Spring Pea, Asparagus Mint Salad
This simple recipe blends 4 different greens for a unique salad that’s packed with flavor and nutrition. Asparagus and green peas both contain fiber and folate, two nutrients studied for their cancer-fighting properties. Fresh and frozen produce are both healthy choices. In fact, the process for preparing frozen produce today actually retains much of the texture, flavor and nutrition of the fresh version.
Spring Pea, Asparagus Mint Salad
Makes 6 servings (about 1 cup per serving). Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 bunch (about 3/4 lb asparagus, tough ends removed, sliced into 2” pieces)
- 2 cups fresh pea shoots
- Juice and zest of one lemon
- 1/2 cup fresh mint (roughly chopped)
- 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Add peas to boiling water and blanch for 1 minute.
Strain peas using a slotted spoon (save the boiling water for the asparagus). Add peas to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking process, then strain again and set aside.
Add asparagus to the boiling water and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Similarly drain asparagus and add to ice water for 1 min; drain and set aside.
In large bowl, combine peas, asparagus, pea shoots, lemon zest, lemon juice, mint and olive oil and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Optional: garnish with a slice of lemon.
Per Serving: 80 calories, 2.5 g total fat (0 g. saturated fat), 12 g carbohydrate, 4 g protein, 5 g dietary fiber, 35 mg sodium.
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The Author:
Sonja Goedkoop, MSPH, RD, is the lead registered dietitian at Zesty, Inc. She is passionate about helping others improve their health through diet and physical activity and believes eating nutritious food should be easy and taste great. You can follow her on Twitter @SonjaGoedkoopRD.
Photo and Source: (AICR) American Institute for Cancer Research
