Asparagus, chickpea, pea & macadamia nut salad

Just because the festive season is over and we all need to slim down after the overindulgence doesn’t mean we need to chomp on boring old lettuce… Try this delicious crunchy salad – 

perfect as a main or as a side to chicken sosaties or ostrich sausage.

Asparagus, chickpea, pea & macadamia nut salad
Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side

Ingredients
250g Asparagus
200g fresh peas, shelled
1 can chickpeas
¼ cup fresh chives, chopped finely
¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped finely
2-3 T capers, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon (1 heaped T)
Juice of one lemon (1/3 cup)
2-3 t dried red chilli flakes (or more if you like it spicier)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt & black pepper to taste
30g (1 cup) baby pea shoots
½ cup raw macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

How to make it
Trim the last 2cm off the asparagus spears and cut the rest into bite-sized pieces.
Boil or steam for 3 minutes and refresh in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
Boil or steam the fresh peas for 2 minutes, refresh in an ice bath, drain and set aside.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
In a large bowl, combine the asparagus, peas, chickpeas, chives, parsley, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, chilli flakes and olive oil.
Mix well and season to taste.
TIP: You can make this salad up to this point a day in advance.
Just before serving, gently mix in the pea shoots and garnish with macadamia nuts.