This recipe comes from Thai Cooking Made Easy — with this recipe, it lived up to its name. Cooked chicken is shredded and tossed with a bunch of veggies and a slightly spicy lime and fish sauce dressing. This would make a good starter to a larger meal.

Chris says:

Yum, guy! I like this salad.

Lisa says:

I thought the dressing was going to taste way too fishy when I mixed it up…

Chris says:

It’s totally fine — once you toss it in and mix everything together it’s not nearly as intense.

Lisa says:

This salad makes me hungry.

Chris says:

Not surprising… ain’t no carbs here!

Lisa says:

Promise me we’ll never do a low-carb diet.

Chris says:

How about we just don’t do any kind of diet?

Yum Gai - Thai Chicken Salad

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb.)
• 1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, cut into lengths
• minced cilantro
• 4 large lettuce leaves

For the Dressing:

• 1 tbsp sliced red chili
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat and poach the chicken for about 15 minutes or until cooked. Remove and set aside to cool. Shred the chicken into thin strips.
Combine the Dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken strips with the tomato, onion, cucumber, green onions, and cilantro. Pour the dressing over and toss thoroughly.
Line a serving platter with the lettuce leaves and top with the salad. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a starter or part of a larger meal.

As you can see, WHF has a new look — hopefully for the better. 

I was able to migrate all of the existing posts and photos from Blogger over to WP, and I’m juuuuust about done with customizing templates/themes/etc., but no guarantees that you won’t encounter a few more changes.  For those of you out there who are also thinking of migrating from Blogger to WordPress, I’ll write up the process that I went through.

Let me know if you encounter major issues and I’ll try to address them as soon as I can.

In the mean time, eat up!

Tonight’s meal comes from Fitness Food (hey Carrie, try this one!) — whole wheat pasta is tossed in a creamy sauce made with ricotta cheese, arugula, and basil, and tossed with tomatoes and tuna. This was a very quick meal to make.

Lisa says:

Whoa, this is delicious!

Chris says:

I like the sauce, it’s almost like a pesto.

Lisa says:

Pasta with a pesto-ish sauce and tuna? This sounds a dish made for Abbie…

Chris says:

Totally — though she’d certainly add peas. Anyway, enough about her! I like the arugula.

Lisa says:

So it’s in the sauce, and then some extra is just tossed with the pasta?

Chris says:

Yep — it gets all wilty and intense. Good stuff.

Lisa says:

Good to stuff in our mouths, you mean…

Fettucine with Ricotta & Tuna
—————————–
13 oz whole-wheat fettuccine
4 small ripe tomatoes, each peeled and cut into 8 wedges
3 large handfuls baby arugula
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red hot pepper, finely chopped
1 large handful basil
1 1/2 cups smooth low-fat ricotta
15 oz can tuna in water, drained

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pan and toss in the tomatoes. Stir to combine.
Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the garlic and chili pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add three-fourths of the arugula leaves and cook for about a minute until it wilts. Remove from the heat and add everything in the pan into a food processor, along with the basil and ricotta. Process until well combined, adding enough of the reserved pasta water to thin a bit.
Toss the ricotta sauce and the remainder of the arugula leaves through the pasta and tomatoes. Break up the tuna with a fork and toss through the pasta as well. Garnish with additional basil, if desired, and serve.

4 hefty servings

This seems to be an ideal post for this week’s Presto Pasta Nights!

We made this a week or more ago and just forgot to post it… busy busy busy! Chicken is simmered in a delicious sauce containing coconut milk, lemon grass, and spices. We served it with couscous — delicious! It comes from Asian Flavors.

Chris says:

Deeelish!

Lisa says:

Can we keep this one short? I remember liking this a lot but I don’t remember what I said about it at the time.

Chris says:

You might have said, “Deeelish!”

Lisa says:

That sounds like something you’d say, not me.

Chris says:

Well… it was… so there.

Chicken with Golden Coconut & Lemon Grass Sauce
———————————————–
6 shallots, peeled and chopped
1 large red chili, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 stalk of lemon grass, chopped
1″ piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 cup coconut milk
Juice of 1 lime
2/3 cup chicken broth
4 chicken breasts, skinned and quartered
2 kaffir lime leaves, cut into wafer-thin slices

Place the shallots, chili, garlic, lemon grass, ginger, and half the peanut oil in a food processor and blend to a paste.
Heat the remaining peanut oil in a wok, add the turmeric and the paste, and fry for five minutes over fairly low heat until the shallots have softened.
Gradually stir in the coconut milk, lime juice, and broth and heat until bubbling. Add the chicken and lime leaves and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
Serve with rice.

4 Servings

Last Saturday night we were treated to a dinner at Restaurant Zoë by the Foodbuzz Team, up from the Bay Area. I can’t remember how many courses we had, but I do recall a pretty good Manhattan, multiple bottles of wine, and much to our delight, a meat-stravaganza: tuna! duck! chicken! scallops! pork! It was a great opportunity to try a lot of different dishes; we certainly didn’t go away “hongry”.

In addition to the We [Heart] Food contingent, Featured Publishers representin’ at Zoë included:
Cake Spy
Seattle Tall Poppy
Jenni’s Kitchen
How to eat (that)
The Wine Wall

Traca from Seattle Tall Poppy has posted some pictures @ her flickr pool.

Thanks to Ryan, Jen, and Shannon (you guys rock) for putting this event together, and it was great to finally meet you and put faces to names!

We [Heart] Food Dept. of Coincidences:
————————————–
* Jessie from CakeSpy recently interviewed co-owner Caitlin from Miette; Miette’s other owner Meg, a childhood friend of our friend Abbie, was recently “treated” to some cupcakes made by yours truly
* Lisa and FB’s Jen went to the same elementary, junior high, and high school
* FB’s Ryan currently lives just a few blocks from where Lisa grew up
* Everyone loves Bacon!

Okay, we didn’t discover that last one during dinner. But it’s true anyway.

For Taste & Create VIII, Lisa and I were paired with Sathya & Elizabeth from The Baker and The Curry Maker: our second Aussie pairing! After scouring through a bunch of delicious sounding posts, I decided to make this mushroom curry that Sathya made back in October. Lisa and I are huge mushroom fans (wait — does that mean we love huge mushrooms?) so this recipe sounded just right. It went paired well with a mushroom rice pilaf — the more shrooms the better!

Lisa says:

I love mushrooms.

Chris says:

That’s pretty obvious — I was just checking out our tag list, and mushrooms clock in at number 2.

Lisa says:

Seemed like this was pretty easy to make compared to our previous T&C events.

Chris says:

Yes — very easy and really healthy! The only difficult part, if any at all, was converting from grams to ounces.

Lisa says:

I’m glad to see that people around the world share our love for all things mushroom and cilantro…

Mushroom Curry
————–
10 oz button mushrooms, halved
5 oz oyster mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small piece Ginger, grated
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt
Oil
3 tablespoons yogurt
Fresh cilantro, chopped

Place the ginger, garlic, and onion into a food processor and grind until it makes a smooth paste.
Add a little oil to a pan over high heat and stir-fry the mushrooms for a few minutes until they decrease in size and start to give off their liquid. Set aside.
Turn the heat to low, add some more oil to the pan if needed and stir in the onion paste. Add the yogurt one tablespoon at a time, and cook for two minutes.
Add the tomatoes, ground coriander, chili powder, and salt, and cook for another minute.
Add the mushrooms, along with 1/2 cup of water and stir well. Adjust the heat and let thicken, stirring occasionally.
Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve.

A really easy-to-make meal tonight based on a recipe from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Everyday. Halibut sits on a bed of sliced potatoes and carrots and is baked in a quick tomato-jalapeño salsa. I love recipes like this; they’re so adaptable to whatever fish or vegetables you’re in the mood for, are very healthy, and are on the table in under an hour.

Lisa says:

Spicy!

Chris says:

Wow, it’s been a while since a dinner earned that declaration…

Lisa says:

Well it is pretty spicy… and by the way, this is the best halibut ever.

Chris says:

Oooh, yeah, I think I timed it perfectly — it’s just starting to flake and is incredibly moist.

Lisa says:

This is filling!

Chris says:

Well, we’re getting twice the veggies since all I did was use less fish than called for in 4-serving original recipe.

Lisa says:

I wasn’t complaining, that’s for sure…

Chris says:

I like that we’re once again proving that we [heart] cilantro.

Baked Halibut with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes
————————————————
4 medium (1 lb) Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 thin carrots, cut in lengths
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt
1 15-oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
2 large garlic cloves, quartered
1/3 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup sliced canned pickled jalapeños
1 tbsp jalapeño pickling juice
2 6-oz skinless halibut fillets

Turn on the oven to 400 degrees. Place the potoatoes and carrots into an 8″ square glass baking dish and drizzle over the oil and 1/2 tsp of salt. Toss to coat, then spread the potatoes in an even layer, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high for 4 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender.
Meanwhile, in a blender combine the tomatoes in their juices, garlic, cilantro, jalapeños, and pickling juice and puree, leaving just a little texture.
Lay the fish in a single layer over the potatoes and pour the tomato mixture evenly over the fish and potatoes.
Slide the baking dish into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the fish flakes when pressed firmly.
Garnish with cilantro and serve.

2 Generous portions

I was pretty happy when I saw that our CSA box this week included arugula, because I’d been wanting to make this salad from Fitness Food a second time — the first time we brought it over to a dinner with Jeremy and Autumn and were without camera. The arugula is tossed with a light olive oil & lemon dressing, and topped with white beans and roasted red bells — who doesn’t love roasted bell peppers?

Chris says:

I like this arugula better than “baby” arugula…

Lisa says:

So good — this salad rules!

Chris says:

I love roasted peppers; we should remember to make this more often.

Lisa says:

It’s pretty filling for a salad… and I like the lemon flavor. I’m all for making this again.

White Bean, Roasted Red Pepper, and Arugula Salad
————————————————–
3 red bell peppers
1 clove garlic, crushed
zest of 1 lemon
4 tbsp coarsley chopped flat-leaf parsley
14 oz can white beans
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small bunch arugula

Roast the red bell peppers by broiling or grilling until the skins are blackened, then place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. When cool, peel the skin off, remove the seeds and membrane, and cut into strips.
Combine the garlic, lemon zest, and parsley, and set aside.
Add half the garlic/parsley mix to the white beans, and add half the lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and apepper to taste. Place the arugula on a large plate and toss with the remaining lemon juice and olive oil.
Scatter the beans over the leaves, then lay the pepper strips on top, along with the remaining garlic/parsley mix. Season with salt and pepper.

4 side servings, or 2 as a light main course

Lisa made this excellent vegetarian stir-fry tonight, based on a recipe in the always wonderful Fitness Food. Tofu is cubed and marinated in a mix of sauces and spices, and then quickly stir-fried with a plethora of veggies — we altered the recipe to suit what we had on hand — and thin egg noodles. This one will definitely make it into the regular rotation.

Chris says:

Ooooh, now this is a good stir-fry!

Lisa says:

Of course it’s good, it’s from Fitness Food — I love that book.

Chris says:

This might be one of my favorites — even though it’s meat-free…

Lisa says:

I obviously feel the same way — I inhaled!

Chris says:

You might want to retract that if you ever want to run for President.

Lisa says:

Totally worth it. I’ll even admit to “doing shrooms”, as long as people realize it’s in the context of this dinner. Tofu with Greens & Noodles in ‘08!

Chris says:

Gets my vote!

Tofu with Greens & Noodles
—————————
Marinade
3 tbsp spicy oyster sauce
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, crushed

Stir Fry
10 oz firm tofu, drained and cubed
10 oz dried thin egg noodles
1 tsp canola oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 leek, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
4 oz green beans, trimmed
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch broccolini, trimmed
1/2 cup veggie broth

cilantro leaves to garnish

Combine the marinade ingredients in a non-metallic bowl, add the tofu and gently stir through. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Cook the noodles according to the package and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large wok. Add the shallots, red pepper, and leeks and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until lightly softened. Add the rest of the vegetables and broth. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender, stirring occasionally.
Add the tofu with the marinade and the noodles. Gently combine and stir until heated through. Garnish with the cilantro and serve.

4 Servings

This obviously needs to go to Presto Pasta Nights!

One of the great things about subscribing to a CSA program is that it forces you to “use up” the fruits and veggies that you’ve been allocated, making it a lot easier to decide what to make for dinner. As Lisa will tell you, I can easily spend an entire afternoon poring over cookbooks, trying to decide on recipes. Having ingredients on-hand is a great way to narrow that scope. This easy, quick recipe from Hooked on Heat was a great way to utilize the mangoes that arrived this week. Chicken is stir-fried with onions, red bell peppers, and spices; mangoes are stirred in at the end to create a nice balance of sweet and spice.

Chris says:

You know, I think this is the first time I’ve actually cooked something with mango in it.

Lisa says:

Oh yeah, I usually just have it by itself.

Chris says:

Pickapeppa Hot is really good in spicing this up… it has that tropical fruit taste that goes really well with the — hey, what are you doing?.

Lisa says:

Getting more — this is good!

Chris says:

Save me some for lunch tomorrow…

Lisa says:

We’ll see if there are leftovers, sucka!

Mango Chicken with Red Peppers
——————————
2 large boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 large mangoes, diced into cubes
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
1-2 red chilies, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp canola oil
salt, to taste
cilantro, chopped for garnish

Heat the oil in a large non-stick wok over medium-high heat and saute the chopped chilies, ginger-garlic paste and onions until lightly browned. Add in chicken, peppers and spices, and stir-fry till chicken is cooked through. Stir in chicken stock and mango, and simmer for a few minutes.
Season with salt, and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve with rice.

4 Servings