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. 
Good luck with the storm. Be safe, glad to read you turned around and went home thinking about the end of the day!
I think if I was still in New York state I’d be baking up a storm to prepare for the Sandy Blizzard myself. Here in Alabama we can only hope for the best for you all on the shorelines up there!
Thanks. So far so good where I live. We haven’t list power yet, so that’s good!
I’m the same way with snacks at home! Once I get some in my hand, it’s over! These would definitely disappear rather quickly in our house, too =)
beantownbaker — March 6th, 2013 @ 8:38 pm
Glad to hear I’m not the only one like that!
I have tried a couple different recipes for the beloved hone mustard pretzels but to no avail…they always remain kind of “sticky”, so I am eager to try yours but I think they too will be sticky….are they?Why can’t you find the honey mustard pretzels anymore except in small bags????
beantownbaker — March 8th, 2014 @ 1:14 pm
I agree. They were a bit sticky the next day. But the first day, they weren’t. If they are when you take them out, just toss them and bake a little while longer.
The pretzels were very soft and nasty. I was hoping they were going to be like the Hanover Honey Mustard pretzels but are not at all. They don’t have a lot of flavor and the kids didn’t like that they were soft. I would not make them again.