Oh Asparagus. Bright and delicious. We forgive you for making our pee smell weird.

Ever since Alice Waters got on the Meyer Lemon bandwagon you can find them everywhere from your hand soap to your frozen yogurt. I’d like to say I fly above food trends, but I’m as guilty as the next foodie. May is the last month when Meyer Lemons are in season, and I don’t feel as guilty splurging on them.  I love how their bright lemon-y goodness is somehow more round and sweet than the conventional lemons.

Since I love all things creamy and savory, I used to forget to consider balancing acid into what I cook. Acid was for salads, and perhaps afterthought garnish for fish. Not so when you’re cooking healthy. Since I’ve begun limiting fat as a vehicle for flavor I’ve turned to acids to add a nice bright punch. It’s not the comforting “eerrrrmmmmhhhh…!”  feel you get from cheese and butter, but it’s more of a “ShakahkAH!” And in this simple asparagus recipe meyer lemon juice is a perfect accent. So yummy and quick!

• 2 lbs asparagus (medium thickness preferred)
• 1/2 C very thinly sliced onion
• 1 meyer lemon
• 1 TBsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh black ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 and position a rack towards the top.

Line a sheet pan with foil. Cut the bottom third of the asparagus stems off and place on prepped pan with the onion. Drizzle olive oil over the asparagus and onion with salt and pepper, and toss  or massage to coat evenly. Spread into a single layer and put into the oven for 8-10 minutes, making sure to shake the pan halfway through cooking. Keep an eye on it, the asparagus should be bright green and fork tender, but perfectly cooked can quickly cascade into stringy olive-colored mush.

After the Asparagus is nicely roasted, place on a dish and drizzle meyer lemon juice on top. Delicious!

Serves Four

Calories: 81  – Fat : 3.7 grams -  Carbs: 10 – Fiber: 5 grams – Protein: 5.2 grams