Spicy Asparagus Turkey with Tofu: How do you say thank you?

For JEL, LKL, JSJ, HK, and my CCC family

Over this past weekend, I ended up in a pretty huge pit of despair and difficulty and for several dark hours could not see a way out of this pit.  I broke down crying several times and felt like there was NO way I could accomplish what needed to be done.

In the midst of that despair came many wonderful helping hands.  Friends reached out and called me.  Other people came over to help me.  Still others made me wonderful freshly ground, freshly brewed coffee to give me energy and determination to finish the job.  My church body embraced me.  And still others offered their assistance and support however they could.  Thankfully, I got out of that pit of despair and made it back up to where I wanted to be.

So how do you thank those many many helping hands and voices and words?  As a person who is pretty talkative and likes to write, I'm speechless.  I am moved to tears when I think about the small tiny actions that a body of loving people showed me.  So, to quote my friend CJR, "Just saying thank you is important."

So thank you all.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

(And I know that there are many out there who are SO CURIOUS as to what this incident was?  I'm happy to share.  Just not on the blog.  You can email me if you are dying to know.)

I'll leave you all with this really delicious simple dish.  I made this for one of my wonderful helpers, friend JEL, who did for me what I might not have been able to do for others.  And she did it cheerfully.  I tossed this together at the last minute using what I had in my fridge, and we both agreed...it's like mapo tofu, only healthier.

**if you want to share it with your kids, simply take out their portion before adding the sambal.

Spicy Asparagus Turkey with Tofu
3 to 4 servings

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey (dark meat)
1 lb asparagus, tough ends trimmed, and cut into ½ inch bits
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped or put through a press
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 to 4 tablespoons sambal oelek (up to you)(Chinese chili pepper paste)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
salt to taste

1 package medium firm tofu, sliced into squares or large chunks.

Method
Heat a heavy fry pan over medium high heat. Add oil, turkey, ginger and garlic all at once. Stir, breaking up turkey until it is fully cooked. Add asparagus bits and soy sauce, cooking until asparagus is bright green and tender, about 4 minutes. Add sambal and cook until fragrant, another minute. Drizzle sesame oil all over. Season with salt if necessary.

In a small saucepan, add tofu and about ⅓ cup of water. Bring to a boil. Serve together with spicy turkey asparagus.

Printable recipe

a small way to say thank you