Asparagus, Kalamata and Artichoke Salad

This morning I was dreaming about purchasing a dwarf Meyer lemon tree for our porch (once it warms up  outside).  I think it would be a useful and lovely addition to our current summer spread of tomatoes, dill, chives, lavender, and garlic, along with a couple decorative plants as well. However, it's January and it could take a few months to warm up around here. So I spent some time today scouting out an appropriate spot in the house for this little plant, all the while convincing myself of what a necessary purchase this is. "We use lemon all the time in cooking! I could make that lemon sugar face scrub I've been plotting for a while now! I could dehydrate the zest and make lemon pepper! We could use them to make cleaning products!" And so on. 
Finding a good spot is easier said than done however, as I have a lovely little kitty fuzzball named Ivy who just loooves to eat plants. I mean, she's cute as hell, but wreaks havoc on the foliage around here. Currently all of the indoor plants are perched high on a shelf beyond her reach. Sigh.
So you get the idea. I had lemons on the brain today. 
Here's a great mixed vegetable salad that had to serve as my consolation until I get that little Meyer lemon tree.

Asparagus, Kalamata and Artichoke Salad

Ingredients
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 - 14 oz. can of artichokes, drained
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped into ~1 inch pieces
2 tbsp. + 1-2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 - 15 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 cup kalamata olives (pit them, or purchase them pitted if you wish. Otherwise you'll just be picking pits out of the final product, which I didn't think was a huge deal)
1 roma tomato, diced
1/2 c. dry, or 1 c. cooked brown rice
Black pepper to taste

Servings: 4
Initially I cut this recipe in half to serve two. I ended up with some leftover items (1/2 bunch of asparagus, half a can of chickpeas, 1/2 a tomato...) that we will use elsewhere. Those particular items don't last long in my house.

Cook the rice in a small pot according to package instructions. Once cooked, set aside to drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the oregano and stir, then add the artichoke hearts. Brown the artichoke hearts, stirring occasionally.

Add the asparagus and 2 tbsp. lemon juice and cook until the asparagus is just about cooked.

Add the garbanzo beans and olives and continue cooking until they're warmed through - roughly 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat. 

Sprinkle some oregano on the diced tomatoes and toss with vegetable salad.

In a bowl, mix brown rice with remaining 1-2 tbsp. lemon juice, and add black pepper to taste. Serve as an accompaniment to the salad. Add a few spoonfuls to your salad bowl as desired.