Roasted Asparagus with Lemon

Those who know me well, know that one of my greatest food pet peeves is "soggy" food. I admit I'm that person who can't eat a bowl of cereal like "normal" people. I have to have the milk separate from from the dry cereal and then slowly sprinkle the cereal onto each spoonful of milk. I know it's weird. I promised my husband I wouldn't eat cereal in front of our son lest he learn my strange ways.

Putting the cereal aside, I love roasting vegetables. Boiling vegetables causes some of vitamins to "leech" out and it's easy to create mushy veggies with that method . My two favorite ways to prepare vegetables are steaming and roasting. Roasting the asparagus creates a nice crisp tenderness and preserves it's bright green color. This recipe is just a slight variation to my post Chicken Bundles with Rice Pilaf and Roasted Asparagus. Try this asparagus as a side to Chicken Piccata with Buttery Herb Noodles or Salisbury Steak. Or try roasting the asparagus in small bundles with a slice of Prosciutto tightly wrapped around it. Pretty much you can't go wrong!

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon

1 bunch of asparagus washed and trimmed (I usually trim a good 2 inches of the bottoms)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 of a lemon squeezed

Preheat oven to 400F. Place washed and trimmed asparagus in a baking dish. Drizzle olive oil, and sprinkle pepper, salt and garlic powder over the asparagus. Toss asparagus to evenly coat it in the mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crisp-tender. I like to start my timer at about 7 minutes, flip it then begin checking it every couple minutes until the asparagus is fork tender and still has a slight crunch. Squeeze lemon on asparagus right before serving.

*Hint* When shopping for asparagus looking for the the thinner stalks. The thinner pieces are tender and sweet.