Recipe of the Weeks: Egg and Asparagus with Gluten Free Pasta

There is nothing more difficult for me than to come home after a super-long day and get creative about what's for dinner.  I'm a little ashamed to admit that some nights, all our dinner consists of is cheese and crackers or chips and salsa!

This quick and simple recipe will have you enjoying a healthy meal in under 15 minutes!  Really!  It's filling, healthy, and can be customized for your resident wheat-eater (with regular pasta), carnivore (add shredded chicken breast or pancetta), or vegan (by omitting the cheese and egg and adding walnut pieces and nutritional yeast!) Shug and I, the culinary moderates we are, like the ovo-lacto vegetarian version of this!

Egg and Asparagus with Gluten Free Pasta 
Serves 4 hungries
Ingredients:
3/4 -1 pound gluten free pasta, any shape
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
1 pound fresh asparagus, rinsed and woody ends trimmed
4 organic eggs
2 T butter
1/2 - 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Get a large pot of generously salted water boiling over medium high heat.  Add a squirt of olive oil to help the gluten free pasta from sticking to each other.  Once the water is at a full boil, add your pasta and stir well.

Take your trimmed asparagus and cut in half or in thirds, depending on their size.  You want easily munchable pieces!  When the pasta is about 3-4 minutes away from being "al dente," throw your asparagus pieces in to the boiling pot with your pasta.  Give the pot another good stir and get working on those eggs!

In a large saucepan, heat a generous squirt of the olive oil over medium heat.  Crack and add your eggs gently to the pan, making sure they don't run together.  While the eggs are cooking, test your pasta and asparagus.  The pasta should be soft, but not mushy and the asparagus tender-crisp.  Drain your pasta and asparagus, but leave about 1/2 cup of the cooking water in the bottom of the pan, this will help make the sauce!

Add the butter and 2 T of olive oil to the pasta mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste and throw in your Parmesan cheese.  Be sure to reserve a little cheese for the garnish!  Your eggs should be cooked to your liking (we like sunny side up!)  Serve up the pasta and asparagus and top each portion with an egg, another sprinkling of Parm, and pepper!  Eat up!  You've had a loooooong day;)!