Last weekend some friends of mine came up with an excellent idea.  They created a decathlon of random events that we would play for the reward of pride.  It was terrific fun.  The events included:

• Caps
• Skee Ball
• Air Hockey
• Mini Golf
• Beer Pong
• Bocci Ball
• Horse
• Candlepin Bowling
• Darts
• Operation

The decathlon spanned four evenings, which meant that we ate a lot of junk.  We ate burgers and hot dogs and chips and pizzas and french fries and drank absolute gallons of beer.  On the morning of the final two events my boyfriend looked me in the eye and said pleadingly, “Can we eat something really healthy tonight?”  And I promised him we could.

The problem is that to me healthy eating means meals that are simply crammed with vegetables.  That may seem simple enough, but this far north June is still spring and most vegetables are unavailable.  I was going to have to be crafty if I wanted a local, seasonal, vegetable laden meal.

What I came up with was a salad of mixed spring greens from the Davis Square market accented with orange and avocado from Whole Foods and a pasta dish made with sugar snap peas and asparagus tossed with lemon and olive oil and served over orechetti with lots of shaved Parmesan.

Here is the recipe so that if you live as far north as I do you can enjoy a healthy spring meal yourself.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb orechetti pasta
•  1 bunch fresh asparagus, tough ends removed and cut into 2-3 inch segments
• 1/2 lb fresh sugar snap peas, strings removed
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Zest from 1/2 lemon
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Put a large, covered pot of salted water  on to boil.
2. In a non-stick skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to medium high.
3. Saute the asparagus until just browned on the sides and they are just tender.  Set aside and drizzle with lemon juice.
4. Add two more tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and saute the sugar snaps until they are bright green.  Set aside and drizzle with lemon juice.
5. When the water has come to a boil cook the pasta until it is just al dente and then drain.
6. Put the pasta in a large bowl and add the asparagus and sugar snaps.  Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper over the pasta and toss until well combined.
7. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.  Add the Parmesan, toss again, and serve immediately.