Lemon, Pepper, and Asparagus Salad
Spring has finally sprung here in Cincinnati. And with the addition of a shiney new grill to our family, we’ve been opting for easy-peasey meals which include grilled meat and a pile of fresh vegetables. For maximum ease of meal prepping, we just grill the veggies, but sometimes I like to prepare them in other ways.
Lemon, pepper, and asparagus salad is one of those ways. This salad really highlights the fresh in-season asparagus. Since it cooked for a few minutes on the stovetop, it keeps a nice crunch and vibrant color.
The lemon juice and freshly ground pepper just enhance those flavors. I threw in some heirloom cherry tomatoes to add some color and texture to the dish. You could make it with or without the tomatoes.
One note about fresh tomatoes. I ALWAYS season them with coursely ground sea salt and freshly ground pepper. No matter what I’m doing with them, they always get seasoned. And don’t be afraid to use some salt on tomatoes. I remember watching an episode of Barefoot Contessa years ago where she talked about how the flavor of a tomato can really be enhanced by some salt, and how it’s hard to over-salt a tomato. I took those words to heart and firmly agree with her.
One Year Ago: Marbled Chocolate Chip Bundt and Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Two Years Ago: Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken and Carrot Cake and Cheesecake Cake
Three Years Ago: Spring M&M Pretzel Treats and Vanilla Buttercream
Four Years Ago: Fauxstess Cupcakes and Spinach Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Mushrooms, Goat Cheese and Tomato
Lemon Pepper Asparagus Salad
Yield: Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus (rinsed)
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
bowl of ice water (for blanching)
Directions:
Chop the asparagus into small pieces.
Put the asparagus and a splash of water in a pot on the stove top. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until asparagus turn bright green. Turn off the heat and transfer the asparagus to the ice bath.
Allow to sit in the ice water for a couple of minutes. Drain and transfer to a mixing bowl.
Add the oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and tomatoes and stir well. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Garnish with extra lemon zest if desired.
Recipe from Keep It Simple Foods
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I am intrigued! I like Oreos and Doritos separately, so I will have to give this popcorn a try. My three-year-old is King of Interesting Combinations, so I know I’ll have a buddy to share it with. 🙂
beantownbaker — January 30th, 2013 @ 12:12 pm
Hubby definitely kind of gave me a weird look when I was chowing down on this 😉
no way! i just posted some doritos chocolate chip cookies on my blog! love the chocolate/dorito combo! this looks super delish 🙂
beantownbaker — January 31st, 2013 @ 1:59 pm
That is crazy! I bet Doritos in cookies is amazing!
Love this idea! Definitely going to try it soon. I am also thinking Sun Chips would be an awesome part of the combination
this is weird… I like it.
beantownbaker — February 3rd, 2013 @ 9:47 pm
weird? absolutely. delicous? for sure 😉
What an interesting combo. I always did popcorn, Sourpatch Kids, and Raisinets at the movies, so I can see how this would work.
beantownbaker — February 3rd, 2013 @ 9:47 pm
Woah – now that’s an interesting combination. I like all of those things separately. I’m going to have to try them all together the next time I go to a movie.
This sounds amazing. i should admit that i am 37 weeks pregnant and have eaten a ton of oreos and doritos this pregnancy, why oh why didn’t i think to put them together!!! thank you!!!!
beantownbaker — February 3rd, 2013 @ 9:46 pm
Haha, glad I gave you the idea. Hope you like them together 😉
This combination is crazy, but that just means I am going to have to go home and try it. This could totally hit the spot I am sure 🙂
beantownbaker — February 6th, 2013 @ 11:43 am
Let me know what you think if you do try it
I happen to think this sounds perfect, and not at all strange. But i’m the girl that likes to eat dortitos inside my PB&J sandwiches, and dip french fries in milkshakes…..so to me this makes sense! I’ll have to give it a try – thanks for posting!
beantownbaker — February 7th, 2013 @ 6:20 pm
OMG I totally forgot about Doritos inside a PB&J!! I used to do that too. MMmmm.
OK this is totally weird, but I would totally eat it. Talk about a junk food dream!
beantownbaker — February 7th, 2013 @ 6:18 pm
It’s totally a junk food dream 🙂