This nutrient rich microgreen salad recipe is tossed with blanched asparagus, tomatoes, and almonds and drizzled with a grapefruit vinaigrette.
I like to keep the salad and recipe toppings in different bowls and toss each bowl separately with the vinaigrette so as not to smash the microgreens with the other ingredients. Salads are important to think about textures and layers when plating.
Don't have parsley stems? No problem! Leave them out - this is just what I had in my refrigerator at the time and adds a little more flavor and texture to the vinaigrette.
Blanching means to throw vegetables in hot water for a limited time and promptly cool down fast in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. This retains color / vibrancy and keeps them crunchier.
When tasting the vinaigrette, remember that the salt is going to be dispersed over a lot of ingredients. It should taste salty, but when in doubt - under salt, you can always add salt to the lettuce if needed.
Slice asparagus on the bias. This means diagonally It looks fancier and creates more surface area, which is more important when cooking.
Microgreens are leafy vegetables or herbs that are harvested in the "cotyledon stage" or when the first two leaves appear. They are packed with flavor and have nutritional benefits similar to the "adult version" of the plant. I.e. - arugula microgreens taste like arugula but are much smaller and have a very delicate texture.
These beautiful organic microgreens come from City Roots in Columbia, SC. They are fragile little beauties.
Serving Suggestion
Serve this Microgreen salad with pickled onions to give it a little extra "oompf." If you're looking for a light meal, choose the cold cucumber soup, but this also goes really well with a tomato tart or roasted eggplant.
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Things In My Kitchen:
- Microplane zester - for zesting the grapefruit.
- Metal mixing bowls - I have the 1 ½, 3, and 4 quart. They're stackable and I prefer the flat bottom of the bowls for stability.
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Asparagus, Tomato, And Microgreen Salad
EatSimpleFood.com
This nutrient rich microgreen salad recipe is tossed with blanched asparagus, tomatoes, and almonds and drizzled with a grapefruit vinaigrette.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Ingredient List Salad:
- ½ lb asparagus (this is usually ½ of 1 bunch)
- 2 small roma tomato, diced
- 4 cups (~ 4 ounces) arugula microgreens
- ½ cup (~ 2 ounces) slivered almonds, toasted
Ingredient List Dressing:
- 1 medium grapefruit, zested & juiced
- 2 Tbsp e.v. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp parsley stem, sliced
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and bake almonds ~ 6-8 minutes or until fragrant and very lightly browned. Remove from pan to cool.
- Make the vinaigrette. Zest and juice the grapefruit and toss both in small bowl. Add sliced parsley stems and whisk in the oil. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch asparagus ~ 2 minutes (until tender but still a bit crisp), strain, and place in a bowl of ice water. You want them to retain a little crunch and bring out their vibrant color. Strain and dry quickly with a paper towel. Slice the asparagus in 1" pieces and add to bowl. Dice tomatoes, add to asparagus, and toss with vinaigrette.
- In a separate bowl, toss the microgreens with the vinaigrette and place on plates. Add the asparagus and tomatoes mixture and top with toasted almonds. Add sea salt to taste.
Notes
- Don't have parsley stems? No problem! Leave them out - this is just what I had in my refrigerator at the time and adds a little more flavor and texture to the vinaigrette.
- Blanching means to throw in hot water for limited time and cool down fast in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. This retains color and keeps them crunchier.
- When tasting the vinaigrette, remember that the salt is going to be dispersed over a lot of ingredients. It should taste salty, but when in doubt - under salt, you can always add salt to the lettuce if needed.
- Slice asparagus on the bias. This means diagonally It looks fancier and creates more surface area (which is not the reason for doing it in this case).
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