Shaved Asparagus with Avocado, Sesame, & Soy

May is almost over and it feels like spring is here, maybe? Andrew and I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon this Saturday in the cold, cold rain (52ºF!!!)—it was rather unpleasant! Here we are after the fact, soaked and shivering but triumphant:

I took some ibuprofen beforehand for my hip pain and managed to finish in under two hours! It wasn’t my best time, but it wasn’t my worst either, so all in all I was pretty pleased with how it all turned out, since I had barely trained this time. Not sure if we’ll do it again next year, but we probably will, eek! We had gotten up at 4:50 am, so with the lack of sleep and the long-distance running, we spent the rest of the day lazing about. Bacon, eggs, fried polenta . . . well, pretty much everything was on the menu that day since we were starved!

The temperature jumped by 30 degrees the next day, so I made this light and refreshing raw asparagus salad. Also, I am teaching a spring cooking workshop this week in collaboration with Grow NYC, and I’m a little nervous, so I wanted to practice cutting the asparagus with a vegetable peeler before I do it in the workshop (we’re making shaved asparagus and fiddlehead grain bowls with cannellini beans, goat cheese, and chives). It’s pretty easy; just hold the asparagus by the thick end and using a Y-peeler, peel away from you so the asparagus forms ribbons. Once the stalk gets thinner, you can flip it over or rest it on a cutting board to keep things more under control. Don’t worry if the ribbons are different lengths and thicknesses, they will still be delicious.

Shaved Asparagus Salad with Avocado, Sesame, & Soy

• Thick asparagus stalks, bottom 1/3 peeled, stalks shaved into ribbons using a peeler
• Avocado, sliced
• Cilantro leaves
• Sesame seeds (black or white)
• Chile flakes
• Toasted sesame oil
• Reduced-sodium soy sauce (use gluten-free if gluten is a concern)

1. Arrange the asparagus ribbons and avocado slices on a plate. Sprinkle with cilantro, sesame seeds, and chile flakes. Drizzle lightly with sesame oil and soy sauce. Enjoy!