Vietnamese Steak with Cucumber Salad

No you don't have to go to an Asian market. To me, that is the biggest obstacle of cooking with Asian meals.  But you should go to an Asian market so Americans can be less ignorant. If I don't have the time to do the steak, I'm adding that salad to the next Asian meal I make. Steven was sold on just the dressing....which is the marinade....which is the sauce. 

Vietnamese Steak with Cucumber Salad

Recipe from Kim and New York Times

Serves 4

Time: Overnight, if you'd like!

• 1/2 cup fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon packed lime zest
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (three limes)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, minced
• 1 flank steak, about 1 1/2 lbs
• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of radishes, thinly sliced
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• cooked rice noodles or rice
• Sesame seeds or crushed peanuts for serving.

In a small bowl, whisk: fish sauce, lime zest, lime juice, brown sugar, garlic, and jalapeno. Pour half over flank steak in a zip lock bag and reserve half for salad and sauce.  Let steak marinate for at least 1 up to 24 hours. 

Combine cucumber, radishes, and scallions. Right before serving pour in just enough marinade to coat. Toss.

Preheat the grill to high.  Grill steak until its done to your liking. It took about 5-7 minutes on each side, but our steak was pretty plump. We prefered medium-rare meat but as long as it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit in the center, eat up. 

LET IT REST FOR 10 MINUTES (just do it, I'll know if you don't). Thinly slice the steak against the grain. Serve over rice noodles and with cucumber salad. Top with sesame seeds (or peanuts). 

Next time: I need to serve with rice instead of rice noodles.  I can't find any good rice noodles. Either that or I'm cooking them really poorly.  Also don't forget to add the sesame seeds or peanuts. You had both and you blew it. 

Rumor has it this can be done in the broiler.  Try that. Use a cast iron skillet with oil. Sear for 2 minutes then flip and send to broiler. 2-3 minutes for rare.

Sausage and Brussels Sprouts

This is my 'I don't know what to make' meal. Its quick and easy and you only need two ingredients besides the normal pantry items. Its low carb, high vegetable, high protein and can be super delicious. It can also be quick and dirty.  Not necessarily both.

Quick and dirty: hot skillet + vegetable oil + brussels sprouts + sausage + who cares what order as long as it gets hot + throw on the lid and it will cook even faster = editable food.  I can make editable food (most of the time) but sometimes its nice to take your time and eat really good food.  Only if you want to. Quick and dirty ways shall not be judged.

Sausage and Brussels Sprouts

Serves 2 hungry adults

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bag of brussels sprouts, quartered with stems removed
• 4 links original beef sausage, sliced (flavored tastes weird in this recipe)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat vegetable oil on a large skillet with medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until it smells garlicky (wow! thats a real word!) and the onions start to get soft.

Crank the heat to medium high and add the brussels sprouts. Stir them around so they are covered in the oil and then let them sit, covered* for about 4 minutes. Don't mess with them. Don't mess with them. Don't mess with them. If you mess with them they won't get charred aka amazing.

Add the sausage and stir everything up then let it sit (covered)* for about 3 minutes or until the sausage is charred. Everything is cooked when the brussels sprouts are soft and the sausage is hot throughout.

Remove from heat, add oregano, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.  If not serving immediately then remove to paper towel lined plate so its not sitting in any leftover oil. 

*If it looks like the  brussels sprouts are cooking too fast then leave uncovered.

Vegetable-Beef Soup

This soup is too good for how easy and healthy it is.  The hardest part of this recipe is the grocery shopping.  It has a can of V-8 juice which is basically tomato juice but it doesn't sit with the canned tomatoes, it sits with the fruit juices.  Grab a 6 pack of it because its cheaper and you will make this soup again. Pearled barley was a heck of a search because I had no idea what it is.  I eventually found it in the rice section. There. The hard part is done.

I don't have a picture of the soup. You hate me. I get it. It looks like soup- the brothy kind not the creamy kind.

Vegetable-Beef Soup

Adapted from Everyday Slow Cooker

Serves 4-6

• 1 pounds ground beef, browned and drained
• 16 ounce package of frozen mixed vegetables
• 11.5 ounce can of V-8 original
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup pearled barley (found in the rice section)
• 1 1/2 ounce package of onion soup mix
• 3 cubes beef bouillon

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 hours. Bam. Serve.

BLT Pasta

This isn't your last minute, we have nothing else, and the kid will eat it pasta.  This is date night, must serve with wine, and brings the heat pasta.

Any dish involving bacon is good with Steven and any dish that requires me to open a bottle of wine is lovely to me.  There is only 1/4 of a cup of wine in the dish so there is a lot left in the bottle to sip on while you cook.

Its light for pasta dish and would be even better in the summer with home grown tomatoes. 

BLT Pasta

Adapted from Cuisine Magazine 

Serves 2

• dry fettuccine and/or spinach fettuccine
• 4 strips thick sliced bacon
• 1 cup french or whole wheat bread, cubed
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• salt to taste
• 1 cup leeks, sliced
• 1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 2 cups fresh spinach

Begin boiling a large pot of salted water; cook the pasta while the sauce is being made.

Saute bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, then place on a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. When cool, chop bacon into 1 inch long pieces. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from skillet. (Can be done ahead of time)

Toast the bread cubes and garlic in the bacon fat over medium heat until golden (around four minutes) and season with salt. Remove from pan to paper towel-lined plate and set aside. (Can be done ahead of time). Wipe skillet and return to burner.

Saute leeks in 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat until soften (about 2 minutes). Add tomatoes and pepper flakes and cook until the tomatoes soften (about 3 minutes). Stir in wine, broth, and vinegar. Simmer until reduced by 1/3 (about 4 minutes). Add spinach and cooked bacon stirring until the spinach is wilted. 

Divide pasta between 2 bowls, spoon sauce on top, and sprinkle with toasted bread cubes. 

Next time: I need to use homegrown tomatoes and cook the bread crumbs on higher heat with less oil so they get more crisp. Make extra bacon and pasta for HW.

Sausage, Red Beans, and Rice

This is Steven's fav to eat and my fav to make.  Anything in a crockpot that taste like it came out of the restaurant is my favorite to make and anything that tastes even better leftover that Steven can take to work is his favorite to eat.

It has a lot of ingredients but it is not hard to make or even that many steps. The trickiest part is to remember to soak your beans overnight.  We usually eat this three days after I planned to make it because its hard to remember the beans.

Sausage, Red Beans, and Rice

Adapted from Everyday Slow Cooker

Serves 6-8

Time: Overnight!!

• 16 ounce package of dried red beans
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds smoked sausage, sliced 
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 5 cups water
• 3/4 cups fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• hot cooked rice
• green onions chopped (optional garnish)

Cover beans with water and let sit overnight. Drain and rinse beans and place in slow cooker.

Saute sausage and onion over medium heat until the sausage is browned and the onion is tender.

Stir sausage mixture, water, parsley, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, and garlic in with the beans. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 hours.

Mash beans with a potato masher until desired consistency. Serve on top of white rice.  Store leftovers separate from the rice, the leftovers are even better.

Update 6/28/2017 - the cooked sausage and beans (after slow cooker, before rice) can be frozen, reheated and served with fresh hot rice.

Banh Mi Sandwiches

Oh mah gawd.  This sandwich was so amazing.  I can not beleive how well it turned out. But being the pessemiss that I am...now I can't just buy the three buck sandwich from our local Pho place. Because mine is so. much. better. 

Overly marinated pork tenderloin is grilled in thin cuts to get crispy.

Vegetables are pickled for the crunch and twang.

Spice is added in sriracha mayonnaise.

Ahhh its almost done!

Load everything up on crispy french bread add some cilantro, jalapeno, and cucumber.

 yessssss.

Banh Mi Sandwiches
Adapted from Shutterbean
Makes 4 sandwiches (half baguette each)

Pork marinade:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 inch ginger, peeled and sliced super thin
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced super thin or minced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2 inch slices

Pickled vegetables:

• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 julienned carrots
• 1 julienned daikon (looks like a potato, tastes like a bland radish)

Sandwich:

• 2 french baguettes
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon sriracha (add more for spice)
• 1 Cucumber julienned
• Cilantro
• 1 jalapeno thinly sliced

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the sliced pork tenderloin and let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour. 

While the meat in marinading, pickle the vegetables. Bring the first 4 ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the vegetables and remove from heat until room temperature.

Preheat grill to high heat. Grill the pork for about 2 minutes on each side until the meat is 140 degrees F.  Remove from pan and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before cutting in thin slices.

Halve the baguette lengthwise and use the broiler to toast.

Combine mayonnaise and sriracha in a small bowl and spread across toasted baguettes. Top with pork, cilantro, cucumbers, jalapeno, and pickled vegetables. Close sandwich and open mouth.

Next time:

I want to try it topped with a fried egg over easy.