Lightly cooked asparagus, fresh avocado, mushrooms, zucchini, and tomato are all combined in a vibrant, lovely salad with a homemade vinaigrette dressing.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Additional Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons water
- 8 fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large avocado – peeled, pitted, and cubed
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place asparagus and water into a dish, cover, and microwave on high for 3 minutes; stir. Continue microwaving until asparagus are bright green and slightly tender, 2 to 3 more minutes. Drain and cool.
- Toss asparagus, mushrooms, avocado, zucchini, tomato, and red onion gently in a large salad bowl. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, basil, thyme, salt, and black pepper in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; cover and shake dressing to mix. Pour dressing over salad and toss again to coat. Cover salad and refrigerate until serving time.
Reviews
I rate the vegetable combination with 5 stars. So pretty, so healthy, and a good combination of crisp, tangy and mellow. But I didn’t love the dressing. I found it to be too tart. I will make this again, but will experiment with a different vinaigrette dressing. (You don’t want a creamy dressing which would cover up how pretty it is.)
This is a marvelous side. I served it with the Mango Chicken Piccata found on this website and a sweet potato. It was wonderful. The only change I made to this recipe was the addition of pine nuts and a bit of blue cheese. It hit the spot. This is a side that will be presented to guests the year round. Wonderful addition to the Mango Chicken Piccata.
This was great! I didn’t have Dijon but yellow mustard worked just as well. I only had 1/2 purple onion also and I think that was enough.
I made this for a Christmas family dinner. Doubled the recipe, except for the onion. Festive looking dish. Quite Tasty. Don’t know how it made it to the dinner, as I couldn’t stop tasting it. Will definately make this again!
This is a colorful, tasty alternative to a lettuce-based salad. With a nice mix of veggies and a lively vinaigrette, it will find a place on my table, often. I followed the recipe very closely, only subbing in cherry tomatoes, which I had on hand. The next time I make this, I will add a bit less onion, and perhaps grate it into the vinaigrette. I also added a pinch of salt, after tasting. Thanks for the idea!