Thai Pasta Salad

Just wanted to share a simple, easy, and VERY tasty recipe I tried recently. :)

Thai Pasta Salad (adapted from TastyGalaxy's Pasta Salad with Peanut Sauce)

• 1/2 pound of spaghetti
• about a cup of chopped carrots
• 2 or 3 scallions, chopped
• a big handful of cilantro
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 or 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)
• toasted sesame seeds (optional)

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, in a small bowl, mix together the peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, water, ginger, and garlic.
3. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Drain again, very well.
4. In a big bowl, combine the pasta, carrots, and scallions.  Mix in the peanut sauce.  Add the cilantro and toss.  Top with sesame seeds.

This was really really good cold, but I think it would also work if you served it warm.

There are not many things I love more than recipes that are as easy as they are yummy.

Cheers,

L

Photo Blog: What I've Been Up To...

It's been a while since my last blog because, well, sh*t life happens. Here's what I've been up to food-wise since then, in photo form :)

My "inventive" curried tofu and sweet potato stir-fry, served over thin rice noodles.

My mom's cherry congealed salad.

My mom's savory chicken casserole. Yum!

Savory chicken casserole and rice.

Glorious sushi!

Everything was so, so, so good.

The green lights were actually very bright and flashed like strobe lights. A bit distracting, but cool. It was New Year's Eve, so I guess the chef figured, "why not?"

Red = Ahi tuna. Light pink = a fish we never quite figured out. Still tasty though!

Happy New Year! More posts in 2011. :)

Cheers,

L

Improvised Dinner / My Boyfriend Rocks

In my introductory post I mentioned I might blog about non-food related stuff.  This is one of those posts, because I myself haven't really been cooking this past week.  But tonight we cooked a great dinner so, I'll start off with that.

Sometimes the best dinners are ones with no recipe, just improvisation using the ingredients available in your fridge/pantry.  Paul gets all the credit for this because they were his ideas.  Thanks Paul. :)

Pan-Fried Salmon Fillet with Sauteed Garlic, Ginger, and Scallions (cooked by me)

String Bean, Red Bell Pepper, and Hungarian Pepper Stir-Fry with Ginger (cooked by Paul)

There really hasn't been much going on in my kitchen in the past week.  I've been pretty unproductive.  The only thing I remember cooking this week was eggs.  Work has been tiring me out and the weird hours (4pm-9pm) prevent me from cooking (or do they?).  I keep saying I'll put something in the Crock-Pot before I leave for work, but it never happens.  Ah, well... life gets in the way sometimes and that's okay.  Paul usually has something cooking for when I get home around 9:30 which is nice.  Earlier his week he made AWESOME burgers that I wish I had taken pictures of because they were soooo good.  Into the ground sirloin he mixed various fresh herbs (basil, sage, and thyme), garlic, onion, egg, bread crumbs, then stuffed fresh mozzarella cheese in the middle!  So delicious with a little Dijon mustard and a nice thick tomato slice.  The cheese was so melty and wonderful.

As I write I'm listening to Paul play around on the cello, playing along with Of Montreal.  He has been just an all-around awesome boyfriend and helping me out a lot as I adjust to my new schedule and juggle countless job applications and upcoming interviews.  I drive his car to work most nights so he is usually stuck at home, but each night when I come home he's gotten some big project done at the apartment.  Settling in here was very much a team effort between the two of us, but I gotta give him more credit.  We wouldn't have accomplished nearly as much as we did if it weren't for his incredible work ethic and generosity.  Thank you Paul... for the millionth time :)

I'll end with some pictures of some sweet skies we saw on our walk through Glasgow Park this evening.

Cheers,
L

Slow-Cooked Thai Chicken Thighs

I love chicken thighs.  I love Thai cooking.  I love my Crock-Pot.  Put all three together and this is what you get.

Slow-Cooked Thai Chicken Thighs for a small slow-cooker (2-3 quarts), adapted from busycooks.about.com

• 3 chicken thighs (skin-on/bone-in or skinless/boneless, whichever you prefer... I prefer the former)
• 1 cup medium chunky salsa
• 2 heaping tbsp smooth peanut butter
• juice of one lime
• 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1-2 inch piece of ginger root, grated/minced
• dash of Sriracha
• big handful of unsalted peanuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped
• about 4 lime wedges

1. Place chicken thighs in slow cooker.
2. Mix together salsa, peanut butter, lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and Sriracha.  Pour over the chicken.
3. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.
4. Plate the chicken and sprinkle with peanuts and green onions.  Garnish with lime wedges and squeeze juice over the chicken before eating.  Serve with rice or noodles (I chose rice).

Before mixing.

After mixing.

Quite possibly my favorite thing in our fridge.

Chicken thighs nestled in and ready to cook.

Ta-da.

Pretty soon I'm starting a part-time job that will have me working from 4pm-9pm on weekdays.  Good hours in terms of convenience (I can still go on interviews & get a ton of stuff done during the day), but not the greatest for someone who likes to cook dinner, because I sure as heck won't feel like cooking when I get home at 9:30.  So, I have a feeling I'll be using the Crock-Pot quite a bit over the next several weeks on days when Paul won't be cooking (did I mention he is a great cook too!).  Any good recipes?  Send 'em my way ;)

Cheers,
L