Asparagus Salad with a Homemade Dressing

Until I stumbled upon this asparagus salad recipe from Dinner at the Zoo, I only ever made asparagus by roasting them in the oven. The tenderness of the asparagus in this salad, plus switching up the base of salads in our home from typical leafy greens has been transformative! Pair the salad with the homemade dressing and you've got a dish with lots of flavor and a wonderful crunch; it's sure to please many! Our version is slightly different from Dinner at the Zoo's recipe as we leave out the feta cheese. If dairy works for your body and you would like to add some, then we recommend pasture or grass-fed goat cheese.

Asparagus Salad with a Homemade Dressing.pdf

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Ingredients:

Salad:

• 1 pound asparagus stalks, woody ends removed

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup radishes, thinly sliced

• 1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved

• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish)

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (* we prefer Eden Selected's, as it is raw and naturally fermented)

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon honey

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Salad:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes until just tender and bright green.

• Remove the asparagus from the pot and place it in a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain the stalks, place on a paper towel and pat dry.

• Cut the asparagus stalks into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

• Add the asparagus, tomatoes, onion, radishes, olives and parsley to a large bowl.
  

Dressing:

• Place all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

• Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat. Garnish with additional parsley if desired.