Tag: side dish

Quick Skillet Asparagus With Garlic and Red Wine Vinaigrette

Nutrition Snapshot

  • Asparagus and garlic both contain inulin, a fiber your gut bacteria ferment into butyrate, the fuel your colon cells burn.
  • Asparagus is also one of the better vegetable sources of folate, which suits anyone filling that gap.
  • The bottled dressing is the one processed ingredient and the source of the 70 milligrams of sodium, so whisk your own.

This side takes five ingredients, one skillet, and about two minutes of heat. The garlic goes into the oil first, then the cut asparagus, then the vinaigrette and the pepper. The bottled dressing is the seasoning, so you skip building a sauce. The pieces come out bright green and very crisp. Asparagus and garlic also both contain inulin, a fiber your gut bacteria feed on.

Asparagus and Garlic Both Contain Inulin, the Fiber That Reaches Your Colon Intact

Most of the carbohydrate you eat is broken down in your small intestine and absorbed there as sugar. Inulin passes straight through. Your small intestine lacks the enzyme that would split it, so it arrives in your colon whole. A fiber that reaches the colon and feeds the bacteria living there is called a prebiotic.

Asparagus is one of the better vegetable sources of inulin, and garlic contains more of it per gram. This recipe uses both. One clove of garlic is a small amount, so most of the inulin here comes from the asparagus. For more on this fiber and the other foods that supply it, see Inulin.

Your Gut Bacteria Turn Inulin Into Butyrate, the Main Fuel for Your Colon Cells

Once the inulin reaches your colon, the bacteria living there ferment it. Bifidobacteria use it most readily, and feeding them raises their share of the population. That fermentation produces short-chain fatty acids. The one that matters most to your colon is butyrate.

The cells lining your colon wall absorb butyrate and burn it for energy. Butyrate is their main fuel, while most other cells in your body use glucose carried in the blood. A steady butyrate supply helps those lining cells hold a tight barrier between the contents of your colon and the rest of your body. For more, see Butyrate.

What’s in a Serving

A serving of this dish is mostly asparagus, so that is where most of the nutrition comes from. That means fiber, including the inulin, plus folate, which asparagus contains in larger amounts than most vegetables. There is vitamin K as well, a little vitamin C, and some potassium. The olive oil adds a small amount of monounsaturated fat.

Your body uses folate to build and repair DNA and to form red blood cells. Folate also helps keep the homocysteine in your blood at a healthy level. The dressing adds the sodium and any added sugar, and the recipe card below has the exact figures. For background on both nutrients, see Folate and Fiber 101.

What to Buy: Firm Spears and a Short Label on the Dressing

Asparagus

Look for firm stalks that stand straight and tips that are still tight and closed. Loose, mushy tips mean the bunch has been sitting a while. Thin spears are the best fit here, because the heat is short. Thick ones stay raw in the center, so cut those into shorter lengths or give them another minute.

The Vinaigrette

Turn the bottle around and read the label before you buy. That quarter cup is where nearly all the sodium in a serving comes from, and most brands add sugar as well. A lower-sodium bottle with a short ingredient list is the better choice. Whisking your own from red wine vinegar and olive oil puts you in control of both.

Garlic and Olive Oil

Fresh garlic has more flavor than the jarred minced kind, which matters when it gets only a minute in the oil. Extra-virgin olive oil adds a peppery note, and a two-minute sauté at moderate heat is gentle enough for it.

The Pan

Two pounds of asparagus fills a pan. Spread the pieces out in the widest, heaviest skillet (affiliate link) you own, because a crowded pan steams them instead of browning them.

Who This Fits and Who Should Go Easy

This side fits anyone working to eat more fiber, and it pairs with any protein. It is gluten-free, and a plain red wine vinaigrette keeps it dairy-free too. At 58 calories and 2 grams of protein a serving, it stays a side, so build the rest of the meal around chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, or beans.

The same inulin that feeds your gut bacteria is also a FODMAP, a fermentable carbohydrate. In people with irritable bowel syndrome or a sensitive gut, a large helping can bring on gas and bloating. If that describes you, start small and leave the garlic clove out. Garlic-infused olive oil still tastes of garlic, because the fructans stay behind with the solids. Our Low FODMAP Recipe Index has more options.

How to Make It Your Own

To roast instead of sauté, toss the pieces with the olive oil and spread them on a sheet pan. Give them 10 to 12 minutes at 425°F, then add the vinaigrette and pepper off the heat. Roasting browns the tips, concentrates the flavor, and cooks thick pieces all the way through.

Swaps Recap

  • Lower sodium: skip the bottle and whisk 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of dried oregano.
  • Lower sugar: most bottled vinaigrettes contain added sugar. If you build your own and want a little sweetness, allulose measures like sugar, and a monk fruit blend works when you follow the package.
  • Dairy-free: a plain red wine vinaigrette is dairy-free. Check the label on any creamy dressing you use instead.
  • Nut-free: every ingredient in the recipe is nut-free as written.
  • Gentler on a sensitive gut: leave the garlic clove out and cook the asparagus in garlic-infused olive oil for the garlic flavor.

Storage and Make-Ahead

Asparagus is best cooked the day you plan to eat it, so buy it close to when you need it. Before cooking, stand the bunch upright in an inch of water in the refrigerator with the tips loosely covered. It will stay crisp that way for three or four days. Cooked, it keeps about three days covered in the refrigerator.

Reheating softens the pieces, so leftovers are better cold. The vinegar keeps soaking into the asparagus overnight, and a cold serving the next day tastes like a marinated salad. Add the pieces to a grain bowl, or lay them over greens with a soft-boiled egg for lunch.

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Quick Skillet Asparagus With Garlic and Red Wine Vinaigrette

Fresh asparagus cooked fast in a hot skillet with garlic and red wine vinaigrette, so the pieces stay bright green and crisp.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Asparagus, garlic, quick, sautéed
Servings: 8
Calories: 58kcal

Equipment

  • 1 skillet

Ingredients

  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 lbs fresh asparagus
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinaigrette dressing
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  • 1. Mince the garlic.
  • 2. Trim the asparagus and cut it into 2 inch pieces.
  • 3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • 4. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute.
  • 5. Add the asparagus pieces and stir to coat.
  • 6. Add the red wine vinaigrette dressing and the black pepper.
  • 7. Stir and heat 1 minute more.
  • 8. Remove from the heat and serve.

Notes

Lower sodium: skip the bottled dressing and whisk 3 tbsp red wine vinegar with 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of dried oregano.
Lower sugar: most bottled vinaigrettes contain added sugar. If you make your own and want a little sweetness, allulose measures like sugar. A monk fruit blend works too, following the package to match the sweetness of the sugar being replaced.
Dairy-free: a plain red wine vinaigrette is dairy-free. Check the label on any creamy dressing used in its place.
Nut-free: every ingredient is nut-free as written.
Gentler on a sensitive gut: leave the garlic clove out and cook the asparagus in garlic-infused olive oil. Inulin is a fructan, and fructans stay behind with the garlic solids rather than passing into the oil.
Roasting variation: toss the pieces with the olive oil and spread them on a sheet pan. Roast 10 to 12 minutes at 425 F, then add the vinaigrette and pepper off the heat.
Pan size: 2 lbs of asparagus fills a pan. Use the widest, heaviest skillet you have so the pieces brown instead of steaming.
Storage: refrigerate cooked asparagus up to 3 days. Leftovers are better cold than reheated.

Nutrition

Calories: 58kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 154mg | Fiber: 2g | Calcium: 19mg | Phosphorus: 51mg

Vinaigrette Asparagus Turns a Two Minute Side Into Food for Your Gut Bacteria

Asparagus and garlic both contain inulin, and this recipe puts them in the same pan. Your gut bacteria ferment that inulin into butyrate, and the cells lining your colon burn butyrate for fuel. Asparagus also supplies folate. The dressing is the one processed ingredient, so read the label or whisk your own. Count a serving as one eighth of the pan.

Serve It With

Asparagus works next to almost any simple protein, and it is especially good beside fish. Honey Rubbed Salmon makes an easy pairing, and Braised Balsamic Chicken shares the same vinegar note. If you have asparagus left over, Asparagus Crepe Rolls turns it into brunch. Add brown rice or farro and the meal is finished.

Baked Cauliflower Tots With Cheddar

Nutrition Snapshot

  • Each serving uses about half a pound of cauliflower, in a shape most children already eat without argument.
  • A serving carries about 17 grams of protein and about 5 grams of fiber from the cauliflower and the cheese.
  • The cheese makes these higher in saturated fat, so the notes give a version that uses less cheese.

Cauliflower tots are riced cauliflower squeezed dry, bound with cheddar, Parmesan, egg, and a little oat flour, then baked until the edges brown. They taste like a cheese crisp with a soft middle. They hold their shape when you wring enough water out of the cooked cauliflower and leave room between them on the pan. Frozen florets work and skip the steaming step.

Why These Are Great When You Have a Picky Eater

A child who pushes cauliflower to the side of the plate is usually refusing the form it arrives in. Steamed florets are wet, strong-smelling, and unfamiliar. Grate that same cauliflower fine, bake it into a small crisp shape, and it tastes like food the child already eats. Changing the form is what raises a picky eater’s vegetable count for the week.

Cauliflower is the entire body of these tots, about half a pound per serving. The cheddar and Parmesan supply the flavor a child will accept, and their protein and fat firm the tots up once the egg sets. The oat flour takes up the last of the moisture so the outside crisps.

Cauliflower carries about 2 grams of fiber per cup, so a serving of eight tots comes to about 5 grams, a real share of a child’s day. The arithmetic for a full day of fiber is in Fiber Math: Getting to 30 Grams a Day Without Trying.

Frozen Cauliflower Skips the Steaming Step

A 24-ounce bag of frozen cauliflower florets replaces one large fresh head and arrives already blanched. Thaw it fully in a colander, then squeeze it dry. Fresh cauliflower needs seven minutes of steaming first. Buy block cheddar and grate it yourself where you can, since pre-shredded cheese carries a starch coating that keeps the outside of the tots from crisping.

One Tray Feeds the Picky Eater and the Adults

Serve the child’s portion plain, with ketchup on the side. For the adults, leave the tots in for two extra minutes and spoon over plain Greek yogurt stirred with lemon juice, garlic powder, and black pepper. A teenager who eats twelve tots instead of eight takes in about 25 grams of protein from the same tray.

Freeze the Tots Raw and Bake Them From Frozen

Shape the whole batch, freeze the tots on the sheet pan for an hour, then move them to a freezer bag. They keep about three months. Bake from frozen at 425 degrees for 28 to 32 minutes, turning once. Baked tots hold four days in the refrigerator and crisp again in a hot oven or an air fryer; a microwave leaves them soft.

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Baked Cauliflower Tots With Cheddar

Riced cauliflower squeezed dry, bound with cheddar, Parmesan, and oat flour, then baked on one pan until the edges brown.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cauliflower, cauliflower tots, freezer friendly, gluten-free, high fiber, kid-friendly, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings (about 8 tots)
Calories: 295kcal

Equipment

  • Sheet pan (rimmed
  • 13 by 18 inches)
  • parchment paper
  • Steamer Basket
  • Colander
  • Food processor
  • Kitchen Towel
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds cauliflower florets fresh or thawed from frozen
  • 1 egg large
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese sharp, shredded
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1/3 cup oat flour organic, labeled gluten free
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper ground
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil extra-virgin

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and rub the olive oil over the parchment.
  • Steam the cauliflower florets in a steamer basket for 7 minutes, until a fork goes in with light pressure. Skip this step if you are using thawed frozen florets.
  • Drain the cauliflower in a colander and let it cool for 10 minutes.
  • Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor 8 to 10 times, until it looks like coarse rice.
  • Pile the riced cauliflower into the center of a kitchen towel, gather the corners, and wring it out over the sink until no more water runs.
  • Put the squeezed cauliflower in a mixing bowl. You should have about 2 cups.
  • Add the egg, cheddar, Parmesan, oat flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
  • Mix with a spatula until the mixture holds together when you press a spoonful in your hand.
  • Scoop a rounded tablespoon of the mixture, press it firm in your palm, and roll it into a short cylinder. Repeat to make about 32 tots.
  • Set the tots on the sheet pan with half an inch of space between them.
  • Bake for 15 minutes. Turn each tot and bake 8 to 10 minutes more, until both sides are brown.
  • Let the tots sit on the pan for 5 minutes before serving. They firm up as they cool.

Notes

One serving is about 8 tots, roughly 175 grams.
Less saturated fat. Use 3/4 cup cheddar and 1/4 cup Parmesan, and add 2 tablespoons more oat flour to replace the bulk. The tots still hold together and each serving drops about a third of its saturated fat.
No food processor. Grate the raw florets on the large holes of a box grater, then steam the gratings for 4 minutes instead of 7.
Oat flour swap. Almond flour works at a third of a cup for a third of a cup. Anyone with celiac disease should buy oat flour labeled gluten free, since oats are often milled on equipment shared with wheat.
Frozen cauliflower. A 24-ounce bag of frozen florets replaces the fresh head. Thaw it fully, drain, and squeeze. No steaming needed.
Freeze them raw. Shape the batch, freeze the tots on the sheet pan for an hour, then move them to a freezer bag. They keep about three months. Bake from frozen at 425 degrees for 28 to 32 minutes, turning once.
Reheat. A hot oven or an air fryer crisps baked tots again. A microwave leaves them soft.
Dip. Plain Greek yogurt stirred with lemon juice, garlic powder, and black pepper. Ketchup for the child’s plate.
Leftovers become a side for eggs at breakfast, or a lunchbox item eaten at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 405mg | Potassium: 773mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Calcium: 362mg | Iron: 2mg | Magnesium: 62mg | Phosphorus: 358mg | Choline: 142mg

Gluten Free

Nothing in these tots contains wheat. Oat flour is the line to check, because oats are often milled on equipment shared with wheat, so anyone with celiac disease should buy oat flour labeled gluten free. If you avoid gluten by preference, ordinary oat flour is fine. Almond flour swaps in at a third of a cup for a third of a cup.

Go deeper

Fiber Math: Getting to 30 Grams a Day Without Trying (food.nutriscape.net)

Fiber (supplement-sciences.nutriscape.net)