For years I was kind of jealous of people who loved asparagus because they just seemed to relish the eating experience so much. Every spring, I’d hear giddy little squeals of delight at the farmer’s market and in the grocery store: “Thank goodness it’s asparagus season!” So each year, I would dutifully try it – again – and hope that my palate has “matured” enough to enjoy it with everyone else. But time after time, I would take one bite and a weird green-bitter flavor would bounce around on my tongue and that was it.
Then about two years ago, I decide to try a different tactic. Maybe starting with a pile of naked asparagus wasn’t the answer – maybe it needed to be “in” something. First I tried Shaved Asparagus Pizza – which is basically bread, sauce, cheese, and a little bit of asparagus and lemon. Pretty good. I could do that. So on a whim, I made this Cashew Asparagus Pilaf, an adaptation of an old Armenian recipe. As we sat down to dinner, I took a my first bite, fully expecting that bitter bleck once again. But low and behold, instead of strange and unpleasant, my mouth filled with an amazing complexity of flavors! I loved it!! Somehow, the cashews and lemon provide exactly what is needed to bring out the lovely, delicate sweetness of the asparagus with none of the weird aftertaste. At least for me. It was so delicious I couldn’t stop eating it.
Cashew Asparagus Pilaf
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons butter divided (use Vegan Butter if that's your deal)
- 2 oz uncooked spaghetti broken into 1-inch pieces (make sure it is vegan-friendly)
- ÂĽ cup minced onion
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- 1 cups uncooked jasmine rice or your favorite – adjust cooking time accordingly
- 3 cups light vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ lb fresh asparagus trimmed and cut into 1 – 2-inch pieces
- ½ cup raw cashew halves or more!
- Juice and zest of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Melt 3 tablespoons vegan butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Increase heat to medium and stir in spaghetti pieces, cooking until coated with the melted butter and lightly browned.
- Stir onion into the saucepan and cook about 2 minutes, until translucent. Stir in garlic and rice,* and saute for about 5 minutes. Pour in vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed. Check and add liquid as needed toward the end of cooking time.
- While the rice mixture is cooking, melt remaining vegan butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus pieces and cashews and sauté until asparagus is tender. (Be careful not to overcook it!) Season with a little kosher salt to taste.
- When rice mixture is done cooking, remove from heat and stir in asparagus and cashew halves. Sprinkle with lemon juice and zest. Serve warm.
Notes
Good for you for keeping on trying asparagus! Took me a while too, I really like it on pizza now though.
Your blog is TOO CUTE! I’m adding it to my list. That pilaf looks really good and I’m kind of squeeing that my typing is coming up in cursive, hahaha. My boyfriend is an omnivore, so I’m looking forward to hearing your words of wisdom.
I’m SO GLAD YOU’RE BLOGGING FOR MOFO!!!
And while I’m usually just a Mofo “lurker” with so many blogs to read, I love the looks of this recipe so just HAd to comment –
YUM!
Thanks, Marti! I’ve been doing a little MoFo lurking over at your blog too 🙂
I love asparagus so much and Cashews! Such a lovely blog! Happy Vegan mofo!
Love Kayleigh X
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Thisl ooks great! And I love asparagus, simply baked in some olive oil with garlic and sometimes a sprinkle of lemon juice.
Thanks! I really like what lemon does for it – it may sound counter-intuitive, but for me, it takes away the bitter taste I usually experience when I eat asparagus.