spicy asparagus with tofu and chili

© erin dunigan 2013

Ingredients:

• Oil (a bit of sesame is good)
• green onions
• garlic – pressed or minced
• ginger – pressed or minced
• chili- i used part of a jalapeno
• tofu, crumbled
• soy sauce
• chili sauce (sweet or spicy – I used spicy Vietnamese chili sauce)
• asparagus, cut in half

Heat oil in a pan or wok. Add green onions and stir fry for a few minutes. Add garlic. Add ginger. Add chili.

Keep stirring so that items get cooked but not burned.

After a few minutes, add tofu. Then add soy sauce and chili sauce.

After a few minutes, add asparagus. Cook until desired ‘doneness.’

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice, with more chili sauce on the side.

*This recipe is based on one I found (pictured above)  in enjoy: new veg with dash, by nadine abensur

veggie stacks (with sundried tomato and pine nut couscous on wild greens)

the finished product

Since I’ve been in the midst of a slightly modified version of the “21 day ‘adventure cleanse'” from a book called ” target=”_blank”>Crazy Sexy Diet (really much better than the title might make it sound!) I’ve been on a no-sugar, no-gluten, no-alcohol, and vegan meal plan. Let’s just say it has been a bit of an ‘adventure’ in trying to figure out interesting and yummy things to eat. It’s not the vegetarian thing that has been challenging, I’m a mostly vegetarian normally. It’s the no bread and no cheese that’s been more of a challenge.

Last week I tried a modified version of “The Great Ozzie Veggie Stack” from one of my favorite cookbooks, “>enjoy: new veg with dash by nadine abensur. Here you go:

veggie stacks (with sundried tomato and pine nut couscous on wild greens)
serves 2

1 Sweet potato, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 roma tomato, sliced

olive oil
1 T soy sauce
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
pesto

Couscous
sundried tomatoes
pine nuts

Combine oil, soy sauce, vinegar and garlic. Brush the vegetables with this mixture. Transfer veggies to a cookie sheet and roast about 15-20 minutes at 200. Remove earlier if they get too cooked. Once they are done, toss them with pesto.

Meanwhile, cook couscous, adding in chopped sundried tomato. Toast pine nuts.

On a plate, put wild greens (I had arugula and mustard greens). Then stack the veggies, starting with sweet potato, onion, zucchini, tomato. Top with a wee dollop of pesto, and a few pine nuts.

Put the couscous in a small dish (we called them custard cups) and press down firmly. Turn over onto the plate to create a small molded mound. (I learned this trick from my mom, who always used to serve our white rice in this manner). Garnish with pine nuts and sundried tomatoes.

Enjoy!