Asparagus and mushroom saute with a date-sweetened sauce

Butter and cream are the 2 ingredients most vegetable sides lean on for real depth, and neither is on your plate during the elimination phase. This sauce gets its depth a different way, through whole dates, coconut aminos, and a touch of fish sauce, blended smooth and simmered into something that holds its own next to any protein on the plate.

Mushrooms are bringing beta-glucans along with their flavor, compounds studied for how they interact with immune activity, and the asparagus adds folate and fiber that your gut microbes can use. Letting the mushrooms sit undisturbed in the pan long enough to actually brown, rather than stirring constantly, is most of what makes this dish taste like it took more effort than it did.

The fish sauce is a small amount, a quarter teaspoon, but it carries something real: fermented fish standing in for the depth soy usually gives, worth a nod before it goes into the blender. Blend the date sauce until it is fully smooth, since a few unblended bits will read as gritty instead of glossy, then pour it over the vegetables while everything is still warm. Serve it shining and hot, and let a plate of vegetables this good be reason enough to slow down for a minute before you eat.

Ingredients

• 1 bundle asparagus, chopped
• 8 oz mushrooms
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 pitted dates, chopped
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• 1/4 tsp fish sauce

Method

Warm the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and mushrooms and cook, stirring now and then, until they are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Season the vegetables with the lemon juice, thyme, rosemary, and sea salt. The black pepper from the original is left out here, since seed-based spices are set aside during the elimination phase.

Blend the chopped dates with the coconut aminos and fish sauce until smooth. Pour the sauce over the cooked vegetables, toss to coat, and serve warm. If you do not have dates on hand, about half a tablespoon of raisins per date works in their place.

Air fryer variation

You can roast the asparagus and mushrooms in the air fryer instead of the pan. Toss them with the coconut oil, spread them in a single layer in the basket, and cook at 380 F for about 8 to 12 minutes, shaking the basket once partway through, until tender and lightly caramelized. Season as above and finish with the blended sauce off the heat. Treat the time as a starting range and check for doneness, since air fryers vary.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*