Guess who’s on a salad kick?? That’s right. This girl! I’m making June the month of salads. I will eat more of them…at least one per day. I will love them, and I’ll get rid of this double chin I see staring back at me in my cellphone when I’m typing a text message. What is with that?! Salad will become my new best friend. A best friend that gets rid of my double chin. A best friend that I can eat.

If you’ve been around here for awhile, you already know how much I love citrus and how awesome I think asparagus is. But it wasn’t until now that I married the two and fell in love. This salad was unexpectedly delightful! Crunchy vibrant green asparagus, juicy orange segments, smoky sesame seed heaven…the aftertaste is truly awesome. It’s Asian and then it’s not! This salad is destined for warm afternoon barbecues or fancy Tupperware picnics on the beach. Hello summer. Goodbye double chin!

And we’re off!

Get your act together.

Segment your oranges!

This is my favorite part!

Trim your asparagus and place it in salted boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes.

Rinse under cold water!

Pat dry & set aside.

Toast the sesame seeds in a pan for a couple of minutes.

Make your dressing. Sesame oil is the KEY!

Mix all of the ingredients up in a jar. Shallots are involved!

Plate the asparagus. GET READY.

Add the orange segments. Pour the dressing over.

Top with the toasted sesame seeds.

Asparagus + Orange + Sesame Seeds =

LOVE.

Asparagus & Orange Salad

Serves 2-4

(recipe adapted from For the Love of Salad, by Jeanelle Mitchell)

• 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. chopped shallots
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• kosher salt & black pepper
• 1-2 navel oranges, segmented
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seed oil

Cook the asparagus in a large skillet of boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain & rinse asparagus under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside and blot with paper towels. Place asparagus on your serving platter.

For the dressing, combine mustard, shallots, orange zest and orange juice together in a jar and shake with the lid on. Add the olive oil, sesame oil and a pinch of slat & pepper and shake again until well combined.

Drizzle the dressing over the asparagus and garnish with orange segments & toasted sesame seeds.