Asparagus with Fresh Citrus Dressing and Toasted Almonds

serves 6

Well, I love asparagus, clearly since it’s in this section but it is not only because of how it tastes and how much you can do with it but because of what an amazing natural diuretic it is. I am hanging in there this summer with my up and down numbers on that scale, retaining 4 to 6 pounds this summer!!! So I have decided to counter all of this bloating with eating foods that will help me let go of it all! There is only one downside to eating asparagus, don’t be surprised that after eating them that when you are releasing some of that water it may have a funky smell, don’t panic there is nothing wrong with your kidneys its just what happens, but well worth it!
Nutritionally it is full of folic acid, which may help control homocysteine, a risk factor for heart disease, cancer, as well as reduce the possibility of birth defects.
Asparagus is also high in glutathione, an antioxidant that protects cells from damage. Also, reduces bone loss, improves sexual desire, enhances erection, and possess cancer cell-killing ability against different forms of cancer.
Some interesting home remedies that the Greeks used to use are: for the treatment of bee stings, heart ailments, dropsy, and toothaches. It is also used as a diuretic as I have already mentioned above and helps with arthritis and infertility. WOW!!
If that wasn’t enough, there was a study done in 2006 that reported that researchers showed that an extract of asparagus significantly increased the action of insulin by producing an eighty-one percent increase in glucose uptake in fat cells!!
Pretty Amazing!

What you need:

2tablespoons almonds, sliced
1 ½ - 2 pounds asparagus stalks, washed and trimmed
¼ teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt (if needed) and fresh ground pepper to taste

What to do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toast almonds in a small shallow baking dish until golden brown; 4 to 5 minutes. Steam asparagus until crisp and tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer hot asparagus to serving bowl or platter. In a small bowl, whisk together orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon orange dressing over top of asparagus and sprinkle with almonds.