1/2 teaspoon Splenda or a teeny pinch stevia/FOS blend
2 tablespoons cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
3 scallions minced fine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1pound asparagus
1pound deli roast beef, sliced fairly thick
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 medium cucumber, sliced
lettuce leaves to line plates
Instructions
Combine first 10 ingredients, mixing well. Refrigerate. This is your dressing.
Snap the ends off your asparagus where they want to break naturally. Arrange them in a microwaveable casserole with a lid, or in a glass pie plate. Add a couple of tablespoons of water, cover (use plastic wrap or a dinner plate to cover a pie plate,) and microwave on “high” for 5 minutes, or until just tender. Uncover immediately, to stop cooking. Drain and chill.
When dinner rolls around, arrange a lettuce leaf or two — red leaf looks nice — on each of 4 plates. Now artfully arrange the asparagus, sliced tomatoes, and cucumber on top of the lettuce. Fold or roll your deli roast beef prettily, and arrange on top of that. Top with the dressing you made earlier, and serve.
Notes
(Recipe reprinted by permission from The Every Calorie Counts Cookbook by Dana Carpender, 2006 Fair Winds Press, though with a couple of edits).
