Sesame Asparagus

Very basic and healthy food can be quite satisfying. When it comes to desserts I love to overindulge, so the rest of my meal needs to be healthy and simple to balance everything out. I feel like I'm entering this new little world of cooking with local and fresh ingredients. Last night I found myself with mushrooms and asparagus, so I combined them with some sesame seeds and made a delicious side dish. I got the sesame seeds from someone at work, the mushrooms and lemon from someone's garden, and picked up the asparagus at the co-op. A few simple items; who knew it could be so tasty. If you added in some tofu, you really could have a complete vegetarian meal.










Ingredients
10 spears fresh asparagus
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced thin
1 teaspoon peanut or sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Directions
1. Saute mushrooms in oil until cooked through. Add a squirt of lemon juice and pepper. Then set aside.
2. Put sesame seeds into same skillet and brown slightly. Set aside.
3. Then fill a saute pan with 1/2 inch water.
4. Bring to a boil and add asparagus.
5. Cover for 1 1/2 minutes or until bright green; drain and plunge into cold water to retard cooking process.
6. Combine all vegetables in serving bowl and enjoy.

* Adopted from Taste of Love Cookbook