Please note the thickness of asparagus spears varies widely. Thinner spears take only a few minutes to cook, while thicker spears easily take 6 minutes or even longer with this preparation. So plan based on the thickness of the spears you have, and make sure to stop cooking them as soon as they reach desired doneness.

　　

Ingredients

makes 2 servings

　　1 pound asparagus, trimmed by snapping the thicker ends off where they break naturally (about 10 to 12 ounces after trimming)

　　1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

　　2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, divided

　　Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

　　

Step 2

In a large bowl, toss the spears in the oil and 1 teaspoon of the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Let the seasoned asparagus sit for 10 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Lay the spears in a single layer on a medium nonstick baking sheet. Bake them for 4 minutes, flip them, and continue baking until the spears are crisp-tender, 3 to 6 minutes depending on thickness. Drizzle the remaining vinegar over the spears and toss well to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

　　

nutrition information

Step 4

Each serving has:

　　

Step 5

Calories: 60

　　

Step 6

Protein: 4g

　　

Step 7

Carbohydrates: 8g

　　

Step 8

Fat: 1g

　　

Step 9

Trace Saturated Fat

　　

Step 10

Cholesterol: 0mg

　　

Step 11

Fiber: 4g

　　

Step 12

Sodium: 2mg

　　Reprinted with permission from I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening! by Devin Alexander. Copyright © 2010 Devin Alexander. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Devin Alexander is the author of The Most Decadent Diet Ever, Fast Food Fix, and coauthor of The New York Times bestsellers The Biggest Loser Cookbook and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. She was a chef on NBC's The Biggest Loser and the host of Healthy Decadence on Discover Health and FitTV.