Spicy Quinoa, Cucumber and Tomato Salad

This refreshing summer salad can sit in the refrigerator for a few hours without deteriorating, so it makes a great choice for bringing to work or to a summer picnic.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

Salt to taste
2 cups diced cucumber
1 small red onion, finely minced
2 cups finely diced tomatoes
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 avocado, diced

Directions:
1. Add the 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring the water and quinoa to boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and translucent; each grain should have a little thread.
2. Combine the tomatoes, chiles, cilantro, vinegar, lime juice and olive oil in a bowl. Add the avocado cucumber and onion, season to taste with salt, and add the quinoa and cilantro. Toss together, and taste and adjust seasonings.

Vietnamese BBQ Beef Vermicelli

This dish takes some work to prep but taste so refreshing on a hot summer night. I often make a large batch of the Fish Sauce Dip (Nuoc Cham) and store it in the fridge for making this dish a few times a week in the summer time. You can substitute the meat with firm tofu. This is such a healthy dish with lots of fresh veggies.

Ingredients:
1 lb beef sirloin flank steak sliced into thin strips
1/2 lb shrimp
1 package of fish ball
12 bamboo skewers
1 tablespoon oil, for brushing
7 oz rice vermicelli noodle (cooked as package direction)
1/2 head lettuce, leaves washed and separated
1 medium cucumber cut into matchsticks
1 small carrot cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup basil
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts

Marinade:
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic
2 stalks lemongrass, thick bottom part only, outer layers discarded, inner part sliced
1 teaspoon slat
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce

Fish Sauce Dip (Nuoc Cham):
2 finger-length chilies, deseeded and sliced
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar

Directions:
1. Make the marinade first by grinding the onion, garlic and lemongress to a smooth paste in a blender. Add salt, black pepper and fish sauce into mix until well blended. Transfer the marinade to a large bowl, place the beef in the marinade and mix until well coated. Allow to marinate for 1 hour.
2. Prepare the Fish Sauce Dip by grind the chilies and garlic to a coarse paste in a blender, then combine with lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, salt, water and sugar. Mix until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Thread the marinated beef strips onto the bamboo skewers and brush with a little oil, then grill it with the shrimp and fish ball.
4. To serve, place the rice vermicelli into the individual serving bowls and top with the grilled beef, shrimps, fish balls, lettuce leaves, cucumber, cilantro, and carrot. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately with a bowl of Fish Sauce Dip on the side.

Sesame Chicken Salad

This a great recipe from Real Simple Meals Made Easy. Such a simple but super tasty salad. I didn't use a whole rotisserie chicken in my salad. I used frozen grilled chicken breast from Costco.

Ingredients:
1 carrot, peeled
1 5-ounce bags baby spinach
1 small red onion, sliced into thin circles
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
boneless, skinless meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions:
1.Using a vegetable peeler, shave the carrots into long, thin ribbons.
2.In a large bowl, combine the carrots, spinach, onion, sesame seeds, and chicken.
3.In a separate bowl, whisk together the ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and oil. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss, and serve.

Acapulco-Style Shrimp Cocktail

This recipe was from Rick Bayless' website. This is my first time trying out his recipes and it turned out great! I brought this to my friend Erin's Mexican tamale pot luck dinner. Thanks for having us over Erin!

Ingredients:
1 pound cooked shrimp
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons hot sauce (Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 small white onion, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 ripe avocado

Directions:
1. Place the shrimp in a large bowl and add the lime juice. Measure in the ketchup, hot sauce, Worcestershire, onion and cilantro. Mix well.
2. Cut the avocado in half, running a knife around the pit from stem to blossom end and back again. Twist the two sides apart and scoop out the pit. Scoop each half out onto your cutting board, cut gently into small cubes, then scoop the avocado on top of the shrimp mixture. Carefully fold in the avocado, then divide the mixture between 4 to 6 serving dishes (martini glasses make a dressy presentation). Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and prepare for a taste of beach-side dining.

Roast Chicken With Olives, Garlic, and Thyme

I found this recipe from Real Simple Meals Made Easy. This is a great one-pot meal. It requires just a single pan and hardly any clean up. I love the flavor of the olives and thyme. One great thing about this dish is roasting the chicken in pieces, as opposed to an entire chicken, takes slightly less time and hassle of carving.

Ingredients:
1 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon honey
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon, slivered
1 cup pitted olives
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 small bunch fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

Directions:
1.  Rinse the chicken pieces under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a baking dish large enough to hold the pieces in a single layer.
2.  In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice with the lemon zest, honey, shallot, olives, garlic, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Pour the mixture over the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour or overnight.
3.  Heat oven to 425° F. Season the chicken with the pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Roast until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375° F. Continue to roast until the chicken is cooked through, about 60 minutes more.
4.  Spoon the olives and pan juices over the chicken and serve.

Berries and Coconut Cream

This is the perfect summer dessert. Just add a few simple ingredients and the berries taste even more amazing.

Ingredients:
2 pounds mixed berries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup cream of coconut

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, gently toss the berries, sugar, and lime juice.
2. With an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream and cream of coconut until soft peaks form. Serve with the berries.

Soy-Glazed Fish With Sautéed Summer Squash

Sizzling summer in finally here! Here is another RealSimple recipe that's great for hot summer nights. It only takes 15 minutes to make and it taste amazing. You can use any white fish for this recipe. I used halibut cheek this time.

Ingredients:
2 tablespooons brown sugar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
4 6-ounce pieces white fish fillet (such as cod or halibut)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds small zucchini and summer squash (about 4 total), thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Directions:
1.Heat broiler. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, and ginger; set aside.
2.Place the fish on a foil-lined broilerproof rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the oil and season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Broil until the fish is opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes, basting with the soy mixture twice during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
3.Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, squash, crushed red pepper, if using, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, tossing frequently, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes; fold in the mint. Serve with the fish.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Summer finally arrived on July 5th this year. I was a little worried this will be a cold and rainy summer. Seattle is heating up! We might hit the 90s this week. I found this recipe on FoodNet.com. This is the perfect dish for a hot summer night. The lettuce wraps are light and healthy.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 lb thin cut chicken breast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Coarse salt and coarse black pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch ginger root, finely chopped or grated
1 orange, zested
1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
3 scallions, chopped
3 tablespoons hoisin, Chinese barbecue sauce, available on Asian foods aisle of market
1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered
Wedges of navel orange -- platter garnish

Directions:
1. Remove tough stems from mushrooms and brush with damp towel to clean, Slice mushrooms. Chop chicken into small pieces.
2. Preheat a large skillet or wok to high. Add oil to hot pan. Add chicken to the pan and sear meat by stir frying 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another minute. Add salt and pepper to season, then garlic and ginger. Cook a minute more. Grate zest into pan, add bell pepper bits, chopped water chestnuts and scallions. Cook another minute, continuing to stir fry mixture. Add hoisin Chinese barbecue sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly. Transfer the hot chopped barbecued chicken to serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce along side. Add wedged oranges to platter to garnish. To eat, pile spoonfuls into lettuce leaves, wrapping lettuce around fillings and squeeze an orange wedge over.