The Greatest Dish Ever Made

I did it.  I made the greatest dish ever made.  I suppose it was only a matter of time. lol  :)  As a vegan, and a NEW one at that, it can sometimes be perplexing on how to make a very tasty dish that includes all the nutrition needed in order to feel "satisfied".  Something "restaurant worthy".  When perusing the aisles at the local market, I like to put things in the cart that "call out" to me.  At the time I won't be sure exactly what I am going to do with it, but am assured by my subconscious that something magical could come of it.  I love trusting my intuition.  And so, after a few such trips of gathering seemingly "miscellaneous" ingredients, I felt confident that a dish was just waiting to be prepared, scattered throughout the cabinets and shelves in our kitchen. 

I knew the main ingredients I wanted to include would be Asparagus and Potatoes.  I also knew I wanted it to be fried/stir fried in a large pan using olive oil.  A good cook always has his ingredients prepped before any actual cooking takes place.  I grabbed a potato, washed it and set it aside.  I grabbed a bag of asparagus, which had already been prepped by my fastidious fiance', Kim.  She loves asparagus something fierce!  "Hmmmm,"  I thought. "What else...what else...."  All of a sudden the spirit of good taste and creation swept through me, and I began digging in the cupboards.  "Roasted sunflower seeds...yes...hot and sweet roasted red peppers...yes....large manzanilla olives, sliced to spread flavor (slice-slice-slice)...yes...flax seeds for a bit of crunch and omega 3, yes....freshly sliced tomatoes (slice-slice-slice) yes.....almonds...hmmm they should be chopped (chop-chop-chop) yes....freshly minced garlic from the fridge...mm-hmm...oh yes, a large onion, (chop-chop-chop)...and one last thing...extra firm tofu..hmm needs to be cubed (slice-slice-slice).  That seems to be it...now just to finish chopping the potatoes and asparagus..(chop-chop-chop) and to combine everything in the electric wok (mix-mix-mix) and to add the extra virgin olive oil (pour.....pour...a little more...pour....PERFECT!)

The concoction was brewing...finally I knew what Dr. Frankenstein must have felt on the night he waited for a lighting bolt to awaken his creation.  As it fried and I stirred-stirred-stirred, I felt like one last thing was still missing.  The nagging feeling of doubt kept gnawing at the back of my mind...then I hear Kim speak up from the living room.  "Baby, want me to make some rice for it?"  RICE!!!! OF COURSE!!!!  "Yes!  That is just what it needs!" (Muwahahahahaha.....) Luckily we had rice already made, and stored in the fridge in little plastic bags.  These bags make great microwave steamers, and the rice came out nice and fluffy.  Spread over a plate, then the concoction spread over that, add a little salt, and VOILA!  A MASTERPIECE!  I chose chopsticks as the utensils of choice, (even though this dish must have come from a past life of Mediterranean living), because it would have to be eaten slower.  And this dish was not one to be "scarfed down".  Picking up a piece of asparagus here, a little chopped potato there, a small cube of tofu drizzled in olive oil and flavor from all the spices...it was truly divine.  Looking over at Kim's empty plate, I could see she felt the same.  "I think I'll keep you" she said, a slight grin spreading across her face.  Keep me, indeed.  And I shall keep you. (Eating well, that is.)