Asparagus Stir Fry over Rice

 

I picked up a copy of the Complete Vegetarian Cookbook from the library to get my vegetarian cooking inspired for Lent!  I’m Catholic, so my family abstains from meat on Fridays during Lent (the 40 days leading up to Easter).  We’re allowed to eat fish & seafood, but I don’t like fish & seafood (and neither do my kids), so I’ve spent the last few years honing my vegetarian cooking skills!

My biggest struggle is finding protein sources that my family will enjoy, because I don’t eat soy-based products either!  Such a conundrum!  Which leads me to the Complete Vegetarian Cookbook.

It is such a great resource, especially for someone who dabbles in vegetarian cooking.  It covers everything from cutting techniques to hearty mains to sandwiches to sides to how to choose and cook grains.  There were so many delicious recipes included!

I decided to combine 2 recipes into one.  First, I found an asparagus and mushroom stir fry.  I switched it up, adding broccoli and placing my mushrooms into egg drop soup as our protein.

With the leftovers I added a fried egg, inspired by a recipe for veggie rice bowls I also saw in the book! 

The kids poked around at the dish a bit (they were really missing the beef or chicken), but overall, the family loved the dish (I thought it was even better with the fried egg, though I was the only one to tackle the leftovers!)

Asparagus Stir Fry over Rice

Adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook, page 53

Sauce

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp mirin

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Stir Fry

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb asparagus, broken into 2-inch pieces

1 crown broccoli, cut into florets

1 fried egg, optional

Whisk the sauce ingredients together.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  Add the vegetables and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the asparagus starts to brown.  Stir in the sauce, cooking for another 1-2 minutes. If the broccoli isn’t cooking, place the cover on the skillet to steam the broccoli while the sauce cooks.

Serve over rice with a side of egg drop soup.  Top with a fried egg, if desired (also great as leftovers!)

Serves 4 (with fried egg or egg drop soup)