Tried and True. Asparagus Stir Fry.

In an effort to get Spring to hustle up a little, I bought asparagus today from my new fave food store Horrocks on 44th and Breton in Kentwood.  It’s not quite Whole Foods or Trader Joes, but it is a fine substitute.  When I saw asparagus was on sale, I started dreaming of my fave stir fry recipe from Heidi Swanson at 101cookbooks.com.  When I think of stir fry, I think of this recipe. Salty, sweet, crunchy, tart, easy to add ingredients to, a great clean out the fridge starter recipe and very, very pretty, super green.  It just reeks of good for you.  And if you serve it over soba noodles or brown rice, it will net you 2 dinners and 2 lunches.  Enjoy!

Asparagus Stir Fry

• toasted sesame oil
• 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cubed 1/2″
• 1 cup shelled edamame
• 1 hand full pea pods
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped ginger (peeled)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 bunches 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
• zest and juice of two limes
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 small handful fresh mint, slivered
• 1 small handful fresh Thai 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.

Add another (generous) splash of oil to the pan and, as soon as it is hot, add the onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, asparagus, edamame 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 like to serve this over soba noodles or brown rice.

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