.