Spicy Tomato And Vegetables

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 -3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced w/skin
• 1 medium carrot, sliced
• 8 - 10 asparagus, snap tough bottoms off, slice green tops on the diagonal (Julian)
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon fennel
• 6 small tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups brown or wild rice
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper(to taste)
• salt & black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 dried thyme

1. Put 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil in a wok or large frying pan and heat on medium high. Once the oil is hot, add chopped onion, fennel, and a pinch of salt. Stir onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower pieces and stir with onion, add another pinch of salt. (My husband had a fit when he saw me adding salt after several vegetables in this dish. I know it seems like a lot of salt when we have been brainwashed in to believing salt is bad for us. Use common sense and your taste buds as a guide - if you do not eat a lot of processed foods, fast foods, or have high blood pressure or other health condition that is aggravated by salt, adding a pinch of salt after each vegetable is not excessive. I just completed a nutrition course in which this topic was discussed extensively and it was emphasized that the salt added to cooking is typically not a culprit to unhealthy salt consumption - its the canned, processed foods and the drive through windows that are killing us!)
2. Ok, back to cooking. Turn the heat down to medium, cover the cauliflower and let it cook for 3-5 minutes so it softens. Uncover and add another tablespoon of olive oil if needed (may or may not need to use all 4 tablespoons - its to keep the veggies coated and from sticking to the pan). Toss in minced garlic, add carrot and let cook for 1 minute. Add asparagus and let cook for 1 minute, tossing veggies together. Add basil and dried thyme tossing with veggies. Add chopped tomatoes, cayenne, and dash of black pepper. Let tomatoes cook down and form sauce (about 5 minutes). Salt and pepper to taste.

yellow onion, garlic, zucchini, carrot, bottoms, cauliflower, fennel, tomatoes, brown, cayenne, salt, olive oil, basil, thyme

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/spicy-tomato-and-vegetables-1218972 (may not work)