Asparagus Roll-ups

[20 Minutes]

Asparagus are from the lily family. There are green, purple, and white varieties. White asparagus are usually smoother than green asparagus. The famous white French asparagus is grown underground to prevent them from becoming green. Asparagus grow best from January until June. They contain vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin C, and some iron. Make these asparagus roll-ups and serve as a beautiful appetizer or tasty side dish.

You'll need:

• 1 pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature • 1 tsp. lemon pepper • 1 cup margarine • 8 slices of whole wheat bread • 24 asparagus spears, washed • 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated • This recipe makes 8 roll-ups

What to do:

1. If possible, print out these directions. Read them through before you begin.
2. Gather everything you’ll need and always remember cooking safety.
3. Before handling food, be sure to wash your hands.
4. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
5. Coat a baking sheet with spray vegetable oil.
6. In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese with the lemon pepper. Set aside.
7. Melt the margarine in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stovetop.
8. Pour melted margarine to a shallow casserole dish.
9. Remove crusts from the bread slices.
10. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of bread very thin.
11. Put Parmesan cheese on a plate.
12. Spread the cream cheese mixture on each slice of bread.
13. Place 3 asparagus spears on each slice of bread and roll up lengthwise.
14. Roll the roll-up in the margarine and then in the Parmesan cheese. Place the roll-ups 1 inch apart on the baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
15. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Useful information:

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. My Gramp and I started growing them in our garden three years ago. This year we have a great harvest of asparagus. I made this dish and we enjoyed the wonderful flavor of the asparagus. It tastes better because we grew it. (Jackie, age 13)