Summer salad series – spicy Thai beef salad

Until last year, I had never had Thai food. A small Thai restaurant opened nearby, and ever since my first visit for our anniversary last summer, I’ve been hooked on the stuff. Everything I’ve tried there has been wonderful, but one dish in particular has become my absolute favorite, the spicy beef salad. I find myself thinking about the flavorful mix of beef, cucumbers, mint and cilantro quite often, and as a bonus, it’s not covered with a heavy sauce or anything else that would make it taboo for my Weight Watchers plan.

This weekend I was thinking how wonderful it would be to have a bowl of lemongrass soup followed by the succulent spicy beef salad. However, I had my three year-old son with me, and I decided it would be best to forgo the trip. The Thai restaurant is a beautifully decorated, quaint space that I feel is not exactly kid friendly. Some people might feel comfortable bringing toddlers to such a place, but I feared my son might act up. I certainly didn’t want to expose myself to any situation where I wouldn’t feel like I could go back there frequently, so we went to another restaurant instead. For the record, I think it’s great that there are restaurants that aren’t appropriate for young kids, so I’m not complaining. My 11 year-old loves it there, but he is old enough to sit still and enjoy his meal while speaking at an acceptable volume.

Unfortunately, though, my craving for spicy beef salad did not subside, so I decided to pick up some things when I went grocery shopping later to try to make it at home. I knew what the main ingredients were, and I guessed at the rest. When I got home, I looked up some different versions of the dish online and adapted mine according to my own personal taste. I was extremely pleased with the results, but I still plan on frequenting Sai Thai Cuisine whenever possible. Let me just say that I made my version extremely spicy because of my husband’s love of hot food. Feel free to tone down the heat. It will still be awesome. There are some very strong flavors in this dish, but give it a chance.

Here is my version of spicy Thai beef salad:

1 lb.-1 1/2 lb. flank steak
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
6 c. leaf lettuce, torn
1/2 c. fresh mint leaves, torn
1/2 c. fresh cilantro leaves, torn
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2-1 tsp. dried red pepper
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
juice of 3 limes
1 T. vegetable oil or sesame oil
2 T. soy sauce or fish sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar or Splenda

Marinate flank steak in 1/2 c. soy sauce and red wine vinegar for several hours or overnight. Grill or broil over medium heat, 5 to 10 minutes on each side until medium or medium rare, depending on preference. This step can be done a day ahead and flank steak refrigerated, if desired.

Combine lime juice, oil, 2 T. soy sauce and sugar or Splenda in a large bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add mint, cilantro, basil, pepper, onions and cucumber and mix well. Refrigerate 30 minutes if possible to help combine flavors. Thinly slice beef and reheat in a skillet if necessary. Just before serving, add lettuce to salad mixture and mix well. Serve salad mixture with beef and steamed white rice, if desired. Pour any remaining dressing over beef.  Garnish with some additional sliced cucumber, if desired.

Spicy ranch squash

At about 3 pm this afternoon, I decided I wanted to grill some stuff for dinner. After a quick trip to the grocery store, I came home and started prepping. Even though I don’t like squash, my husband loves it. I’ve made several impromptu variations of a spicy baked or grilled squash dish for him over the years, but this time I decided to add a little twist. After spying a folded over, half used packet of ranch dressing mix in my cabinets, I thought it would be a good addition to the squash. This was one of my classic “thrown together” dishes that turned out to be a keeper, according to my husband and son. They both confirmed that it was very good since I’m not a fan of squash. I may try it with some other veggies at some point, though. We put the casserole dish on the grill tonight, but it would work fine in the oven. One of my favorite things about it is that it can be mixed and cooked in one dish! Here is my brand new creation, spicy ranch squash:

2 to 3 yellow squash, thinly sliced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
2 T. dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
1 tsp. hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place squash and onion in dish and drizzle with olive oil. Add remaining ingredients, and stir until squash is evenly coated. Cook on grill or in oven until squash is tender. Serve immediately.

July 4th Fare

First I want to apologize for the fact that I have no pictures to accompany my recipes today. We were in a mad rush to get out the door to our family gathering, and I just didn’t have time to snap any photos. A couple of the things I made turned out really good, though, so I wanted to share the recipes even without the pictures. If after heating up the leftovers they still look good, I’ll add some images later.

Since my husband and I married four years ago, I’ve become a part of his family tradition on the 4th of July. They rent a clubhouse at a youth camp in the woods (and I do mean in the woods – like “Bigfoot sighting” woods), and lots of family and extended family gather each year for lunch and swimming for the kids afterward. After four years, I still don’t know a lot of the people there, but maybe I’ll eventually learn everyone’s names.

Growing up my family was never big on 4th of July celebrations or extended family gatherings, so this has all been new to me. We really never did much of anything special on July 4, probably because for years my dad was working. With this new tradition in my life comes a new challenge to find food to prepare each year. I don’t like to bring the same things to a gathering every year, so I start scouring cookbooks and the internet for ideas on what to bring, just like I do at Thanksgiving and Christmas. This usually works out well, but the first year I went to this event, I apparently made a strawberry dessert that a couple of people there really liked. I have absolutely no idea what it was or where I found the recipe, but I’m usually reminded of how good it was and how I should make it again. At least now with this blog I’ll have a record of what I brought each year!

I decided this year to make some grilled chicken legs since they are a good choice for our Weight Watchers plan. After marinating the legs overnight, my husband grilled them, and they were quite good. I also made some pinto beans and potato salad that I adapted slightly from recipes I found online. The big hit of the day, however, was a dish that I decided to throw together at the last minute, crab and shrimp stuffed jalapeno popppers. A couple of years ago we made some grilled jalapeno poppers that basically consisted of stuffing shredded cheese in jalapenos and wrapping it with bacon. Those were good (according to the people who ate them), but in trying to keep the pepper intact, it was nearly impossible to deseed them completely. As a result, they were apparently very, very hot! For this variation, I just cut the peppers in half and stuffed each half separately before grilling. Even though I didn’t eat them, everybody else seemed to love them.

I hope everybody had a fun and safe holiday. Let me know if you try any of the recipes.

Here are the recipes that I prepared this Independence Day:

Seafood Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

12-15 large jalapeno peppers
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 can crab or tiny shrimp, drained
1/2 c. shredded cheese
2 T. Old Bay seasoning or Emeril’s Essence
1 T. lemon juice
Paprika

Cut jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and veins completely. Combine cream cheese, crab or shrimp, cheese, seasoning and lemon juice. Place some of stuffing mixture in each pepper half. Sprinkle with paprika. Grill using indirect heat for 10-20 minutes. Serve immediately. Any type of shredded cheese will work with this recipe, just use your favorite.

Texas Style Pinto Beans (adapted from allrecipes.com)

1 pound dry pinto beans
1 (29 ounce) can chicken broth
1 large onion, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
water, if needed

Soak beans overnight, drain. Combine beans, chicken broth, onion, pepper, garlic, and spices in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and continue cooking 2 hours, stirring often, until beans are tender. Add water as needed to keep the beans moist.

Grilled Chicken Legs

3 to 5 lb. chicken drumsticks
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. teriyaki sauce
Juice from 2 limes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Place chicken legs in a a gallon zip loc bag and add remaining ingredients. Shake to mix well. Refrigerate overnight to marinade. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-low heat and lightly oil grate. Drain the marinade from the wings and discard. Cook chicken on the heated grill, turning occasionally, until juices run clear, 25 to 30 minutes.

 

Tex-Mex Potato Salad (adapted from kraftfoods.com)

5 cups red potatoes, unpeeled and cut into large pieces
2/3 cup  Light Miracle Whip
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp.  onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 can (11 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can  (4 oz.) chopped green chiles, undrained
1/2 cup chopped celery

Cook potatoes in boiling water 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool slightly. Combine Miracle Whip and remaining ingredients. Add potatoes and mix well. Refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.