Fresh asparagus salad with lemon dijon vinaigrette

2 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
½ pounds Asparagus, tough ends removed
1 medium Lemon (for both juice and peel)
¼ cup Olive oil
2 tablespoons Corn or canola oil
⅛ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Pepper
1½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 slice Bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled coarsely
4 Dry-cured black olives, pitted
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the asparagus (cook until tender but still bright green, 4-5 minutes). Remove with tongs and immediately plunge into ice-cold water to stop the cooking and preserve the color. Drain completely and arrange the asparagus on two salad plates.

Remove half the lemon peel and cut into extremely thin strips. Boil for 1-2 minutes; drain. Squeeze 3 tablespoons juice from the lemon.

Put the juice and boiled peel in a jar. Add the oils, salt, pepper and Dijon mustard. Shake vigorously to combine. (This makes ¾ cup dressing. Refrigerate the unused portion for future salads.) At serving time, spoon some vinaigrette over the asparagus. (Never let asparagus sit in vinegar- or lemon based dressings; it turns an ugly olive drab.) Sprinkle the crumbled bacon and pitted olives over the top, along with a grind of pepper.

Salad (undressed) per serving: 58 calories, 4 grams protein, 6 grams cabohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 3 grams fat (0.7 grams saturated), 134 milligrams sodium.

Vinaigrette dressing per tablespoon: 74 calories, 0 grams protein, ½ grams carbohydrates, 0 grams fiber, 8 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 36 milligrams sodium.

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