See? There's proof that I AM a med student- it only took me a month to write a second post... given, I did cook up some decent pasta tofu salad from the Whole Foods recipe archive, but tonight, I'm making something even more exciting.
Sauteed asparagus and snap peas. Ina Garten-style. Who doesn't like her calm and soothing voice and cute blunt bang hairstyle?
Ingredients
1 pound asparagus
3/4-pound sugar snap peas
2 tablespoons good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes, optional
Sea salt, for serving
Methods
Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus and slice the stalks diagonally into 2-inch pieces. Snap off the stem ends of the snap peas and pull the string down the length of the vegetable. Warm the olive oil in a large saute pan over a medium heat and add the asparagus and snap peas. Add the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste, if desired. Cook for approximately 5 to10 minutes until al dente, tossing occasionally. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve hot.
Explanation for the quips: I'm just in a good mood. Almost half-way through peds rotation (which I'm loving). This is my fourth week on outpatient. Next week, I start inpatient. Yay. :)
Anyways, I'm diligently following Ina's fresh and simple recipe. It is quite therapeutic as a break in between studying. The greens of the asparagus and snap peas look so great swirled together in olive oil. With the heat, the intensity of their green livens up to a deeper, more verdant hue. :) Then I add a twist of my own- soft tofu- to contrast the al-dente veggies and, more importantly, to provide an excuse to try out the new sweet ginger chili sauce that Paul just brought me from the shhhhh...Stanford farmers market. :)
Just for fun, I also use up some of the other ingredients in the fridge that I've been meaning to put to use- eggs and green onions. I fried these up like my mom makes them.
The end product was simple and beautiful. I crushed some roasted cashews to sprinkle on top of the dish as a finishing touch. It added a little crunch to contrast. Contrast was definitely the theme of this dish. And the ginger sauce added a nice kick to boot.
After eating this, I felt quite satisfied that I had done something healthy.
