Grilled Asparagus and Spinach Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing
I'm really overwhelmed at the response to my last post. Thank you all so much for your words of support and encouragement and for your menu suggestions. I'm keeping a tally and will definitely let you know what will be on the final menu. I wish you could all be there!
I suppose I'm going to have to refer to this as "the recipe that broke my grill pan." To be fair, it wasn't the recipe's fault that the pan broke--I blame that on Emeril. A fairly new cast iron double-sided griddle, it should hold up in an earthquake, not succumb under the pressure of some tender, green asparagus. It was only the fourth time I'd used it, the second day in a row I'd used it to grill asparagus for this salad, and I wasn't abusing it or teasing it or anything. The asparagus were sizzling, and I was on the other side of the kitchen tossing the spinach with the salad dressing when I heard a loud POP. When I rushed to the stove I found my grill sporting a 4-inch long crack from one side into the middle.
Fortunately, the asparagus were fine. I may have lost a grill, but I wasn't about to lose my asparagus! Since creating this salad the day before, I had developed a constant craving for it that wouldn't go away. That doesn't often happen to me when salads are involved, particularly fat-free salads. You may not have noticed, but I don't put a lot of salad or salad dressing recipes on this blog, and there's a reason for that. While many fat-free dressings are good enough for me to use to moisten my own salads, they don't really pass my First Test of Bloggability: Would I serve it to someone else? Honestly, for most fat-free salad dressings, the answer is no. When company comes over I invariably whip up an olive oil vinaigrette rather than subject my guests to one of my fat-free dressings. The Goddess Dressing is a notable exception--as is this one.
While I would call the Smoked Paprika Dressing good, it's very good in this particular salad. Its smokiness complements the real star of the show, the grilled asparagus. Though I love roasted asparagus, it's got a rival in my affections now. Something about the grilling, even in a pan on the stove, imbues the asparagus with the deep, slightly-charred flavor of a charcoal grill. They don't cook long enough to get scorched or soft, so they maintain a solid, salad-like crunch. Even if you decide to skip the dressing, do give the salad a try, tossed with your own favorite dressing. But maybe use a different brand of grill.
Grilled Asparagus and Spinach Salad
(printer-friendly version)
If you're eating this salad as one course of a meal, consider this recipe about 2 servings. But if you're like me and like a really big salad as a meal on its own, call this one serving and perhaps toss a handful of chickpeas into it to make it more filling.
8 ounces asparagus, tough ends snapped off
olive oil spray
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces baby spinach
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (may omit or substitute chickpeas)
Smoked Paprika Salad Dressing (see below)
Set a seasoned grill pan over medium-high heat. While it is heating, snap off the tough ends of the asparagus, place it in a dish, and spray it lightly with olive oil (just a couple of quick sprays). Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to distribute the oil and seasonings.
Put the asparagus on the grill and cook, turning often, until just beginning to brown in places but still crisp and bright green, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and cut spears in half.
Toss the spinach with the dressing and arrange in two bowls or plates. Divide the asparagus between the two salads, and sprinkle each with a tablespoon of walnuts.
Makes 2 standard servings. Each serving, with walnuts but excluding dressing: 60 Calories (kcal); 4g Total Fat; (47% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 46mg Sodium; 3g Fiber. Weight Watchers 1 Flex Point.
Without walnuts or dressing: 36 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (30% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 46mg Sodium; 3g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core/ Zero Points.
(The grill the day before it cracked.)
Smoked Paprika Dressing
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon white organic miso
1 tablespoon Nayonaise (or other vegan mayo) OR silken tofu
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon ground flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon paprika
small amount of sweetener to taste, just enough to offset the lemon juice (I used a tiny scoop of calorie-free stevia.)
Put all ingredients into a small blender and puree until smooth. Let rest for at least a half hour to allow flavors to develop. Makes about 4 servings (enough for 4 standard-sized salads).
Per serving (using fat-free Nayonaise and stevia): 12 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (23% calories from fat); trace Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 82mg Sodium. (Calories and fat grams increase slightly when made with other mayo or sweeteners.)
I suppose I'm going to have to refer to this as "the recipe that broke my grill pan." To be fair, it wasn't the recipe's fault that the pan broke--I blame that on Emeril. A fairly new cast iron double-sided griddle, it should hold up in an earthquake, not succumb under the pressure of some tender, green asparagus. It was only the fourth time I'd used it, the second day in a row I'd used it to grill asparagus for this salad, and I wasn't abusing it or teasing it or anything. The asparagus were sizzling, and I was on the other side of the kitchen tossing the spinach with the salad dressing when I heard a loud POP. When I rushed to the stove I found my grill sporting a 4-inch long crack from one side into the middle.Fortunately, the asparagus were fine. I may have lost a grill, but I wasn't about to lose my asparagus! Since creating this salad the day before, I had developed a constant craving for it that wouldn't go away. That doesn't often happen to me when salads are involved, particularly fat-free salads. You may not have noticed, but I don't put a lot of salad or salad dressing recipes on this blog, and there's a reason for that. While many fat-free dressings are good enough for me to use to moisten my own salads, they don't really pass my First Test of Bloggability: Would I serve it to someone else? Honestly, for most fat-free salad dressings, the answer is no. When company comes over I invariably whip up an olive oil vinaigrette rather than subject my guests to one of my fat-free dressings. The Goddess Dressing is a notable exception--as is this one.
While I would call the Smoked Paprika Dressing good, it's very good in this particular salad. Its smokiness complements the real star of the show, the grilled asparagus. Though I love roasted asparagus, it's got a rival in my affections now. Something about the grilling, even in a pan on the stove, imbues the asparagus with the deep, slightly-charred flavor of a charcoal grill. They don't cook long enough to get scorched or soft, so they maintain a solid, salad-like crunch. Even if you decide to skip the dressing, do give the salad a try, tossed with your own favorite dressing. But maybe use a different brand of grill.
Grilled Asparagus and Spinach Salad
(printer-friendly version)
If you're eating this salad as one course of a meal, consider this recipe about 2 servings. But if you're like me and like a really big salad as a meal on its own, call this one serving and perhaps toss a handful of chickpeas into it to make it more filling.
8 ounces asparagus, tough ends snapped off
olive oil spray
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces baby spinach
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (may omit or substitute chickpeas)
Smoked Paprika Salad Dressing (see below)
Set a seasoned grill pan over medium-high heat. While it is heating, snap off the tough ends of the asparagus, place it in a dish, and spray it lightly with olive oil (just a couple of quick sprays). Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to distribute the oil and seasonings.
Put the asparagus on the grill and cook, turning often, until just beginning to brown in places but still crisp and bright green, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and cut spears in half.
Toss the spinach with the dressing and arrange in two bowls or plates. Divide the asparagus between the two salads, and sprinkle each with a tablespoon of walnuts.
Makes 2 standard servings. Each serving, with walnuts but excluding dressing: 60 Calories (kcal); 4g Total Fat; (47% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 46mg Sodium; 3g Fiber. Weight Watchers 1 Flex Point.
Without walnuts or dressing: 36 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (30% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 46mg Sodium; 3g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core/ Zero Points.
(The grill the day before it cracked.)
Smoked Paprika Dressing
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon white organic miso
1 tablespoon Nayonaise (or other vegan mayo) OR silken tofu
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon ground flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon paprika
small amount of sweetener to taste, just enough to offset the lemon juice (I used a tiny scoop of calorie-free stevia.)
Put all ingredients into a small blender and puree until smooth. Let rest for at least a half hour to allow flavors to develop. Makes about 4 servings (enough for 4 standard-sized salads).
Per serving (using fat-free Nayonaise and stevia): 12 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (23% calories from fat); trace Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 82mg Sodium. (Calories and fat grams increase slightly when made with other mayo or sweeteners.)
Labels: CORE, eat to live, gluten-free
posted by SusanV at 10:09 PM
12 Comments:
And I really thought cast iron was indestructible...huh. The salad looks yummy. I think I have everything except the asparagus and the miso.
Do you have any recommendations on purchasing miso? We bought some miso soup packets a few months ago and ended up throwing them away because it tasted so bad.
I love grilled asparagus, too. I throw them completely unadorned onto the grill (usually outside), cook them on very high heat until a bit charred on the outside, and eat them like candy. (and p.s., I hope your grill is going right back to the store -- no way it should crack, even after 4000 batches of asparagus).
That asparagus looks absolutely delicious!!!
Cast iron actually has a fairly brittle structure for a metal, and an especially brittle one when compared to alloys like stainless steel. It may look indestructible, but it can crack if it is heated too quickly or if a significant amount of cold liquid is poured into a hot pan. Sometimes you can get away with preheating it on medium high/high it if there's a very large roast in the pan/on the grill to 'absorb' some of that heat...but that's not likely to be the case in vegan applications. My grandmother was practically religious in preheating her cast iron on low before cranking up the heat to no more than slightly above a medium, and I know that Le Creuset advocates using "low to medium heat for best results."
That being said...new reader here! Though I currently eat meat, I had been a vegetarian for about five years and am now looking for more ways to reduce my animal consumption. Your blog has gone a tremendous way in bringing me around to vegan cooking and your writing style has kept be reading. Thanks for continuing such a wonderful project!
What brand griddle was this? I just bought a new Nordicware griddle with extremely deep ridges. I'm having a tough time cleaning it.
I have Lodge cast iron and I'm really happy with it. I have their double burner griddle/grill pan and I've done veggie fajitas over at least medium-high heat with no problem. I've also preheated my skillets in the oven before pouring in my corn bread batter with no problem.
Mary Francis - I love miso! I get mine at my local health food store. You should look for unpasteurized, organic miso in the refrigerated section, in tubs or bags. Pasteurization kills the good-for-you active cultures in miso and conventional soybeans are one of the most genetically modified and pesticide laden crops. Also, the only ingredients should be soybeans, salt, and usually a grain such as rice or barley. Miso soup is fairly simple to make yourself, and I've never tried a dried packet that I like. Miso that is shelf-stable is almost always pasteuruized and so you loose many of the health benefits. Hope this helps!
Awesome! I actually have every single ingredient for this in my house at this very moment. Yahoo! Dinner is going to be so good.
I am completely enamored with smoked paprika.
I just made your salad for dinner. WOW it was delicious!!! Thank you! thank you! Another keeper like all of your recipes. (((HUGS)))
What a great blog! I have not made the conversion completely to vegan, but your recipes and stories have made me more aware of what goes into my food. I was a vegetarian for many years in college. I try to incorporate as many veggie based dishes as I can to my meat and potatoes family. And your lasagna recipe is a favorite!
Thanks again for your continued energy and obvious love for this project!
I just read your previous post and wanted to extend a congratulations! I live in Napa, just about 45 min over the hills to Santa Rosa. I'm going to do my best to attend. How very cool for you! Great job!
This sounds scrumptious! Thrilled that today is market day- going to go buy some fresh spinich & asparagus, and sorry about your grill!
If I weren't on another continent I would love to go see you- I don't always comment, but I always read your blog, and love it. I'm waiting for *your* cookbook to appear...
This looks fantastic!!
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