This post features a bunch of recipes. Not only is there the salad and dressing, but I also want to share this simple way to make baked chips. I served it with leftover vegan cashew avocado “cream” from these incredible tofu tacos I discovered on Love and Lemons.
To make the salad (I measured nothing):
Put some chopped romaine lettuce in a bowl.
Top with the following: I chose to do it cobb-salad style, but you can toss it all together, too. Go loco.
- radishes
- cherry tomatoes
- grilled corn (Soak it first for about a half an hour. Grill on medium-high for about 10 minutes, rotating a few times. Then, let it cool and cut it off the cob)
- shredded carrots
- chopped red bell peppers
- thinly sliced red onions
- drained black beans
- optional: shredded cheddar cheese
- You can also do: avocado, jicama, etc.
Basic cilantro-lime dressing:
Blend the following until smooth:
- 2 handfuls of cilantro
- juice of 2 limes
- a little bit of honey (or agave or sweetener of your choice)
- salt/pepper
- a few tablespoons of olive oil
- water to thin out as needed
For the chips:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Prepare oil: Mix together a few tablespoons of olive oil with spices of your choice. I did a few shakes of cumin and paprika, and then a few pinches of salt.
- Put a stack of corn tortillas on a cutting board and cut them into sixths (first cut in half and then cut each half into thirds)
- Arrange tortilla triangles in a single layer on a cookie sheet (no overlapping) and brush both sides with the oil mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until slightly brown and crispy.
- Serve with salad and dip of choice.
I’ve started this post multiple times, but keep deleting the first sentence. I wanted to lead with how the runny yolk makes the rice velvety. However, “runny yolk” just doesn’t sound as good as it tastes. Trust me on this one. You can prepare the egg however you like, runny or sedentary. We tried over easy and poached.
Ingredients:
I don’t know how much of each rice bowl topping you want. You decide. The amount listed for each dressing ingredient was enough for 2 rice bowls.
- brown rice
- raw peanuts
- 1 T sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 T chopped mint
- 1 T chopped cilantro
- 1 t soy sauce
- shredded carrots
- chopped scallions
- seeded and diced cucumbers
- bean sprouts
- steamed and chopped baby bok choy (or other greens)
Instructions
1. Prepare brown rice as directed.
2. Roast peanuts in a heavy, dry skillet, stirring constantly. Let cool. Chop peanuts (I put them in a bag and used the side of a large wooden spoon to crush)
3. Combine the next 6 ingredients (through soy sauce) in a medium bowl, and stir.
3. Divide the rice into the number of servings you’re making. Top with the carrots, scallions, cucumbers, bean sprouts, and bok choy. I think it looks pretty to make sections for each vegetable. Pour 1-2 teaspoons of the dressing over each bowl of rice/vegetables.
4. Prepare the egg as desired. Place it in the center, on top of the vegetables.
5. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately. If you like it spicy, serve with a side of chili garlic sauce.
Although this salad doesn’t highlight local ingredients (for those of us in the northeast), it is a great way to beat the winter blues. To turn it into a meal, try adding some chopped avocado and putting it over a bed of farro. Happy New Year everyone!
From Food and Wine, December 2012 (makes 8 servings)
Ingredients:
- 6 oranges
- 2 red grapefruits
- 2 limes
- 1 large shallot, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream (I used Vermont Creamery’s crème fraîche)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- Salt
Directions:
- Using a sharp knife, carefully peel the oranges, red grapefruits and limes, removing all of the bitter white pith. Working over a small bowl to catch the juices from the fruit, cut in between the membranes to release the sections. Cut the lime and grapefruit sections into thirds and leave the orange sections whole. Transfer all of the citrus to a serving bowl and add the sliced shallot and chopped parsley. Reserve the citrus juice for another use.
- In another small bowl, whisk the lemon zest with the lemon juice, crème fraîche, maple syrup and poppy seeds. Season the dressing lightly with salt. Pour the dressing over the fruit, toss the salad gently and serve right away.
Are you familiar with Whole Foods’ Step System for animal welfare ratings? If you haven’t already heard me or someone else going on and on about it, here’s the link. What’s tricky is that they don’t have all of their cuts available in all levels at all times, so one has to be flexible. I’m still too new at buying meat to know about good substitutions, but I’m slowly learning. I went to get flank steak, as this Cooking Light recipe called for, but they did not have any steps 4-5 of that kind. The butcher suggested skirt steak, which they had in a Level 4. Great! Thanks, helpful butcher! I ended up bringing home entirely too much steak because I got flustered ordering it, and froze half for fajitas another night.
Also, this recipe calls for fish sauce. So do most Thai recipes that I find. Since I don’t eat fish, I just omitted it. However, when I took a Thai cooking class, I was told you can substitute “this mushroom sauce” for the fish sauce. However, I was in Thailand at the time and could not read the label on “this mushroom sauce.” Oh well. I should look for it in an Asian market one of these days. In the meantime, I usually just taste my food and add more soy sauce if I think it needs more salty flavor.
This gave me a chance to use some of my fresh herbs: mint, basil, and cilantro.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 pound skirt steak
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
- 3/4 cup julienne-cut carrots
- 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
Directions:
- Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle steak evenly with pepper and salt. Add steak to pan; cook 6 minutes each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.
- Combine juice and next 4 ingredients (through Sriracha) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.
- Combine cabbage and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Add 6 tablespoons juice mixture to cabbage mixture; toss well. Toss steak in remaining 2 tablespoons juice mixture. Add steak to cabbage mixture; toss to combine.
fresh from brooklyn 