Shaved Asparagus Salad with Smoked Salmon and Capers

It’s been a rough winter; eating soups and stews and very heavy, hardy foods trying to keep your body warm and cozy. Don’t get me wrong, I love soup, especially when I am sick; there is nothing better. But there comes a time where you begin to get tired of it. The past few weeks, I think we all have felt the need to break from our cozy little nooks in every aspect of our daily routine; especially during meal time. With the weather getting warmer over the past couple of days, I feel like I am finally able to take a breath of fresh air; to soak in the spring sun and begin enjoying newly sprouted vegetables in my dishes. And so sparked this recipe: With asparagus coming into season brings a very light and crisp spring salad to refresh and re-energize your body. Chock full of minerals from the veggies and subtle but delicious flavors, this salad is everything I crave coming out of the frigid winter months into the warm, lively season of spring. Enjoy as is, or throw a hard boiled egg on top and you have the perfect meal.

What You’ll Need:

• 1/2 bundle asparagus, washed and trimmed
• About 1/3 of a large cucumber, washed
• A few layers of Wild Caught, Alaskan smoked salmon, sliced
• 1 T capers
• About 1/4 red onion, peeled and sliced very thinly

for the dressing:

• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

What to Do:

1. Using a cheese peeler, or other very sharp peeler, begin shaving the asparagus starting at the base and working towards the tips. Repeat with all the asparagus and add shavings to a medium-small sized bowl.
2. Cut off 1/3 of a cucumber. Slice the cucumber, without cutting all the way through, in 1/4 inch sections. Use your peeler to shave off slices of the cucumber and add to your bowl.
3. Finely slice the red onion, and add to salad mixture along with 1 tablespoon of capers.
4. Take a few layers of your salmon (usually it comes pre-cut in layers) and slice to smaller bite-size pieces, and add to your dish.
5. In a separate, smaller bowl, squeeze lemon juice out of the half of lemon. Using a whisker, whisk the lemon juice while slowly drizzling in the olive oil, until mixture becomes creamy. Add salt and pepper and taste.
6. Add dressing to salad, and toss to coat. Serve immediately or slightly chilled.

Serves 2