I’ve tried a ton of cucumber salad recipes I’ve found online and every single time, I was disappointed. I finally gathered up the courage to just wing it. Man, am I glad I did that – this turned out so darn good and it was even better the next day!
I served this as a side to the Pad Thai I posted about earlier.
Cucumber Salad
1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon of finely chopped green onion
2 tablespoons sesame oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 garlic clove, crushed
Sprinkle sliced cucumbers with salt and set aside.
Combine green onion, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, vinegar, soy sauce, honey and garlic in small bowl. Stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Toss cucumbers with dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.
It’s just like take-out. But better. I seriously can’t get enough of this stuff. I never bothered making it at home because I thought Mike hated it. Boy, was I wrong. I’m not sure why I ever thought that, but I tentatively brought up making Pad Thai for dinner and he enthusiastically agreed to it. I was thrilled. And disappointed that I hadn’t brought this up sooner. Like, 4 years sooner.
I purchased a large portion of these ingredients at the local Asian grocery store. I was able to find the tamarind concentrate, palm sugar, fish sauce, rice stick noodles, cilantro and mung bean sprouts there. I love the Asian grocery store because everything is so dang cheap. I can buy bean sprouts at the normal store for $2 or pay $1 at the Asian store for 3 times as much.
I opted to use shrimp for this, but I think I’m going to try chicken or tofu next time. Feel free to use whatever protein you want!!
The best part (other than the leftovers, that is)… I was able to cross of the first dish on my 11 for ’11 list!!
Pad Thai serves 4
For the sauce:
1/3 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup palm sugar
1/2 cup tamarind juice concentrate
4 cloves garlic, minced
For the noodles: 14 ounces dried rice stick noodles
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups shrimp
2 eggs
2 cups carrots, match stick
1 cup green onion cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups mung bean sprouts
1 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
1 cup cilantro, optional
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges, optional
Combine sauce ingredients in small saucepan over medium high heat. Cook until sugar has dissolved. Taste, and add more sugar if you would like. Remove from heat and set aside.
Boil noodles 5 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and immediately run around cold water. Cut noodles in half with scissors.
Heat 1 tablespoons oil in wok or large pan and cook shrimp. Remove to small bowl.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil to pan and scramble eggs. Remove to small bowl.
Heat remaining oil and add garlic and onion to pan. Stir fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add noodles and cook for an additional minute. Add 5 tablespoons Pad Thai sauce, stirring mixture until noodles are well coated.
Add shrimp to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add egg and 3/4 of the following: carrots, green onion, and sprouts to pan and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Taste noodles and add more sauce, if desired. Cook until all additional sauce has been absorbed.
Remove from heat and plate. Garnish with remaining carrots, green onion, and sprouts. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and garnish with lime wedge and cilantro, if desired.
For the first time in my life, I made a smoothie without any ice or frozen fruit. Why? We didn’t have any. I did however, have some very ripe strawberries that I needed to use up. I threw this together and it was light and refreshing, even though it wasn’t ice-cold. Feel free to use frozen fruit or toss in some ice to up the chill factor.
Strawberry Smoothie serves 2
1 large ripe banana, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
3/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
Ah yes, another couscous salad. As much as I loved this recipe with grilled vegetables, I wanted to try something else. I wasn’t quite sure what to make, and I really didn’t want to go to the grocery store. I used this as an opportunity to use up some pantry and fridge items. Mostly, I wanted to get rid of the million limes I had left over from Mike’s birthday bash.
Have I mentioned that I love Trader Joe’s Israeli couscous?! Come to think of it, the chickpeas and olive oil were also from Trader Joe’s. I should just name this Trader Joe’s Israeli Couscous Salad!
See? I wasn’t kidding…
For being as random as this dish is, it turned out pretty darn tasty. I love that it requires so little cooking. I have 2 more boxes of couscous left and I really want to make more of this salad. But the thought of using up more of this couscous makes me want to cry. It’s hard to use up “valuable” food when you have to travel 2 hours to get more. Why oh why can’t we have a TJ’s in Appleton!?
Israeli Couscous Salad serves 4
1 box Trader Joe’s Israeli Couscous*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 3/4 cup vegetable stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 tomatoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, diced
3 limes, juiced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in couscous and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until couscous is lightly browned.
Add in vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool.
Toss cooled couscous with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight, if possible. Serve cold.
I can’t help myself. Every time I go to the store, I buy strawberries. Walking through the farmers’ market is dangerous. I buy strawberries. I just love strawberries!!! I love them in salads, I love them in cakes, and now I love them in cupcakes!
This was inspired by one of Mike’s favorite summertime drinks – strawberry lemonade. I wanted a cupcake that echoed the taste of strawberry lemonade – sweet, but tart, and really refreshing.
I think this one really hit the spot. I found a recipe on Annie’s Eats and modified it to suit my tastes. I love this! Be warned – the more strawberry and lemon you put in, the runnier the icing will be. I ended up with 5 teaspoons of lemon juice and the whole half cup of strawberries in my frosting. I wanted the flavor in there. I paid for it with runnier frosting. Worth it 🙂
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes makes 12 cupcakes
For the cupcake:
1 cup and 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3/4 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
For the syrup:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
For the frosting:
½ cup fresh strawberries
6 ounces cream cheese
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.
In medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Stir together and set aside.
In large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in egg, scraping in sides, until well combined.
Add half the flour mixture and beat on low until just incorporated. Mix in milk until smooth. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in strawberries.
Divide batter evenly into paper lines, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Once cupcakes have cooled, whisk together lemon juice and powdered sugar for the syrup, until well combined.
Poke holes into cupcakes with a skewer (I used a chopstick) and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in.
To make frosting, puree strawberries in a food processor or blender and set aside. Beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in powdered sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract until incorporated. Mix in strawberry puree a little at a time until desired consistency and flavor is reached.
Frost cupcakes and serve immediately or keep refrigerated.
We’re old enough to finally have a Facebook page! If you’re a fan of DSD, find us on Facebook and give us a “like”. You can also subscribe by email and find us on Twitter.
It only took me a little over 2 years, but the day is here. I’ll be posting random facts, thoughts, and other little extras that won’t be making it onto the blog. Feel free to use the Facebook page to ask me questions, request dishes, challenge me, or anything your little heart desires.
I’m in shock. I made bread. For the first time. And it didn’t fail. In fact, it was perfectly golden brown, with a crunchy crust and soft center. Oh my goodness. I died a little inside when I tried it. The best part? It’s so darn easy!!
This all started when Mike and I went and visited some friends a couple weekends ago. She made this bread and it was so good. Then, she shared her secret with me – Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I made their Simple Crusty Bread and the recipe is idiot-proof.
Simple Crusty Bread makes 4 loaves
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
cornmeal, for dusting
In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100°F). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for up to two weeks.
To bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with a serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top. Sprinkle pizza peel with cornmeal and place dough on pizza peel. Let rest 40 minutes.
Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack. Heat oven to 450°F. Heat stone at 450°F for 20 minutes.
Dust dough with flour and slash top with serrated knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes.
I’ll admit it – I’m kind of absentminded. I make food, take pictures, and forget about them. By them time I find the pictures again, I have a hard time remembering what the dish was and what I put in it.
Today, I realized just how many of these dishes go un-posted and now I’m making an effort to be more diligent. Mike helped me identify this particular dish from 3 months ago.
This particular dish was super easy to make. I opted to make it “lighter” by using less butter and swapping out the heavy cream for half and half. The spices in this make it easy to cut fat without sacrificing flavor. Yum 🙂
Cajun Chicken Pasta adapted from allrecipes.com – serves 4
8 ounces linguine
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
6 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
3 tablespoons butter
2 green bell peppers, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
8 ounces white button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
3 cups half and half
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, sprinkle Cajun seasoning evenly over chicken on all sides.
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and saute until chicken is cooked, about 5 – 7 minutes. Add green and red bell peppers, mushrooms, and green onions. Cook until peppers are tender-crisp, about 2 – 3 minutes.
Whisk together half and half and corn starch until well combined.
Reduce heat to low and add in half and half. Stir in basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne. Heat through.
This pasta salad is one of my faves. It’s quick and easy and completely from scratch. That’s right folks, no bottled salad dressing over here. I think the hardest part of this was using a Swiss Army knife to open the can of olives…
One day we will find our can openers. I refuse to buy another one because I’m pretty sure we have at least 2, maybe even 3, lurking in some unpacked boxes. Until then, we’ll have to rely on good ol’ Mr. Swiss.
Greek Pasta Salad
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound short pasta of choice, cooked and drained
8 ounces white button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
4 ounce can whole black olives, drained and rinsed
Whisk together olive oil, vinegars, garlic powder, basil, oregano, and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta and vegetables. Pour dressing over top, mixing thoroughly.
Cover and refrigerate several hours, or overnight if possible.
After I made brownies, strawberry shortcake cake, and a French silk pie, I worried that I wouldn’t have enough dessert for Mike’s birthday bash. My main concern? Those that wanted the French silk pie but couldn’t eat it because it contained raw eggs. I hate the thought of any one leaving disappointed, so I caved in and made this egg-free pie. Please give it a chance. It’s deliciously rich and chocolatey and the texture is to die for. When I served it, I refused to tell people what was in it. It was only after they tried it and liked it that I told them the secret ingredient: tofu. Tofu itself is pretty tasteless and bland. Silken tofu has a remarkable texture that blends itself beautifully with just about anything. Smoothies? You got it! Soups? Sure, why not! Chocolate? You know it!! Silken Chocolate Pie serves 10
9 full chocolate graham crackers 6 tablespoons butter, melted 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/3 cup coffee, room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound silken tofu, drained well (my package was 1 pound, 3 ounces – it worked)
1 tablespoon honey, or to taste
Preheat oven to 350F. Pulse graham crackers in food processor until fine crumbs. Slowly add in butter and blend until combined. Press into bottom of a 9” cake pan. Bake until crust no longer looks wet, 18 – 20 minutes.
Place chocolate chips, coffee and vanilla in double boiler and melt, stirring frequently. Or, place ingredients in microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 20 second increments until melted, stirring after each increment. Let cool slightly.
Place tofu, chocolate mixture, and honey in food processor and blend until smooth.
Pour filling into crust and refrigerate until filling is firm, about 2 hours.
Serve with a dollop of freshly made whipped cream.
Please don’t ever ever ever buy whipped cream from the store. It’s oh-so-easy to make yourself and it tastes so much better. I forgot to take pictures of the whipped cream, but you can kind of see it on the bottom of the pic. Oops.
Place metal mixing bowl and whisk attachment to mixer in freezer for 15 minutes.
Whip cream in chilled bowl until soft peaks form (this is when they can’t quite hold itself into a peak).
Add in vanilla and sugar and beat until stiff peaks form (this is when they can stay in peak shape).
See, easy! The whole whipping process only took 2 minutes in my stand mixer. It may take a bit longer with a hand mixer. The most important part is making sure that your bowl and whisk are cold!!
DoughSeeDough 