Shaved Asparagus Salad with Zucchini, Chili + Mint

Shaved asparagus salad with zucchini, peas, chili + mint. A fresh and light spring salad to celebrate all that is green. Vegan + gluten free.

I made a thai green curry so spicy the other night, I almost had us in tears. Matt was chasing his spoonfuls of curry down with a mouthful of french baguette as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. uh, whoops.

We didn’t grow up eating a lot of spicy food, mild curry powder and mom’s chili was as far as it went. It was only when I really started cooking meals on my own that I developed an appreciation for different spices and more fiery foods, and the combination of mint and chili is one of my favorites. I can be a little heavy handed on the the spice sometimes, but I have learned, (more than once), that it is better to start off with a little heat, then taste and add as go. It’s easier to make things spicier than it is to adjust for too much (plus it saves on baguettes!). I used a mild red chili here, deseeded and chopped up, but if you are wary of heat, use as little as you like, even a chili flavored olive oil would be a nice alternative.

Short and sweet today for a simple salad. Enjoy!

Shaved asparagus salad with zucchini, peas, chili + mint. A fresh and light spring salad to celebrate all that is green. Vegan + gluten free.


SHAVED ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH ZUCCHINI, CHILI & MINT

A fresh salad full of spring greens with a bit of kick. Mint is always one of the first herbs to pop up so I love adding it to my greens this time of year. Nice as a side salad, or serves well with brown rice or rice noodles as a main meal. Vegan & Gluten Free. Serves 2.

Ingredients

6-8 green asparagus stalks
1 medium zucchini
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1 small red chili, or more or less depending on desired heat
Large handful each fresh mint and basil leaves|
1 cup rocket
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Using a vegetable peeler, thinly peel the asparagus and zucchini into ribbons, place in a salad bowl and squeeze over the juice of one lemon. Set aside while you prep the other ingredients.

If using fresh peas, shell and rinse them under cold water. You also use frozen peas here, place in a bowl a cover with boiling water. Let sit for about 1 minute, then rinse well under cold water, this helps to keep them fresh and green.

Slice the chili in half length wise and scrap out the seeds, then give it a good chop into small bits

Roll the basil and mint leaves together into a tube like form, then chop so that you have long thin ribbons of herbs.

Add all of the ingredients to the salad bowl with the asparagus and zucchinni, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.


Let me in on your kitchen creations – tag your photos #happyheartedkitchen and share the love!

3 Comments

  • Reply
    Cheri Savory Spoon
    May 20, 2014 at 9:09 pm

    What a gorgeous salad! love this!

  • Reply
    Spring Is Here, Celebrate With These Spring Salad Recipes -
    March 20, 2015 at 5:35 pm

    […] In spring lots of greens are ready for harvest and ready to be mixed together to make an amazing salad. This one is very healthy and very easy to make. Just look at all that green goodness. The recipe can be found here. […]

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