52 New Recipes, Week 3 | Thai Beef Salad
In 2017, I'm trying 52 new recipes; one per week. At least, that's what I'm hoping to do!
This Week's Recipe
I know I said I was going to try a brothy soup recipe, but I ended up making a broth-based soup on Monday, and I only want so many of those kinds of soups in a single week!
So, I poked thru my ATK Quick Family Cookbook again and came across a Thai Beef Salad. I'd looked at it before, but hesitated because, oh, there's that flank steak again.
But last week, a reader had suggested looking for flank steak at Costco. So I did, and it is $3 a pound cheaper there than at the grocery store. Sweet.
I still don't think I'm going to use flank steak every night (!), but it's affordable enough at Costco for me to buy it every now and again.
Anyhoo.
This was pretty quick and easy, and enough of us liked it for this recipe to go into rotation around here. Woohoo!
I used more cucumber than the recipe called for, and I'd probably add even more next time (and use fewer onions because so many of my kids don't like raw onion). I also think I'd add more mint and cilantro because those two herbs really give the salad a unique flavor and I always feel like Thai salads could use more in every bite.
But otherwise, a thumbs up from me. And I think this will be especially good in the summertime, when cold foods are very appealing.
Next Week's Recipe
Continuing the Thai theme, I think I'm going to try this soup recipe, which is also from my ATK Quick Cookbook.
I will probably try some recipes from other sources at some point this year (!), but I'm finding that the quick aspect of these recipes is making it easy for me to tackle a new one each week.
Your Recipe!
What new dish did you make this week? Was it a keeper?
And what are you planning to make next week?
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Two new recipes for me this past week - pizza bagels (using your recipe Kristen) but they turned out soggy - maybe because they were gluten-free bagels or the little "helper" I had used a liberal hand with the tomato sauce (rather than the thin layer that you recommend). They were okay, but maybe I'll toast them first the next time before assembly. And I made gluten free raisin cinnamon bread (from the ATK cookbook). I really liked it but my eldest (who has celiac disease and is the reason we're a GF household) said that it wasn't bad but that she still prefers her slightly-better-than-cardboard store-bought GF bread. *sigh*
I tried to make beef short ribs in the Instant Pot again, and it was a dismal failure AGAIN. The meat was less shoe leather-y than the last time, but instead of sauce, I wound up with the meat sitting in a pot full of pond water.
I was able to rescue it by draining it and adding seasoning separately, but I think beef short ribs are too pricey for me to keep experimenting with them in the IP. I like the IP for other things, but I think it's back to the Dutch oven for me and beef short ribs.
You prolly already know this but just in case..I always use natural release with meat in the IP. I have not had any tough meat issues with it yet but I can say don't steam cauliflower for 4 minutes. Can you say mush? Turned it into cauliflower cheese soup!
Oh I am drooling over that soup recipe pictured! My next door neighbor is half Thai, and her mom (whole Thai, lol) comes over to cook for them for holidays. Afterwards, she always gives me the leftovers because her mom cooks so much! Chicken Panang, coconut milk pudding, that soup with coconut milk, sweet mango rice - oh my, it's so amazing. I'm going to miss that when I move. 🙂
It has been a while since we made Thai beef salad. I think the last time we did we overdid it on the fish sauce. It looks like from this recipe that our version probably did not have a typo, it just calls for a lot. We've been kind of done with fish sauce ever since.
I've decided that I need to treat fish sauce the way I treat vinegar. Usually when recipes call for vinegar, I use only a third of what's called for because we don't really like something too pungent. And I think fish sauce is the same way...it's good, but only when in smaller quantities.
Ah, yes, what I need to do -- am afraid of fish sauce so baby steps, er, strokes. . .
Whatever you do, don't sniff the bottle when you open it. You will be so grossed out, you'll lose all of your nerve.
Yay!! I suggested you try Costco for flank steak-someone else may have as well-and I'm so glad it worked for you! We love it marinated in plain old Italian dressing and then grilled! Yum!
Thank you for the recommendation!
I'm thinking I might try this chowder recipe I saw on Pinterest next. Sounds good in the middle of a long winter...
http://theblondcook.com/bacon-shrimp-corn-chowder/
I made a crock pot chili with brisket yesterday - took a recipe and made it my own. I was going for the same kind of brisket chili they serve at Pok-e-Jo's in Austin. It was soooo good. I'm sure the leftovers will be even better today! I would love to try Thai food - maybe I'll get brave and spring something different on my peeps!
You've inspired me to pull out my ATK Quick Family meals cookbook! This week I tried the chicken quesadilla pie. It was all right. My husband and I liked it pretty well, and two of the kids did, but not the other two. There's a little biscuit-y topping you put on top that I think was a bit too much for all of us. If I made it again, I'd skip that and just top the chicken filling with the cheese, leaving out the biscuit part.
This week I want to try their baby carrot and goat cheese soup. My husband and I love goat cheese and we get it whenever we see it at Aldi, but I'm always at a bit of a loss for how to use it, and that sounded really good.
My girls (almost 2 and 6) love goat cheese with crackers (or just plain) - I will have to look this recipe up. I would love to find a new way to use it. Thanks for the suggestion.
We tried to Korean beef recipe I found on Pinterest. Hubby agreed that it was tasty enough to add to the rotation.
A person can only eat so much soup in a week. I unfortunately made most of my freezer meals soups, and I'm getting a little tired of them. It's time to shake things up a bit, especially with our on-hand meals.
It's funny because I always thought flank steak was a cheaper cut of meat, but it's really not! I almost bought some to use in pho and went with a different meat just to save a few bucks. It's also typically cheaper if you can slice the beef yourself instead of buying presliced.
Was the flank steak chewy at all? It's tough for me to eat salads with meat sometimes since the meat gets a little stringy. But it looks tasty!
We tried our new dish of the week last night. I've been so tired lately so I made it a Fancy Sandwich Night--we made Southwest Chicken Club Sandwiches. It was white meat chicken we barbecued a few weeks ago, Jack cheese, homemade chipotle mayo (thanks for the inspiration!), lettuce, bacon, and avocado. At first we thought it was "Meh," but as we ate it, we quickly realized it was AWESOME. I'm having it for lunch today and honestly I'm so excited to eat it again. And that's how you know it's good. 🙂 The great part was that the sandwiches used ingredients we had on hand so they were also super cheap.
I followed the processes from two ATK recipes this week: one for arroz con pollo (using turkey legs from the freezer) in the International book, and one for oven spareribs in the American book.
The arroz con "turkey" was good, but I could have done better and would definitely like to try the recipe as it is written. I was just hunting for a method to use leftover frozen meat. 🙂
The spareribs were devoured by my husband. He LOVED them. He found some ribs on sale while we were on a date at a new grocery store (LOL), so I followed the method using some dry spice mixes we had from Penzey's and some Rufus Teague "touch of heat" bottled bbq sauce. The method produced the tenderest, most delicious ribs I have ever had. Highly recommend.
I was on a roll and also made two new cakes from ATK books: yellow cake, which became "funfetti", and its cooked buttercream from the American book; and honey cake from the 2017 Best Of book. One went to each of our respective workplaces and were happily devoured by coworkers.
I have 3 new recipes this week. First up was this one which I had high hope for but was flavorless:
http://www.recipesthatcrock.com/crock-pot-pepper-steak/
Next up was this one because I had a jar of pesto from Costco that needed using. I didn't make it exactly as written as I subbed spinach for brocolli and red peppers for cherry tomatoes. I also cooked the pasta separately and added it to the chicken/sauce/veggies and eliminated the chicken broth. Definitely more "inspired by" this recipe, but it was a winner though!
http://www.simplyscratch.com/2017/01/one-pan-chicken-pesto-pasta.html
Today, I have this in the crockpot. Again, I made some substitutions based on what I have on hand. I used poblanos instead of the dried chile peppers and added a can of diced green chiles and threw in the rest of the jar of sundried tomatoes that I used for the pesto pasta. I also didn't use as much chipotle peppers because 2-3 is too hot for my kids so I used one instead. I will report back on how it is after we eat it.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/slow-cooker-pork-tacos-recipe.html?soc=sharingpinterest
My husband found a recipe using ground lamb, orzo, diced tomatoes, black olives, a touch of cinnamon, and some other spices. I was a bit dubious but it actually was quite tasty.
Oooh, sounds Greek! Yum!
We're trying another one of those meal delivery services at our house this week: Home Chef. Last night I made a Asian lettuce wrap recipe with ground turkey. It was soooo easy. Like "Taco Night" easy. I think it's going to be added to our rotation for sure.
Also, it was the first time I've made anything with water chestnuts. They don't need prep work, they're crunchy and they're tasty. Who knew?
I used a curry rub on a whole chicken (that I then cooked in the crockpot). The rub was amazing, and the juice in the bottom of the crockpot was delicious...but I may or may not have over-cooked the chicken. When the thigh meat is dry in a crockpot, it's a little too done, you know? 😉
Anyway, I saved the spice rub recipe to use for future dishes. Success!
I have acid reflux and can't eat tomato sauce and I miss most Italian dishes because if it. I found a way to make a tomato-less sauce for baked ziti that tasted the same without the acid. It's a keeper! We also made pork tacos with refried black beans. The beans were from a can, but we made the pork and guacamole ourselves. Another keeper.
I tried to make labneh using a recipe from Cooking Light magazine. It was a complete disaster and never thickened up at all. I did some research online. All of the other recipes call for adding salt at the beginning. Has anyone made labneh? I wonder if using homemade yogurt was a problem.
I did a quinoa 'risotto' recipe which used cooked quinoa, curry spices, coconut milk, spinach, onions and eggs, all cooked under the broiler. It bore zero resemblance to a risotto, but it was tasty. I'll probably hack the method and switch up the ingredients in future.
I haven't tried a new recipe yet this week, and may not get a chance, but I want to do one if I can. I bought some garlic goat cheese this past weekend from the farmer, and I wanted to use some of it the way I did a couple of times before -- mixing it with mashed potatoes, beaten egg, a little milk and butter, sautéed onions and chopped fresh garlic chives, then baking it with some other cheese shredded on top, like gruyere or cheddar -- cheese overload, maybe, but my husband loved it. But, even though it was a new one when I first did it, created out of necessity by me to use up leftovers, it's not new now....
So now to look for a recipe that I might be able to try with what I have on hand......
My new dish this week was Buddha Bowls:
http://www.delish.com/cooking/menus/recipes/a50768/buddha-bowls-recipe/
They were phenomenal! Very flavorful and very easy. Due to dietary restrictions, I served it over roasted cauliflower instead of rice. (I've tried making cauliflower "rice" in the past but always messed it up and it was too much work for a mushy mess. A friend suggested chopping the head into florets, roasting it on a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and salt, then rough chopping it smaller when it's done. So much easier, more flavorful, and less cleanup. I like it!)
My husband is happy to try new things, but a dish like this isn't always something he likes, so I was very pleased this went over so well. My avocados were bad (discount grocery store purchase we tried when in the area -- the avocados remained rock hard for weeks and when I finally decided they were slightly softer rocks, they had spoiled inside), but our regular store has them on sale periodically when they need to clear them out, so I will make this again then so I can try it with avocados. Roasting the sesame seeds is a nice touch, and takes so little time. I don't recommend skipping that step. I think turning it into a big salad and without a rice base would also work.
That is so frustrating when avocados do that...you're like, wait, did I miss the five minutes when you were ripe but not rotten??
Right?! I'm not sure why those ones did that. Maybe that store's supplier is different and not as good. Occasionally that will happen to avocados I get from my regular store, but usually if those go bad it's because I neglected them. One of those sad times where saving a few bucks meant throwing them all away. 😛
I made chicken tortilla soup for the first time today. I loved it! I will be making some more next week and doubling the recipe!
I made one new recipe and one new twist on an old recipe. First up was honey garlic chicken in the crock pot:
http://diethood.com/crock-pot-honey-garlic-chicken/
I wasn't that impressed with the flavor. I had to leave out the parsley and sesame seeds for allergic reasons, so that could have been part of it, but I also wasn't wild about the texture of the meat.
But then I made potato kale soup with white beans and sausage. The thing is, I haven't made it since I started eating meat again, so I'd never used sausage in it before, and I didn't realize it was supposed to be Italian sausage, so I came home from the store with a smoked Polish Kielbasa. I figured I'd try it anyway, and it turned out DELICIOUS! I added a few cups of milk to the mix mostly because I had some that needed to be used up, and also some oregano which one recipe called for. Total YUM!
I cooked chicken in a crock-pot once and I hated the texture. It was soft, but more in the sense of being mushy rather than tender.
So, stove-top or oven it's been for me ever since!
I made two new recipes this week. A vegan pumpkin bread found here:
http://minimalistbaker.com/1-bowl-pumpkin-bread-v-gf/
and a simple vegan sandwich bread from the cookbook "Vegan on the cheap." I absolutely love ezekiel bread, ( but not the $3.99-$5.99 price!) so I am hoping this bread will do the trick.
Hi Kristen,
I finally made fish tacos! I have been wanting to try them for such a long time and they were an absolute winner. I made the tortillas the day before and just warmed them through just before serving. The fish is marinaded then baked in coconut cream and lime zest. Before you put the fish in the oven you top it with panko, shredded coconut and chilli, bake for 10 minutes. While the fish is baking you make a little salad of ribboned cucumber, coriander and mint. So the serve, top your warm tortilla with a slice of fish, top the the salad and then squeeze over some lime and drizzle over sweet chilli sauce, roll or fold up the tortilla and devour. They were so fresh and delish. The fish we used was caught by lovely hubby so it was a very ecomical meal. Yum!!
Oh that flank steak. The ATK cookbooks really like that one. I can't even find it half the time in my grocery store. In desperation (and frugality), I've been using round steak, and find it works just fine.
And the funny thing is, sometimes they say something like, "Flank steak is an affordable cut of meat." and I'm like, what? Compared to filet mignon, maybe!
CI also keeps calling for "boneless short ribs." I've come to believe they are sold only in Boston. Once I was even gently mocked for asking about them - "They're *ribs,* ya kno...?"
You can try skirt instead of flank; it's usually a bit cheaper.
Yesterday I made a multi-legume soup: https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/white-bean-chickpea-and-tomato-stew-pressure-cooker-version/15703/?utm_term=.e6ef5aaeec6f, using turkey stock instead of veggie and with a hunk of skin from home-made bacon - since I had those on hand, natch. Pretty good so far but needs jazzing up with tabasco and garlic.
I may try this recipe for shrimp patties, since my store had a pile of $1/1 coupons for shrimp. This makes me very excited: plain cooked shrimp is a quick, easy, healthy meal and I rarely see coupons for the good ones. https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/shrimp-patties-sesame-snow-peas/15695/?utm_term=.59f23b7b3a31
I'm also trying several recipes from CI's "Cook It in Cast Iron." So far I'm not impressed. Many of the recipes are just made-over from the magazines, or I wouldn't call recipes at all. Frex, hamburgers and sauteed onions are great, but really all it is is "slice onions thinly, put in pan, put burgers on top, cook till you like it" and you certainly don't need a cast iron pan to cook them.
I think it was the fish sauce that ruined last weeks curry dish for us. My recipe this week was broccoli cheddar soup which was delish.
I tried a new recipe this week taken from Allrecipes.com. I made pork tenderloin in the slow cooker, added dry onion soup mix, water, red wine, soy sauce, garlic, salt and black pepper. It had very good flavor and I will definitely make it again.