Spring Vegetable Salad

It's springtime. Yams and squashes are all, later losers, and peas and asparagus are the new cool kids. The following is a quick and refreshing way to welcome them into your belly...


Take a bunch of asparagus and discard the ends. Chop stems into pea-sized pieces, leaving trees intact. (Trees? Are they called trees? I call them trees.) Chop a couple carrots into the same size. Take fresh or frozen peas and add them to the mix. Bring some water to a boil. Throw in the veggies and let them cook until water comes to a second boil...


...but while you're waiting, toast some pine nuts.


After the second boil, drain vegetables and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process...


In a bowl, toss together some chopped iceberg, chopped jicama, some parmesan and the pine nuts...


Drain the spring veggies a second time and add them to the bowl. Toss with a light dressing (I chose to whisk together juice from 1/2 a lemon, 1 tsp of mustard and a couple T of olive oil). Season with salt and pepper.


And if that's not enough to satisfy you, throw a poached egg on top.