Asparagus, especially when it is in season is such a lovely vegetable. It simply screams spring in my opinion. Too often however, it is over cooked. My favourite method of cooking it is to roast it or to grill it. With steaming it I find it is so easy to overcook it, even when you are watching it carefully. Properly cooked asparagus should be bright green and tender crisp.
How to clean and prepare asparagus? Asparagus ends are very woody and stringy, quite unpleasant to eat really. While I don’t like to waste vegetables, trust me you will not enjoy the ends. The ends can be composted or used in vegetable stock. I have even made a dairy free cream sauce by cooking them gently with home-made dairy free creamer.
Simply take an individual stalk of asparagus and gently bend it, where it snaps is what to keep and what you will want to compost. It is as simple as that. I find that if I buy asparagus in season and local I do not need to peel the stalks at all as they are not woody. If your asparagus is still a little woody or if you really don’t want to do the snap method, simply peel about 1/3 of way up the entire stalk and cut off the tough end of the asparagus.
How to roast asparagus? Simply preheat your oven to 400 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or silicon baking mat. Arrange your asparagus in a single layer on sheet and spray with avocado oil spray or drizzle with avocado or grape seed oil ( I don’t use olive oil for roasting as it is not a high heat oil), sprinkle with a little sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Place on centre rack of your oven and roast for 10/11 minutes. Remember, you want your asparagus to still be bright green and have crunch to it. Transfer the asparagus from the pan to a plate to prevent further cooking on the hot baking sheet.
This salad makes a light dinner or make ahead lunch. You can even stuff the salad in a wrap or on flat bread, eat it on bread or toast as a Scandinavian style open faced sandwich.
Vegetarian or Vegan? Substitute chickpeas for the chicken
In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice curry, salt and pepper. Set aside. Add the asparagus, red pepper, chicken and cilantro/parsley to a medium bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently.
Store in an airtight container for up to 2- 3 days. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice curry, salt and pepper. Set aside. Add the asparagus, red pepper, chicken and cilantro/parsley to a medium bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently.
Store in an airtight container for up to 2- 3 days. Enjoy!