Asparagus Tahini Brown Rice Thing

Asparagus Tahini Brown Rice Thing
Serves	4-6
Prep Time	10-15 min
Source	101 Cookbooks

Ingredients

Main bit:

• 3 T 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 c pre-cooked brown rice
• 1 c almond slivers, toasted
• fine grain sea salt

Tahini Dressing:

• 1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
• 1/4 c tahini
• zest of one lemon
• scant 1/4 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 T hot water
• scant 1/2 t fine grain sea salt

Directions

Get the rice cooking.

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, then add the chickpeas and sprinkling of salt. Let the beans saute 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.

Modification Ideas

• substitute quinoa or millet for the rice