Week Of Leftovers Day Two: Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Today is day 2 of our Week of Leftovers and we are swooning over these Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps. They are the exact thing we are craving after a weekend of rich foods. Here's the recipe:


1 head of butter lettuce
1 cup shredded white meat turkey
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
12 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup each, chopped cilantro & mint

Place 2 lettuce leaves overlapping on your plate, fill with slaw, cilantro and mint. Garnish with lime wedges and serve with peanut dipping sauce.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
3 tbsp agave nectar
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 inch of fresh ginger (or 1 tsp powdered)
a splash or two of sesame oil

Mix all in a food processor until smooth.

We gobbled up three of these for dinner! They were so addicting and SO light. Our favorite Thai place makes wraps like these with ground turkey and tons of fresh herbs. That's where the inspiration for these came from. You could certainly use other types of large leafed lettuce, but I've found butter lettuce works best and it's so tender! Alternative you chop a ton of lettuce and layer everything salad style, which is what I did for with the leftovers (packed them in the DH's lunch box for the next day!).

They are also phenomenal as a meat free option, you could replace the meat with saute'd tofu or hearty mushrooms.

Polenta Palooza Photo Shoot!

My friend Autumn is an up and coming photographer here on the Central Coast. We worked out a nice barter system where she photographs my food looking all sexy and I feed her face. It's a win win really...

Creamy Polenta with wilted greens, poached egg and spicy mayo.

This kind of food is like a HUG in a bowl for me...

Herb polenta and tomatoes in white wine 

with basil chicken sausage

Great shot! 

Now, tell me that ain't some fan-fricken-tastic

 food porn right there!

Yum!

"Make it" Link to come!!

California Dreaming

A.G. Ferrari, San Francisco, CA

I am a California girl, born and raised. Lived in Southern California most of my life until about 4 years ago when Mike and I bought our home here on the Central Coast. There isn't much I don't absolutely LOVE about our State. I love the gorgeous blue coast line of the Pacific Coast Highway. I love the snow powdered mountains of Big Bear, the diversity of San Francisco and the rural back country roads in Paso Robles. But what I love the most about California is the FOOD!

Pancit and Lumpia from Broasted Chicken,
Port Hueneme , CA

This past week I visited a few friends in the Ventura County area and we made the short drive down PCH to LA and enjoyed the city for a few hours. We hit down town and Korea Town, Malibu and Pt. Hueneme. Obviously we had to EAT while we were running around! All weekend long I shamelessly gorged myself on Pancit from Broasted Chicken in Pt. Hueneme, Spicy Korean hot wings at KyoChon in LA and visited a number of Asian grocery stores up and down the 101 fwy. In short, I was in foodie heaven. 

I cannot say enough about how much I love love love ethnic foods. As much as I love the Central Coast, we are severely lacking in our selection of ethic foods. Sure, we've got some very good Mexican spots (one on every corner as a matter of fact) and a few token Chinese restaurants, but what about if what you're hankering for is a nice Curry, some Pho or Banh Mi...keep driving. I wouldn't even mind the lack of diversity in the restaurant scene IF we had ingredients for my favorite dishes at our local grocery stores, but we don't. Our last Asian foods market (that carried everything from lentils for my Indian Dal to glass noodles for my cold Vietnamese salad) closed down last year.

Tripe and Meatball Pho from Pho Super Bowl, Diamond Bar

So...whenever I am in Southern California or in the Bay Area I load my car with my Igloo cooler and a few bags of ice to transport my reaping's from my favorite different grocery stores. The Craft India Bazaar in SF is hands down my very very favorite place to visit while in the Bay Area. I could load up TWO Igloo coolers  from that place. Mike, the man of the house, loves their super sweet "donuts" packed in rose water and I love their selection of Naan breads and the rainbow array of split lentil beans.

                                                                                                 


I know many people in our little town who have migrated this way from larger cities, and like them, I have taken to making my own Ethnic food at home. So until I can get to the city again I will hold myself over with recipes like the one I am sharing with you today.

Pho. A delicious Vietnamese hot noodle soup. Pho...pronounced "Phah" by some, and I really won't get into the pronounciation too much because it can be a real hot debate. I'll just say that at every Vietnamese restaurant I go to I ask for "Phah" and they know what I am talking about,so..there.

I first had this amazing soup in Simi Valley at a place that no longer exhists. In San Luis Obispo County I can get it at one place in SLO and it is really really good there. Buuuut, I am lazy and hate driving the grade and so I have learned how to make a  humbler version of Pho. Take this recipe knowing that it is in no way a REAL or AUTHENTIC recipe. Have you ever made those little mini pizzas with your kids? The ones you make with jarred sauce on an English mufffin? Yeah, this Pho recipe is like that. Called the same thing and though you're not fooling anyone into believing it is the real thing...you eat it and it's good and your pizza cravings are thwarted until next time.

So here you go...

Ingredients:

Prepare 1 package of cellophane noodles. In a large bowl, cover cellophane noodles with very warm water, let sit until soft. Drain and set aside.

Spicy Vietnamese Meatballs

1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground beef
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp chopped Thai basil (or regular basil if you cannot find it)
2 tbsp chopped green onion
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon, zested
siracha, a few squeezes depending on your preferred spice level
a splash of fish sauce or soy sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, allow flavors to incorporate for about an hour in the fridge. Using a small scooper or your tablespoon, spoon out your meatballs onto a greased baking sheet, I prefer a loosely shaped meatball, but if you MUST you can roll them into perfect little balls. Par cook the meatballs in your oven for about 7-9 minutes (they will finish in the broth). Set them aside until broth is complete.

Pho Broth

2 quarts of beef or chicken broth
1 inch nub of ginger, peeled
1 onion chopped
2-3 black pepper corns
2-3 star anise pods
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
a splash of fish sauce or soy sauce to taste

In a large pot with a little cooking oil, saute the ginger, jalapeno and onion until the onion is translucent, add garlic and cook until aromatic. Add your broth, pepper corns, anise, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes, if any scum or oil rises to the top, skim and discard. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce and add soy sauce or fish sauce, and the meatballs and shut off the heat. Serve over noodles immediately or gobble up as a delicious soup!

Garnishes and Assembly:

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
2 large jalapenos, sliced thinly
1 large onion, sliced thinly
1 bunch of thai basil, chiffonade
1 cup of fresh mung beans
2 limes, sliced into wedges

Gather 4 very large soup bowls (invest in some proper Asian soup bowls!)
Using tongs (or your hands, if you're me) evenly distribute the cellophane noodles. Top your noodles with a few large ladles of the broth and meatballs. Garnish and enjoy with your favorite accoutrement, for me it's sirracha and that salty sweet sauce that goes by the name of hoison, lots of jalapeno slices and a ton of lime juice. What you should have in front of you now, is a wonderful piping hot bowl of Vietnamese comfort food. To those of you who have had Pho before, I hope this holds you over until you can make it to your favorite place again, and if you've never had it before...enjoy...and know that your life will never be the same!

Game Day Dip Recipes!

Today is Super Bowl Sunday! Mike and I are getting ready to pack up some snacks and take them to a friends house to enjoy the game.

Last night I threw together this delicious Salsa Con Queso dip for girls night, today I am turning the leftovers into a Cheesy Black Bean Dip.

Lucky you! You stopped by just in time for an easy 2 for 1 recipe that will wow your guests and make becoming a football widow ONE more time this season, hurt a little less. The Salso Con Queso Dip is something you have seen and perhaps purchased at the grocery store dozens of times. It is used over nachos, to make mac and cheese or put out as dip. You can do all of the above and SO much more with this recipe. The greatest part is the freshness you get from making it from scratch. You get to control the quality of cheese, the heat levels and the salt content. Speaking of salt, I don't add any. If you're tasting along the way and you fee it needs a pinch or two, go for it. But I love the subtle natural saltiness that you get from the melted cheese.

Now onto the Cheesy Black Bean Dip, this is a play on that canned pinto bean spread they have for sale near the chips. It tastes every bit as naughty as the canned stuff, but we're using black beans which are high in fiber and antioxidants. The black beans also give a little gourmet flair to the party! We reserve a little bit of the Salsa Con Queso to add into our black beans, making this a very convenient recipe to throw together at the last minute.

Salsa Con Queso

3 Tbsp butter, salted or unsalted

1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil

4 Tbsp of flour

1 can of fat free, reduced salt chicken (or vegetarian) broth

1/2 cup fat free milk

1 cup shredded "Mexican" cheese mix (I used a little more than 1 cup for a really thick dip)

2 heaping Tbsp (more or less) chopped pickled jalapeno

2 heaping Tbsp (more or less) salsa (your favorite brand)

1/4 cup chopped tomato

1 tbsp cumin powder

In a medium size pot melt your butter, add oil and flour. Cook the flour on low heat until it has taken on a little color. This will cook out that "raw" flour flavor. Add the can of chicken broth stirring constantly to incorporate, when that has thickened, add milk stirring constantly. Start to add the cheese a little at a time, remembering to stir constantly and wait until the cheese is completely incorporated before adding more. After the cheese is fully melted into your sauce, add the remaining ingredients. You might want to add half the jalapenos and salsa, then taste for heat. My end product turned out a little too spicy for ladies night, but just right for the guys during game night, so keep your intended audience in mind. Test the queso with a corn chip, it should be nice and smooth, not lumpy. It should coat the chip just like nacho cheese sauce and the cheese flavor should be the dominant flavor. Use this dip for nachos, enchiladas, Quesadillas, burritos, mac and cheese and my personal favorite, hamburger skillet meals!

(withhold about a 1/4 cup of this if you're also making the Cheesy Black Bean Dip)

Cheesy Black Bean Dip

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 prepared Salsa Con Queso

1/4 Shredded "Mexican" cheese mix

1 Tbsp, chopped cilantro

Add all ingredients into your food processor and roughly pulse on low for 40-60 seconds. Add to a small pot or skillet and warm through. Serve in a dip bowl, garnish with a dollop of sour cream and scallions. I prefer to serve this hot, but it is just as delicious at room temperature. If we end up with left overs (which is rare) we spoon a little into corn or flour tortillas with cheese and sour cream for a delicious burrito. Makes a great vegetarian enchilada filling too!

One of the things that got me into cooking at such a young age, was reading the labels on the back of prepared foods and wondering how hard it would be to make them myself. The truth is: Not that hard at all. Nothing beats serving my friends and family a fresh, healthier version of their favorite snacks. And nothing beats the satisfaction you will get when your guests exclaim, "You made THIS from scratch?!"