Its officially spring! I am so looking forward to the upcoming season of fresh, local fruit and vegetables. I bought fresh asparagus this past weekend, its got me excited about my weekly Saturday morning farmer’s market routine. To celebrate I made this kale salad with asparagus.
Asparagus is one of my favourite spring vegetables. Like other green vegetables, asparagus is low in calories, a good source of fibre and antioxidants. Asparagus is also a good source of vitamins A, C, and K, folate, and potassium. Eating asparagus can improve your body’s digestive health, due to its inulin content. Inulin is a carbohydrate, also called “prebiotic” that acts as a healthy food source for healthy “probiotic ” bacteria in our guts.
Zest Nutrition
Yields 4-6
15 minPrep Time
50 minCook Time
1 hr, 5 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 3/4 cup of wild rice or multigrain
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 2 cups of kale
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp honey
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bunch of asparagus, washed, and cut into small pieces
- 1 tsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 avocado
Instructions
- In a medium pot, bring water to a boil and cook rice for approximately 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place walnuts in single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until nicely toasted. Keep an eye as they can burn easily.
- Wash and chop kale into small pieces.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.
- Add 1/4 of the dressing to the kale and massage into kale until they soften and turn dark green. Place in the fridge.
- Heat a medium frying pan, and place asparagus in pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until approximately 5 minutes, slightly underdone.
- Add to salad and toss with extra dressing if desired.
- Add avocado and walnuts before serving and toss.
Notes
You can substitute the walnuts for any other nuts ( almonds, pecans)
1/4 cup of goat feta cheese would be a nice complement
I decided to post another kale salad because its nutrition month. This year’s theme is healthy eating in the work place. Kale salads are not only great for their health benefits, taste but they are also a sturdy leafy green. To add some protein, I paired it with some fresh, wild salmon. I caramelized the salmon, the sweetness complemented the kale and asparagus perfectly. Now that’s a good lunch! I wish I could take credit for the caramelized salmon but the recipe is from Pinch Of Yum. This husband and wife team amaze me, the site has is full of inspiration from recipes to food blogging tips. I suggest you check them out, the photography is AMAZING, makes me want to make every recipe.
Happy Spring!
