Side Dish: Asparagus Salad with a Lemon-Parmesan Vinaigrette

This dish was inspired by this recipe over HERE. The asparagus and the lemon-parmesan vinaigrette compliment each other so nicely and bring out so many other flavors in this dish! When first making this I tweaked the recipe a bit because I did not have all the ingredients on hand and now every time I make this dish I keep it as my tweaked version.

This recipe is great for warm summer days or summer parties and gives it a twist to your average asparagus! You can make this ahead of time and have it chilled in the fridge. Just hold off on pouring the dressing right until you are about to serve it.

Here is my tweaked version:

Ingredients:

Lemon-Parmesan Vinaigrette:

1/4 c lemon juice

1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, finely chopped (I use my garlic crusher)

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/4 c olive oil

salt and pepper

Asparagus:

1 bunch of asparagus

1 carrot shredded for top

10 edamame pods, peel and discard outer layer

Directions:

1. Steam asparagus until bright green, tender enough to eat, but still has a crisp touch to it. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a bowl with cold water. Once asparagus are done, immediately transfer them into the ice bath bowl to halt the cooking. Drain and place on a plate.

2. Combine all ingredients for the lemon-parmesan vinaigrette except for the olive oil. Once they are whisked together, slowly add the olive oil a little bit at a time while whisking. Set aside.

3. Place the peeled carrot pieces and peeled edamame on top of asparagus. Place in the fridge to let it cool. When ready to serve, sprinkle dressing on top of asparagus and serve.

*Note: I keep the lemon-parmesan vinaigrette measurements the same and have about half of it left over to use for other things later in the week. I normally halve the asparagus ingredients because it's just the two of us.

*Note: If you have left overs, simply stick it in an airtight container and place in the fridge; it'll still be good the next day!