success in the kitchen tonight! the original inspiration was this asparagus stir-fry recipe from 101cookbooks. but i didn’t have about half of the ingredients it called for, so when i got home i just started improvising, and i have to say i’m rather pleased with what i came up with. so:

tofu asparagus stir-fry with peanut sauce

chop and prep all ingredients in advance because it cooks quickly once you start cooking.

ingredients:
two cloves garlic, minced
about 1″ of fresh ginger root, minced
vegetable or sesame oil
sea salt
red pepper flakes
3 tbs peanut butter
1 lime, juiced and zested
extra firm tofu, cubed
1/2 bunch asparagus, chopped into 2″ pieces
1 cup spinach, de-stemmed
about 15 large basil leaves, rolled and sliced into strips
brown rice, prepared according to package

peanut sauce:
heat a small amount of vegetable or sesame oil in a small frying pan. add half the garlic and half the ginger and saute for a minute or so (don’t let it brown). add peanut butter, the lime zest and the lime juice. thin with water as needed, and whisk into a creamy sauce. take off the heat and set aside.

saute tofu and veggies:
heat some oil in a frying pan. add the remaining ginger and garlic, and a few shakes of red pepper, and tofu. add a couple of pinches of sea salt. saute for 3-4 minutes, until the tofu starts to brown. add green onions and asparagus and cook until the asparagus is tender-crisp. add the peanut sauce. add the spinach and cook for about 30 seconds until the spinach starts to wilt. add the basil, stir, and take off the heat.

serve over brown rice. yum!