But first, a riddle:

Q: What’s green and finally cheaper than a gallon of gas?

A: A pound of asparagus!

Asparagus is one of my favorite green things, next to avocados and money. I’ll gladly take a big helping of asparagus piping-hot from the oven, roasted with garlic and red-pepper infused oil or baked in a lovely tart with romano and gruyere. I’ve been known to eat it and nothing else for lunch and dinner… and then lunch again the next day.

For springtime get togethers, I like to answer my call to side-dish duty with an asparagus salad. Incredibly fresh and bright (and light!), it comes together with olive oil flavored with lemon zest, sea salt, pepper, and and a heaping serving of goat cheese crumbled over the top.

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Lemony Asparagus Salad with Goat Cheese

Tender-crisp asparagus and goat cheese with a lemon dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 lb asparagus
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• Sea salt & black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Instructions

1. Blanch the asparagus: Bring a medium pot or sauce pan of water to boil. Prepare a bowl of ice and water to shock the asparagus after cooking.
2. Trim the woody ends off of the bunch of asparagus. Cut the asparagus into 2-inch pieces.
3. Add the asparagus to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Remove the asparagus from the pan and place into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and cool the asparagus.
5. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper together in a medium bowl.
6. Add the asparagus and goat cheese and toss with tongs until well coated with the lemony oil.

Notes

Yields: 4 servings

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 15 minutes

Cook more asparagus!
Quick Pasta Toss with Asparagus, Roasted Red Peppers, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Quick & Easy Asparagus Tarts
Asparagus Pizza with Rosemary & Goat Cheese
Oven-Roasted Asparagus