I Love Asparagus!

I've decided I need to cook more and eat more nutritious foods. I've been relying too much on carry-out lately.

Tonight I made a variation of a Cooking Light recipe and it turned out beautifully! The cooking light recipe was "Gnocchi with Asparagus & Pancetta." However, I didn't have those things, so I made "Rotini with Asparagus & Canadian Bacon."

Rotini with Asparagus, Canadian Bacon (serves 2 @ 8 pts)
1/2 lb whole-wheat rotini (I used Ronzoni SmartTaste, which is white rotini with whole-wheat pasta stats)

• 2 slices Canadian bacon, thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 oz goat cheese (mine had garlic & herbs)

Cook pasta following package instructions. Drain in a colander, reserving 1/2 C cooking liquid. Cook bacon in cooking spray in a large skillet over med-high heat. Saute for 3 minutes or until browned. Transfer bacon to another dish.

Add asparagus to pan and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add pasta, reserved cooking liquid, bacon, lemon juice, salt and pepper to pan. Cook 1 minute and top with cheese.

I thought it was fantastic - a light, refreshing summer meal.