Composted Crispy Green Vegetable Salad

from Easy Lo-Carb and Barbara Walker
via Mary Lonergan

serves 4

12 small asparagus tips
a handful of mini green beans, trimmed only on one end
4 ounces sugar snap peas
4 ounces shelled green peas (or large frozen peas, rinsed to defrost)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 ounces dry roasted chopped macadamias
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved

Blanch each vegetable (except frozen peas, if using) just until tender, cooling immediately in ice water to stop cooking and set the color. Cut vegetables other than peas into about 2 inch-long diagonal pieces.

To make the dressing, put the oil, vinegar, and mustard in a salad bowl, season with salt and pepper and beat well with a fork or small whisk to form an emulsion. Just before serving, toss the drained vegetables, one kind at a time, with enough dressing to coat lightly. Arrange the asparagus, beans, and snap peas on 4 individual plates. Add the green peas, then sprinkle with the remaining dressing and toasted nuts. Shave fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top and sprinkle with more salt and pepper.

If you want to add a little color and texture you can add some radishes, sliced and cut in half. We served this as a first course for a dinner at Tahoe (a Rotary Club auction item), and all plates were clean. All ten of the kitchen helpers loved it, too.