Spring is asparagus’ moment in the sun. It’s at its peak right now so I’m trying to take full advantage of that, making it lots of different ways.

This salad is a great departure from the norm, and it uses walnut oil, which is a sublime addition to your pantry. If you’ve never cooked with it, you’re in for a treat. You’ll find it in the specialty oils section of the grocery store. It’s a little pricey, but absolutely worth it. I’ve added toasted walnuts as well which give this salad texture and help to augment the nutty flavor.

You can serve this salad warm or cold (I like it warm, so that’s how it’s written. If you want to serve it cold, you’ll want to blanch and cool the asparagus first as written below.

Asparagus Salad with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup walnut oil
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and steamed just till tender*
1/3 cup toasted*, chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
More salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired

Directions:

1. Whisk the vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt and pepper together.
2. Whisk in the vegetable oil slowly and then the walnut oil.
3. Steam asparagus, drain, transfer to serving plate or bowl and pour dressing over it, tossing to coat (you may not need all the dressing).
4. Top with chopped toasted walnuts and parsley before serving.

*To steam asparagus, place in a glass bowl with 2 Tbsp water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 1-2 minutes on high. If serving salad cold, immediately plunge asparagus into ice water to stop the cooking to preserve crispness. Once cooled, remove from water and pat dry.

* To toast walnuts, place in a dry skillet over medium heat and toss occasionally until fragrant and browned on the edges.

Confession. I am not a fan of deviled eggs. Scrambled and poached are my eggs of choice. Especially with really good toast.  Love ’em. But not deviled.

Nevertheless, my personal tastes aside, these little darlings are the most popular thing to make with colored Easter Eggs after the dying project is complete, so I wanted to offer you a healthier version to try if you’re so inclined! This recipe gets lightened up by using canola mayonnaise (and less of it, as some of it is replaced with plain Greek yogurt). These also have a nice little kick from Sriracha – good stuff.

Try them for yourself! I’m curious, though. Left to your own devices, what do YOU do with the  colored eggs after Easter?

Heavenly Deviled Eggs
adapted by Cooking Light

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

8 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong) or hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Directions:

1. Use hard-boiled eggs from Easter decorating. Remove shells.
2. In a small bowl, combine the water, vinegar, and sugar and microwave for two minutes. Once the mix is boiling, stir in the onion and let it stand for fifteen minutes before draining.
3. In another bowl, mix the yogurt, mustard, mayonnaise, Sriracha, pepper, and salt together. Set aside.
4. Cut each egg in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks.
5. Add six of the yolks and 2 Tbsp. of the drained red onion to the yogurt mixture and combine until smooth.
6. Spoon the mixture into the egg whites and garnish with chives and remaining red onion.