Chickpea and Asparagus Salad with Vegan Buttermilk Dressing
Chickpea and Asparagus Salad is the perfect meal for summer. Serve this cold salad for lunch or a light dinner. The creamy dairy free buttermilk dressing will have you coming back for more!
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ¾ cup almond milk or soy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked for two hours, rinse and drained
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, loosely packed chopped
- ¼ cup fresh chives, loosely packed chopped
For the Salad
- 1 bunch asparagus trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
- 1 head green leaf lettuce chopped (about 6 cups)
- 1 bunch watercress stems removed (about 1 cup)
- 1 head radicchio sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts toasted
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- ½ cup vegan feta
Instructions
Make the Dressing
- Mix together the apple cider vinegar and non-dairy milk, and let sit for 10 minutes. It will curdle, which is what you want.
- Mix the curdled milk, cashews, mustard, garlic, and salt together in a food processor or high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. Add the parsley and chives and pulse a couple times to combine.
Blanch the Asparagus
- Prepare a large bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook for 2 to 4 minutes (depending on thickness), until bright green. Remove the asparagus pieces from the pot with tongs or a skimmer, and immediately transfer them to the ice water bowl. Let them sit in the ice water for a minute. Drain and pat dry.
Assemble the Salad
- Add the lettuce, watercress, radicchio, asparagus and chickpeas to a large bowl. Add about half of the dressing, and toss to coat. Top with the walnuts, parsley and feta, and then drizzle on the rest of the dressing.
- Divide among 4 plates and serve.