The Art of Asparagus: A Delicious and Nutritious Springtime Delight

As we welcome the arrival of spring, one of the most iconic and delicious vegetables to emerge from the season is asparagus. Not only is it packed with nutrients, but it's also incredibly versatile and can be prepared in a variety of ways to suit any taste or dietary preference.

One of our favorite ways to enjoy asparagus is in a fresh and flavorful salad. To create this dish, we start by peeling and trimming the asparagus spears, then blanching them in boiling water for just 3-5 minutes to retain their tender crunch. We shock the asparagus in an ice bath to stop the cooking process and drain off excess moisture.

Next, we chop the blanched asparagus into bite-sized pieces and toss it with some chopped radish greens - yes, you can eat the greens of radishes too! The peppery flavor of these greens pairs perfectly with the natural sweetness of the asparagus. We add a sprinkle of salt from the Mediterranean to enhance the flavor.

The dressing is where things get really interesting. We start by creating a walnut dressing in our food processor - we're talking shallots, garlic, and a hint of sweetness from honey to balance out the flavors. We also add some protein-rich omega-3 pods for an extra boost of nutrition. To prevent the dressing from becoming too oily, we don't blend everything together just yet.

Adding some tanginess to the dressing comes in the form of sherry wine vinegar - this adds a nice acidity that cuts through the richness of the asparagus and radish. A pinch of salt from Zakarian Farms brings out the natural flavors of the ingredients, while a sprinkle of pepper from Cleveland adds a touch of warmth.

To finish off our salad, we add some chopped avocado for creaminess, but only just before serving - we don't want to muddle the delicate flavor and texture of the asparagus. A squeeze of lemon juice helps to brighten up the flavors and tie everything together.

One of the best things about this recipe is how versatile it is. You can customize it to your taste by adding your favorite ingredients or swapping out different vegetables for a unique twist. Whether you're looking for a quick and easy dinner or a healthy lunch option, this asparagus salad is sure to hit the spot.

Some ideas for pairing this delicious salad include grilled salmon or other fish options, which will complement the nutty flavor of the walnuts in the dressing. You could also add some whole grain quinoa or pharaoh lentils to create a satisfying and filling base for your meal. And let's not forget about radish sandwiches - the asparagus makes a great accompaniment to this classic springtime favorite.

In short, our asparagus salad is a true showstopper that will leave you and your guests wanting more. The combination of fresh flavors and textures creates a truly unforgettable dining experience that celebrates the best of spring's bounty.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: eni'm gonna make a nice big salad with radish avocado and asparagus we're gonna doll it up a little bit with the dressing i like to call my walnut dressing starting in a little food processor a little shallot we're gonna have some protein and omegas salads omega trees four zinc pods a little garlic one clove of garlic lightly smashed just to give it a head start and katie fiber alert on the radishes we're gonna get these again heavily i'm not mixing everything together we'll put in our liquids in a minute because i do want i want some texture in this dressing i'm really excited about this dressing that's it you see that kind of almost like the beginnings of a nut butter without all the oil and everything for a little sweetness to pair well with those peppery radishes a little bit of honey don't you all feel like radishes don't get enough love zero we're gonna add a little acid sherry wine vinegar oh now you're talking yeah well salt from the mediterranean and some pepper from cleveland um in a little bit of olive oil from zakarian farms it's gonna hit that up a little bit i smell those showers right just a little bit like a like a little bit of shallots cause no two shallots are like the same size right once you get once you get going lovely and that's it it's kind of almost creamy but still almost chunky almost yes exactly jeffrey that's kind of what i was going for and now we got our blanched shocked and drained i know jeffrey has not been a proponent of shocking the vegetation no great vegetables green vegetables like that are super tender like this will overcook i shock them drain them well though so there's no residual water in there i got our radishes we're just going to dump that in here oh just when you cut your radish i do like you can eat the greens of these radishes very very peppery too delicious in a salad i like to keep a little that green top and cut them lengthwise like that so you know you're getting a a peak season beautifully colored fun little kind of cut of radish with that little guy still on there so cute hey how you doing all right so we're gonna get we're gonna finish dressing that i got an avocado just for some i don't know i love avocado and salads it's always like avocado in the salad this is controversial okay i always put it in after it's tossed at the end so it doesn't go mushed up that's what i i'm not even putting it in the bowl joffrey i'm gonna put it on top this guy lame stain here we go i always like to cut the little tip off and i like to peel my avocados just gives a little pocket to peel i think it's uh satisfying and now we got from my upcycled vertical garden still ticking over there tarragons boom ah gold and now we got that beautiful dressing that we are going to put all of it in there you can leave this in your fridge i like it fresh i think just vibrant fresh and still a little crunchy from those you could probably take out any crunchy vegetable you have in your fridge with this dressing and you'll be happy right yup isn't it fun and it's like i don't know it's a salad but it's also spoonable in a way right you get a little i think this would be great with a piece of grilled salmon i'm gonna put that in there just like that wait for this walnut dressing i'm just so into it i just want to get this a nice height a nice k2 type peak here try to get it high up i can smell that from here the radishes i smell the shallots too oh i'm so into this i feel like you could add a grain to this salad too you could do like a quinoa or a pharaoh with it just a bed of that underneath mm-hmm lentils you don't muck up the avocado in the salad yeah always get it on top i didn't realize you two were so serious about that i'm gonna have that long i love it you're breaking you're breaking my chops about are you making a radish sandwich no i made the accompaniment to a great radar sandwich which is a great radish salad but look how pretty that is i feel like this is a vegetarian salad and that fanned avocado kind of mimics a chicken breast there you go like a vegetarian meaty jeffy took like all the avocado on yours super radish forward right there's nothing there's not a lot competing in this salad with the radish you're getting that peppery you know tingle tingle of the nose creamed out by that avocado and that walnut dressing i swear you make this how easy was that you are gonna put it into it on everything this spring youi'm gonna make a nice big salad with radish avocado and asparagus we're gonna doll it up a little bit with the dressing i like to call my walnut dressing starting in a little food processor a little shallot we're gonna have some protein and omegas salads omega trees four zinc pods a little garlic one clove of garlic lightly smashed just to give it a head start and katie fiber alert on the radishes we're gonna get these again heavily i'm not mixing everything together we'll put in our liquids in a minute because i do want i want some texture in this dressing i'm really excited about this dressing that's it you see that kind of almost like the beginnings of a nut butter without all the oil and everything for a little sweetness to pair well with those peppery radishes a little bit of honey don't you all feel like radishes don't get enough love zero we're gonna add a little acid sherry wine vinegar oh now you're talking yeah well salt from the mediterranean and some pepper from cleveland um in a little bit of olive oil from zakarian farms it's gonna hit that up a little bit i smell those showers right just a little bit like a like a little bit of shallots cause no two shallots are like the same size right once you get once you get going lovely and that's it it's kind of almost creamy but still almost chunky almost yes exactly jeffrey that's kind of what i was going for and now we got our blanched shocked and drained i know jeffrey has not been a proponent of shocking the vegetation no great vegetables green vegetables like that are super tender like this will overcook i shock them drain them well though so there's no residual water in there i got our radishes we're just going to dump that in here oh just when you cut your radish i do like you can eat the greens of these radishes very very peppery too delicious in a salad i like to keep a little that green top and cut them lengthwise like that so you know you're getting a a peak season beautifully colored fun little kind of cut of radish with that little guy still on there so cute hey how you doing all right so we're gonna get we're gonna finish dressing that i got an avocado just for some i don't know i love avocado and salads it's always like avocado in the salad this is controversial okay i always put it in after it's tossed at the end so it doesn't go mushed up that's what i i'm not even putting it in the bowl joffrey i'm gonna put it on top this guy lame stain here we go i always like to cut the little tip off and i like to peel my avocados just gives a little pocket to peel i think it's uh satisfying and now we got from my upcycled vertical garden still ticking over there tarragons boom ah gold and now we got that beautiful dressing that we are going to put all of it in there you can leave this in your fridge i like it fresh i think just vibrant fresh and still a little crunchy from those you could probably take out any crunchy vegetable you have in your fridge with this dressing and you'll be happy right yup isn't it fun and it's like i don't know it's a salad but it's also spoonable in a way right you get a little i think this would be great with a piece of grilled salmon i'm gonna put that in there just like that wait for this walnut dressing i'm just so into it i just want to get this a nice height a nice k2 type peak here try to get it high up i can smell that from here the radishes i smell the shallots too oh i'm so into this i feel like you could add a grain to this salad too you could do like a quinoa or a pharaoh with it just a bed of that underneath mm-hmm lentils you don't muck up the avocado in the salad yeah always get it on top i didn't realize you two were so serious about that i'm gonna have that long i love it you're breaking you're breaking my chops about are you making a radish sandwich no i made the accompaniment to a great radar sandwich which is a great radish salad but look how pretty that is i feel like this is a vegetarian salad and that fanned avocado kind of mimics a chicken breast there you go like a vegetarian meaty jeffy took like all the avocado on yours super radish forward right there's nothing there's not a lot competing in this salad with the radish you're getting that peppery you know tingle tingle of the nose creamed out by that avocado and that walnut dressing i swear you make this how easy was that you are gonna put it into it on everything this spring you\n"