Shaved Asparagus & Chickpea Salad

Fresh local asparagus tossed with lemon, olive oil, and crunchy roasted chickpeas, so simple it almost feels silly to write a recipe for this salad, but it's just too good not to share.

I bought way too much asparagus at the farmers market last weekend, but who could resist 'just picked this morning' fresh local produce after a long winter of frozen veggies.

The first thing I made was this salad by shaving the tender shoots into thin ribbons using a vegetable peeler and tossing them in a simple lemon vinaigrette with roasted chickpeas. It was so tasty, we happily enjoyed it again twice this week.

This recipe makes enough for four small salads or two big ones.

Lemony Roasted Chickpeas

• 1 can chickpeas (397 grams or 14oz)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
• the zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

Preheat oven to 400F.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and pat them dry them between two tea towels.

Toss the chickpeas with the olive oil and salt to coat. Spread the chickpeas out on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.

Grate the zest of 1 lemon over the roasted chickpeas, and toss to distribute the zest evenly.

Shaved Asparagus Salad

• 300 grams asparagus
• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• the juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Lemony Roasted Chickpeas

Using a vegetable peeler, shave each spear of asparagus into thin ribbons. Start at the thick end and move toward the tip with the peeler for best results.

Add the lemon juice, mustard and olive oil to a small jar and shake to combine.

In a large bowl, toss the shaved asparagus with the dressing and the roasted chickpeas until everything is coated in dressing.

Enjoy!

Sometimes simple really is better, especially when working with fresh local ingredients.