Seasonal Recipes: Asparagus & Pea Salad with Vegan Cheesy Toasts

Name: Asparagus & Pea Salad with Vegan Cheesy Toasts
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 8 Asparagus Spears & Stems; 1 Red Onion; 1 Clove Garlic (finely diced or grated); 1 tsp Olive Oil; 1 tsp Dairy Free Baking Block or Vegan Butter; 100 g Frozen Petit Pois or Garden Peas; Salt & Black Pepper (Optional); 30 g Vegan Parmesan (grated); 2 Slices Wholemeal Bread (Glutenfree if needed)

Seasonal Recipes: Asparagus & Pea Salad with Vegan Cheesy Toasts

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Asparagus & Pea Salad with Vegan Cheesy Toasts, an elegant lunch or easy to prepare starter for any occasion! Delicate Asparagus spears, fresh peas and crisp red onion are treated to a light drizzle of oil before being piled high on a slice of crunchy vegan cheesy toast! Dairy free, Gluten free & Suitable for vegans so a great option for catering for all dietary requests. Delicious and all ready in the time it takes to make a slice of cheese on toast!

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Can I make this salad with all of the Asparagus stalks?

When you’ve got your hands on some beautiful British Asparagus, the last thing you want to do is waste any.

The great things about this Asparagus Salad it that it uses both the stalks and the spears of the asparagus. The bottom of the stalks can be a bit tougher so they are sliced and sauteed gently with the garlic for a minute or so before the delicate spears are added.

I add the peas in at the last minute and turn the heat off because it keeps them slightly crunchier and that is how I prefer to eat them.

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Can I add other Ingredients to the Asparagus Salad?

YES!

This is a really versatile little salad. It is also really nice if you mash the peas and asparagus stalks together and use it as a spread for the toasts!

A few finely shredded fresh mint leaves would be lovely. But as we had only just moved it to the allotment, I didn’t add any to this recipe as I am letting it settle in for a bit.

*edit – I have made this mint leaves since and OMG!! So good!

I use red onion, because they tend to have a milder flavour, but even they can have a bit of a kick sometimes! The salad is just as nice with brown or spring onions. And if you throw over a few, thin slices of good old pickled onions you get lovely tangy little surprises as you eat the salad.

Top Tip when adding raw onions to salads:

Finely slice your onions and put them in a sieve over a bowl. Sprinkle over a generous table spoon of salt and leave to sit for about 20minutes. Then rinse well under cold running water. This is will take the bitterness and a lot of the heat out of the onions.

How do I grow my own Asparagus?

If you fancy starting your own Asparagus bed or are looking for more inspiration to enjoy this seasonal delight then hop over and check out the latest Peachicks @No17 post. Top Tips for Growing & Cooking Asparagus is full of advice for establishing and caring for your own bed as well as some gorgeous recipes from our Foodie Friends!

And here is our final crop of asparagus for the season from No17. We have been truly lucky to inherit this established bed and although the season is short, it has been a very good one. So for now we will let the ferns grow and the crowns replenish themselves, hopefully for another good harvest next year!

Meanwhile at The Bakery

(May 2017)

Our little Allotment, No17, has definitely been a much needed oasis of calm in what has been a crazy few weeks. Hubby’s ankle has been bad and I’ve been having really random reactions to things lately. Millie has been working really hard doing her end of year 2 sats or ‘special books’ and the other two have been spreading their usual brand of crazy! Coming up later in the week I will post the third allotment diaries post sharing how we set up No17 and then a catch up one so you can see what we have growing so far! There is some very lovely looking red cabbage plants coming up but sadly the sweetcorn hasn’t amounted to anything.

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Recipe for Asparagus & Pea Spring Salad with Vegan Cheesy Toasts:

Asparagus & Pea Spring Salad with Vegan Cheesy Toasts, an elegant lunch or easy to prepare starter for any occasion! Delicate Asparagus spears, fresh peas and crisp red onion are treated to a light drizzle of oil before being piled high on a slice of crunchy vegan cheesy toast! Delicious and all ready in the time it takes to make a slice of cheese on toast!

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5 from 9 votes

Asparagus & Pea Salad with Vegan Cheesy Toasts

Asparagus & Pea Salad with Vegan Cheesy Toasts, an elegant lunch or easy to prepare starter for any occasion! Delicate Asparagus spears, fresh peas and crisp red onion are treated to a light drizzle of oil before being piled high on a slice of crunchy vegan cheesy toast! Delicious and all ready in the time it takes to make a slice of cheese on toast!

Course Light Lunch

Cuisine Seasonal British

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings People

Author Midge

Ingredients

8 Asparagus Spears & Stems
1 Red Onion
1 Clove Garlic finely diced or grated
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Dairy Free Baking Block or Vegan Butter
100 g Frozen Petit Pois or Garden Peas
Salt & Black Pepper Optional
30 g Vegan Parmesan grated
2 Slices Wholemeal Bread Glutenfree if needed

Instructions

Start with the onion. Remove the skin and slice in half. Place each onion half flat side down and finely slice so you get paper thin rainbow ribbons. Separate the onion ribbons into a sieve before sprinkling lightly with salt. Set aside while you cook the asparagus and peas and rinse in cold water before serving.
*Depending on the onion you can often leave this step out but it will remove any bitterness and tame any particularly strong onions. If the Peachicks are eating then I always salt and rinse any onions we are eating raw.
Next prepare the Asparagus. Take each spear and slice off the tips about 4 inches from the top. Set aside. Slice what remains of the spears about 1cm thick. I have done it on a slight bias just because it makes it look pretty!
Add a small drizzle of Olive Oil to a non-stick frying pan and gently heat the garlic slices. Toss in the Asparagus slices and peas and stir for 2minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons of water before laying the Asparagus tips on top and allow to cook for a further 2 minutes.
Then make the toasts. Preheat the grill to medium and gently toast the first side of the bread. You want it to be just slightly crunchier than warm bread. Turn the slices over and brush each with a little Olive Oil before sprinkling with salt and black pepper. Cover each slice with the grated cheese and place back under the grill under the toast is crisp.
Finally Assemble the dish. Place the Vegan Cheesy Toasts on a plate. Layer with the dressed pea and asparagus stems. Pile on the crunchy red onion ribbons and finally arrange the asparagus tips on top.
Finish with some vegan parmesan shavings and find a quiet sunny spot to enjoy!

Notes

I always use Frozen peas at home, unless they have come out of our garden or allotment. They are picked and frozen so quickly that they retain all their freshness, vitamins and sweetness. And using frozen means that we can enjoy beautiful British peas at their best all year round!

Linky Love for Asparagus & Pea Spring Salad with Vegan Cheesy Toasts:

#FreefromFridays with Emma & Mel!