Salad

I’m on this HUGE salad kick right now and came across Gwyneth Paltrow’s recipe for a summer salad (via goop.com).

I know, Gwyneth Paltrow, who would’ve thought, right? DUDE, SHE KNOWS WHAT SHE’S TALKING ABOUT!

I followed her recipe for the dressing but the salad ingredients are my own blend:

(btw, everything was fresh–none of that bagged stuff!)

• Romaine lettuce, chopped
• Carrot shavings
• Grape tomatoes
• Slivered red onions
• Cucumber wedges
• Sliced peppericini
• Sliced sundried tomatoes

Dressing  Recipe (I modified Gwyneth’s recipe a bit):

• Minced garlic
• Thinly sliced shallots
• Dijon mustard
• Maple syrup
• Apple cider vinegar
• Balsamic vinegar
• EVOO

SO DELICIOUS. I’ve made this dressing 2x already. I should make a huge batch and bottle it. It’s so good! And cheap! You should already have all the dressing ingredients in your kitchen.

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Thai Green Curry

Thai green curry is perhaps one of the easiest SE Asian dishes to put together, especially if you have ready-made curry paste. I use the Mae Ploy curry paste, which you can find at your nearest Asian market. They sell it at Whole Foods, too, but I’m not sure if it’s the same brand.

Another good tip — PREPARATION. This dish is basically a stew so make sure everything you need is chopped and ready to go.

• Slivered onions
• Minced garlic
• Rinsed baby bok choy (I prefer mine separated but you can keep them in bunches if you prefer)
• Canned sliced bamboo shoots
• Marinated sliced chicken (sesame oil, soy sauce, garic salt, fresh minced garlic and some scallions)
• Sliced scallions

Start off by sauteeing the garlic and onions in sesame oil. Once the onions turn clear, add about a teaspoon or 2 of curry paste to cook. Throw in a can of coconut milk and about 1 to 1.5 cups of water. Add the chicken bamboo shoots and the bok choy. I’d actually add some fresh basil but I didn’t have any =\

Let everything simmer for about 20 minutes. If the broth is too spicy, add some lemon juice to neutralize the flavor. Some people also add some sugar and fish sauce; I added a teaspoon of dark brown sugar but had no fish sauce. My friend Russell actually adds fresh tomato slices in lieu of the sugar.. that works out pretty well.

You can also add different types of meat to this dish; it’s not limited to chicken. Or you can make it vegetarian!

Serve over rice!

$ breakdown:

• Green curry paste – ~$3-5, depending where you get it
• Can of coconut milk – $1 – $3 (mine was $3 because I bought it from frickin Whole Foods because I was impatient)
• Can of bamboo shoots – ~$1
• A bundle of baby bok choy – $2 from Chinatown

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