Thai grilled beef salad

NAHM TOK

Our friends have made this for us several times. It is amazing! Today was our first day attempting it ourselves.

Thai Grilled Beef Salad with Chilies and Lime

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless beef steak, marinated then grilled then cut into thin bite-size slices
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 fish sauce
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 to ½ cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon coarsely ground dried Thai chilies
2 Tablespoons finely chopped shallots
3 green onions, thinly sliced crosswise
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1-2 Tablespoons roasted rice powder

Sticky Rice (see recipe below this post)

Steak Marinade (per pound of steak):
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar

Roasted Rice Powder:
2 Tablespoons uncooked Jasmine rice

Directions:
1. Steak Marinade:
Mix ingredients in shallow bowl or ziplock bag. Marinate steak, turning as needed, for 1-3 hours before grilling.

2. Roasted Rice Powder:
Roast in skillet over medium high heat until lightly browned. Crush Thai style with mortar and pestle or in a processor or spice grinder (should be very coarse, not a fine powder by any means.)

Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Add the grilled and sliced beef and stir to warm. Remove from heat. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, water, sugar, chili flakes, shallots, green onions, cilantro and rice powder. Mix well. Serve on a deep serving plate. Eat with sticky rice. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4 to 6

Thai Sticky Rice

KAO NIOW (STICKY RICE)

Ingredients
2 Cups Sticky Rice

Direction:
1. Soak the sitcky rice in cold water to cover by 2 inches for at least 3 hours, or as long as overnight.

2. Drain the rice and transfer to a traditional bamboo sticky rice steaming basket, or another steaming vessel such as a colander or strainer you can suspend over boiling water. Set aside.

3. Fill a steamer pot or larger saucepan with water. Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat.

4. Place the rice-filled steaming basket on the pot so it is resting over the flowing steam. Cover steaming basket with a clean cloth.

5. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady flow of steam and cook until the rice swells and glistens and is sticky enough to be squeezed into small lumps. 30-45 minutes. Add boiling water to the steamer pot as needed to maintain original level.

6. As soon as the rice is done, turn in out onto a large tray or baking sheet. Wet a wooden spoon and quickly and gently spread the rice out into a shallow layer to release some of the steam and moisture. As soon as it cools enough to touch, gather the rice gently into a large lump and place it in a sticky basket or on a serving plate. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Makes about 4 cups : serves 4

The cooking time for sticky rice varies according to how long the rice soaks. The longer you soak it, the faster it will cook.

Bacon Cheddar Fondue

Bacon-Cheddar Fondue
The acidity in wine makes for a smooth cheese fondue (the alcohol has nothing to do with it). Other stabilizing agents such as flour, corn starch, lemon juice and soup can also do the trick.

5 slices bacon
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 1/2 pounds sharp Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
Parsley

Fry bacon until crisp and brown in 3-quart heavy saucepan. Drain and crumble; set aside.

Add onion and garlic to 1/4 cup drippings; saute' until tender. Do not brown. Add soup; slowly stir in milk, over medium heat; blend until smooth. Add cheese, a little at a time, stirring until melted. Add bacon, reserving some for garnish. Add Worcestershire sauce, mustard and Tabasco sauce. Pour into fondue pot and keep warm. Garnish with bacon and parsley. If mixture becomes too thick, stir in a little hot milk.

Yields 5 cups.

Assorted dippers - cubed ham, blanched broccoli, carrots, or cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, chopped green bell peppers, cubed French bread, peeled and chopped apples or pears

These baked potato wedges are great for dipping into the fondue, or just eating on their own, maybe with a dab of ketchup.

Oven-Baked Fries
Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Wash and scrub the potatoes. Cut into long wedges/fingers.
3. In a bowl, toss together the potatoes, oil, salt and pepper.
4. Spread the potato wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring once or twice while baking, till wedges are crispy and golden.
Try these with other seasonings such as garlic powder, rosemary or chili powder.

Video on Making a Classic Cheese Fondue:
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Making-Classic-Fondue-Video/Detail.aspx

Chicken Parmigiana with Spaghetti

Albertson's has $1.99 boneless, skinless chicken breasts at the butcher case. We made Melinda's Thai chicken Pizza on Saturday night. It was yummy! We found the recipe on this blog.

For Sunday dinner I made Chicken Parmigiana. This is how I did it:

Caleb rolled the rolling pin over a ziploc of corn flakes until they were finely crushed. I added 1/2 an envelope of Italian Dressing mix, shook it up and dumped it into a bowl. I then covered each chicken breast in the crumb mixture and cooked it in a skillet with olive oil until the coating was browned.

I transferred the chicken to a baking pan, topping each chicken breast with Classico Spaghetti sauce in the jar--the sweet basil tomato flavor-it's so delish! I topped the sauce with freshly chopped basil and a couple of slices of Precious fresh mozarella.

I let it bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

While it was baking, I boiled spaghetti noodles and in a skillet melted 1 Tbsp. butter and 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil. I added minced garlic and Meditteranean sea salt. Once the noodles were al dente, I transferred them to the skillet and tossed them in the garlic butter mixture. I then sprinkled chopped fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese and tossed it.

I served the chicken parmesan alongside the spaghetti. It turned out really yummy and was easy and economical.

Here's the Albertson's deal pricing guide:
Chicken Breasts $1.99/lb.
Fresh Basil $1.99 package
Precious Mozarella $4.99/ package on sale from $6.99
Spaghetti 10 packages for $10
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Huge can for $12.99 normally $26.99 is on sale for $17.99 and has a $5.00 off coupon. It is a huge amount but doesn't expire for over a year.
Butter 2 boxes for $4

Layered Turkey Cranberry Enchiladas

This is a great way to use leftovers! Don't get rid of your extra cranberry sauce.

I made this recipe last week, even though I didn't have any Thanksgiving leftovers yet. It was pretty great! The mix of the sweet, earthy cranberry sauce with the enchilada sauce was quite new and I liked it. Give is a shot.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. turkey breast tenderloin, cut in bite-size strips
• 1 16-oz. pkg. frozen sweet peppers and onions stir-fry vegetables
• 1 10-oz. can enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
• 9 6-inch corn tortillas, halved (*I used whole wheat flour just b/c it's what I had on hand)
  
• 1 8 oz. pkg. Mexican blend shredded cheese (2 cups)
• Lime wedges (optional)
• Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Directions

1. Position oven rack toward top of oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In extra-large skillet cook turkey in 1 tablespoon hot cooking oil over medium heat 4 minutes or until no longer pink. Add frozen vegetables, enchilada sauce, and cranberry sauces. Bring to boiling. Sprinkle salt and pepper.

2. In 2-quart baking dish layer one-third of the tortillas, then one-third of the cheese. Use a slotted spoon to layer half the turkey-vegetable mixture. Layer one-third tortillas, one-third cheese, remaining turkey-vegetables (with slotted spoon), and remaining tortillas. Spoon on remaining sauce from skillet; sprinkle remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut in squares. Serve with lime and cilantro. Serves 4.

Harvest Soup Bowl and Stuffed Pumpkin Dinner

My neighbor served these at her son's baptism luncheon on Saturday. They were delicious and looked great too.

Harvest Soup

2 c water

6 c chopped potatoes

1 c chopped celery

1 1/2 c chopped carrots

1/2 c chopped onion

2 tsp parsley

1 tsp salt

dash pepper

2 tsp chicken bouillon

____________________

3 c milk

4 T flour

1 lb Velveeta cheese

Add vegetables and seasonings to water and gently simmer on LOW heat until tender. Do not drain. Heat milk/flour in saucepan to boiling point, but do not let boil. Add cheese and stir constantly until cheese is entirely melted. Add vegetables and heat through. Fill bread bowls.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Remove seeds from a 10" round pumpkin.
Rub the inside with 2 Tbsp. butter and 1/2 tsp. ginger.
Rub the outside of the pumpkin with vegetable oil.
Bake it alone with the top on for 30 minutes at 350.
Brown 1 lb. hamburger and 2 lbs. sausage.
Sauté 1/2 cup chopped celery and 1 chopped onion.

Stir 1 cup of brown sugar into 2 Tbsp. orange juice and mix with 4 cups of Pepperidge Farm seasoned stuffing or croutons of your choice.
Fold the stuffing, meat, and vegetables together and salt and pepper to taste.
Fill pumpkin. Bake 30 minutes at 350 uncovered.
To serve, scoop pumpkin squash out with meat mixture.

Shredded Pork Chili

Friday was our ward chili party and I signed up for chili not realizing it was a cook-off until the reminder email came in. Panic! I remembered that Laura made a successful batch of pumpkin chili last year, so I called for instructions. Knowing I was in a time crunch, she suggested I try what once won her a chili cook-off prize--Bear Creek's 'Darn Good' Chili mix, with added corn. Laura thinks they have altered the mix since she won with it, and not for the better. So, I decided to improvise.
I stuck a smallish 1.5 lb. pork roast (comes in a 3 pack at Costco) into our crockpot on high with one large onion, diced. About 4 hours later the pork was ready to shred with a fork. In a large pot I mixed the Bear Creek chili according to the package directions also adding 2 cans of diced tomatoes undrained, and about 2 cups frozen sweet corn. After simmering for 30 minutes, I added it to the crockpot with the pork, a little garlic, some salt & pepper, and let it simmer for another 30 minutes.
It was excellent with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Carter really liked it and he is my pickiest culinary critic.

Apple Maple Turkey Burgers

This is a great recipe. I was so impressed. I hope you like it!!

APPLE MAPLE TURKEY BURGERS WITH MAPLE-DIJON SAUCE

For Maple-Dijon Sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons real maple syrup

For Burgers:
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey breast
1/4 cup real bacon bits
1/2 cup chunky applesauce
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Hamburger Buns
Hamburger condiments

Set up grill for direct cooking over medium heat. Oil grate when ready to start cooking.

For Maple-Dijon Sauce: In a small bowl, stir to combine mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup; set aside.

For Turkey Burgers: In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients for burgers. Wet hands to prevent sticking and shape into 4 patties. **The meat mixture ends up a little wet and sticky so refrigerate the meat for a while so they don't fall apart on the grill.**

Place burgers on hot oiled grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side or until done.

Serve on buns with traditional burger condiments and a dollop of maple-Dijon sauce.

Note - Indoor: Prepare burgers as directed. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot add burgers and cook 5 to 7 minutes per side or until done.

**I cooked these inside on the stovetop grill pan. Be careful to keep the heat medium-low because the sugars in the turkey meat mixture carmelize and can burn pretty easily.

(The picture is from a different recipe that has some cranberry sauce on it.)

Tortellini & Fresh Basil

Few ingredients + little cook time AND delicious outcome? I'll take it.
My dear friend made this delicious meal while I visited her this summer-
and she finally posted the recipe for me, so I will now pass it along to you...

Tortellini & Fresh Basil
1 pound ripe tomatoes (seeded & chopped)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
3 TB balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 (9 ounce) packages refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Combine first 7 ingredients in a serving bowl. Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain. Add tortellini to tomato mixture, and toss well. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve warm or chilled. Yield 4 main-dish servings.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

Being a cheese lover, this dish really hits the spot. I love the color as it's cooking. The recipe as it is makes quite a large casserole so I usually half the recipe. I hope you like it!!

Fresh spinach, chicken, and a combination of cheeses make this dish comforting enough for the last days of winter yet fresh enough for the first days of spring. You also can cook the pasta mixture in individual eight-ounce ramekins; bake for 15 minutes.

1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
3 cups thinly sliced mushrooms (**Not a mushroom fan, I cut this down to about 1 cup)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese
4 cups hot cooked penne (about 8 ounces uncooked tube-shaped pasta)
2 cups shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Preheat oven to 425°.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach, oregano, and black pepper; sauté 3 minutes or just until spinach wilts.

Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until very smooth. Combine spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, and soup in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

CALORIES 345 (25% from fat); FAT 9.7g (sat 5.1g,mono 3.1g,poly 1g); IRON 2mg; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 275mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.9g; SODIUM 532mg; PROTEIN 31.7g; FIBER 2.1g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2006

Mexican Caesar Salad

This salad recipe serves approx. 4 (with plenty of dressing leftover)

Cilantro Pepita Dressing:

2 medium Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded

1/3 cup roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

12 ounces salad oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

5 tablespoons grated Cotija cheese (see note)

2 small bunches cilantro, stemmed

1 1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup water

Salad:

2 corn tortillas

Vegetable oil

1 large head romaine lettuce, rinsed and spun dry

1/3 cup finely grated Cotija cheese

Roasted red bell pepper, peeled and cut into julienne strips

1/2 cup pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds)

Directions:
Place all dressing ingredients except cilantro, mayonnaise and water in a blender or food processor. Blend approximately 10 seconds, and then add cilantro little by little until blended smooth. Place mayonnaise and water in a large stainless steel bowl, and mix with a wire whip until smooth. Add the blended ingredients to the mayonnaise mixture, and mix thoroughly. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate. Will keep for three days. Yields 1 quart.

To assemble salad: Cut corn tortillas into matchstick-size strips. Heat oil in sauté pan; fry tortilla strips until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Tear romaine into bite-size pieces. Place greens on salad plates and ladle approximately 2 ounces of cilantro pepita dressing on each salad. Sprinkle each dish with Cotija cheese and tortilla strips. Arrange four red pepper strips like spokes on the top of each salad, and garnish with whole pepitas.

Note: Cotija cheese is a hard cheese, similar to Parmesan. It is available at some grocery stores and most Mexican markets.

As you can see in the picture above, we made tacos with the same ingredients above and added taco meat. They were delicious and I would highly recommend making them as well. This recipe comes from the restaurant El Torito's.

Salmon and Asparagus Frittata

1 pound thin asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch diagonal pieces

8 large eggs

3 ounces cream cheese, diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon, julienned

2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup chopped yellow onions

1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese

Capers, preferably whole caperberries with stem, for garnish, if desired

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus until crisp-tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Drain asparagus and immediately plunge into an ice-water bath. Chill completely, remove asparagus from the ice water and pat dry.

Whisk together eggs, cream cheese, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. (The cream cheese will remain in pieces.) Stir in the smoked salmon, dill, and blanched asparagus.
In a 12-inch, nonstick, ovenproof skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add onions and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and pour the beaten egg mixture over the onions. Cover and cook until the bottom and sides are set but not too brown, about 15 minutes.

Uncover the frittata and bake for about 13 minutes. Remove the frittata from the oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake for an additional 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the eggs are cooked through. Allow frittata to rest for 3 to 5 minutes, before unmolding.

To remove the frittata from the skillet, run a heatproof rubber spatula around the edges of the frittata to loosen it from the pan. Gently slip the frittata from the skillet to a large plate or serving dish. Slice frittata into wedges and serve with capers if desired.

Darin and I loved this. Great as leftovers the next day too. I did not have any luck "unmolding" it. So we just served it straight from the pan. Oh well. Also, I used salmon fillets instead of smoked salmon. I substituted dried dill for fresh dill. And used parmesean cheese instead of asiago, and finally omitted the capers.

Chicken Wings

Mexican Lasagna

I made this on Monday for our neighbor dinner exchange, and Christine enjoyed the leftovers yesterday and asked for the recipe. It originally came from Annee's roommate Liz Markos. Sorry I don't have any pictures! You'll have to use your imagination.


Mexican Lasagna

1lb ground beef
1 17oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1c + 7 oz salsa
1 7oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar & monterey jack cheese, mixed
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 16 oz carton cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp oregano
10 corn tortillas
can sliced black olives for garnish
crushed up tortilla chips for garnish

Brown meat & drain. Add corn, tomato sauce, salsa & taco mix. Simmer, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl combine cottage cheese, eggs, & oregano. Line bottom of greased 13x9 inch baking dish with 5 tortillas, overlapping edges. Top with half of the meat mixture. Spoon cottage cheese mixture over meat. Arrange 5 tortillas over cheese mixture. Spread remaining meat mixture over all and top with shredded cheese. Sprinkle black sliced olives on top. (I also added crunched up tortilla chips.)

Bake @375 for 30 minutes or until cheese melts & casserole bubbles. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream, shredded lettuce, black olives (sliced) and additional salsa if desired. (I also added avocados.)

Thai Chicken Pizza

Our family loves this pizza. I have to give my sister Tricia credit for the recipe. Just a few notes: I usually buy the double package of Boboli pizza crusts from Costco and use them. Also, go easy on the peanut sauce. It's kind of spicy.

14-16 in. Pizza crust, pre-baked
Peanut Sauce (in oriental food section)
1/2 small onion, diced
1/4 C. cilantro, chopped
1 small carrot, grated
1 C. snow peas, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
shredded mozzarella cheese
Toss vegetables and cilantro with sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Spread peanut sauce (approx. 1/4 C.) onto pre-baked pizza crust. Spread chicken on peanut sauce, veggies over the chicken, then top with mozzarella cheese. Bake 500 degrees 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

SPAM Cupcakes

Created by Estelle Schmidt, National "Best SPAM Recipe" Competition 2000 Grand Prize Winner.

Ingredients:
For cupcakes:
* 2 (12-ounce) cans of SPAM
* 3 eggs, slightly beaten
* 2/3 cup quick cooking oatmeal
* 3/4 cup milk
For glaze:
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
* 2 tablespoons white vinegar
* 1 tablespoon water
For topping:
* 4 cups prepared instant mashed potatoes
* Fresh chives or parsley (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
1. Prepare cupcakes: grate SPAM into a large bowl.
2. Add eggs, oatmeal and milk; mix well.
3. Lightly spray a regular size muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
4. Fill each muffin tin two-thirds full with SPAM mixture.
5. Prepare glaze: combine all glaze ingredients in a small bowl.
6. Heat 20-30 seconds in microwave until sugar is melted.
7. Lightly spoon glaze mixture over SPAM.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until mixture is set.
9. Meanwhile, for topping: prepare 4 cups of instant mashed potatoes.
10. Remove cupcakes from oven and top each serving with instant potatoes.
11. Heat broiler.Return muffin tin to oven. Broil 1-2 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned.
12. If desired, garnish with fresh chives or parsley.
Makes 12 servings.