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This is the time of year to get your fill of Asparagus and I seem to be using it in almost every meal I make just lately. You know it is spring when these funny looking veggies make their appearance at the super market.

Only young asparagus shoots are commonly eaten: once the buds start to open (“ferning out”), the shoots quickly turn woody. Asparagus has been used as a vegetable and medicine, owing to its delicate flavour, diuretic properties, and more. It is pictured as an offering on an Egyptian frieze dating to 3000 BC. In ancient times, it was also known in Syria and in Spain. Greeks and Romans ate it fresh when in season, and dried the vegetable for use in winter; Romans even froze it high in the Alps, for the Feast of Epicurus.

Water makes up 93% of asparagus’s composition Asparagus is low in calories and is very low in sodium. It is a good source of vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium and zinc, and a very good source of dietary fibre, protein, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, rutin, niacin, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, manganese and selenium, as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells. The amino acid asparagine gets its name from asparagus, as the asparagus plant is relatively rich in this compound.

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I cooked this salad with a lovely fresh tuna steak but not everyone in the house is overjoyed with tuna so I made sure I have a few chicken breasts for the picky eaters. That suits me just fine as there was more for me!

There are 19.5g carbs, 24.4g protein and 5 Weight Watchers points per serving.