Staycation Meal #18

 

An exceptionally springy meal: This bowl of deliciousness consists of arugula and green leaf lettuce, brown rice, and the recipe for roasted asparagus with lentils and romesco sauce from Will Frolic for Food. I added some sliced grape tomato garnishes as suggested.

My sauce is thicker because I wanted a stronger roasted red pepper flavor and thus I cut the oil in the recipe in half. It was delicious that way, and honestly, I might keep trying to reduce the oil and thin it out with water if (when!) I make it again, because it already has a generous amount of almond butter and thus plenty of fat for helping the vitamins to get absorbed.

In my view, this is peak vegan food. I was fortunate during my time at home to go to the grocery store on the morning of my last staycation day, so I had the joy of eating asparagus just hours after I bought it--and it was the fresh, young, early springtime kind, with the best flavor. Somehow, the flavors of every element seemed to pop with that sauce--the nuttiness of the brown rice, the earthiness of the lentils, and the delicate greens and tomatoes. 

Because I'm not making extra restrictions to my grocery budget while in use-what-I-have mode, I did get to buy more of things I usually don't due to the prices--so after this I got to have a bowl of fresh berries. The money I'm saving by just focusing on my current pantry stocks getting re-invested in cherry tomatoes and berries may spoil me for ordinary life when the pantry stocks reduce, but we'll see. The world is full of good things, and stone fruit season is just around the corner.