A healthy Thai dish to start the week!

Ever since I studied abroad in Australia I have loved Thai food. Now I usually rely on Sawasdee, my local Thai restaurant, for a great curry dish but I wanted to make a healthier version. This recipe is easy, delicious and ingredients can be swapped in and out based on your taste and what you have available. If you keep some curry paste and coconut milk on hand you can swap out proteins and vegetables for an easy weeknight meal. I am cursing for not wiping the dish before this picture but just try this recipe and you will know why I could not wait another minute to eat it!

Sweet and Spicy Broiled Salmon with Thai Red Curry Sauce

1-1 1/2 lb salmon filet 

2-3 tbsp red curry paste, divided

1 can lite coconut milk 

1 tbsp vegetable oil (coconut oil might be good but I haven't tried it yet)

2 tbsp brown sugar, divided

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce (to taste)

1 small chili diced (this will be very hot so add a little and taste)

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned or cubed

1/2 zucchini, julienned or cubed

1 small can bamboo shoots

jasmine rice, I like Uncle Ben's Ready Rice that has 2 servings a pouch and steams in 90 secs

Pre-heat broiler but keep the rack in the middle of the oven.

Rub salt, pepper, 1/2 tbsp brown sugar and 1/2 tbsp red curry paste all over top of salmon.

Heat oil in a deep saute pan on med-high heat. Once warm add the curry paste and stir until it becomes fragrant. Add the coconut milk and continue stirring for 1-2 minutes.

Pop the salmon in the oven for 5-8 minutes depending on the size and how done you like it. I would check it after 5 minutes. 

Add the brown sugar, fish sauce, and soy sauce to the coconut milk. Continue stirring and reduce for 3-5 minutes. 

Add all the vegetables and continue cooking until the veggies are tender but still have a slight crispness.

Put some rice in your bowl and place a piece of the salmon on top. Spoon the curry and vegetable sauce over the salmon. Garnish with a squeeze of lime and fresh chopped basil. 

 เพลิดเพลิน

That means "enjoy" in Thai! XO

A few tips for grilling a great flank steak...

Grilled Flank Steak with Mushroom Sauce and Caesar Salad

It seems steak is something basic that should be easy to cook. For me it has taken many tries to get the right sear, flavor and temperature. I like my meat on the rare side and if it is overcooked I will not be a happy camper. I don't claim to be an expert, or a chef, but through reading many recipes and cooking many steaks I have found a few techniques that will help deliver that juicy steak.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when trying to grill that delicious slab of beef:

• Lightly oil and season your steak for flavor. If you have time, let the steak sit in a marinade to soak up more flavor. 

• BRUSH OIL ON THE GRILL! This helps tremendously when you try to turn the steak (read next tip). When I say brush I really mean take a dishcloth, put oil on it and rub it across the grates, use tongs. 

• Break up the cooking time in 4 increments. So if you are cooking the steak for 4 minutes per side (if its about 1 inch thick this should give you med- med rare) put the steak on for 2 min and turn it 90 degrees so you will have nice sear marks. Then once time is up on that side flip and repeat with the 90 degree turn. You get the idea :)

• When deciding if it is time to take the steak off I say pull sooner than later.When you rest (next step) it will cook a bit more.

• REST your steak. I like to leave it 5-10 minutes so the juices stay in the meat and it stays tender.  

She is ready to come off!

I served the steak with a Caesar salad and topped it with a mushroom sauce that I made up. Below is my make shift recipe for this tasty sauce.

Garlicky Mushroom and Onion Sauce
8 oz mushrooms sliced
1/2 an onion diced
1-3 cloves of garlic minced (decide how much garlic you like!)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1/2-1 cup chicken stock (gauge how much you need as you stir in)
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp Mustard

Prep your mushrooms, onion and garlic.

Melt the butter and evoo in pan on med-high heat.

Add onion and garlic to pan and cook for about 5 min...don't let the garlic burn.

Add mushrooms to the pan and cook for 5-8 minutes or until tender.

Stir in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add chicken stock and mustard, stir and reduce until thick. If after a few minutes you think you added too much stock you can always stir in a bit more flour and keep reducing.

Always taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper as needed. Be careful with the salt since the chicken stock will already have salt added.

Spoon over a hot steak and savor the goodness!

Garlicky Mushroom and Onion Sauce

XOXO Happy Eating!

First Blog Post Ever: My life in food...

Seared Scallops atop Asparagus and Wild Mushroom Risotto

I find that my life memories tend to revolve around good food, wine, people and travel. People have been telling me for a few years now that I need to stop facebooking these yummy dishes, and experiences, and start blogging them to keep track of all the goodness. I have been very hesitant to dip my toe in the blogging waters but because I really want to remember all these recipes, and delicious moments, I have decided to give it a shot. 

To the left you will find two delicious dishes from the past few weeks. I want to highlight memorable home cooked meals as well as dishes from notable restaurants that leave me wanting more after the food is long gone. The scallop dish is comprised of two recipes that I came across while meandering through the grocery store. I often find a recipe online or in a book and make it with a few different twists. Eventually I start to make my own recipes on the fly and this is where I run in to issues remembering everything I have made... hence the need for the blog! For now these are the links to the two recipes I used for the scallop dish: Scallops and Risotto

Ouzo Cured Salmon at Kipos in Chapel Hill, NC

The salmon dish is an amazing ouzo cured salmon that we enjoyed with friends (yes you Lizzie and Ben) at Kipos in Chapel Hill, NC. Most of you reading this know I am a Tar Heel and any excuse to get to Chapel Hill is welcome. Anyway, this Greek restaurant is awesome...no really go there soon. Everything we had was like happiness in your mouth with complex yet clean flavors. It was actually after this delicious meal that I decided this blog must begin. 

So there you have it, my first blog post made with lots of love (and grammar mistakes I'm sure). If you see me and think I am slacking feel free to urge me to post again! 

XOXO Happy Eating!