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 was also totally inspired by the same blog post and made them with a spicy kick! These are totally addictive!
Noms! I love to roast chickpeas with Asparagus in the spring. It’s one of my favorite quick meals, but I still havent cooked them crispy for snacking yet…. You are now person number 5 (or more I lost count) to post these so I think they are in odred very soon!
looks good! I saw a recipe from the whole living magazine last week that I was going to try too.
Okay, that is seriously spooky. I was *just* about to go look for a recipe for these (I bought a can of chickpeas a few weeks ago to make some) and up popped your blog in my google reader. Woo!
Mmm, so glad everyone is loving these. And now I know what to make for my friend’s superbowl party! Thanks for the reminder!
I love that you use canned chickpeas for this! When I saw the title I thought “mmm, tasty, but you probably have to do dried chickpeas and blah blah blah”. But you don’t! And it’s a perfect quick use for the extra cans I have in the pantry so that I don’t have to keep making hummus. 🙂
I’ve already put some of your Super Bowl recipes on my menu for Sunday, including the mini ham & cheese sandwiches. We live in Pittsburgh and are huge Steelers fans, so we’re REALLY EXCITED!!!
Hope your Superbowl menu turns out great. Although I have to admit, I’ll be rooting against your team!
love the smoked paprika 🙂
I have yet to try these and really just need to jump in and do it! Thanks for the reminder 😉
Have been meaning to make these! So yummy to snack on and crazy good for you. Need to make these soon..
Great snack. What if I am dried chickpeas not canned. Does it need to be soaked overnight?
Neev
How interesting! I love chickpeas and am going to make these this weekend! Thanks!
Neev – I’m really not sure how to do this with dried chickpeas. I’ve only used canned. I would assume you would want to soak them overnight first.
Okay, that is seriously spooky. I was *just* about to go look for a recipe for these (I bought a can of chickpeas a few weeks ago to make some) and up popped your blog in my google reader. Woo!