This dish came from a cooking frenzy that happened on Sunday, right after I made most of a new dress. I guess it was some kind of creative frenzy. Wish I had those more often! I have been thinking about getting one of those “You have as many hours in a day as Beyonce” mugs or posters… it’s everywhere, but darnit, it’s kind of a good reminder.

I was looking for a fun way to use asparagus – I had purchased some a few days prior without a real plan, as usual. The asparagus needed to be used. And so did some snap peas and radishes. And I was looking for a light lunch, since we made some yummy lemon poppyseed bread for breakfast (coming soon to a blog near you).

Inspiration struck when I realized I could do a raw preparation. It’s not what I usually think of when I think of asparagus, but it’s actually really nice raw. You’ll want to use the more slender stalks and slice them as thinly as you can when making this, and the result will be a delightful crunchy, crisp and fresh-tasting salad. Definitely appropriate for the onset of spring. It’s going to be a good one, by the way. I can tell by the way it was 70 and sunny today in Portland (yes, I know it will rain tomorrow )

Here’s what you need:
1/3 lb. asparagus
1 cup ish snap peas
2 radishes, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. super thick plain Greek yogurt (I recommend Siggi’s if you have it available)
Sriracha sauce, to taste
1/2 tsp. fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. water – if needed

Start by prepping the asparagus: with one end of a stem in each hand, bend until the asparagus naturally breaks. Discard the thicker end; this part is too stemmy to have good texture. Continue for all stems, then slice on a very long bias so you end up with skinny planks of asparagus about 2 inches long. Slice the snap peas in a similar manner. For the radishes, cut in half and slice into the thinnest half-circles you can make.

In a separate container, stir together the yogurt, sriracha, dill and olive oil. Test the thickness – it should be a little less thick than a ranch dressing. Depending on your yogurt, you may or may not need to add water to bring it there.

Either dress the salad immediately before serving or plate it next to the salad in a fun stack. Salt and pepper liberally.