Welcome the vibrant flavors of spring with this delicious sautéed vegetable salad. Featuring tender asparagus, zucchini and a homemade dressing, this dish captures the essence of the season in a simple yet satisfying way. Quick and easy to prepare, it’s the perfect warm salad for any occasion.

NCHPAD Registered Dietitian Emily McAllister recently made this dish during a live cooking demonstration for our team, and we hope you will like it, too!  

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredient sizes may vary depending on the number of servings needed.

For the Salad

• Zucchini: 2 medium-sized zucchinis or more depending on your serving size
• Asparagus: 1-2 bundles
• Avocado Oil: 2 tablespoons, for sautéing the vegetables
• Seasoning: Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• Feta cheese: 1/3 cup of crumbled feta
• Fresh dill, fresh mint or parsley: 2 tablespoons, chopped
• Pistachios, toasted pine nuts or walnuts: 1/4 cup, lightly crushed
  • Additional add-on if desired: If you want to add protein to this meal, consider adding your favorite fish or grilled chicken

For the Dressing

• Extra virgin olive oil: ¼ cup
• Lemon juice: 1 tablespoon
• Dijon mustard: 1/2 teaspoon
• White wine vinegar: 1 tablespoon
• Honey: 1 teaspoon
• Salt and pepper: Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For individuals with limited vision, find out how you can make your stove top and measuring spoons more accessible in this video.

Preparation

The Vegetables

• Thoroughly wash and dry the zucchini and asparagus. Cut off the ends of the zucchini and the bottoms of the asparagus
• Slice the zucchini lengthwise, and then cut into pieces around 1 inch thick (should be in the shape of a half-moon).
• The asparagus can be cut to your desired length once the hard bottoms are removed. During our cooking demonstration, Emily cut her pieces to make them around 2-3 inches long. For thicker spears of asparagus, consider blanching (boiling then cooling) or sautéing longer.
  • Adapted cooking tool: Use an adapted cutting board or a rocker knife to cut your vegetables. Check out our linked YouTube videos to get a demonstration on using these tools.
• If you are using pistachios or walnuts, place them in a resealable bag and lightly crush them.
  • Consider using a rolling pin or the bottom of a pan to crush the nuts.
• If you use fresh dill, parsley or mint, wash and dry the herb and then finely chop it.

The Dressing

• In a small mixing bowl, whisk the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, honey, kosher salt, black pepper and Dijon mustard until everything is well combined.
  • Adapted cooking tool: Consider using an automatic stirrer to mix your food. This video on our YouTube channel demonstrates
• Set the dressing aside and start cooking.

Cook the Vegetables

• Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of avocado oil.
  • Adapted cooking tool: Emily used a Techwood single burner cooktop. These small appliances could be useful if you have a limited cooking area.
• Carefully place the zucchini pieces in the pan once the oil is hot. Properly cooked zucchini pieces will have a light brown sear. Allow the zucchini to cook for 3-4 minutes and stir occasionally while flipping the pieces so they can cook evenly.
• Add the cut asparagus to the pan. Season the vegetables with a small amount of kosher salt and black pepper.
  • Emily’s Note: Be cautious about the amount of salt you add. Feta cheese and nuts will also add saltiness to the dish.
• Continue to sauté for another 3-5 minutes, or until the asparagus softens.

Putting It All Together

• Once the vegetables are cooked, transfer the sautéed zucchini and asparagus to a serving dish and allow them to cool slightly.
• Drizzle the dressing over the vegetables. The amount you put on can be to your liking.
• Sprinkle the nuts, herbs and crumbled feta cheese over the warm vegetables.
• Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• Serve immediately for the best flavor.

Leftovers

• If you have any leftover dressing, store it in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for around 5 days. Vegetables should also be stored in a storage container, but only for about 3 days.

Additional Adapted Cooking Tool Ideas

For individuals with mobility limitations, consider these adaptations:

• Vegetable chopper or slicer: These tools can assist with uniformly slicing the zucchini.
• Jar opener: If opening jars of dressing ingredients is difficult, use a jar opener with a good grip or an electric jar opener. To get some examples, visit our YouTube video for inexpensive cooking aids.
• Large handle utensils: Consider using stirring spoons and serving utensils with larger handles or straps for individuals with limited dexterity.
• Non-slip mixing bowls or bowl stabilizers: Using bowls with a non-slip base or a bowl stabilizer can provide stability while mixing the dressing.