Dinner: My Most Successful Attempt at Thai Edition

Yesterday, I hesitated as I posted a picture on Facebook and Instagram of my delicious dinner. I wasn't sure it looked as good as it tasted, but man it tasted good. Our kitchen has one, building-facing window, so it is really dark and bad for food photos. Also, I didn't make dinner until almost 9 p.m. Surprisingly, a lot of people thought it looked pretty darn good and asked for the recipe.

So here it is:

 

 

 

Thai Noodles with Tofu

 

Based off of a recipe I found on Sprouted Kitchen, I added my own little touches. Namely, I added more veggies and used some mushroom egg noodles I had purchased at the farmer's market and saved for a dish just like this one. Feel free to add or remove any veggies and/or noodles. Soba noodles, rice noodles, or zucchini "noodles" would work well too. If you feel like no meal is complete without meat, chicken or shrimp would work well with this dish.

 

1 container of tofu

Drizzle of sesame oil

Drizzle of soy sauce

 

8-9 oz. of noodles of choice

3 stalks lemongrass, peeled and chopped

2 chilies, chopped (or less if you don't like things too spicy)

1 shallot, chopped

2-3" piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

 1/4 cup of water

2 tsps. sesame oil

Veggies of choice, chopped (I used broccoli, mushrooms, snow peas, and zucchini)

1 can lite coconut milk

1/2 can water (use the coconut milk can)

3-4 tbsps. peanut butter

1-2 tbsps. soy sauce

1 tbsp. fish sauce

salt to taste

Fresh herbs (I used basil and cilantro)

Juice of half a lime

 

Drain and squish the tofu between to paper towels for 1-6 hours. I usually do this right when I get home and then walk the dog or do other chores so it is all ready when its time for dinner. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut tofu into 1" pieces and place in single layer in a baking dish or rimmed cookie sheet. Drizzle and toss with sesame oil and soy sauce. Put tofu in the oven for 15-25 minutes or until the edges and bottom are browned but not burnt. Cook noodles to according to package directions. 

 

While tofu and noodles cook, combine the lemongrass, chilies, ginger, shallot, and water in a blender or food processor and grind into a paste. Heat sesame oil in a soup pot. Add paste and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add veggies and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Whisk/stir coconut milk to fish sauce. Bring to a boil. Add tofu. Salt to taste and adjust any other ingredients to taste. Plate noodles in a bowl and top with veggies, tofu, and soup. Top the whole thing with herbs and a spritz of lime juice.

 

 Serves 3-4. I brought the leftovers for lunch and kept the noodles separate, and one day, I ate it with no noodles for a lighter version.

 

Enjoy! Xo.

 

 

 



Dinner: Are the Playoffs Ever Going to End? Edition

The most  successful dinner so far this week was "Game Day Nachos". Which game day do you ask? This day/week/month/season/doesitreallymatter was one of the Warriors vs. the Spurs playoff games. Jared has developed a system that makes watching the game a little more tolerable to me, considering we watch a LOT of sports (he would say otherwise), in which he records the game and then watches most of the first half while I cook. Tonight I was beat after a busy day at work, then tracking down some stray bud vases from Etsy, and getting my nails fixed after the gel mani I got on Sunday peeled off in one day (I have such a rough life), so I was not up to a ton of cooking, but I wanted to make something that didn't taste like I only spent 10 minutes on it. So, nachos spoke to me. Jared and I are also trying to be a bit more health conscience, so I tried to keep them on the lighter side by reducing the amount of meat by supplementing with chopped mushrooms and topping the whole thing with some fresh lettuce and radishes. I also used a sharp blend of cheddar to add a lot of flavor without needing a lot of cheese. Check out the recipe below and feel free to add in more veggies or take out the meat all together.

Game Day Nachos

 

1 small diced onion

1 sliced jalapeño (omit if you can't handle the heat)

1/3 ground beef (I try to go with grass fed or organic. Yes, I live in SF, can't you tell?)

1 1/2 cups diced mushrooms

taco seasoning (I like this one from Penzeys)

salt to taste

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I shred mine by hand because it melts better)

1 can pinto or black beans

tortilla chips

lettuce, cut into ribbons

2 radishes, sliced thinly 

toppings of choice: smashed avocado, sour cream, salsa (this one is awesome)

Heat a medium frying pan add your oil of choice (I used olive oil). Add onions and jalapeños, if using, and cook until softened. Add ground beef and break into smaller pieces as it cooks. When almost all the pink is gone from the meat, add the mushrooms. Season to taste. Turn off heat and set aside. Rinse and drain beans, if using canned. Place oven rack on the middle or lowest position and turn the broiler on low. In the bottom of a 8x8 or 9x9 oven safe pan, scatter a layer of chips. Top with half the beans, cheese, and meat mixture. Cover with another layer of chips and top with remaining beans, meat mixture, and cheese. Place in the oven and watch closely. I take this time to chop the fresh veggies and other toppings. Once the cheese is bubbly but not crisp, remove the pan and top with lettuce, radishes and desired other toppings. Try not to eat the whole thing yourself. 

Currently Loving....(TGIF Edition)

 

I'm not sure if I love Jimmy or Justin more....but does it really matter?

 

This daughter's sweet post to her mom.

 

I bought these beauties this week. To be used for personal and work decorating.

 

  

 

I love the Pistol Annies and they just released a new album. Can't wait to hear it.

I'm hosting a clothing swap this weekend with some friends, and I think I'm going to make this.

Tonight we are watching the Warriors playoff game (will basketball season ever end?) with a friend who happens to be vegetarian, so we are going to do a baked potato bar and I'm going to try to recreate a really good salad we had at Marlowe earlier this week.

Have a great weekend! Xo.

Currently Listening...

 

 

I realize the Lumineers aren't new to most people, but I love them and their whole album. On repeat.

 

Lumineers - Greek Theater - April 2013

Currently loving...

 

I took a quick trip to LA to visit my sweet Grandpa with my Aunt and Uncle, and thanks to some perfect weather, we spent most of Saturday on the beach. My wonderful Auntie and I went for a little jog/walk, only to realize when we got back to our towels that we had been gone for almost 2 hours. Time flies when you both like to talk a lot!

 

 

 

 

 Sunday, we went to visit a couple of special places (more on that later) and had one last dinner before I had to head back to SF (or sit on the runway for an hour and get home at 1:30 a.m.). My 91 year old Grandpa has taken to telling the same stories over and over again, but sometimes he gets going on stories from when he was young, and they are really just my favorite. He truly loved his life and was very lucky in many ways. In return, he is very grateful for all the opportunities he had and lives pretty humbly.

 

Not to make this the longest post ever, but he was telling a story about growing up in New York, Queens to be exact, and he recalled how he was in charge of making the wine and beer for the family. This was during Prohibition and he was only 10 years old, but every family could make up to 200 gallons of wine per year. The picture he painted during that story made me really appreciate how much has changed in his long life. That and he kept marveling at the video my Aunt and I were watching on my iPad. The contrast between the story and all the technology present in the house just makes me think about all that will change in my lifetime. I can't really even imagine.

 

Now for a few things I'm currently loving...

 

This cooking website that makes me want to really make an effort to cook more homemade meals.

During our most recent possible home purchase flurry, I was pinning away for possible décor options, and I found these beautiful towels. My thought was to get a set or two of the, and then supplement with matching solids. Hope Jared likes them too!

I wouldn't mind living in this beautiful blog. It makes me want to move up to Healdsburg full-time.

 

Near future day trip, I hope.

Xo.

Playing Hookie

Yesterday, my bear convinced me to play hookie with him. 2013 has been a rough year so far. I hate to say that because I know so many others have "real" problems, but in the end I feel how I feel. J's health, the never ending housing search, and just the regular "do I like what I'm doing/where am I going with my life/am I really happy?" questions that are always there. #firstworldproblems (as the cool kids would say on Twitter) for sure, but still "problems" nonetheless.

 

So. We played hookie. A small break from reality. It was J's last day before returning back to work after a big life event, and he asked me to go play with him. I hesitated for a minute, because I feel that lately, I've been very absent at work and I'm gunning (or I think I am?) for a promotion. But we always joke about spending a luxurious, or so it feels, day away from work together, and this time he meant it. We lazed in bed. Had wine with lunch. Went to the Exploritorium and well, explored like kids.  We planned our summer vacations, so that we had more days to happily anticipate. We ate dinner in and stayed up too late because we both didn't want the day to end. It was the true definition of a mental health day.

 

Snapped on our Embarcadero walk