SALADS

Asparagus, Snap Pea and Quinoa Salad

Cooks in 25 minutes Difficulty Easy

Asparagus, Snap Pea, and Quinoa Salad

Recipe by thesal28_wpCourse: SaladsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

5

minutes

As the frost of winter dissipates and nature awakens with a burst of color, our palates yearn for something equally invigorating. Enter this hearty yet vibrant Asparagus, Snap Pea, and Quinoa Salad.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed of woody ends

  • 8 oz. snap peas

  • 4 small endives

  • 4 cups cooked quinoa, cold

  • 1/2 cup goat cheese

  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

  • 1 1/2 tbsp honey

  • 1 tbsp whole grain mustard

  • the juice of 2 small lemons (about 1/3 cup)

  • 1 tbsp shallot, finely diced

  • 2/3 cups extra virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt

  • freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

  • Bring 4 qts water and 2 tbsp Kosher salt to a boil in a large pot. Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl halfway with ice, then add enough water so bowl is 2/3 full of ice water (this is called an ice bath). Add snap peas to boiling water and cook for about 45 seconds.  Using a strainer (I use this one called a spider strainer), remove snap peas from water and plunge into ice bath (don’t dump water because you are going to use it to cook asparagus.)  Cook asparagus the same way you did snap peas, adding asparagus to the same ice bath as the snap peas when it is done cooking.
  • Drain snap peas and asparagus and pat dry gently with a clean dish towel. This step is essential, because the dressing will not cling properly to wet vegetables.
  • Prepare dressing by whisking together honey, mustard, shallot, and lemon juice. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and season with Kosher salt and black pepper. 
  • Place quinoa in a large bowl.  Slice asparagus into coins, then add to bowl with quinoa.  Slice endives thinly and add to bowl.  Julienne snap peas and add to bowl. Crumble goat cheese into bowl and gently toss. Add your desired amount of salad dressing and toss. Season with Kosher salt and pepper and garnish with sunflower seeds.

Notes

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