Thai Noodle Salad with Chicken

Another recipe out of Cooking Light! This salad looks so beautiful, fresh and delicious. The original recipe calls for tofu rather than chicken, but we have yet to acquire a taste for tofu. The chicken came out wonderful with the marinade nevertheless. Unfortunately, the noodles came out undercooked. I might actually boil the noodles for a couple of minutes rather than just letting them soak in boiling water. Soaking them is great for stir-frying (see this fantastic Pad Thai recipe) but they were almost unpleasantly crunchy here. Mr. Heart was not a huge fan of the dressing, which he found too strong (which is odd because I'm usually the one to complain about dressings), so for once we had a split vote. I enjoyed this, though it had potential to be better. I'm thinking for next time making a peanut-sauce type dressing.

Thai Noodle Salad with Chicken
from Cooking Light with mods.
Serves 2

1 large chicken breast, cut into strips
2 TBS lime juice
1 TBS low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 TBS canola or peanut oil

1/2 lb uncooked rice vermicelli

1 cup romaine lettuce torn into small pieces
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup cucumber, sliced thinly
salt to taste

1/4 cup lime juice
2 TBS low-sodium soy sauce
2 TBS canola or peanut oil
1 TBS fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp minced garlic

1) Combine first eight ingredients in a ziplock bag. Seal and marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
2) Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Heat for thirty seconds. Add chicken and sauté for 5 -7 minutes until crispy, golden brown, and cooked through.
3) Prepare rice noodles according to package directions (something like cook in boiling water for 2 -3 minutes or until just tender). Do not over cook! Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
4) Combine last nine ingredients in a measuring cup and whisk to combine to create the dressing.
5) Toss together lettuce, carrots, cucumber, and rice noodles in a large bowl. Add dressing, to taste. Toss to combine. Top with chicken and serve!

Coming soon!
Step-by-step photos of Asparagus Risotto
Banana Bread
Chocolate Walnut-Date Balls
"Unceremonious" Balsamic Steak

Artichoke & Feta Wontons and Salad with Soy Sauce Dressing

For my birthday, the boy got me two Alton Brown cookbooks! They are absolutely wonderful. Tonight I tried his "Artichoke and Feta Wontons" from the sauté section of the book. Though they take a little while to assemble, they are utterly delish. The feta and artichokes give it a certain bite, a sort of sour, creamy taste, while the bacon adds salt and the scallions add zing. They came out a little bit oily, but otherwise they were very good. We also had some leftover salad fixings (and half of a raw egg leftover from the wontons) so I made a salad with a soy sauce dressing. They could be a great party starter.

Artichoke and Feta Wontons
from Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food with mods.
Serves 2
9/10

olive oil
12 - 14 wonton wrappers
1/3 of a can of artichoke hearts (about two hearts), drained and chopped (I used my mini-food processor which worked great)
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 slices of bacon, cooked til crisp and chopped
1 TBS scallions, finely chopped
1/2 an egg (save the other half for the salad!)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup of water or chicken broth
water

1) Preheat the oven to 200ºF. Heat broth in a small sauce pan.
2) Combine artichokes, feta, bacon, scallions, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
3) Lay out a wonton wrapper on a dry surface. Brush the edges of the wrapper with a little bit of water (I just use my finger). Place a heaping teaspoon of filling into the center of the wonton and fold up, pinching the edges together to seal. Place on a half baking sheet and cover with a damp cloth. Continue until filling is used up.
4) Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, brush about a tablespoon (maybe a little less) of olive oil on the pan until the oil begins to smoke. Add wontons, about 8 - 10 in the pan. Sauté 2 minutes per side. Gently add 1/4 cup broth to the pan and cover, cooking an additional 2 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Move wontons to an oven-proof dish and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining wontons.


Salad with Soy Sauce Dressing
Serves 2

spinach or whatever lettuce you so desire
8 - 10 grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup carrots cut into matchsticks
1 large scallion, chopped
1/2 an egg, fried and sliced thin (fry up the rest of the one from the wontons)

1 TBS soy sauce
1/2 TBS dry sherry
2 TBS light olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tsp garlic
pinch of black pepper

1) Toss together vegetables. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Top with egg.
*This would also be tasty with sesame seeds, orange slices, fried wontons, snow peas, red pepper, etc.

Fondue Party

My parents, sister, and uncle came over last night for dinner since my sister is moving back into school for the fall. So I wracked my brain for something fun and easy to serve to a crowd that I could mostly prep ahead of time. Inspired by the latest specials at The Melting Pot (one of our favorite fancy restaurants) I decided to try my hand at a cheddar fondue.

First, let me say, it came out fine. However, like last time when I made an Italian Cheeses fondue (the recipe of which I will include another time) I ran into the same problem: the fondue was too liquidy. I still attribute this to too much wine and/or not letting some of the wine cook off first. So be aware of this, if you try said recipes. I'm going to include half as much wine next time and see if that helps.

Anyway, cheddar/fontina fondue, a make-your-own-salad bar, and chocolate/marshmallow fondue was what was served up. Enjoy!

Cheddar Fontina Fondue
Serves 5
8/10

1/2 cup of dry white wine (could also use beer or hard cider)
2 - 2 1/2 cups of grated sharp cheddar
2 cups grated fontina
1 TBS flour
1 1/2 TBS spicy brown mustard
dash of Worcestershire sauce
dash of red pepper flakes or hot sauce

30 mini smoked franks
3 granny smith apples, cut into cubes
1 loaf of crusty french bread, cut into cubes

1) Heat wine in heavy bottomed pot until simmering over med-high heat. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
2) Lower the heat to medium. Toss the grated cheeses together with the flour until coated. Add the cheese in handfuls to the wine, stirring constantly in a figure eight pattern until smooth and incorporated.
3) Add mustard, Worcestershire, and red pepper and stir until blended.
4) Transfer cheese to a warmed fondue pot (I would recommend allowing the water in the fondue pot to heat up to a simmer before transferring).
5) Serve with dippers!

Make Your Own Salad

Romaine lettuce
Red bell pepper, diced
Carrots, diced
Cucumbers, sliced
Red Onion, diced
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Hard boiled eggs, sliced
Sun flower seeds
Walnuts
Feta
Salad dressings of your choice!

Chocolate Marshmallow Fondue
Serves 6 - 8
10/10!

1 bag (~2 cups) Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup light cream
1 toasted marshmallow

Marshmallows dusted in graham cracker crumbs
Strawberries, halved
Pound cake, cubed
Bananas, sliced

1) Heat cream in a sauce pan over medium heat until simmering around the edges.
2) Add chocolate chips and allow to sit for 1 -2 minutes until softened. Whisk together until smooth and creamy!
3) Transfer chocolate to warm fondue pot.
3) Toast a marshmallow over your sterno or gas stove (or heat one in the microwave until gooey, about 20 seconds). Plop onto the chocolate fondue.
4) Serve with dippers and dig in to deliciousness!