Sesame Beef and Asparagus Stir-Fry

After sharing Asparagus and Leek Soup earlier this week, I thought it would be seasonally prudent to share this recipe before its time too had passed. I've eaten beef and broccoli more times than I can count, but I think it's a shame how little asparagus shows up in Asian coking because it works well with so many of the staple flavors. This recipe is quick and simple, elevating a few no-brainer combinations (steak and asparagus, garlic and asparagus) with a few touches of Asian flair (teriyaki and sesame). The toasty sesame, sweet teriyaki, and pungent garlic are the perfect highlights to fresh asparagus and hearty steak, each subtle element in balance with all the others. While I find the asparagus and steak combination particularly delicious, chicken, shrimp, pork, or tofu could also be substituted, and broccoli or snap peas would work beautifully in place of the asparagus. A beautifully composed recipe as written, this easy recipe is also a great template for culinary experimentation, well-worth filing away for the next time you're at a loss for what to make for dinner or simply need to clean out the fridge.

Sesame Beef and Asparagus Stir-Fry
adapted from Bon Appetit
serves 2

1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
8 ounces flank steak, thinly sliced across grain
2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup sliced red onion
8 ounces slender asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons hoisin or teriyaki sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Sriracha or other hot sauce, for serving (optional)

1. Spread sesame seeds on large plate. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper; coat with sesame seeds.

2. Heat canola oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add onion; stir-fry 1 minute. Add asparagus; stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add beef and garlic; stir-fry until brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add 1/3 cup water and hoisin sauce. Cook until sauce is bubbling and coats beef and vegetables, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Stir in sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with hot sauce, if desired.

Superseed Bar

I'm no paragon of health and fitness, but even still I have a few coworkers who like to give me crap about my healthy diet. Although it wasn't always the case, I have no problem passing up the many mass-produced "treats" that show up at my workplace on a regular basis. There is a time I would have just mindlessly chowed down, but now I actually far prefer foods like this snack bar, which satisfies my sweet tooth (and chocolate tooth!) but is still packed with whole grains, nuts, and seeds. I love the deep chocolate flavor with only a mild sweetness, allowing the nuances of the chocolate flavor to shine without being buried in saccharinity. Given my propensity for making granola and granola bars I always have lots of nuts and seeds in my pantry, but feel free to swap in whatever you'd like for what I have listed here. These bars are dense bites of energy, and although I used them to fuel my all-too-stationary laboratory workday, they would be perfect to take along on a hike, bike ride, or canoe trip. To form perfect squares I used my individual brownie pan, but I've included the original directions for shaping and cutting the bars since it's an uncommon piece of bakeware. One batch makes enough work snacks for two weeks and the extras hold up splendidly in the freezer. With spring fully in swing and dreams of spending the days outside a reality, a few minutes in the kitchen aren't too much to ask to fuel up for the day.

Superseed Bar
adapted from CHOW
makes 10 bars

Oil, for coating the pan
1 1/2 cups crispy brown rice cereal
1/2 cup raw sliced almonds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw wheat germ
2 tablespoons whole sesame or chia seeds
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
1 cup dried Medjool dates (about 6 ounces), pitted
1/4 cup natural smooth unsalted peanut or almond butter
1/4 cup honey or brown rice syrup
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup high quality natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with butter; set aside.

2. Place rice cereal, almonds, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, sesame or chia seeds, and flax seed meal on a rimmed baking sheet, toss with your hands to combine, and spread in an even layer. Bake, stirring halfway through, until almonds are fragrant and lightly toasted, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

3. Place cereal mixture in a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse until the mixture is broken up and the largest pieces are about the size of uncooked grains of rice, about 5 (1-second) pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl; set aside.

4. Place dates in the food processor and process until finely chopped and a ball forms, about 15 seconds; set aside.

5. Place peanut butter, honey rice syrup, salt, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until mixture is combined and runs like slow-moving lava, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, immediately add reserved dates and cocoa powder, and, using a wooden spoon, stir, smashing down on the dates, until well combined and no streaks of cocoa remain. Add reserved cereal mixture and stir, pressing as you do, until evenly combined. (This takes some muscle and time, about 5 minutes.) Transfer to the prepared baking pan and, using your hands, spread and firmly press the mixture into the pan. Let cool completely.

6. Remove the date-seed slab from the pan. Cut it in half to form two rectangles, then cut each rectangle widthwise into 5 bars to form 10 bars total. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 weeks; let frozen bars come to room temperature before eating.

Seeded Edamame Burgers with Brown Rice and Apples

I'm still settling into my new house, so I'm sharing another recipe from the archives. I haven't had time to embark on any complicated culinary adventures or fully replenish the pantry, so I've only been cooking up some simple (though still flavorful and nutritious) dishes in my much-improved kitchen. While I can't wait to make the most of my gas stove and ample cooking space, it's going to have to wait a little bit longer.

I tried out this recipe back in the midst of my veggie burger obsession, though I was reluctant to share it because it was the least structurally sound of the veggie burgers I tried. A little finesse was required to carefully flip the burgers and keep them from falling apart (still pressing them back together a little bit), but I plan on adding egg (since I'm not vegan) in the future to help alleviate this problem. The flavors are clean and fresh with the nuts, seeds, and beans making the burger more than amply filling and are equally appropriate on a hamburger bun, pita, or bed of salad greens. Although they can definitely use a little work in the structure department, the flavors of this veggie burger make the bit of time investment and care it takes to turn out a batch, an ideal lunch in the dog days of summer.

Seeded Edamame Burgers with Brown Rice and Apples
from Veggie Burgers Every Which Way by Lukas Volger
makes six 4-inch burgers

2 tablespoons hulled raw sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
2 1/2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds (1 tablespoon whole seeds)
1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
2 tablespoons brown (or white) rice flour
1 tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
A few grinds of black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a dry skillet, toast the sunflower seeds over medium-low heat until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes, swirling the pan periodically. Transfer to a heat-proof plate. In the same pan, toast the sesame seeds until golden brown, no more than 2 minutes, swirling or stirring constantly to avoid overcooking and uneven browning. Transfer to the plate with the sunflower seeds.

2. Meanwhile, cook the edamame according to package directions. Transfer the beans to an ice bath to halt the cooking.

3. Whisk together the ground flax and 3 tablespoons water. Transfer to a food processor and add the toasted seeds and edamame. Pulse 10 to 15 times, just until the the mixture is evenly chunky.

4. In a mixing bowl, combine the edamame-seed mixture with the rice, apple, flour, molasses, soy sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper. The mixture should be moist and sticky. Adjust seasonings. Shape into 6 patties, flattening to a 1/2-inch thickness.

5. In a saute pan, heat the oil over high heat. When hot, add the patties, in batches if necessary to avoid crowding, cooking for 2 minutes. They should sizzle-this will create a nice crust. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 or 3 minutes more. Carefully flip the burgers and cook until browned and firm, 4 to 5 minutes longer.

Seeded Whole Wheat Scones

I had no idea how much I would like the scones when I first stumbled across the recipe. I've made lots of scones in my day, including many whole wheat ones, and I thought these would be, like most I've made, tasty and nutritious, but not extraordinary. I was so very happy for that assumption to be proven wrong. They have the slight sweetness and tender crumb common to most of my scones, but the mix of seeds performs an alchemy that makes these scones unbelievably delicious. While nuts get all the glory, seeds remain tragically underutilized in baked goods, but these scones are doing their part toward remedying the situation. While I've been happily chowing down on these for breakfast, their savory qualities would also make them a wonderful companion to soups and salads. If you feel the need to gild the lily, a healthy slathering of butter would not be unwelcome, but they definitely stand on their own, as any good pastry should. More than any other baked good I've made in recently memory, I urge you to try this unique and unexpectedly wonderful recipe.

Seeded Whole Wheat Scones
adapted from the New York Times
makes 12 scones

5 ounces (1 1/3 cups) whole-wheat pastry flour
2 ounces (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour (or more whole wheat pastry flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 ounces (1/2 cup) raw brown sugar
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons mixed seeds (for instance, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flax and poppy)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Dump anything remaining in the sifter into the bowl with the sifted ingredients. Place in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.

3. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla and, with the machine running, add to the flour mixture. Stop the machine and add the seeds. Pulse a few times to combine.

4. Flour your hands and a spatula, as well as your work surface, and scrape out the dough.  Gently shape into a rectangle 1 inch thick. Cut into 6 squares, then cut the squares diagonally to give you 12 triangular scones. The dough will be tacky but should not be too sticky to work with. If it is, add a little more flour.

5. Place the scones on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart and bake 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, or serve warm.