Roasted Asparagus and Portobella Mushroom Spinach Salad

 

Asparagus and portabella mushrooms, roasted with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of honey, top a spinach salad along with strips of sun dried tomatoes, julienned basil and toasted pine nuts.

The idea for the salad came from Susie Fishbien’s Kosher by Design Lightens Up (here is the original recipe and here is a picture of it on a Shavuot buffet by Claudia Bildrici).

I changed things around a little, roasting the vegetables together with the dressing instead of grilling and steaming them separately before adding the dressing. I also toasted the pine nuts and added the sun dried tomatoes to the warm roasted vegetables to hydrate a little.

Instead of using romaine and endive, I went with baby spinach.Roasted Asparagus and Portobella Mushroom Spinach Salad

Clean a pound of asparagus and cut it into 2″ lengths. Clean 4-5 portobella mushrooms, scraping out the dark gills and slicing them into strips (or roast whole and slice later). Place the vegetables on a foiled-lined baking sheet and toss with a drizzle of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of honey. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper. Toss in some sliced garlic. Roast at 375 for about 15 minutes. You can also roast at a higher 400 degrees, just check after about 8 minutes.

The mushrooms should have given off juice. Toss over a handful of sliced sun dried tomatoes and mix into the warm vegetable juices to hydrate.

Sometime while the vegetables are roasting, put a handful of pine nuts on a pan and roast for about 5 minutes, or until starting to turn golden.

When ready to serve the salad, toss spinach (1 bag baby spinach) with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Top with the vegetables, pine nuts, and a handful of shredded basil leaves (slice or tear by hand). Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Tags: salad