Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes

Hellooooo!!!!  Today is the first day of school for our family (except my kindergartner who starts tomorrow) and I feel as though life will finally return to normal once again!  I love summer, but boy was this last one a summer to go down in the history books in terms of craziness.  I am sad to see my kiddos gone during the day, but I am definitely welcoming a life of routine.

Our family was at a friend's house for a BBQ, and I was tasked with making this side dish.  I had no idea that this is what I would be making.  Of course, I was excited to help with the meal prep!  And, this dish was SO good, I just had to share it ASAP!

(I have no idea where the recipe came from, so I am not able to give credit where it is due - sorry!)

Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes

1 pound asparagus, trimmed
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 C halved grape tomatoes (we used 3/4 C grape tomatoes, 3/4 C roma tomatoes, chopped)
1/2 tsp. minced fresh garlic
2 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 T crumbled goat cheese
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1. Cook asparagus in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Drain.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add tomatoes and garlic, cook 5 minutes.  Stir in vinegar, cook 3 minutes.  Stir in salt.  Arrange asparagus on a platter; top with tomato mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese and pepper.
How easy is that!!?? 
We used a combination of grape tomatoes and roma tomatoes - and the chopped romas sort of "melted", for lack of a better term which gave more of a sauce type mixture.  Personally, I really liked it that way as I prefer that texture vs. just straight tomatoes that are intact.  Yes, it's a quirk of mine.

The picture is not the best - I wasn't expecting to blog about this particular recipe and didn't have my camera with me.  However, my phone did a decent job, don't you think?!

Please click here for a printable version of this recipe - Kitchen Groovy

Enjoy and live with gusto!