After a few days of travel, eating out, and vacationing, all I want is piles of green vegetables. Nay, troughs of green vegetables. Luckily for me, it's spring and there are some amazing vegetables in season. This simple recipe below features some spring heavy hitters: asparagus, snap peas, and watercress. It has a fantastic balance of sweetness from the peas, peppery bitterness from the watercress, tanginess from the vinegar, and a little heat from the red chili and garlic I've added. You can use this basic method to make lots of vegetables, like green beans, mushrooms, carrots, spinach, or Swiss chard. It's very fast, versatile, healthy, and works every time.

These greens are great over a bowl of rice or as a side dish to any meat dish (but especially rich red meats). I made them a taco filling with some corn tortillas and shrimp; it was spectacular. 

Serves 2 (or 1 very vegetable-starved person)

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive or grapeseed oil
• 4-6 stalks of asparagus
• 10-12 pea pods 
• 4 cups of watercress
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 red chili, sliced 
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar (sub with fresh lemon juice)
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Prep the asparagus. Cut the asparagus into diagonal coins, until you reach the tip. If the asparagus is large, cut the tips down the middle or else leave them whole.
2. Heat a stainless steel pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Wait for the oil to begin smoking.
3. Add the red chilis and cook for 1 min. Add the pea pods and cook for 2 mins.
4. Next, add the asparagus coins and cook for 3 mins.
5. Lower the heat to medium and add the minced garlic and asparagus tips and toss for another 2 mins. 
6. Season well with salt and pepper and add the red wine vinegar. Mix well. 
7. Turn off the heat and add the watercress; move around in the pan with the rest of the ingredients until the leaves have wilted. It should take about a minute. 
8. Sprinkle some more salt to taste and serve!