Asparagus with Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil

Asparagus packs a lot of health benefits into a little package. The little bit of effort required to roast the garlic will be more than worth it to liven up a batch.

Makes 2 servings:
1 head of garlic
extra virgin olive oil (as needed)
½ pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon ground pecans or almonds
½ teaspoon onion powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
   
2. Peel off the papery layers from the garlic head, and then slice off the top ¼ inch to expose the garlic cloves.
   
3. Place the head of garlic in the center of a square of foil and drizzle with olive oil. Seal the garlic in the foil and place it in a shallow pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the foil and let cool.
   
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring, until bright green, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the ground pecans or almonds and then the onion powder.
   
5. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins into the pan. Continue to cook the asparagus, stirring, until the asparagus is crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes.