Homesick Texan

I grew up in Texas.  I love San Antonio and Austin but I absolutely hate the heat and humidity.  I have these very small travel windows to Texas - where I can tolerate the weather.  January through April and that's about it.  I am heading down to visit my Mom in August in a couple weeks - I just wish her birthday was in my window but it's not.  Texas food is amazing.  I stalk down old and new Tex-Mex restaurants and cannot wait till I get there because I go into a feeding frenzy.  A friend of mine, Jerry, recommended this new blog www.homesicktexan.com and it has some of my favorite recipes and great restaurant recommendations.  Check it out.

Thai Chopped Salad with Tofu

Tim and I decided that enough was enough and that we either s.... or get off the pot with this eating healthy thing.  So, we dived into the tofu world.  Neither one of us are fond of Tofu but I do have to say this was the most delicious salad I have ever had.  Tons of flavor and we felt like we had eaten nothing - it was so good.  We might open up a Spirit Chaser store next!

Thai Chopped Salad with Tofu

1 (16-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained

1/4 cup low-sodium tamari

2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional oil for broiling

2 tablespoons roasted red chili paste

2 teaspoons natural cane sugar

2 heaping cups small okra, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

2 cups sliced green or purple snap beans

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

2 cups cubed cucumber

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

2 small heads Little Gem or butter lettuce, rinsed and torn

Cilantro leaves and blossoms, for garnish

1 small Thai red chile, seeded and thinly sliced, for garnish

Lime Dressing

Juice of 2 limes, plus zest of 1 lime

3 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

To prepare the tofu, place the tofu on a plate and weight it with another heavy plate on top. Set aside to press for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the marinade, in a medium bowl, whisk together the tamari, brown rice vinegar, olive oil, red chili paste, and sugar until smooth. When the tofu is ready, dry it with a paper towel and cut into 1-inch cubes. Add to the bowl with the marinade and toss gently to coat. Cover, chill, and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Preheat the broiler. Arrange the tofu in a single layer on a lightly oiled, small baking sheet, discarding the marinade. Broil about 6 inches from the flame for 15 to 18 minutes, turning every 3 minutes or so, until deeply browned. Set aside.

While the tofu broils, make the dressing. Whisk together the lime juice and zest, fish sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes until the brown sugar has dissolved.

To prepare the salad, combine the okra, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, mint leaves, and basil. Toss with about two-thirds of the dressing, serving the remaining dressing on the side or reserving for another use. (Use it with any simple salad for bright flavor.) Serve atop a bed of lettuce, topped with the tofu and garnished with fresh cilantro leaves and flowers and sliced Thai red chile. 

Worcestershire and Lemon Marinade

Tim and I were cleaning out our freezer and we had this one last flank steak to use.  We are planning to go vegetarian for awhile and try and lose weight so this was a last hurrah!  We are always looking for new marinades to try and this was absolutely light and delicious.  Really loved it.

1 onion
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Grated zest of lemon
Coarse salt

Mix ingredients into bowl and whisk to combine.  Pour marinade over steaks and cover with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature 40 minutes, turning steaks once.

Save some onions and grill them about 1 minute on each side and serve with steaks.

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Blue Moon

For the first time in my life - I have a job that gives me half day Fridays for the summer! Woo-hoo!  It's a NY tradition - but I have always worked for companies that have corporate offices elsewhere and don't understand half day Fridays or don't care.  Tim and I took off after a frantic morning and for the first time in years - after errands, after Lowes, after Liquor store most importantly and landed in Bovina with daylight and an evening ahead of us.  We had cocktails and watched a movie on the porch on a laptop and then got to watch the most beautiful full moon come up over the mountain ridge across from our house.  I love special moments like this living here because it justifies every exhausting moment otherwise.  Every long Metro North train ride, every long exhausting mowing day, every mouse I have to clean out of the basement - it's so beautiful here and we love it.  Tonight was gorgeous.

July 4th Weekend

Nice, relaxing weekend.  Lot of pics.  Beautiful bracken fern along the driveway, amazing weather, lots of flowers blooming, great food, and one of the most beautiful weekends ever.