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.)