Picnic Salads

Steam or boil a bunch of asparagus; slice on the bias. Toss with orange segments, zest and juice, some olive oil, salt and pepper. Garnish with sesame seeds. I added cut up cooked, shrimp.

Combine cooked brown rice with small, barely cooked broccoli florets and chopped pecans or walnuts and parsley. Dress with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon. This turned out a little bland and dry. I added soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. I think cut up scallions would be a good addition.

Both original recipes from Mark Bittman's column in the NY Times: "101 20-Minute Dishes for Inspired Picnics".