Banh Mi Sandwich

Summertime, summertime. Time of cool salads and light sandwiches. This sandwich was just the thing for a hot day like today, even though I did take out pretty much all the spicy spices.

Mats
1 bread loaf. I used a nice sourdough loaf, because my husband likes soft crusts. Cibatta or a baguette would work as well
1/4c brown rice vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
[1/2 tsp red pepper flakes - optional]
1/4c shredded carrot
1/4c shredded daikon radish. I couldn't find daikon, so I used jicama instead. I do love jicama, it's so sweet and crunchy.
1/2c cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced. I used my mandolin.
1c grape tomatoes, sliced
2 lettuce leaves, ripped into bite-sized chunks
2 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tsp tamari (soy sauce)
[1 tsp siracha - optional]
8 oz extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1cm cubes. Firmer is better

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, honey, [red pepper flakes], carrot and daikon/jicama. toss well so all veggies are well-coated. Let sit for 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a skillet, heat about 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add the tofu and stir-fry for 8-10 minutes until the tofu is golden brown.
Slice the bread in half along the 'equator' so you have a top an bottom. Gouge out the center of the bread so you have a nice hollow in which to place the sandwich fixings.
Spread the mayonnaise  on both halves of the bread. This helps keep the bread from getting soggy.
Pour the tamari over the top half of the bread. Try to spread it over the whole piece as evenly as you can. [Pour the siracha over the top of the bread too]
On the bottom half of the bread, spread the cucumber slices neatly.
Take the marinated daikon/jicama and carrot, squeeze out the liquid, and place by handfuls over the cucumber.
Add the torn lettuce leaves and fried tofu.
Squish the top of the bread over your sandwich pile, cut into fourths and enjoy.

Salmon with Mustard Glaze

Baking the glaze really mellows the flavor of the mustards and takes away a bit of the garlic's kick. Good accompaniments to the fish are broccoli and wild rice. The leftover glaze makes a good topping to the broccoli as well.

Mats:
2 6oz salmon fillets, skin off
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp regular mustard
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine

Set your oven to broil. Take your broiling tray, cover it with aluminum foil (for easy clean up), and coat it lightly with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, mix the crushed garlic, thyme, both mustards, olive oil and red wine together. Mix thoroughly.
Place your salmon fillets on the broiling sheet and sprinkle with about 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp coarse-ground black pepper.
Broil the seasoned fillets for 3 minutes.
Daub the mustard glaze over the fillets so they're evenly covered with the mustard glaze. Don't be stingy!
Broil the fillets for a further 5 minuets, then remove and serve.

Mulligatawny Soup

This soup got an immediate thumbs-up from my husband! It's a bit high calorie, so very likely to be a special occasion soup, not a regular thing. Mulligatawny is technically a South Indian soup; its name rightly translates to "pepper water". I highly doubt someone familiar with Indian cuisine would recognize this as Indian food at all... but 'tis tasty regardless.

Mats

1 cup diced onions
4 to 6 carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons red curry powder
8 cups chicken stock
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 c short-grain white rice, unwashed
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup room-temperature light cream

 

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the flour and red curry powder, stir well so all the veggies are covered with, you guessed it, a roux. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add the rice and stir well, cook for 1 minute.

Add the chicken and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Add the diced apple and thyme, boil for 15 more minutes. You'll want to keep an eye on the soup at this point, as it will have reduced quite a bit and you don't want to burn the bottom.

Take the soup off of heat, stir in cream and serve.

Pad Thai

This is a good recipe for a fast dinner on a weeknight.

Mats
½ lb. noodles. I used fresh Chinese noodles, but dry rice noodles would be good too.
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. hot chile sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4c peanut butter
3 cloves garlic,crushed
1 Tbsp. peeled fresh ginger, sliced thin
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into narrow strips
8 to 10 scallions, halved lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch lengths
1 cup mung bean sprouts
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Cook the noodles for 2 1/2 minutes, then drain and rinse in cold water.

In a small bowl, combine lime juice, soy sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar and peanut butter with 1/3c water. Next time I want to try mixing it with lite coconut milk instead of water, to get that creamy consistency.

In a wok, heat the oil over high heat. Add the crushed garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds or until brown.

Add the carrot, scallions and bean sprouts and stir fry for 2 minutes.

Add the cooked noodles and peanut sauce, stir and heat through, about 2 minutes.

Serve topped with chopped cilantro.