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.

Salmon with Ginger-Grapefruit sauce

This was a nice, flavorful sauce to serve with salmon steaks. I paired it with steamed broccoli and couscous to round out the meal.

Mats
2 skinless salmon fillets, 4oz each
3 ruby red grapefruits

2 tsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 knob ginger (thumb-sized), peeled and finely minced
1 Tbsp and 1 tsp honey 

2 tsp lemon juice
about 10 thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray some cooking spray onto a shallow pan and place the salmon in the dish. Season the tops of the fish with about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes.

While the fish is cooking, supreme one of the grapefruits. To supreme, cut a slice off the top and bottom of the grapefruit, stand it on end, then cut the peel and pith (the white under the skin) off in vertical slices. You'll lose a bit of the flesh, but that's ok. Next, scoop the juicy flesh out of each little section, discarding the white membranes that separate the sections. Put the flesh in a separate bowl.

 

Juice the other two grapefruits into a different small bowl. A nifty trick (if you don't have a juicer) is to roll the fruits around on the countertop, pressing hard. This helps break up the membrane and makes juicing easier.

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a small pan. Add the shallots and cook for about 2 minutes until the shallots are soft.

 

Add the grapefruit juice, ginger and honey to the shallots and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. This will take about 10 minutes.

 

After the sauce is reduced, add the reserved grapefruit flesh and the fresh basil. Remove from heat.

Serve the fish with a generous helping of sauce.

Shrimp salad with Ginger-Lime sauce

Today was absolutely beautiful. My peas are starting to sprout, my tomatoes and spinach are in the ground and my herbs are starting to establish themselves. Anyway, this salad is just the thing for a light summer lunch.

Mats:
Marinade/dressing
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 c soy sauce
1/2 c lime juice
2 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled
1 onion, quartered
4 Tbsp sugar
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4c peanut oil
1/4 c green onions (scallions) chopped

Salad
1 head romaine or red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-sized chunks
6 oz mandarin oranges, canning liquid reserved
6 oz bean sprouts
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
Sliced toasted almonds for topping (optional)

In a blender or food processor, add the onion, garlic, peeled ginger, soy sauce, lime juice, and 2 Tbsp sugar. Blend on high for 3 minutes.
Add the green onion and peanut oil and blend again for 2 min.
Put the peeled shrimp in a shallow bowl and pour about half the marinade over the raw shrimp. Marinate the shrimp for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Meanwhile, add the mandarin oranges with their canning juices to the leftover marinade. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp sugar and stir.
In a large bowl, combine the lettuce bits, halved tomatoes, and bean sprouts. Add the mandarin oranges and about 1/3 the dressing. It's quite strong, so don't soak your salad in it.
When the shrimp are done marinating, it's time to cook them. I used my panini grill set to 350 with the lid suspended about a half inch above the shrimp for 3 or 4 minutes. You can also cook them on a regular grill outside or possibly in a skillet.
Add the cooked shrimp to the salad, stir and serve topped with slivered almonds if you like them.

Spinach Quesadillas

A take on the more traditional chicken and cheese filled ones, these quesadillas work just as well in a bowl as a dip as they do in tortilla shells.

Mats:

1 Tbs. vegetable oil
8 oz. tempeh, crumbled

2 tomatillos, husks removed and diced
1 lb. spinach, torn into bite-sized bits
1jar salsa

6 8- or 9-inch whole wheat tortillas
1 7-oz. pkg. cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350

 

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat

 

Add the crumbled tempeh and tomatillos and cook for 8 minutes.

Wash the torn spinach, toss it into the pan and cover. This will steam the spinach. Leave the cover on for about 5 minutes.

Add the jar of salsa and stir well.

On a dark cooking pan (like you would make cookies on), place one of the tortillas. Place about 1/3c of the spinach mixture on half of the tortilla

Sprinkle with cheese.

Fold the other half of the tortilla over the spinach and cheese half so you've made a little pocket.

Repeat with the remainder of the tortillas

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until tortillas begin to brown.

Cut each tortilla in half and serve (with extra salsa or sour cream, if that floats your boat)