Shaved Asparagus and Orange Salad with Sesame

My pop got me a scary mandoline slicer for my birthday this year (he also got one for my step-monster and claims it slices up spuds slicker 'n deer guts...colorful). I thought this salad, albeit a pain in the butt to make, might bear revisiting using the mando instead of the peeler I used the first time. I've only made this once before...last spring when asparagus was plentiful. I wasn't fool enough to make it again. Until the other night. I did start out trying to slice the spears with the mandoline, but ended up using the peeler for most of them. So, bearing in mind you'll probably be cursing like a sailor when peeling your aspergeese, put the kids out of earshot and give it a go! :-)

Shaved Asparagus and Orange Salad with Sesame:
(serves 2)

1 bunch of thick asparagus
~1/4-1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1 large navel orange (+another ~1/2 for juice)
3 Tbs fresh orange juice
1 1/2 Tbs rice wine, or champagne vinegar (I went champagne before I decided on the Asian twist)
a small squeeze of agave nectar
~1-2 tsp toasted sesame oil (honestly don't know how much I added)
fresh cracked black pepper, sea salt to taste
a little canola oil to taste…I just add this to the dressing as I stir, tasting till I'm happy with it
Gomasio, or toasted sesame seeds (I used seaweed Gomasio by Eden)

Shave asparagus after trimming off tough ends. Place asparagus spear on the edge of a cutting board and holding from the head and using a sharp peeler, peel from flower to root end until you've gotten as many slices as you're gonna get.
Now evaluate if you'd like to continue with this madness.
The results will be delicious if you choose to sally forth, but your call.
If you're a loon and now have a pile of shaved asparagus in front of you, put it in a medium sized bowl.Mix dressing ingredients (orange zest through canola oil) together and set aside.

Using a knife, cut off the polar ends of the navel orange. Stand the orange on one end and cut from the top down until you've removed all the peel and bitter white pith.
Bisect the orange, then cut into slices. Now cut those slices in half. Add to the asparagus.
If you happen to find yourself with an organic orange with really fibrous membranes like I did, just cut the segments so that you have supremes and forgo eating the membranes...

Pour dressing over asparagus and orange combo, stir and let sit for 5 minutes.
Serve topped with toasted sesame seeds, or Gomasio.

We ate our salad as a side to one of our favorite mains, Thai Tilapia over black rice.