Spring Spinach Salad with Pesto

According to my calendar, Spring has sprung! However, a quick glance outside my window proves otherwise - rainy and cold in the middle of May :( After the winter we've had, you would think we New Yorkers might catch a break - we certainly deserve one (I'm looking at you, Jet Stream) Despite the chilly temps, I decided it was time to bust out the spring-iest recipe I could find. Enter this delicious Spinach salad: Chock full of fresh green veggies and dressed with pesto. It may not feel like Spring outside, but your mouth will most certainly be fooled.

Ingredients:
2 cups baby spinach (1 bag)
1 cup of frozen green peas, defrosted
1 bunch green asparagus
1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes (optional)
3 TBSP prepared pesto
Fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1) Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Remove rough ends of asparagus and add to pot of water.
2) Cook for 3 minutes, or until they just begin to soften. Remove from cooking water and submerge in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
3) Once cooled, cut spears into thirds.
4) In a large bowl, combine spinach, peas, cut asparagus, and tomatoes (optional. I used only because I had these great yellowy-green maters on hand and they went with my color scheme. Feel free to omit!)
5) Add pesto and toss to combine
6) Pile salad on plate and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese (SPRING for the real thing - its worth it) and freshly ground black pepper.