Asparagus and Brown Rice

Asparagus and Brown Rice

Written by Becky

Here is another rice and asparagus variation in addition to the Lemon Rice and Asparagus Soup that I make. You will love the sauce that goes along with this, made with Tahini sauce and lemon juice. You can find Tahini sauce at Whole Foods/Wild Oats near the peanut butter. It is a thicker spread that is from ground sesame seeds and is commonly used in Middle Eastern, East Asian, and sometimes Pilipino dishes.

I made this with brown rice, but you could certainly substitute other grains. I suspect quinoa or millet would make nice substitutes (or even a short whole-grain pasta?). Seeking out the pre-cooked brown rice in the freezer section helps shave quite a lot of time in this recipe. But feel free to go from scratch with your favorite rice. You can add chicken if you can’t do without meat in a meal; I just cut up small squares of grilled chicken and add it to the final dish. Use two cans of chickpeas/garbanzo beans if you love them – one can if you’re only a general enthusiast.

Asparagus and Brown Rice
from 101Cookbooks

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 or 2 14-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch segments
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup almond slivers, toasted
fine grain sea salt

TAHINI DRESSING
1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
1/4 cup tahini
zest of one lemon
scant 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

DIRECTIONS
Make the dressing by whisking together the garlic, tahini, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Add the hot water to thin a bit and then the salt. Set aside.
Add a couple glugs of olive oil (roughly 3 tablespoons) to a big skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl the oil around to coat the pan, and then add the chickpeas and sprinkling of salt. Let the beans sauté there for a couple minutes (I like to try to get some crusty color on them). Be careful, they seem to hiss and pop more then other beans over high heat. Add the garlic and onions. Stir for a minute. Stir in the asparagus with another pinch or two of salt, cover with a lid for a minute or two to steam – just until the asparagus brightens and softens up just a bit. Uncover and stir in the rice and almond slivers, reserving a few almonds for garnish. Taste and add more salt if needed (likely). Serve family-style in a big bowl drizzled with a few tablespoons of the tahini dressing; let each person add more dressing to their tastes.
Serves 4-6.

Shout out to 101cookbooks.com for the recipe (even though they said it would only take 10 minutes and it took like 30) and Jacquey Mauer and my husband for enjoying this delicious meal with me and not being too annoyed when I stopped to take a picture of it.

For a full list of VintageMixer recipes click here.

Comments (2)

  1. Last night was a lot of fun. I think the show will be great- and our table. I can’t wait to hang out and set it all up- and to eat your food I look at on here every day! Have a great weekend!