Bright, fresh spring salad with vegan roast chicken and asparagus and a spinach and herb pesto. So much flavour in every single bite!

I can’t tell you how much I rushed getting this spring salad photographed so I could tuck in. Primarily because we’re having some lovely spring weather here at the moment.  And sitting in the garden with warm sunshine, a gentle breeze and this slap you lightly in the face with flavour spring salad was definitely the perfect combo.

We are talking about layer upon layer of flavour. I’ve taken a shortcut by using a rice pack for the base but one thing I never compromise on is making my own pesto because it just eclipses anything you can buy in the shops. I’ve been experimenting a bit recently with pesto from the traditional basil/pine nut staple. And for the pesto in this spring salad I’ve added mint along with the basil and used toasted sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts. Oh and added some spinach to make extra GREEN (+ all the health benefits of spinach of course).

Vegan ‘Chicken’

The quality of vegan ‘meat’ has come on in leaps and bounds the last couple of years.  It’s not something I eat often though. The occasional sausage or burger. But I do really like Richmond’s meat free chicken (their sausages are also a fave). It doesn’t have a lot of weird ingredients and is pretty high on protein but low fat and relatively low calorie. And it’s tasty without having to do much to it.

No affiliation, just something I enjoy as a consumer.

How to make a delicious vegan salad

Start by roasting the potatoes. Toss them in some oil, garlic and onion granules, salt and pepper.  Tip onto a large tray (as we’ll be adding the ‘chicken’ and asparagus later) and cook for 25 minutes.

While they’re cooking, make the pesto. I always toast the nut or seed element when making pesto as I think it improves the flavour.  I just use a dry frying pan over a high heat and watch them like a hawk.  Tip into a food processor then add the remaining pesto ingredients.

Whizz until you have a thick green paste.  You can also do this in a pestle and mortar if you have one big enough.

Break off any woody stems from the asparagus and cut them in half.  Toss them in a little oil, salt and pepper.  After 25 minutes of cooking the potatoes, add the asparagus and chicken to the tray and cook for another 15 minutes. If you’re not using Richmond chicken pieces, cook according the the package instructions.

I then heated the rice pack in the microwave, tipped it into a serving bowl and stirred around 1/3 of the pesto through it.  Top with the cooked potatoes, asparagus and chicken.

Scatter over the edamame and sliced spring onions then dot over some more of the pesto and plain vegan yoghurt.

Chill any leftovers and store in an airtight container in the fridge as this makes a terrific quick lunch!

Looking for even more vegan asparagus recipes?  Try these:

Spring Vegetable Orzo Pasta

Spring Greens Salad

Spring Veggies Flatbread Pizza

Sautéed Veggies on Vegan Cheese Toast

I’ve also got a complete guide for How to Cook Asparagus here.

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