Asparagus & Smoked Salmon Salad

This is a new favorite for lunch. It's easy to throw together the night before. I actually cook the asparagus and make the dressing on Sunday and then use it through out the week. And this salad has crazy good ingredients, healthwise and tastewise.

Asparagus: A very good source of folate, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A

Salmon: An excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, low in calories and saturated fat, high in protein, good source of selenium, niacin, and B12, phosphorous, magnesium, and B6. Anti-inflammatory, promotes cardiovascular health.

Spinach: protects against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, prostate and ovarian cancer, and arthritis. Full of anti-oxidants. Rich in potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A, and folate.

Here are the ingredients:

And the recipe:

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup pecans, broken into pieces + 1 tbsp sugar
1 bag baby spinach
1/4 pound smoked salmon, cut into 1 inch chunks

Lemonlicious Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place asparagus in the pot, and cook 5 minutes, just until tender. Drain, run under cool water, and set aside.

2. Place the pecans in a skillet over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted. In the last minute, add sugar, stirring frequently to coat the nuts and prevent burning.

3. In a large bowl, toss together the asparagus, pecans, spinach, and salmon. Try other add-ins too, like chopped apples, mandarin oranges, chickpeas, peas, etc.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Toss with the salad or serve on the side.

I'm not a huge fan of fish normally but because this recipe uses smoked salmon and because there's lots of other yummy stuff, it's a great way to get your omega-3s.