I've been going a little nuts in the kitchn

Yes, I have been very busy in my teeny-tiny kitchen. Today, I bought some asparagus and more carrots. I've been eating carrots quite a bit, so I suppose I will buy larger size bags at the grocery store. Tonight, I had the leftover tempeh (must remember to keep marinade on the side), a baked potato, my soon-to-be-famous Lemon Rosemary Carrots and an asparagus recipe I adapted from www.vegweb.com. I just sauteed the spears in sesame oil, tossed in some walnuts (the recipe called for pecans), and threw in some balsamic vinegar. It was very, very lovely, and I'M FUUUUUULLLLLL. Okay, I'm parodying that dumb fast food commercial. But fast food will never fill you up as well as a good meal full of lots of veggies.

Now, with asparagus, it's best to use it within a day or so of buying it. This makes things tough because you work all day, you have to do the shopping, and then get home late, cook a meal, and do all the other evening things you do. But it's worth it, it really is. I'm still learning to cook it without overcooking it, and it does take practice, but becoming a good cook does.

I first learned to love asparagus at a vegetarian restaurant in Rockville, Maryland, called The Vegetable Garden. They have a dish called Carved and Curled Shiitake Mushrooms that's basically the mushrooms and asparagus. Those mushrooms are little fried pieces of heaven, but I'm a good girl and eat the asparagus, too. It is quite possible to stuff yourself silly there for less than 20 bucks a person, and that's before you even get to dessert. Another restaurant, Java Green, in downtown DC, will give me asparagus in a dish that normally has broccoli because--shocker, I know--I don't like broccoli and never have. I've also developed a taste for asparagus there.

Now, you're supposed to have up to five servings of vegetables today, and most people don't come close. Today, I had a salad for lunch at Java Green that was just loaded with veggies and their "veggie chicken." I almost always get salads there; I'm trying to have them once or twice a week. If you eat lots of salads, do not get creamy dressings, as they are loaded with fat, fat, fat. Choose a simple vinaigrette dressing instead. Yes, it still has oil, but it's not as fatty or heavy as creamy dressings.

Tomorrow, I'll probably root in my fridge for leftovers, so nothing new.