The Culinary Arts Class at MVCS held a contest for the best lo-cal salad. Here is our winning entry made by Jaime Thomas and Rebecca Bennett.
Mushroom and Asparagus Salad
1 whole wheat English muffin torn into pieces
4 teaspoons grated Parmesan
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp. each minced shallots, balsamic vinegar, reduced sodium soy sauce, thyme leaves
1 1/2 lbs. thin asparagus, trimmed
3 cups trimmed and slice Cremini mushrooms
5 cups salad greens
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and finely chopped
1. Preheat oven to 450. In a food processor, pulse the English muffin into large fluffy crumbs. Transfer bread crumbs to a medium bowl; toss with Parmesan and 2 teaspoons of the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Whisk together the remaining oil and the shallots, vinegar, soy sauce, thyme and pinch of pepper in a small bowl.
3. Spread the asparagus evenly on two rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle each sheet with 2 tablespoons of the dressing; shake to coat
4. In another medium bowl, toss the mushrooms evenly over the asparagus, reserving bowl. Roast the vegetables 10 minutes.
5. Toss roasted asparagus and mushrooms to coat with their cooking juices and scatter bread crumbs over each sheet. Return sheets to oven and roast another 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and bread crumbs are browned.
6. In reserved bowl, toss the salad greens with 2 tablespoons dressing; store leftover dressing in refrigerator. Pile the salad on dinner plates. Top with asparagus and mushrooms, sprinkle with the chopped egg and serve.