Asparagus and Chickpea Stir-Fry with Hoisin Sauce

So many vegetarian stir fries use tofu as the protein (or tempeh - when will I begin to love you), so I was really excited that Janet had the idea to swap out tofu for chickpeas in this one. Spinach, asparagus and cashews are combined with the most perfect mix of lime, basil and hoisin sauce. I did not know those 3 things would be so delicious together but yum. I still see asparagus in the grocery store but you could use broccoli instead.

I was just looking to see if hoisin sauce is vegan (I think it is), and found out that literally translated, hoisin means "seafood". This may explain why when we go to Chinese restaurants, E's dad always tells me that the hoisin sauce has fish/seafood in it and E always shakes his head and says no this is hoisin sauce it doesn't.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pureed Sweet Potato & Peanut Stew with Chickpeas
Thai Chick-Un Pizza
Swift, Delicious Bean Salad
Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Dill and Lemon

Asparagus and Chickpea Stir-Fry with Hoisin Sauce
Adapted from the taste space who adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Serves 4

1.5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas, or a 19 oz can, drained and rinsed well
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb asparagus, ends snapped off and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cashews
1 bunch of spinach (300g), coarsely chopped
zest and juice from 1 lime
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced

Have all your ingredients prepped and within arms reach of the stove. Heat olive oil in a large pan, or wok over medium high heat. Once hot, add the onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, asparagus, and salt to taste. Stir fry for about a minute, then add the garlic, cashews, and spinach and stir-fry for another minute, or until the spinach wilts. Add the chickpeas to the pan, stir for about a minute until the chickpeas are warm. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the hoisin sauce. Cook for another 10-20 seconds, stirring all the while.

Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Taste and add a bit more salt and/or lime juice if needed.