Spring and Summer Eats

Okay, first of all, I can't believe I haven' t yet posted a recipe for one of my favorite things to eat: Sticky Rice with Mango. And tonight's great new recipe is brought to you by a grocery store sample. Now, I'm not usually one to eat just anything that's sitting around in a dixie cup at the front end of a store. But we were stocking up on some munchies at our local veg-friendly co-op and there were little cups of a peanut noodle salad. Famished, I decided to check it out and feel so lucky that I did. I was also delighted that the recipe was printed out on a slip of paper, and is pretty much from scratch, with ingredients I almost always have:

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad

1 package stir fry rice noodles (Pad Thai noodles):

Bring a pot of water to a boil, shut it off and soak the noodles for 8 to 10 minutes until they are cooked, but still firm (not mushy). Rinse with cold water and set aside.

1 package firm/extra-firm tofu:

Cut into thin slices and saute until golden on both sides

Veggies:

green and purple cabbage, cucumber, carrots, bell pepper, green onions, cilantro

Sauce:

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/2 c. rice vinegar

2 Tb. sugar

2 Tb. minced ginger

1 Tb. minced garlic (2 cloves)

3/4 c. peanut butter

(the recipe includes 3/4 c. cold water, which I left out. I was afraid it'd be too watery.)

blend together in a blender and add

1/4 c. sesame

2 tsp. red chili flakes

Keep blending until sauce is smooth.

Toss everything together and chill or serve room temperature.

Sticky Rice with Mango

Sticky Rice with Mangos (quick n' dirty)

soak 1 c. sticky rice in 1 1/2+c. hot water for 10 minutes. Cover and microwave for 3 minutes. Stir and microwave 3 more minutes. Repeat until rice is cooked.

meanwhile, combine and bring to a simmer

1c. coconut milk

2 Tb. sugar

pinch of salt

pour 3/4c. over cooked rice and let it sit for 5 minutes. Spoon more over the rice and fresh mango slices when serving. (garnish with mint if you're feeling fancy). Aroi mak. Aroi mak mak. (that's Thai for "very delicious" and "very very delicious." Good to know.)

Promises, Promises

So I've been re-reading my past posts with more than a little nostalgia. Especially the one's from the summers in Indiana when we grew virtually all of our produce. I realize I've made passing references to things I've made, things I plan to make. I sewed a laptop cozy that I've been using for at least two years now. I made our Christmas tofurky from scratch. I actually opened an etsy shop last summer. I've just gotten so bogged down with the everyday to make note of anything. So, I'm promising to at least post pics of the laptop cozy and the recipe for the tofurky (I'll have to think of another name for it). We had a major health crisis from thanksgiving through about March that seems to have healed/abated, so we're going to have a Holiday Dinner (a la Thanksgiving) sometime in the next month or so. When we do, I'll be sure to write about it.

New Adventures in Old New Mexico

Over the weekend, Zips and I trekked an hour up north to Truth or Consequences, NM to see what could be seen. We were met with an odd mix of artsy-crafty hippies, hot-springs spa tourists, and economically depressed townies. We did go for the hot spring soaks and really can't wait to go back.

The geothermal heated mineral waters did, in fact, seem to have healing properties for us. We got to lounge around in thin cotton robes, slather ourselves in locally-made lavender and lemon balm scented skin care, and just in general chillax. We each bought cheap paperbacks and packed an in-room picnic (apples, grapes, cheeses, crackers, and cookies). Unfortunately, the beds were too high off the ground and, like the pillows, TOO HARD. (That was a bit counterproductive to the hot springs soak.)

One charming little shop we found is Black Cat Books & Coffee, a clean, quaint place with a nice range of used books and good-looking blank books, and a friendly owner more than happy to share pics of her adorable kitty, Leonore, and the original Black Cat, Mr. Po. I shared pics of Zips with her in return.

Another happy discovery is Cafe Bella Luca, a swanky italian joint that, while it doesn't have a ton of veg-friendly choices, the ones offered there are deeeelicious.
Zips ordered the daily special, homemade spinach ricotta ravioli, and feeling adventurous, I went for the eggplant parmesan (which was awesome). The pasta was indeed homemade and fresh. They also had the best cappuccino we've had in a while, and both of us have newly-formed addictions to it.
We were so stuffed and happy that we came back the next afternoon for their white pizza (roasted garlic, spinach, and cheese). It was one of the best that I've had. On our way out of town to return home, I realized I'd left my leftover eggplant parm in the fridge where we'd stayed, so I actually turned the car around to fetch it again. Totally worth it, I had it for dinner the next day.
We look forward to going up again, since it makes a nice day trip or a nice overnight. Because of the beds, Zips is reluctant to stay at the same place, but I would-- maybe if we brought our own pillows. It's nice to be someplace close to home, but with access to real water!

Check out the Rio Grande! It was surprisingly cold!