Cucumber and Celery Salad with Tuna

This was the second salad I made with my daughters when we were discovering more about salad. I chose this salad because it didn't contain lettuce or greens of any kind, so we talked about how many different choices there are when it comes to making salad. We threw this together quickly, on a Sunday afternoon, right as we walked in the door from church and it was ready it just a few minutes.

My daughter measure the ingredients for the dressing and stirred it all together. She loves to chop, so she did that too.

I would have preferred that this salad contained less sugar in the dressing, but that is probably because I don't really care for sweet dressings.

We decided to serve this salad on top of some red leaf lettuce leaves from our garden. It was very good and quite refreshing.

Cucumber and Celery Salad with Tuna
Everyday Food, June 2011

2	teaspoons poppy seeds
3	Tablespoons rice vinegar
1	Tablespoon sugar
2	Tablespoons olive oil
2	cucumbers, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch moons (6 cups)
3	celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch pieces, inner leaves reserved
2	cans (5 ounces each) solid white tuna in water, drained and flaked coarse salt and pepper

In a medium bowl, stir together poppy seeds, vinegar, sugar, and oil. Add cucumbers, celery, and tuna; season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat. Sprinkle with celery leaves and serve immediately (or refrigerate, covered, up to 1 day).

Vegetable Fried Rice

What do you do with leftover rice?
I had some brown rice leftover after I made Caribbean Red Beans and Brown Rice and knew right away that I was going to use it to make some version of fried rice.
I really wanted to make a vegetable version and found a great recipe online. I just wanted to add a couple more vegetables and ended up doing the recipe my way. I adapted the recipe according to what I did and also included a link for the original recipe.

We had this alongside the salmon in the previous post and it was a really great combination and a really delicious dinner.

There was enough leftover from this recipe, that I was able to add some cooked, chopped chicken to it and it provided us with another dinner later in the week. I love it when that happens.

Vegetable Fried Rice adapted from Eating Well

2 cups cooked brown rice

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons canola oil

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 lb asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

2 cups sugar snap peas

4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1. Heat canola oil in the pan over medium-high; add mushrooms and cook for two minutes. Add asparagus, bell pepper, scallions, garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, until the vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes.
2. Scoot all the veggies to one side of your pan and add eggs. Cook and scramble for about 1 minute. Mix into vegetables.
   
3. Add the cooked rice, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar snap peas to the pan; cook until the liquid is absorbed, 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sesame oil and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds.

Original Recipe for Vegetable Fried Rice

Asian Patties

I found this recipe quite a few years ago, in Parents Magazine and I have been making variations of it ever since. It is easy and gets lots of veggies into a nice meal.
The original recipe uses ground sirloin and I have made it in the past with beef. I don't really eat beef anymore, so the past few times I have made it, I have used ground turkey breast.
Basically, any ground meat would work. If you use ground turkey breast, you just have to watch the patties close, because if you cook them too long, they will be dry.
Sometimes, I add a little chicken broth to the pan while they are cooking, just to keep them moist.
The cream of coconut and anchovy paste really makes the flavors great. My kids really enjoyed this meal because it is something that you can eat with your fingers and everything is close to bite size.

Asian Patties adapted from Parents Magazine
2 Tbls cream of coconut
1 Tbls plain bread crumbs
1 Tbls soy sauce
1 tsp. grated fresh gingerroot
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp anchovy paste
3/4 pd. ground turkey breast
1 1/2 cups cucumber slices
1 cup carrot slices
1 cup red pepper slices
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbls sugar
1 tsp salt
Lettuce leaves

1. In a bowl, combine coconut cream, bread crumbs, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and anchovy paste. Add turkey and gently combine until well mixed. Shape meat into 12 small patties, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

2. In another bowl, combine cucumber, carrot and red pepper. In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, salt and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, remover from heat and pour over veggies. Let sit for 3 minutes, then drain, reserving liquid.

3. Heat grill or skillet over medium high heat. Grill patties until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Serve in lettuce leaves with vegetables and rice on the side. Dip in reserved liquid.


Coming Tuesday- TWD- Honey Peach Ice Cream

Asian Chicken and Mango Salad

I decided to go with a another dish that called for mangoes, since I found 3 really lovely mangoes and didn't use all of them in the quick bread for TWD.
This salad was sooo easy and really good. I reduced the amount of oil in the dressing, just because I always do and it leaves more room for flavor from the other dressing ingredients.
I had a hard time finding a plain old rotisserie chicken. There were so many flavors, I was beginning to think I was going to have to roast my own. But then I found a salt and pepper only chicken and took it home and had this salad ready in about 15 minutes.
We have been eating the leftover dressing on salad greens and sprinkling peanuts on top.
It was really a great dinner.

Asian Chicken and Mango Salad adapted from Redbook Magazine
Sesame-Soy Dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh gingerroot, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2/3 cups canola oil (I used 1/3 cup)
1/3 cup rice vinegar (I used 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Salad
1 store-bought rotisserie chicken
1 large ripe mango, halved, pitted, and diced
1 large seeless cucumber, quartered lengthwise, cut into chunks
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
8 cups mixed salad greens
lime wedges, for garnish
Directions
Dressing: Combine the sesame-soy dressing ingredients in a 2-cup jar; cover jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well to dissolve the honey. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks.
Salad: Remove skin and bones from rotisserie chicken and pull into long shreds. Toss chicken in a large bowl with mango, cucumber, red onion, and salt.
Add 1/2 cup of dressing and toss to lightly coat. Serve chicken salad over watercress or mixed greens. Garnish with lime wedges.


Coming Tomorrow- CEiMB- Thai Style Halibut with Coconut Curry Broth

Kung Pao Veggies

Usually, I plan weekly menus and don't really have to think about what I am going to fix for dinner. But, once in awhile it gets close to dinner time and I think to myself- What am I going to make?
That is what happened last week. I had cooked spaghetti noodles in the fridge and tons of vegetables. I remember seeing this recipe for Kung Pao Chicken over at Barbara Bakes and I figured I could make it quickly. I printed off the recipe, chopped my veggies and warmed up the noodles. Dinner was ready in a flash!
I used zucchini, carrots, sugar snap peas, and a yellow onion. I left out the chicken because I didn't have any ready. I just stir-fried the veggies in the sesame oil and then added the sauce after a couple of minutes. I served it over the noodles and topped it off with some cashews.
This was a quick and easy recipe and it was really simple to adapt it with what I had on hand in my fridge. I included the recipe that Barbara used, but just keep in mind that it is really easy to adapt.
My family loved it!

Kung Pao Chicken seen over at Barbara Bakes, who adapted from For the Love of Cooking

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into bite sized chunks

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

6 green onions, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 1/2 cup pea pods, steamed until tender

Combine chicken and cornstarch in a Ziploc bag and toss until evenly coated. Combine the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a bowl and set aside for later.

Heat a large skillet or wok with sesame oil over medium high heat. Once the pan is smoking hot add the chicken and stir fry for 5-6 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add the garlic, ginger, red pepper and green onions (leaving a few for garnishing) to the pan and stir fry for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the soy sauce, vinegar and sugar mixture to the pan along with the cooked chicken, peanuts, carrots, and pea pods.

Cook for a few minutes until sauce thickens up a bit and carrots are tender. Serve over rice or noodles and top with remaining green onions.

Up Next-Root Beer Bundt Cake

Pork Strips with Peanut Sauce and Rice Noodles

I think I could be a spokesperson for Cooking Light Magazine. I use their recipes more than almost anything else and I have never, not even once, been disappointed with the results.
This is another really fast dinner. It comes together in literally minutes. Especially if you have rice noodles that are already cooked in your fridge.
I love peanut sauce. When I was little my dad used to make us Nasi Goreng (fried rice) all the time. (I know you won't believe this, but Cooking Light actually has a really great version of Nasi Goreng. Find it HERE when I posted about it or HERE)
He learned how to make Nasi Goreng when he lived in Holland for 2 1/2 years. He always served it with peanut sauce and a fried egg on the side.
Because my dad spent time in Holland- you could also always find Sambal Oelek in our fridge when I was growing up. We used to be scared of this particular condiment because it was so hot!
What does all of this have to do with the recipe here? Well, this recipe includes a delicious peanut sauce that actually has Sambal in it and all of these things remind me of my dad cooking for us.
We loved this dinner. Quick and delcious. Plus, it brought back some great memories of my childhood.

Pork Strips with Peanut Sauce and Rice Noodles from Cooking Light
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup reduced-fat peanut butter
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic (such as Sambal oelek)
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Cooking spray
4 (4-ounce) boneless loin pork chops, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 (6-ounce) package rice noodles
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
Lime wedges (optional)

Combine first 11 ingredients in a bowl, stirring with a whisk; set aside.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork and pepper; cook 6 minutes or until pork is done. Add peanut butter mixture to pan, stirring well to coat pork; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute.
Cook rice noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Add noodles to the pork mixture, tossing gently. Sprinkle with sliced green onions. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Up Next- Cookie Carnival- Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies and my fave food right now

Craving Ellie-Sesame-Teriyaki Tofu

This week's Craving Ellie recipe was chosen by Jessica, over at Johnstone's Vin Blanc. She chose Sesame-Teriyaki Chicken Thighs. I had every intention of using this teriyaki marinade on chicken, but time got the best of me and I had a block of extra-firm tofu that was in the fridge, so I decided to cut up the tofu and marinate that instead. I cut the tofu into triangles and let it marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge and then I broiled it for 10-15 minutes to let it get nice and crisp.
The marinade was really delicious. I served the tofu alongside some brown rice and broccoli and I gave my kids a choice (I usually do not do this), but there was leftover pot roast, carrots and potatoes in the fridge, so I let my kids chose between the tofu, rice and broccoli and the pot roast leftovers. Much to my surprise, all three of them actually chose the tofu! It was really good. I ate the leftover tofu on top of a salad today. I will definitely make this marinade again. Go check out what the other Ellie's thought about this marinade and go to Jessica's blog for the recipe.

Come back tomorrow for Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blackberries