Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Buttery Sauce

This simple yet tasty recipe from Allrecipes.com did the unthinkable - it made me like asparagus. Most of my prior experiences with the proverbial spring vegetable were slimy, bitter and disgusting. But not this time around! The buttery sauce is delicious, whether made with real butter or a vegan substitute, and the short cooking time makes the asparagus just tender enough, yet still with a nice hint of crispness and not mushy in the least. I also opted to cut them into bite-size pieces before roasting them, which lets you avoid the hard-to-cut stringiness of whole cooked stalks and makes each serving easier to measure.

(Serves 4)

Slow-Cooker Lemon-Fennel Chicken Stew

This thick concoction is based on a plate-and-fork recipe for lemon-fennel chicken I once found, which called for a whole chicken on the bone. I substituted four boneless breasts to reduce the fat, but as it turned out, they became too fall-apart tender and flimsy to divide into the even portions the recipe called for! So I shredded the chicken instead, then added extra broth to turn it into a stew. I was very happy with the result: warm, filling and comforting, yet beautifully light in both flavor and calories. If you don't like fennel, feel free to substitute a second onion and a fresh herb of your choice.

(Note: This is a slow-cooker recipe that requires several hours' cooking time – plan ahead. Also, for more tender chicken, replace one or two of the breasts with two or three thighs.)

(Serves 6)

Roasted Green Beans and Tomatoes with Italian Herbs

This fantastic veggie side dish is based on a recipe from the Weight Watchers website. The original recipe calls only for basil and only roasts the green beans, while leaving the other ingredients raw. Not being a fan of the texture of raw tomatoes, I decided to roast the whole thing. I've never regretted that decision - the smell of the roasting basil and garlic was to die for, and the taste and texture fully lived up to the expectations it set. The soft, juicy, garlicky-sweet roasted tomatoes become almost a sauce for the beans. Some time later I made it again, this time adding fresh oregano too. I've also made it without roasting the basil, only adding it at the end for a fresher taste and texture. This is now the signature recipe for green beans in my repertoire - I never plan on making plain steamed green beans again!

(Serves 4)