I love vegetables, but I often find myself challenged to present them in a creative way without loading them up with fat. I mean, everything tastes better with cheese and bacon, yes, but vegetables deserve a chance to shine on their own.

We're approaching asparagus season in Michigan. As far as seasonal food goes, there are few things as exciting as the first glimpses of local asparagus at the farmers markets and grocery stores. When it's in season, it's sweet and crunchy and tasty enough to eat raw and unadulterated.

As I was browsing for vegetable recipes for a recent family dinner, I came across some gorgeous photos of a green bean salad on SmittenKitchen.com. Citrusy, fresh and loaded with fennel and pickled onions, the salad was topped with almonds that were fried in olive oil. The only thing that I wanted to change about the recipe was the main ingredient. As I looked at the photos, all I could think of was how much better the salad could be with shaved asparagus.

I was right. The licorice flavor of the fennel is perfectly balanced by the slightly bitter, fresh flavor of the raw asparagus, and they are nicely complemented by the smoky flavor of the fried almonds. And after scarfing down a plate of this salad, I'm going to start looking for more recipes to use pickled red onions.

If you're planning to use this salad as part of a larger meal, you can prepare all of the elements up to a day ahead. I sliced and shaved everything the night before I served it, and kept the ingredients in separate, sealed containers in the refrigerator until it was time to assemble and serve it.

Shaved asparagus and fennel salad - adapted from a recipe from SmittenKitchen.com

• 1 pound asparagus
• 1/2 a fennel bulb (about 1/2 pound)
• 1 stalk celery, trimmed
• 1/2 medium red onion
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) whole almonds
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

If you’ve got an adjustable blade slider or mandoline, here’s your chance to let it shine. Very thinly slice half your fennel bulb, your celery and your half onion. If you don’t have a fancy slicer, just slice them thinly with a knife. Toss the fennel with lemon juice to prevent browning (and also because it tastes good!)

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, water, salt and sugar together. Add the onions and set them aside for about an hour. If you don’t have an hour, 30 minutes will still pickle them to deliciousness but they will only get better with age. I let mine pickle overnight.

Next, peel the asparagus. Your best bet is to use a vegetable peeler. Hold the spear by its tough end and peel toward the tip. You’ll end up with lovely long, thin strips of asparagus. Discard the tough ends and set the asparagus strips aside.

Heat a small heavy skillet to medium heat and add one teaspoon olive oil. Add almonds and toss until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer almonds to a plate, let cool, and cut each almond into half or thirds.

Assemble your salad: Toss asparagus with most of fennel, all of celery and half of the pickled red onions. Sprinkle two tablespoons of the red onion pickling liquid and two tablespoons of olive oil over the mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper. Taste, adjust seasonings and ingredient levels to your preferences.

Jessica Webster leads the Food & Grocery section for AnnArbor.com. You can reach her at JessicaWebster@AnnArbor.com.