Shaved Zucchini Asparagus Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette is a light & healthy summer salad made with fresh ingredients!

Shaved Zucchini Asparagus Salad loaded with raw greens, radishes, almonds & parmesan then tossed with a Lemon Vinaigrette. This light summer salad focuses on real ingredients and bringing out complex flavors!

Lately I’ve been listening to podcasts and going through a series about food photography.

When I started Joyful Healthy Eats I knew that I loved to cook and wanted to share those recipes online. I also wanted to be able to share my heart, basically our journey through life and how we handle those bumps. Kinda like a ministry of feeding your stomachs and your souls!

It’s been almost 5 years now, which is absolutely crazy for me to think about. And over the years I’ve noticed certain passions come to the surface.

I love photography. I love creating beautiful images. I love learning how to improve those photos.
I love health & fitness. I work out probably 5-6 times a week. I love it. It makes me sane and a better human. I grew up in the gym and actually majored in Sports Wellness & Management. I’m realizing that I need to start sharing more of that on my blog. It’s who I am. It’s what makes me uniquely me and I want to share that with you!
I love simple foods and creating incredibly flavorful recipes. Cooking is my happy place. If I’m in the kitchen creating a new recipe I’m thriving. If it turns out good. I literally do a happy dance in the kitchen. Cooking is amazing to me, by adding a little of this or that you can come up with something that tastes good and here’s the kicker.. nourishes your body!
I’m passionate about people believing the best in themselves. Not believing the lies that the world tells us, but embracing who God has created us to be!

All of these things make me who I am. And over the past couple of days, through listening to podcasts I’m realizing that I need to make all of those elements part of my “brand.”

AKA …. Joyful Healthy Eats

It’s exciting, overwhelming and inspiring to think about.

I feel like I’m coming back into my own. The core of who I am, instead of just pumping out content for people to read. Writing about the things that make me come alive and making this blog of mine something I am truly proud of.

It’s invigorating!

Ok, moving on to todays recipe —> this Shaved Zucchini Asparagus Salad filled with fresh arugula, almonds, radishes and salty parmesan then tossed with a Lemon Vinaigrette.

When I made this recipe I was inspired by a photo I saw in Food & Wine magazine. I loved how the ribboned zucchini fell on the plate and how fresh light and simple it looked. That is what I was aiming for when I created this salad.

This Asparagus Salad to me represents the fresh bounty of the summer. It’s filled with all things green and all in their raw state. I shaved the raw asparagus with a vegetable peeler (a little daunting… but hey it’s kinda like therapeutic) and then did the same thing with the zucchini but they came out more like fun little ribbons. Then added those ribbons to a bowl with spicy arugula, spicy radishes, salty parmesan and then raw sliced almonds. For the finishing touch I tossed everything with a light lemon vinaigrette.

This Salad would be perfect served along side some grilled salmon or add a little chicken to the top and make it a main dish. It’s perfect for a light healthy summer dish, especially served with a glass of chilled white wine.

Bon Appetit friends!