When I need a brain break, I just think about eating and cooking.

This asparagus bacon walnut salad  really follows the zesty motto…. quick and easy yet packed with flavor. This asparagus dish will easily work as either a side dish or a salad depending on both your mood and your dinner plans.

It literally takes no time to make and requires very little preparation.  In this particular case I used turkey bacon as it was on sale.  Even though I have never tried it before, I enjoyed it immensely.  I noticed a number of similar qualities to real bacon minus the grease.

As a little treat to compliment the salad is homemade rosemary focaccia bread that I picked up at the bakery…. yum.  This stuff was amazing.

I don’t eat asparagus very often but every time I do I always wonder why I don’t buy it more often.  Perhaps it’s because it can be fairly pricey at the local grocery store.

See below for the brief instructions on how to make this dish.

Ingredients

• Asparagus (about 12-15 pieces)
• 4-5 slices cooked turkey bacon (chopped)
• 1/4 Cup walnuts
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• Drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar

Method

1. Preheat pan to medium-high heat.
2. Add Olive Oil to warm pan then add bacon, asparagus and heat together for 5-7 minutes.
3. Once Asparagus is tender toss in the walnuts.
4. Cook through for 2 minutes and finish with a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar.



5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When cooking with asparagus do not over cook them.  I like to shock them with high heat for only 5-7 minutes to allow them to heat through but also keep the crunch.

I am on the road tonight so stay tuned or a Virginia post on Friday.  Have a great day.

Take care

zesty

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