Asparagus Salad

This salad of fresh veggies and tangy Italian dressing is the perfect summer side.

Prep: 10

Yield:6 servings

1 pound asparagus woody ends trimmed
½ cup water
ice for cooling asparagus
¼ cup onion halved and sliced into 1/2" pieces, large enough that they're easy to avoid when serving
1 medium tomato halved and cut into wedges or diced
1 cup Italian dressing of choice
freshly grated Parmesan for garnish

Add water and asparagus to a large skillet and cover with a lid. Heat over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes or until asparagus is bright green and fork-tender. Immediately remove from heat and drain the hot water.
Fill the skillet up with cold water and add ice to quickly stop the cooking process. Let sit 5-10 minutes until chilled.
Drain the asparagus and place in a 2-quart serving dish (anything that holds the asparagus comfortably without too much or too little space is fine). Sprinkle tomatoes and onions over evenly, then pour Italian dressing over mixture. Refrigerate at least 1-2 hours to marinate; 6 hours is ideal. Before serving, freshly grate parmesan over the top.

Onion: Slices should be large enough to easily avoid when serving.
To trim the woody ends off the asparagus: Bend the spear about 1" from the bottom of the asparagus. It should break off naturally, which you can then discard.
Vegan: Leave out the parmesan or substitute with a vegan version.