Asparagus Salad
I love everything about this asparagus salad from the rainbow of colors (thanks peppers and cherry tomatoes!) to those glossy olives, the creamy chickpeas, and the gleaming punch of feta cheese. It's become a favorite around here.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 193.24kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed
- 15 ounces canned chickpeas or other bean well rinsed and drained
- 1 medium carrot peeled and chopped
- 5 radishes trimmed and cut into wedges or chunks
- 1 Persian cucumber chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup cherry tomato halves cut in wedges if they are larger
- 1/2 cup colorful bell peppers chopped
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 1/4 cup roasted red peppers from a jar chopped
- salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
garnish
dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 cup champagne vinegar or your favorite
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- First I blanch the asparagus ever so briefly to take the raw edge off. I bring a pan of water to a boil, plunge the asparagus in, and remove it in exactly 60 seconds. Set the timer and don't leave it in the water any longer than that. (The only exception is if your asparagus stalks are very thick, and then you can leave them a bit longer.) Rinse in cold water, or drop the asparagus into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and preserve the color. Once completely cold, dry on a clean towel. Slice the stalks into 2 inch pieces, on the diagonal.
- Add the asparagus, chickpeas, carrots, radishes, cukes, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and olives to a large mixing bowl. Toss with enough dressing to thoroughly moisten, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the salad chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve, give it at least an hour.
- Toss the salad and add more dressing if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl, top with the feta cheese and fresh thyme.
- To make the dressing: Whisk together the ingredients and taste to adjust any of them.
Notes
- This salad is naturally gluten free and vegetarian.
- For a vegan asparagus salad omit the feta or use a plant based feta like Violife Just Like Feta.
- For a Paleo asparagus salad omit the beans.
- For Whole 30 omit the cheese and beans.
- For Low Carb omit the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, and carrots.
Nutrition
Calories: 193.24kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.58g | Protein: 6.48g | Fat: 11.22g | Saturated Fat: 2.6g | Sodium: 404.58mg | Fiber: 5.64g | Sugar: 5.08g