A reminder of just how good simple, steamed vegetables can be.

Perhaps the best salad I've had in the past year. And, unless you absolutely loathe cilantro, you must try it. Simply cilantro leaves and stems tossed with a simple shallot-forward soy sauce dressing, plus peanuts, and asparagus. So good.

I posted a picture of my lunch the other day, and a few of you requested specifics - it was a spring soup made with a ginger & shallot coconut milk broth, spring vegetables, served over egg noodles.

Simple side - asparagus tossed with a garlicky buttermilk dressing, perky radish sprouts, lots of fresh cilantro, and a handful of cooked posole.

An excellent impromptu springtime lunch tartine: avocado smeared across toasted day-old slabs of sesame bread, layered with arugula and garlicky caraway asparagus + toasted pepitas.

The perfect simple, spinach side dish - toast a few spices, add a pile of shredded spinach to the skillet, and finish things off with a burst of lemon juice and some shredded coconut.

This particular salad came together on a whim - slender, barely-cooked asparagus and carrots alongside lots of deeply toasted almond slices, tossed with a jalapeno-cilantro drizzle.

A one-dish meal, inspired by a recipe in Harumi Kurihara's Everyday Harumi - asparagus, broccoli, and tofu tossed with a salty-sweet miso dressing.

Some San Francisco photos along with a recipe for asparagus & quinoa, tossed in a bit of Tabasco butter, with toasted pine nuts and a touch of crème fraîche.

And orzo salad packed with nutritious ingredients - asparagus, almonds, feta, sprouts, broccoli, cucumber, and a zesty lemon dressing.

Inspired by the new farmers market up the street from my house, I made this sauteed asparagus and broccolini salad. Finished with slivered radishes, a chunky lemon-pinenut dressing, and a bit of shaved Parmesan it works alongside pasta, topped with poached eggs, or, on its own.

A favorite stir-fry recipe. Asparagus and tofu form the base, but it has quite a lot going on beyond that. You get a bite of tang from the lime, heat from the red chiles and fresh ginger, mint and basil cool things down, and a touch hoisin sauce gives you just enough sweetness to balance it all out.

A hearty noodle bowl recipe - whole wheat noodles, plenty of sliced asparagus and other seasonal produce are tossed with a creamy, walnut-miso dressing.

A spring twist on a panzanella recipe. This panzanella features asparagus, spinach, and peas with hearty, garlic and time toasted bread cubes.

A quick and delicious green curry recipe - peas, asparagus, and tofu swimming in a fragrant, not-overly-rich Thai green chile broth.

This spring ragout recipe delivers a stunning pan of fava beans, green peas, and asparagus finished off with a tiny touch of cream, lemon zest, and grated cheese.

A springtime twist on a traditional tabbouleh recipe featuring peas, asparagus, chives and farm-fresh hard-boiled eggs.

A spring-inspired wild rice salad - vibrant asparagus, yellow split peas, and wild rice tossed in an almond butter dressing and finished off with a bit of goat cheese and chives.

A big bowl of asparagus, sauteed garbanzos, chopped onions, toasted almonds, tossed with brown rice and drizzled with a bit of garlic-tahini dressing.

Trying to improve on typical pasta salads, this ravioli salad recipe features ricotta-stuffed raviolis, asparagus, peas, spinach, and toasted pine nuts.