Andalusian Asparagus Salad
Prep Time
25 minutes
Excerpted from Vegan on the Go, reprinted by permission of DK, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright ©2018 by Jérôme Eckmeier and Daniela Lais.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces (100 g) seitan
- 15 green asparagus spears
- 15 white asparagus spears
- 5 pitted dates
- 2 small unwaxed oranges
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1. ounces (50 g) pitted black olives
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
- 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- pinch of ground allspice
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
Directions
- Chop the seitan into 1/2 inch (1 cm) pieces. Remove the woody ends from all the asparagus spears. Peel the lower one-third of the stem of each green asparagus spear. Slice all the asparagus spears diagonally to make 1 1/2inch (4 cm) long pieces. Set the asparagus tips aside.
- Finely chop the dates. Finely grate 1 orange or use a zester to make fine strips. Cut both oranges in half and squeeze the juice into a bowl.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté the seitan and the asparagus pieces (not the tips) for a short time. Stir in the olives and orange zest. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, and orange juice. Mix in both types of paprika as well as the salt, pepper, allspice, and lime juice. Let cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
- Finally, fold in the asparagus tips and dates and cook briefly. This salad tastes great warm or cold.
Recipe Note
I use two varieties of regal asparagus spears in this Andalusian salad with an unusual combination of zesty oranges, sweet dates, and delicately bitter olives. This is a fruity and piquant spring salad, which makes for a tasty, interesting, and aesthetically pleasing lunch.
About the Chefs
Daniela Lais has been vegan for more than sixteen years and is passionate about ethical eating. She worked for many years at one of the oldest vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Graz, Austria. She has been a journalist for over ten years. She splits her time between Portland, OR and Austria. She is also the co-author of DK’s Vegan Easy Baking (2018). Find more of Daniela’s recipes at https://www.facebook.com/laisdaniela.
Jérôme Eckmeier has been cooking vegan food and following a vegan diet for many years and regularly conjures up inspirational new vegan dishes in his online cooking show and his blog. He has trained as a chef and food technician and worked in numerous prestigious restaurants in Germany and elsewhere. He is also the co-author of DK’s Vegan Easy Baking (2018). Find more of Jerome’s recipes at http://www.jeromeeckmeier.com.
