Sunday, December 1, 2013

Sesame Asparagus and Thanksgiving, 2013

For this Thanksgiving, I was inspired to remake a recipe I cut out of the newspaper and made several years ago, modifying it to make it my own.  Sesame Asparagus has such a beautiful presentation, perfect for the holiday table.  As usual, my family each got to pick up to two dishes they wanted for Thanksgiving.  Since most of them turned out to be Asian dishes, the asparagus fit right in.  Below is this year's unconventional menu.

Dinner:
Tofurky - picked by me
Roasted Potatoes - picked by SR
Gravy - picked by me
Steamed rice - picked by JK
Plain, Lemon Grass and Mushroom Tofu - picked by JK
Pizza - picked by GR
Hot and Sour Soup - picked by SR
Soy Chi'k'n - picked by SR
Sesame Asparagus - G made sure we had a veggie, and I made this one
Cranberry Sauces - general consensus

Drinks:
Apple and Grape-Apple Ciders - all the Blessings

Dessert:
Pecan Pie - G's working on perfecting his own recipe!  All he asked of me was to make the crust.
Black Tie Cheesecake  - GR picked and made it because I was sick, so sweet!

My plate couldn't even fit everything on it, nor could I finish this feast!

Black Tie Cheesecake - GR did an awesome job!

G's Pecan Pie, a delight in the works

Sesame Asparagus

Sesame Asparagus

Ingredients:

2 bunches of asparagus
Non-stick spray
1 Tbs. and 1 tsp. sesame oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbs. soy sauce or tamari sauce
1 and 1/2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 tsp. vegan sugar
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1 tsp. sesame seeds

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Trim or snap off the tough ends of the stems of the asparagus.  Spray a baking sheet with the non-stick spray.  Spread the asparagus in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Drizzle one tablespoon of the sesame oil over the asparagus.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for fifteen minutes.  In the meantime in a small bowl, mix together the remaining teaspoon of sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar.  When the asparagus are done, place on a serving platter. Drizzle the sauce over the top, and garnish with the almonds and sesame seeds.  Tasty and different!  Feeds five hungry vegans.

10 comments:

  1. Beautiful dishes! I know someone else who made asparagus (with salmon) which I thought was funny since I've always thought of both as spring timey foods, but asparagus is delicious, so I guess you can't go wrong.
    Always nice to see that black tie cheesecake come out.... :)
    Happy Holidays!

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  2. FF, I know asparagus is a spring veggie, but it sounded so nice with this meal that I couldn't resist. We love that cheesecake. :-)

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  3. Sounds like a pretty special meal to me. So many different dishes and they all go together so well. (Except maybe the pizza.) Asparagus was a good choice and I really like the preparation. Glad to see you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

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  4. So G is developing his own recipes now? Is he going to go head-to-head against your blog?

    Now that most of the Blessings are able to cook their choices too, it's almost like a family potluck. I prefer GR's picks.

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  5. That does sound really good! I love asparagus and this recipe looks really good and healthy.

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  6. Andrea, thank you so much!

    SV, it is so very rare that G steps into the kitchen other than to cruise the cupboards and the fridge for existing snacks and meals, that I don't think we'll be seeing his blog in the near future. He loves pecan pie, though, and thinks he can come up with a better version than me, so let him try, is what I say!

    Diane, yay, I'm so glad you finally happened upon one of my healthy dishes!

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  7. Your asparagus looks AMAZING!!!
    Peace & Raw Health,
    Elizabeth

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  8. I think Thanksgiving posts are only in existence to make me feel extremely jealous - I love pecan pie beyond all reason. Mind you, I'm a pretty big fan of asparagus and sesame too!

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  9. Joey, you jealous of Thanksgiving posts is truly ironic!

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