Chopped Asparagus Salad

Make this Chopped Asparagus Salad recipe when the spring asparagus is plentiful and cheap, and you're craving a bit of fresh crunch in your life after a long winter. This cold asparagus salad becomes a complete meal with a few well chosen add ins like tuna and hard cooked egg, or turn it into an asparagus pasta salad ~ it’s up to you!

• 1/2 pound trimmed asparagus, asparagus that has already had the lower 1/3 cut off
• 15 ounce can chickpeas, or other bean well rinsed and drained
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 5 radishes, trimmed and cut into wedges or chunks
• 1 Persian cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup cherry tomato halves, cut in wedges if they are larger
• 1/2 cup colorful bell peppers, chopped
• 1/2 cup black olives
• 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, from a jar chopped
• salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

• fresh thyme

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 cup champagne vinegar, or your favorite
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• pinch of salt and pepper