Paraben Free Asparagus and Avocado Salad
Fresh, vibrant, and built entirely from whole ingredients you can actually recognize, this asparagus and avocado salad is the kind of dish that makes you feel good from the first bite. Every component — blanched asparagus, creamy avocado, crisp radishes, and a bright herb finish of cilantro and mint — is naturally free from synthetic preservatives and the chemical additives that sneak into so many store-bought dressings and packaged salads. The homemade dressing is where this really shines: extra-virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, fresh ginger, honey, and a pinch of turmeric come together into something zippy and golden without a single ingredient you'd need to look up. Blanching the asparagus in salted water and shocking it in ice water keeps it brilliantly green and perfectly tender-crisp, which means the texture holds up beautifully against the soft, buttery avocado. A final drizzle of fresh lemon juice ties everything together with a clean brightness that no bottled shortcut could replicate. It's the kind of salad that works as a light lunch, a stunning starter, or a colorful side alongside almost anything — and because it comes together so quickly, there's really no reason to reach for anything processed.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 1 lb asparagus, woody ends snapped off, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and cut into ¾-inch chunks
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced (green tops only)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, torn
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp honey
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
For serving
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus pieces and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bright green and just tender when pierced with a knife but still with a slight snap. Drain through a colander and immediately transfer to a large bowl of ice water for 2 minutes to stop the cooking, then drain well and pat dry.
- 2
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, grated ginger, honey, turmeric, and salt until the dressing is smooth and emulsified.
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