20 minutes

[Guest guest]

Is 20 minutes too much cooking time to be considered fast? I put up Uncle

Ben's rice before I start, and it's all ready at once. mmmm (If I know ahead

of time I'm going to make this, I prefer it with brown rice.)

**

This is one of my favorite vegetarian recipes--favorite because it meets all

my requirements: tasty, veggie, low fat, easy/fast, and inexpensive! (Oh,

and my husband likes it to.) We probably eat this every two weeks or so.

It's adapted from " Vegetarian Cooking from the Near and Far East " which is a

great resource for veggie cooks (which I've been for over 30 years-- in fact

becoming a vegetarian is why I learned to cook).

 

Cauliflower and Almonds

2 T oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped [i use 5-7]

2 quarter-sized slices fresh peeled ginger [we love ginger, so I use about

8-10 pieces]

1 cauliflower (any size), cut into bite-size florets

1 tub tofu, any firmness

10 oz frozen lima beans

1/4 C water, or more

2 T cornstarch

1 T toasted sesame oil

1 T shaoshing or dry sherry (optional)

1/2 C water

2/3 C toasted almonds*

 

Heat oil in pan (pref. non-stick). Add garlic and ginger; fry 20 seconds or

so. Add cauliflower, tofu, and lima beans; cook on medium about 2 min. Add

water; cover pan; cook 2 min. or until vegetables are tender (may need to

add more water). Combine last four ingredients (except almonds) in small

bowl. Add to cauliflower when it's tender. Cook till sauce is thick, about 1

min. Add almonds, stir to coat. Serve over rice.

 

* To toast almonds: place in single layer in dry cast iron pan. Cook on med.

until pan is hot, then change to low. Shake pan every 2 min. or so. When

nuts have gently darkened, pour into bowl. Store in closed jar in fridge

indefinitely. (My husband eats them as a snack, and of course they're great

in this dish.) If you don't have a cast iron pan, you can roast them in the

oven.

 

NOTES: If you want to omit the sherry, just use more water; can use green

beans instead of limas; you can find the toasted sesame oil at a health food

store or Asian foods market (do NOT use untoasted sesame oil). Oh yes, one

last thing: most people don't like chomping down on a big hunk of ginger, so

I usually pull them out before I add the sauce. We have a running joke that

if there are any pieces remaining, they always end up in my husband's bowl.

This takes only 20 min. to put together, once you're familiar with it, and

is Very Tasty!