Chomp Zone

I love bahn mi’s. The pickled carrot. The pork. The cilantro. The spicy mayo. Inspired by a bunch of cilantro I bought yesterday (and already starting to wilt!), I decided to try the bahn mi route. Here’s what you’ll need -

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 sugar
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1/3 cup grated radishes
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp cilantro
• 1/3 cup julienne cucumber
• 2 tbsp mayo
• 1/2 tsp Srichacha sauce
• 2 flaky buns (or gluten free, unflaky buns for me)

In a small pan, combine the water, vinegar, sugar. Heat on medium until the sugar dissolves and the liquid boils. Remove from the heat and pour into a glass jar. Let cool, then add the grated carrots and radishes. Store in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Can be made overnight.

In a bowl, combine the pork, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

In a medium fry pan, heat the olive oil. Add the pork mixture and chop up to ensure that all of the pieces brown. Meanwhile, combine the mayo and Srichacha sauce. Continue to stir the pork until cooked all the way through (about 10 minutes).

Spread the mayo on a bun. Add cucumbers, carrots and radishes on top. Add pork on top. Sprinkle with cilantro.

(Doesn’t James’ look good?! Mmm.)

Day one of being back to gluten free and I would say it’s been a success thus far. I had a burst of creative energy in the kitchen (something that vanished over the holiday season) and spent hours concocting recipes - gluten free crescent cookies (yum), gluten free bread, gluten free ice cream. You name it.

Tonight we went back to the basics - stir fry. I made a lot of stir fries back in the day, although most were bland tasting because I had not discovered spices yet. Unable to nosh on soy sauce, I couldn’t rely on my go to Szechuan sauce. It could have been tragic. But thanks to many gluten free bloggers and Epicurious I was inspired to make a peanut based sauce. Here’s what you’ll need -

• 6 - 8 tbsp dry roasted peanuts
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 cup Knorr vegetable bouillon
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp lime juice (or one whole lime, juiced)
• 1 clove of garlic

In a food processor, blend peanuts until a coarse meal forms. Add the sesame oil and pulse until smooth. It should look something like this:

Add the remaining ingredients and continue to pulse until smooth. If you prefer more spice, add more red pepper flakes. If the sauce isn’t thick enough for you, add more peanuts (you can do this after the fact, just make sure to blend well). Makes about 2 cups.

For the stir fry you will need -

• 3/4 lb of shrimp, deveined and shelled
• 1/2 cup Knorr vegetable bouillon
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 medium orange pepper, sliced
• 1 small zucchini, chopped into 1/4 - 1/2” pieces
• handful of sugar snap peas

In a large pan, boil the vegetable broth and sesame oil. Add the shrimp and cook until pink (about 3 - 4 minutes). Turn in the middle of cooking. Add the vegetables and cover. Stir occasionally and cook for another 5 - 6 minutes until vegetables are soft and heated through. Remove from heat and strain any liquid left in the pan. Add 1 cup of the peanut sauce as prepared above. Heat for an additional minute.

Serve on top of rice. Sprinkle with crushed peanuts, toasted sesame seeds and cilantro.

Boston is still hot. Even with AC, I don’t particularly want to turn the stove on. So I decided to try out a cold soup recipe tonight - Avocado and Lime.

Here’s what you’ll need -

• 2 ripe avocados
• 2/3 cup diced red onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp canned chile
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 1/2 cups plain non fat yogurt
• 1/4 fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice

In a food processor, puree the avocado, onion, garlic, chile, salt and cumin. Add in non fat yogurt and cilantro and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl and add about 1/3 cup cold water and lime juice. Mixed until combined. Serve with salsa and tortilla chips.