Asparagus and Mushroom Salad

You can rarely find another food that has so low amount of calories and so many nutrients in it. 100 grams of asparagus contains only 17 calories. Nutritionists believe that besides maintaining healthy weight, asparagus can reduce cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, improve the work of heart, provide diuretic effects and preserve bone health. Asparagus is also especially high in prebiotics – fibers that are preferential to our good bacteria – and that helps shape our microbiome. That makes this salad a great choice to bring along for Easter and will pair well with any meal!

Asparagus ~ A Food Super Hero…

Asparagus is rich in folic acid, which helps the body protect itself from lung cancer, uterine cancer and colon cancer. This plant contains a powerful and efficient antioxidant known as glutathione. This compound eliminates cancer-causing free radicals and facilitates the daily detoxification. Doctors suggest increased intake of asparagus when women are pregnant because of the high level of folic acid.

People have used asparagus for its aphrodisiac properties since ancient times. The main reason why this vegetable is so effective is the presence of vitamin E, which is also known as fertility vitamin. A few scientific studies have shown that asparagus brings another positive effect to human body – it supports the release of serotonin or the hormone of happiness. In other words, asparagus acts as mood booster too.

Even though asparagus can be found in markets throughout the year, it is harvested in April, May and June. According to many chefs, this is one of the most sought after periods of the year because asparagus is used in many meals and during this period it tastes the best. Before we go into the culinary application of this vegetable we must highlight the nutritional value of asparagus. It turns out that asparagus is an excellent source of calcium, vitamin B6, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, magnesium, zinc, protein, fiber, vitamin E, K, C and A, folic acid, phosphorus, iron, selenium, manganese and copper. As previously mentioned, it contains very small number of calories, which makes it ideal for any diet plan.

Asparagus has been used since ancient times by the Ancient Egyptians, Greek, and Romans for its medicinal properties. Today, this plant is grown in Europe, Asia and America.

Asparagus can be consumed fried, boiled or raw. They are often served as a side dish, appetizer, and soup and as a salad.

According to many experts, asparagus tastes the best when it is combined with mushrooms in a salad. Mushrooms, especially buttoned mushrooms are very healthy too, which means that this combination will make a great healthy and tasty salad. This type of mushroom is the most popular type in America. They are good for the heart, immune system and they also have anticancer properties and contain zinc.

Why is homemade dressing better than bottled?

Every salad needs dressing. When it comes to dressings people have two choices – homemade and bottled dressings. Homemade dressing is much better because it is fresher, less expensive, tastes better and doesn’t contain harmful preservatives, colors, hidden gluten or other artificial ingredients that are usually found in bottle dressings. You will be surprised (check labels next time you go to a health food store) to see that oils used even in best quality organic salad dressings are cheaper omega 6 oils that promote inflammation like “vegetable “, corn, soy, sunflower or safflower oil (mostly you will see canola oil, also a cheap oil). If you see olive oil on the ingredient list, it will definitely NOT be the first on the list, which means it is only a small amount – it will be mixed in with the omega 6 oils to cut the cost. When you make your own salad dressing, you control the quality of the oil. Always use the best quality olive oil you can find. You can save a glass salad dressing bottle from a previous product and reuse it!!!

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Mushroom and Asparagus Salad

March 22, 2016

by Kasia Kines

Category Member Recipes Recipes Salads Salads

Persons

4

Ingredients

• 5 ounces of asparagus spears
• 1 tablespoon of wholegrain mustard
• ¼ cup of orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of lime juice
• 1 tablespoon of orange zest
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons of lime zest
• ½ teaspoon chopped parsley
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon sea kelp
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup of honey
• 13 ounces of button mushrooms
• 5 ounces of spinach or mixed salad greens
• (1 red capsicum or red bell pepper cut into strips- optional)

Instructions

1. Snap the woody ends from the asparagus spears and cut in half on the diagonal. Cook in boiling water for 1 minute, or until tender. Drain, plunge into cold water and set aside.
2. Place the mustard, citrus juice and zest, garlic and honey in a large saucepan and season with pepper, parsley, sea kelp and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and add the mushrooms, tossing for 2 minutes. Cool.
3. Remove the mushrooms from the sauce with a slotted spoon.
4. Return the sauce to the heat, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until reduced and syrupy. Cool slightly.
5. Toss the mushrooms, green leaves and asparagus. Put on a plate and drizzle with the sauce.

https://kasiakines.com/asparagus-mushroom-salad/