Marinated Vegetable Salad

Need a new salad to go with your dinner?  Tired of the same ol', same ol' green salad?  I certainly was . . which is why I came up with delicious creation.  The crisp/tender vegetables marry perfectly with a homemade vinaigrette dressing.  I'm sure you could swap out some of the vegetables for whatever you have in your fridge or garden.  Asparagus was on special at the store this week and it was beautiful . .nice and thin stalks that were very tender.  Yum!  Serve the salad alongside your favorite hunk of grilled meat for an easy summer supper.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

Serves 4-6

Salad Ingredients:

1 LB Asparagus, trimmed

1 Carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1/2 Cup Sugar Snap Peas or Peapods

1/2 Cup Mushrooms, sliced

1 Cup Fresh Broccoli Florets

Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/4 Cup + 2 TB Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Chopped Garlic

1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1 Teaspoon Sugar

Step 1:  Blanche the veggies. Haven't done this before?  It's pretty easy - bring a pot of water to boiling, add the veggies and boil for about 3 minutes . . until desired tenderness.  Why blanche?  This partially cooks the vegetables so that they are somewhat crisp yet tender . . .but not fully cooked.  And, they retain their color.  For a great tutorial - check out this site.

Step 2:  Once your vegetables are blanched and well drained, place them in a large bowl.  It's now time to prepare dressing.

Step 3:  In a small bowl, add all ingredients for the dressing.  Whisk together until well combined.  Let stand for 15 minutes or so to let the dried seasonings rehydrate.  

Step 4:  Pour the dressing over the vegetables and using tongs, gently toss the vegetables to coat them with the dressing.  Cover and chill for a minimum of two hours to combine all the flavors.