Asparagus, Tomato, Green Onion & Feta Salad

I had all the ingredients at home, so was inspired by this and is what accompanied my wild salmon dinner.  I don't usually use balsamic vinegar too much anymore, but for some reason I was craving it today.  Her measurements for the dressing are in the link of her recipe, up top.  If you google, there are endless balsamic vinaigrette recipes the same as hers. I used what she did but didn't measure as I've made numerous vinaigrettes.

I put my ingredients in a jar and shook them up. I prepared this first and put it in the fridge.  I brought it to room temperature before I used it.  I made mine with:

• Organic extra virgin olive oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Balsamic Glaze
• Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced through garlic press
• Organic honey

I went about getting the asparagus ready.

I boiled some water and salted it.  I put in the cut up asparagus (1 inch pieces, woody stems removed).

I blanched them, which cooked them but left them crisp and bright green.  I drained and put them in a bowl of ice water to shock them and stop further cooking.

When cool, I drained them again.  I sliced a bunch of green onions (this was my own addition) and not in her recipe.

I toasted my walnuts over medium heat in a non-stick skillet next.  I never leave the stove when doing this and shake them constantly.  When I can smell/see they're done, I take them out of the pan immediately.  I've learned from past mistakes that if you don't they can burn.  I put them all into a ziploc and lightly hit them with a mallet till coarsely broken up.  

I sliced my grape tomatoes in half.  I didn't have enough, so I used an extra vine ripened one.  I removed the inside cores and diced it.

I put all the ingredients in a bowl, tossed with the dressing and seasoned with S&P.

I added crumbled feta until I was happy and mixed again. 

I served, garnished with some "Everything but the Bagel" seasoning.  My son got roasted potatoes as well.

I think I consciously overdressed the salad so my son would taste more "balsamic" flavor.  He ate the asparagus which was a fait accompli.  He said he still didn't like it, but I did a good job to mask it...

So, for me, it was too dressed, and I wanted it lighter.  It was composed nicely with great textures and different taste notes.  I over-cooked the salmon.  However, that being said, everything was seasoned well and tasted delicious.  Not all meals can be perfect (I hate that!), but it's just a fact of life...