This happy spring salad is great to move the energy (Qi) after the heavier winter foods and provide some fresh spring green to help our liver cleanse. The pine nuts are great for ‘wind’ patterns according to Chinese Medicine food cures – Which basically means it’s great for things like the common cold, stiff neck or patterns that seem to come on suddenly or have an erratic behaviour in the body. It’s also a slightly cooling salad which also makes it good for a congested liver and those of us who get hot and irritable and overheat easily. By slightly cooking the asparagus, it’s still easier to digest than raw food making it a good choice for spring before we move to the fresh more raw foods of summer when they are easier to digest.
Ingredients:
1 bunch of asparagus – cut into 1.5″ pieces
1.5 tbsp pine-nuts
2 tbsp Olive oil
juice of ½ lemon and grated rind
1 small pink grapefruit peeled and remove pith and thin membrane so you are left with just the flesh. Cut each section in thirds
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Heat non-stick pan and over low heat, toss the pine nuts until golden brown. Remove from pan and place off to side.
Heat 1tbsp of olive oil in pan and add asparagus and cook until tender.
Place on plate, sprinkle pine nuts overtop drizzle with remaining olive oil, and lemon juice. Top with a sprinkle of course sea salt, pepper to taste and grapefruit pieces
