This week we are featuring a fantastic recipe to help everyone kick off the grilling season with a healthy dish!  The Huffington Post recently featured this Asparagus and Tomato Salad with Feta recipe and we wanted to try it out to show everyone how simple and delicious it is.  We made two modifications to the recipe substituting rice wine vinegar in for champagne vinegar and using whole grain artisan bread instead of country white bread.

Asparagus and Tomato Salad with Feta

Recipe adapted from Time to Grill featured on the Huffington Post 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds asparagus
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 3 slices whole grain artisan bread
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• chopped fresh chives

Vinaigrette Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

We started by gathering all of the necessary ingredients for easy access while cooking.

Prepare the grill to cook the asparagus over medium heat and turn on your broiler to high.  In a small bowl whisk the mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Slowly whisk in the olive oil until fully emulsified.

Remove the woody bottom section of the asparagus by holding it at both ends and gently bending until it snaps naturally.  This is usually two thirds of the way down the spear.

Spread the asparagus on a large plate or dish and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette dressing and turn the spears until they are evenly coated.  In a medium bowl toss the tomatoes and bread cubes with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and toss to coat.  Evenly spread the tomatoes and bread cubes on a baking dish and place underneath the broiler.

While keeping a close eye on the tomatoes and bread cubes, lay the asparagus on the grill over direct heat and replace the grill cover. The spears should take 6 to 8 minutes to become tender and slightly browned.

Broil the tomatoes and bread cubes for approximately 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are bursting and the bread cubes are browned and crispy on the outside.  You can also cook the tomatoes and bread on a grill pan along side the asparagus.

Once the asparagus, tomatoes, and bread cubes are cooked arrange the asparagus on a platter and top with the tomatoes, bread cubes, crumbled feta cheese, and chives.  Serve the salad with the remaining vinaigrette dressing.

This dish is healthy, delicious and so easy! It took us about 20 minutes to prepare start to finish and would be a great addition to your next grilled meal.  You could even make it more of a main dish by adding chopped grilled chicken or white beans to the tomatoes after they are cooked.

What is your favorite dish to prepare on the grill?