Asparagus Pasta Salad

This is a cold pasta salad I made up - I think it came out pretty good, though I have modified the recipe a bit below to make it more veggies and less pasta than the version I made. I will make any modifications as needed.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus, ends cut off and cut into 1" pieces

2 carrots peeled, quartered and sliced thin

1/2 red bell pepper cut into 1/4" cubes

1/2 pound orzo or similar pasta cooked al dente in salted water and cooled

Dressing:

Zest and juice from one lemon

1/2 cup good extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped fine

1 tablespoon good dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Take the asparagus and blanch in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. When there are 30 seconds left, add the carrots and peppers. Drain and immediately soak in ice-cold water to shock the vegetables and stop the cooking. Add the vegetables to the chilled pasta.

For the dressing, combine all the ingredients and whisk together. Pour over pasta and vegetables about 30 minutes prior to serving.