Strawberry Asparagus Salad
I have a very busy week, and I’m working hard in my studio, sewing and planning out new items for my Etsy shop. It’s so hard to stay focused when the weather is so gorgeous and I want to be outside! I need quick, delicious lunch ideas to help me stay on task and feeling good. I threw together this amazing strawberry asparagus salad yesterday with just 6 ingredients, and I just had to share it with you. If you love salads and fresh, spring produce, then you’re going to love this one!
Strawberry Asparagus Salad
How did I come up with strawberry asparagus salad, you may ask? Easy…I made it with ingredients I had in my fridge. The best part about this perfect spring weather is that strawberries are in season, lettuce is popping up in the garden, and the asparagus is nice and skinny…not to mention on sale! We scored the fresh, buttery leaf lettuce from our neighbor’s garden, and there’s an abundance of it! When I took stock of my fridge, this was just a no-brainer. I knew I wanted some crunch (pecans!) and some cheese (there’s feta in my dairy drawer!), and I made this light, lemony vinaigrette (I took her advice and added a little honey to sweeten it, and I used about a teaspoon of dried tarragon instead of fresh) the night before for our side salads (lasagna!). Put it all together, and boom…strawberry asparagus salad was born!
You could make any variation of this awesome salad that you like, but don’t leave out the strawberries or the asparagus. The combination of these two fresh, spring ingredients made it so awesome. Don’t like pecans? Try walnuts! Have an aversion to feta cheese? Use gorgonzola or goat cheese! Prefer spinach? Go for it! But if you’re going to call yourself making strawberry and asparagus salad, then, duh, you gotta have strawberries and asparagus.
I blanched the asparagus for just a few minutes (dropped it into some boiling, salted water), then snatched it out of there with some tongs and dropped it into some ice water to stop the cooking and lock in that bright green color. That was the only cooking involved!
Of course, if you wanted to turn strawberry asparagus salad into an easy supper, you could add some grilled chicken. If you’re like us, you often have leftover grilled chicken hanging out in the fridge (we cook up lots just for this purpose). I didn’t yesterday, but I sure didn’t miss it on this salad!
Just tear or cut your lettuce, chop your blanched asparagus into bite-sized pieces, slice the strawberries, roughly chop the pecans, and toss it all together with the feta cheese and salad dressing of your choice. I think a yummy balsamic vinaigrette or even a raspberry vinaigrette would be delicious on this, as well. I just love lemon and tarragon together, especially for dressing a fresh salad.
Having an exciting salad for lunch really helped me stay focused and get stuff done. It took no time to make, and it wasn’t heavy or overly-filling. If I get too full at lunch time, I’m worthless! This strawberry asparagus salad was the perfect meal for a busy day.
salad ideas from around the web!
If you want some other ideas for strawberry asparagus salad, click here and here. I found these on Pinterest after I finished writing this post, and now I want to try these other versions, too! Then I decided I shouldn’t be so stuck on strawberries, and wondered what other fruits would be good on a salad. Check this out! Man, that salad sounds good! 😉 Looks like I have plenty of yummy salads to try this summer!
Do you ever get creative at lunch time? I don’t always, trust me. Nor do I make it a huge habit to eat this healthy. On Monday I ate a bag of Andy Capp Hot Fries for lunch, so there’s that. Tuesday’s option was much better, and way better for me!
This morning, I’m thinking doughnuts….
X,O,X,O, Martie
This post is linked up with Wonderful Wednesday, Thursday Favorite Things, FoodieFriDIY, Sweet Inspirations, Over the Moon, and Merry Monday!
May 18, 2016 @ 9:34 am
I usually grab whatever is frozen in my freezer. Today it’s a heart-shaped chicken tender (?) and some buffalo cauliflower. I think I’d prefer your salad.
May 18, 2016 @ 4:37 pm
Well at least that chicken tender was loving.
May 19, 2016 @ 9:06 am
This is a great way to use up some of my fresh strawberries. Thanks for sharing at #WonderfulWednesday! Pinned and tweeted.
May 19, 2016 @ 4:25 pm
Thanks Marilyn!
May 19, 2016 @ 11:02 am
Pinned and shared to #ThursdayFavoriteThings!
May 19, 2016 @ 4:27 pm
Awesome! Thanks! 🙂
May 21, 2016 @ 3:50 pm
Delicious! I love salads, especially in the summer when it’s hot. This is an interesting combi, but I’m sure I’ll love it cause it’s sweet and savoury, my favourite! Pinned!
May 21, 2016 @ 5:00 pm
It was truly delicious! I’ve eaten so many salads in the past week….the fresh spring lettuce is just too tempting!
May 23, 2016 @ 1:51 pm
Pinned and shared to #OverTheMoon!
May 23, 2016 @ 5:19 pm
Thanks a bunch!
May 24, 2016 @ 6:27 pm
Congratulations! Your post was my feature pick from my Commenters at #WonderfulWednesday this week. Visit me on Tuesday evening and to see your feature and pick up your badge! I invite you to leave more links to be shared and commented upon.
May 24, 2016 @ 7:05 pm
Thanks a bunch! That’s so exciting…I really appreciate the feature! I’ll be there. 🙂
May 29, 2016 @ 9:51 am
What a delicious and summery salad idea! I love asparagus and I think that is a great addition. Thanks for sharing with us at Merry Monday!
May 29, 2016 @ 7:26 pm
Asparagus makes anything good! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂