Sauteed Asparagus and Snap Peas

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.

Savory Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Happy New Year to me and all who are reading. Inspired by the Julie/Julia Project by Julie Powell, I am also committing to a year of cooking through the online Whole Foods Market recipe archives. The first stop is Savory Tofu Lettuce Wraps.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1906

Ingredients

1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil* 
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion 
1/2 cup finely chopped zucchini 
1/2 cup chopped carrot 
1 (8-ounce) package baked tofu, oriental or teriyaki style, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint 
1/2 cup chopped green onions 
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained* 
1/4 cup hoisin sauce, plus more for dipping* 
1 head butter lettuce 
Lime wedges

Method

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, zucchini and carrots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tofu, mint, green onions and water chestnuts. Add 1/4 cup of the hoisin sauce and let simmer 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and serve tofu mixture with lettuce leaves for wrapping, lime wedges for squeezing and additional sauce for dipping, if you like.

This is a fresh, easy and delectable dish which was perfect for my boyfriend and I on New Year's Eve. I recommend a substitution of persian cucumber for zucchini to give the dish a more juicy and crunchy texture. I also recommend a substitution of dried bean curd for fresh tofu for a unique, savory flavor. Dried bean curd is a simple way to kick this dish up a notch. It's one of my favorite Chinese ingredients and can be found in any Asian supermarket. One final substitution I recommend is cilantro for mint, which gives the dish a more zesty instead of cooling character. I just sprinkled the top of the onion, carrot, persian cucumber, green onion, and dried bean curd mixture with the cilantro. Then I used a mixture of fresh organic peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and garlic salt to create a hoisin-like dipping sauce for the lettuce wraps. We ran out of butter lettuce leaflets so you should buy an extra head of lettuce just in case to avoid running out when you serve this dish. Also, the butter lettuce leaflets tend to be quite soft so if you desire a crunchier wrap, you can use iceberg lettuce.

Last notes- this dish is fun to prepare as it requires lots of fine chopping and mixing ingredients, so prepare to have fun. It is even more fun to eat. The crunchiness of the water chestnuts contrasts the savoriness of the dried bean curd, and the juiciness of the vegetable mixture and lettuce wrap. Paired with four-cheese blend quesadillas, the lettuce wraps are a great, upbeat dish perfect for a romantic dinner at home or a party. I hope you try it out!