Asparagus Paella with Sriracha Tempeh

WHOA.

I just realized I have yet to feature a recipe with sriracha.

For real? That’s just crazy.

I can’t get enough of it’s sweet spiciness and I put it on almost everythings. Beans, potatoes, pasta…all of the above are made a bit better by throwing some sriracha on it.

But never has it been fully featured and made star of a recipe on my little blog.

Asparagus, paella and sriracha all don’t really seem to mesh well together, do they? Kind of odd ingredients to mash up. But that’s the beauty in most dishes-even the strangest pairings somehow turn out well (kudos to the brainiac who ever thought strawberry and basil matched well!).

On another note, I have never really even had paella before and had yet to whip up a really good Spanish rice. You know, the kind that is super fragrant and a murky shade of yellow? That’s what I was aiming for here. Turns out all you need it some turmeric and saffron and voila-perfect paella!

4 1/2 cups vegetable broth

3 cups short grain organic brown rice

2 cups green peas

1/2 bunch asparagus, chopped (I found a big bag of frozen ones at Whole Foods for $3!)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp turmeric

2 tbs paprika

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Large pinch of saffron threads

SRIRACHA TEMPEH

1 8 oz package organic tempeh, cubed

1/2 cup sriracha

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

• For the tempeh, toss cubes in sriracha and soy sauce and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes
• In a large saucepan, cook bell peppers and onion in olive oil over medium/high heat for about 8-10 minutes or until they begin to brown
• Add rice and garlic and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring continuously
• Pour in vegetable broth , saffron, turmeric, paprika, salt and black pepper and bring to a boil
• Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 30 more minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed
• Add peas and asparagus and cook over medium heat for 5 more minutes, frequently stirring
• Then, cook the marinated tempeh in olive oil in a skillet over medium heat for about 6 minutes, turning so that all sides are cooked