Citrus and Asparagus Salad
By: Crystal S.
Published: Monday, March 17, 2014 - 3:13pm

Ingredients




2 red grapefruit
2 naval oranges
1 bundle (about a pound) of fresh asparagus, ends snapped off, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t.finely minced shallot
1 T. chopped fresh mint
6 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 t. salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 c. cooked red quinoa
5 oz. package of spring greens
1/3 c. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 c. pepitas, lightly toasted

Preparation

1 Using a sharp knife, cut the ends off  one of the grapefruit. Cut away the peel and white pith, following the natural curve of the fruit with your knife. Then cut the peeled grapefruit lengthwise into quarters, then slice into 1/4-inch slices. Repeat this process with one of the oranges. Set the cut fruit aside in a bowl. 2 With the remaining grapefruit and orange, squeeze 2 T. juice from each fruit. Combine grapefruit and orange juice with the lemon juice, shallot, mint, olive oil, salt and a few grindings of fresh black pepper. Whisk to emulsify, set aside. 3 Meanwhile, in a saucepan fitted with a steamer basket, bring a couple of inches of water to a boil, add the asparagus and steam for about 5 minutes, until just becoming tender. Immediately plunge the asparagus into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and pat briefly with paper towel. In a medium bowl, toss asparagus with 1 1/2 T. of the dressing. In another bowl, toss quinoa with 1/4 c. of the dressing. 4 To assemble the salad: toss the salad greens with half of the remaining dressing. Heap the quinoa in the center of a large bowl, layer the asparagus and citrus over the salad. Sprinkle with the feta and pepitas and drizzle with the remaining dressing.

About

Winter citrus and spring asparagus intersect in this salad along red quinoa, feta and toasted pepitas.