Springtime Asparagus Salad with Lemon Hemp Dressing

There’s something about spring vegetables that are just asking to be thrown together into a big green asparagus salad.

I usually don’t eat too many salads during the winter months, but around thus time of year, my raw veggie cravings begin to come back in full force.  This springtime salad is my current favorite way to satisfy my need for all things green.

This salad is light, refreshing, and incredibly simple to put together.  It works great as a side salad – try it alongside baked tofu or grilled fish.  With peas, avocado, and hemp seeds, its also a perfectly balanced light vegan entree containing plant-based protein and beneficial fats.

My favorite thing about this salad is definitely the dressing.  I’m telling you, you’re going to want to throw this on everything.  It’s about as simple as a dressing can get – just olive oil, lemon, hemp seeds, salt and pepper – but the flavor is amazing.

Simplicity has to be the best thing about spring cooking.  (Or maybe I should say lack of cooking?)

To make things even easier on yourself, whisk together a double/triple/quadruple batch of this dressing and store it in the fridge for up to a week.  Toss it with roasted vegetables, use it in a quinoa salad, or drizzle over avocado toast.  You won’t regret it.

Beyond delicious springtime flavor, this salad also acts as an excellent source of antioxidants like vitamin A and vitamin C, which work to help clear up cellular damage that when left unchecked, can increase risk for chronic diseases like cancer.  This salad is also a rich source of iron, an essential mineral of concern for many vegetarians and vegans.

You’ll also get plenty of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, which provide long-lasting energy and assist with nutrient absorption, and gut-healthy fiber, which improves digestion and aids in detoxification.

With fresh flavors from lemon and mint, this salad could be the perfect addition to your Easter and/or springtime entertaining menu.

The fact that you threw together this incredibly nourishing and colorful seasonal salad in under 10 minutes can be our little secret.  😉

Springtime Asparagus Salad with Lemon Hemp Dressing

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

This springtime asparagus salad is the freshest way to bring in the new spring season. Fresh, seasonal veggies are tossed in a simple lemon dressing with hemp seeds.

Author: Stephanie McKercher, RDN

Recipe type: salad, entree, side

Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, spring, holiday, easter

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• Salad:
• 1¼ cups cooked peas (fresh or frozen, I steamed fresh for 4 minutes)
• 2 heaping cups arugula
• 1 bunch asparagus, ends removed and chopped
• 6-7 radishes, sliced thinly (I used a mandolin slicer)
• 2 tbsp (packed) fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
• Dressing:
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, zest and juice, reserve some zest for topping if desired
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds, plus additional for topping if desired
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Add salad ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk together dressing in separate bowl and then toss with salad. Top with additional lemon zest and hemp seeds if desired.

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