Asian Broccoli Slaw (Thanks Sherri M.!)

Sometimes you come across a really great recipe by luck and possibly a little boredom.  I know it’s happened to all of us before.  Either chatting on the phone (anyone do this anymore?), IMing, texting etc. and the other person mentions what they are making or eating.  And you hear it and you just HAVE to have it!
This happened to me a couple of weekends ago when one of my friends text me that she was making broccoli slaw and then she sent me a picture.  I had to have some…luckily she lives in the neighborhood and brought me some.  But sadly I had to share with the kids but it inspired me to make some more…the very next day!
Now, I don’t ever use Ramen Noodles (the really cheap packs you get and add hot water to) and to be honest I have never even tasted them but we have a case of them in our Hurricane Supply kit and I decided that this could put them to very good use!

Asian Broccoli Slaw (Sherri’s Mom got it from the Pastor’s wife)

Salad Ingredients
2 bags of broccoli slaw
6 green spring onions (chopped)
1/4 – 1/2 cup red peppers (chopped)
1/2 cup craisins
1/2 cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds (I loved the salty sweet thing so I added extra)
2 pkg chicken flavor Ramen Noodle (just the noodle part) crumbled up and placed on top just before serving

Dressing Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
2 seasoning packets from the Ramen Noodles above
couple of dashes of hot garlic sauce just to taste

Directions

• In a large bowl mix all of the salad ingredients but the noodles (they will be used to sprinkle on top.
• In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients for the dressing.
• Toss the salad with the dressing and chill for a couple of hours before serving. 
• Don't cook the noodles, leave them crunchy.  Break them up and top the salad with them just before you serve the salad.

**We love this salad and yes, it will feed a crowd or 4 people who eat it at every meal when it’s there for a day or so.

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SPRING ROLLS & SPICY PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE

STRIP DOWN AND PARTY!


We’ve been eating a lot of cake lately. Chocolate cake and chocolate muffins, butter & egg-rich striped cake, chocolate chip muffins, cookies and macarons. At some point, even I reach my limit, have my fill and crave for something clean, fresh and light. And something that is definitely not cake! Husband walks around patting his tummy and I am feeling the bite of the belt buckle, and someone, I swear, has been sneaking in at night and, scissors, thread and needle in hand, someone has been taking in my jeans. It is time to start thinking of something other than cake.

I step out onto the sidewalk and am kissed by the warmth of Spring. The sun is shining and barely a whisper of a breeze ruffles my hair. I have always preferred Autumn, but after months of steel-gray skies, dreary drizzle that trickles down the neck of my coat and icy winds that bite at my skin, harsh cold winter without even the joy of fluffy, white snow, I am reveling in this beginning of Springtime. But as I pull off my winter coat and hang it back in the closet, as I begin peeling off the layers of sweaters, unwinding the scarf from around my neck, as I peek in one shoe box after another and remind myself just how fabulous a collection of strappy sandals I have, I am starting to realize that maybe, just maybe, I have eaten a little bit too much cake this winter.


Spring will be upon us before we know it and summer will be nipping at her heels. As many of you know, we are off to Florida this summer, the first vacation we will be taking together as a family for a long time. But the point is: we are off to Florida. And Florida means shorts and swimsuits. Long months of icy cold days packed up in layers of fleece hidden under thick, padded, Michelin-man coats and socks over hose under knee-high boots (not to mention the hats and the gloves) and evenings in flannel jammies huddled under a mountain of blankets have left me numb, groggy and a bit on the mushy side. And like the Eskimos, that extra layer of fat is a winter necessity. But Spring is here and summer is right around the corner and it is at times like this that I start flipping through the cookbooks looking for tempting, light, fresh salads and soups, something to cleanse the system and, yes, I dare say, the palate. It’s time to start thinking about baring the arms and the legs and slipping back into last year’s tops, skirts and pants. Ouch! So, dear, what shall it be?


Husband and I go through phases of miso soup. I love the packets of instant red or white miso soup I can pick up at the Asian market along with packets of Udon noodles. On my way home, I’ll swing by the primeurs, the fruit and veg monger if you will, and buy several shitake, plump and chocolatey brown, a handful of tender, crunchy snow peas all dressed in bright, cheery green, some spring onions and a fragrant bouquet of fresh coriander. A few minutes to bring the water to a boil, add the miso mix, sliced shitake, snow peas and noodles and simmer until everything is cooked to perfection. Divide into two bowls, toss on shopped coriander and sliced spring onions and we are sipping light and flavorful soup, a warming Winter meal when it is time for something lighter than cream sauces, pasta and casseroles.

Well, this time I was in the mood for spring rolls. There is an Asian (Chinese? Vietnamese more than likely) restaurant right next door to my Asian market and they have a take-out counter. Whenever I get the craving, I pop in and pick up a couple of fresh, cool spring rolls, rice wrappers stuffed to bursting with thin rice noodle, crunchy bean sprouts and carrot strips, bits of cooked chicken and butterflied shrimp all flavored with fresh mint leaves and chopped peanuts. The girl behind the counter will add a tiny plastic bag of golden dipping sauce to my purchase. Or I’ll enjoy these babies dipped in spicy sweet chili sauce. But I decided to go wild and make my own spring rolls and my own dipping sauce.


Along with the gorgeous sunny weather comes plans for Food Blogger Connect 2010! Remember Food Blogger Connect 09? Wow was it ever fantastic! A weekend spent with fellow food bloggers from near and far sharing information, plans, ideas, laughter, good times and good food. Well, don’t think that once is ever enough for something this good. So we have planned an even bigger, better Food Blogger Connect for this June! Spread out over 3 days, it will be THE Food Blogger event of the year! Just look at that line up of speakers! You can get loads of information and tips from the biggest and the very best! Check out the itinerary! 3 days chock-full and jam-packed with exciting, informative roundtables and hands-on workshops specifically designed for the food blogger covering everything from finding your writing voice to food styling and photography to networking and monetizing your blog! There will even be a star-studded panel letting you in on the secrets of Food Blog to Book/Magazine! And all of this and more – prizes, prop swap and awards – a wine tasting, barbecue, cocktails and teatime plus fabulous meals in these beautiful London hot spots. Spaces are limited and food bloggers from all over Europe are already snapping up tickets, so give our Food Blogger Connect blog a good once-over then go ahead and register for this fantastic, not-to-be-missed event!

Now, here is a wonderful, tasty recipe to start you on your way to looking and feeling your best for Food Blogger Connect and that great summer vacation!


SPRING ROLLS WITH SPICY PEANUT-HOISIN SAUCE
The sauce is from Annie Somerville’s Everyday Greens

For the Spring Rolls:
9-inch round rice wrappers
Any or all of the following ingredients, as you like:
Rice noodles, cooked, drained, rinsed with cool water & drained again.
Bean sprouts
1 carrot, trimmed, peeled, sliced into thin 2-inch matchsticks
Shredded cooked chicken
2 cooked shrimp per spring roll
Small bunch mint leaves
Lettuce leaves
Peanuts, crushed


Have all of the filling ingredients prepared and lined up on your work surface: vegetables cleaned, trimmed, peeled and sliced as necessary, shrimp cooked and peeled and butterflied (simply slice down the back almost to the end of the tail but leaving attached then press flat), chicken shredded.

Simply dampen one or two rice wrappers at a time and keep them pressed between damp kitchen towels as you are working. This is only the first time I have made them so I learned as I went and mine were not too perfect. I placed two mint leaves in the center of a damp wrapper, placed twp flattened shrimp nose to nose on top of the mint, then lined up some beans sprouts, cooked and cooled noodles and bits of each and the rest (ok, I forgot the carrot strips and didn’t have chicken and only added lettuce leaves to two, but I’ll get better next time!). Bring the sides of the wrappers in towards the center then roll as tightly as possible being careful not to rip the delicate, fragile wrapper.

Spicy Peanut-Hoisin Sauce:
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced, about ¼ cup
Salt and pepper
½ cup Hoisin sauce
1/3 cup water
½ tsp rice vinegar
½ cup toasted peanuts, chopped
1 tsp sambal (red chili purée) or to taste


Heat the oil in a small frying pan and sautée the shallots with a pinch of salt over medium-high heat until golden and crispy, about 2 minutes. Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Chop and transfer to a small bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients, adding the sambal to taste. Make sure the sauce is well blended before serving with the spring rolls in tiny sauce bowls.

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So, have you missed me?

I truly think that since I have started this blog this is probably the longest I have ever gone without posting! I can't even really tell you why I haven't, or I guess I could but who really cares (Oh, I know YOU do!).

Since I last posted I have:

Started a new job (from home but it even pays...)
Said good bye to my sister and cried for about 2 days because of it
Done the laundry, cleaned my house, grocery shopped, cooked and meal planned
Volunteered at my girl's school
Youngest started karate
Slept and not slept
prepped for my next round of visitors...Jenn (The Leftover Queen), Roberto and Pepperoncino!
that's about it...

Wait, I also got to have a play date with............Jaden of Steamy Kitchen!!! How lucky am I????

Jaden is truly an incredible person and a natural born teacher. Seeing as I have no (and I truly mean no) knowledge of Asian cooking beyond what I get served in sushi places or a Japanese Steakhouse she was kind and incredibly patient with all of my questions!

As an added bonus I got to leave with a grocery bag (no joke here!) of goods. I have jalapenos and lime leaves from her garden, tofu, noodles and some of the wonderful sauce that we made when I was there, and a plethora of other things that she so generously kept shoving in.

I have a noggin now full of photography knowledge and even some things I can do to help mine out without buying the Mother of all cameras!!! The only thing I did not get was some of that wonderful Wild Boar that they have in a cooler in their garage!!! Not yet butchered and I wasn't really up to doing that myself!

Did I get a picture of Jaden and me? Nope sadly not but she has one and will send it to me when she can and I will post it here.

What I did get was a great recipe with tons of instruction along the way! Jaden had chosen to try a recipe from Heidi of a 101 Cookbooks, granted it was heavily modified but this was the inspiration behind it...

I took this picture from the same set up as Jaden had. You should see hers. Absolutely beautiful...I have major camera envy!!!

Otsu (101 Cookbooks)

Grated zest of 1 lemon
Fresh ginger, cut into a 1-inch cube, peeled, and grated
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup unseasoned brown-rice vinegar
1/3 cup shoyu sauce (wheat-free soy sauce)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

12 ounces dried soba noodles
12 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small handful of cilantro sprigs, for garnish
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Make the dressing by combining the zest, ginger, honey, cayenne, and salt in a food processor (or use a hand blender) and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, and shoyu, and pulse to combine. With the machine running, drizzle in the oils.

Cook the soba in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water just until tender, then drain and rinse under cold running water.

While the pasta is cooking, drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut it into rectangles roughly the size of your thumb (½ inch thick and 1 inch long). Cook the tofu in a dry nonstick (or well-seasoned) skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side. Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, the ¼ cup cilantro, the green onions, cucumber, and about ⅔ cup of the dressing. Toss until well combined. Add the tofu and toss again gently. Serve on a platter, garnished with the cilantro sprigs and the toasted sesame seeds.

***I loved this recipe and now that I have gotten over my "fear" of Asian cooking I will be making this again and again. The ingredient list seemed so long and foreign to me but once it is broken down and explained it takes most of the intimidation out of it!!! I brought the leftovers home and my whole family was humped up over a big bowl of this just slurping away!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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