A low-fat appetizer from the Mayo Clinc, as reproduced in “The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook.” Serves 6
Ingredients
24 spears asparagus
1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups cooked cold long-grain white rice
3 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt
3 whole wheat 10-inch tortillas
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
Directions
In a medium-sized saucepan over high heat, bring 2 inches water to a boil. Place the asparagus in a steamer basket, cover, and steam until just tender, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the asparagus and immediately rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain thoroughly.
In a small bowl, mash the avocado, lime juice, and garlic into a coarse pur e.
In another small bowl, stir together the rice and yogurt to mix well.
Heat a large dry frying pan (not one with a nonstick surface) over medium heat. One at a time, heat the tortillas in the hot pan until softened, approximately 20 seconds per side.
Lay the tortillas flat on a clean work surface. Spread the avocado mixture equally among the tortillas. Top each with an equal amount of the rice mixture, asparagus, cilantro, and onion.
Fold in both sides and the bottom of each tortilla up over the filling; then roll to close. If made in advance, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 hour. Return to room temperature before serving.
To serve, cut each wrap in half crosswise.
Wine ideas: The richness of avocado and extreme green flavor of asparagus present a difficult double-whammy for wine. No worries, though: This veggie sushi-meets-burrito wrap would be brilliant with the clear, ricey flavors of a cold sake. Try Sato No Homare or Rihaku, two very fine artisan sakes available in Denver. -Tara Q. Thomas
