Thursday, March 18, 2010

I made asparagus cashew stirfry


This is a really delicious stirfry with an interesting mix of flavors: basil, mint, hoisin sauce, lime. And it's very healthy. It's in Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking and on her blog. I've made it a few times, but I like this adaptation the best.

Asparagus Cashew Stirfry

toasted sesame oil
8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into slices thick as a pencil
4 green onions, thinly sliced
scant 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (peeled)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
a couple big pinches of fine-grain sea salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 big handful of toasted cashews, chopped up a bit
a few handfuls of spinach, or chopped kale, or chopped chard (I left this out. In the past, with all the mint and basil AND kale, it was just too many leaves, youknow?)
zest and juice of one lime
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 small handful fresh mint, slivered
1 small handful fresh basil, slivered

Have all your ingredients prepped and within arms reach of the stove. Heat a splash of sesame oil in a large pan, or well-seasoned wok over medium high heat. Alternately, you can do this in a dry non-stick pan - one of the few occasions I still use non-stick. When it is hot, add the tofu, and cook until golden - a few minutes. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside. (I cooked the tofu with garlic, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, and some soy sauce.)

Add another (generous) splash of oil to the pan and, as soon as it is hot, add the onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, asparagus, and salt. Stir fry for about a minute, then add the garlic, cashews, and spinach and stir-fry for another minute, or until the spinach wilts. Return the tofu to the pan. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the hoisin sauce. Cook for another 10-20 seconds, stirring all the while.

Remove from heat and stir in the mint and basil. Taste and add a bit more salt if needed.

I served it over whole wheat lo mein noodles, which was delish. Brown rice udon would also be good. I think soba would get too mushy. I also topped it with some chopped scallions.

Serves 2-4 (main/side)

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