Looking for spice...in steak tacos with cucumber-avocado salsa

Ladies and gentleman, I attempted a romantic gesture. That's right, I can be romantical.

He'd had a rough day at work, and what better way to feel better than football and red meat? Football is totally lost on me (I just cheer when they cheer.) However, the red meat part was easy for me: steak tacos with cucumber-avocado salsa. He's a foodie and loves lots of flavor and spice, so I knew the steak would have to carry some serious kick...and it did. Combined with the creaminess of the avocado and the crunchiness of the cucumber, I'd say this deserves a "best girlfriend of the...day" trophy.

For the cucumber-avocado salsa:

2 cups English cucumber, seeded & diced

2 firm, ripe avocados, peeled, pitted & diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup cilantro

3 jalepeno peppers, seeded & finely chopped

salt to taste

Combine all of the above listed ingredients in a mixing bowl and gently combine to mix. Serve within an hour of preparing. 

For the steak tacos:

1-1/4 lb. top sirloin steak

1 Tbs. chili powder

2 Tsp. minced fresh garlic

1/4 Tsp. cinnamon 

1/4 Tsp. salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

12 6-in. diameter corn tortillas

3 cups shredded red cabbage

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

1 lime cut into wedges

In a small bowl, stir together chili powder, cinnamon, salt, garlic and cayenne.

Rub the spice mixture into both sides of the steak. And in the meantime, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and allow to preheat over medium-high heat 

Grill the steak for five minutes per side, turning once, for medium-rare. My boyfriend practically likes his steak still mooing so this was perfect for him. I, however, like my steak medium-well, so my steak took a bit longer than his. Remove from the skillet and let the steak sit for at least five minutes before carving into thin slices.

Moo.

Since I was using a gas stove, I had the luxury of toasting the corn tortillas directly on the fire. If you're using a grill, you can do the same by putting the tortillas on the grill. If you're using an electric stove, just place corn tortillas on a nonstick skillet and allow the tortillas to toast that way. Have the steak prepared by the time you are toasting your tortillas, so that they can be served while hot. Toss some red cabbage on the tortilla, then top with steak and salsa. I plated with a wedge of lime, and some cilantro on top. 

To be honest, I actually ended up liking my boyfriends tacos better than mine. Turns out sirloin is a bit chewy when grilled for too long. Although his were far more rare than I'd prefer, they actually ended up tasting way better and the meat was more delicate. The flavors were phenomenal, and the salsa really cut down the spiciness of the steak. I made a quick side dish by throwing snap peas, a bit of sesame oil, panko bread crumbs and salt into a wok and tossing it around for a few minutes. Quick, healthy, crunchy and delicious!

Until my next adventure...

xx,

ronit

looking for spice...in spicy peanut sesame noodles with chicken

A year after my roommates and I moved into our place, one of my roommates decided it was time to pack up and move out to live the suburban dream. After months of making fun of our little suburbanite, we quickly realized we'd need a replacement ASAP! After weeks of searching, we interviewed a quirky optometrist with a killer smile. And by interview I mean meet up at a diner in Jersey and ask all sorts of inappropriate questions. Yes, it's important that I know just how many chicks my new roommate will be bringing home per week, and if he can change a lightbulb. For the record, I've been blessed with two incredible roommates who have become my best friends, supporters, sous chefs, cleaner-uppers and co-parents to my amazing dog. Any way, Brandon (the killer smile kid) is a pescetarian. What's that mean, you ask? Well, he's vegetarian with the exception of fish. Not only is he pescetarian, but he's also lactose intolerant (lactarded, as he puts it.) This new cooking venture of mine took a turn for the interesting, when I realized I wanted ALL of my friends to try out my dishes and Brandon couldn't try most. I began researching to find interesting dishes that we could all enjoy. What'd I come up with? Spicy peanut sesame noodles........with chicken on the side (for the carnivores. and by carnivores I mean me.)

Now let me just say this dish should really be a staple recipe in everyones kitchen. People will love it! Unless you're allergic to peanuts, in which case...sorry, bro. 

What you'll need:

1 box of linguine 

1 large boneless chicken breast (carnivores)

1 Tbs. sesame oil

2 Tsp. chili oil

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 Tbs. soy sauce

2 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1/4 cup peanut or canola oil

3 Tbs. water

2 Tbs. minced garlic

3 scallions, chopped (about a cup) 

If you're using chicken in this dish, bring it to a boil in a large pot of water over high heat. When the water boils and the chicken is fully cooked, let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then remove from the water. In another pot, bring a box of linguine to a boil. Once it's thoroughly cooked, drain and rinse the pasta in cold water until cool. Throw the pasta back in the pot and add 1 Tsp. of sesame oil. 

In the meantime, add all of the ingredients except for the scallions in a mixing bowl. If the sauce is too thick, feel free to add more water to create a consistency that's perfect for you. 

As you can see in the above picture, once I mixed the ingredients together and gave it a taste, I realized it could use some more heat so I added another Tsp. of chili oil. Yes, this is what I see when I'm cooking (no, not the smiley face in my bowl. although how awesome is that!? not done on purpose!) Lucy, my kind of useless sous chef. 

Once you've tasted your sauce (don't worry if it tastes too salty, it'll balance out with the pasta) and found it to be absolute yummy perfection, go ahead and put it into your pot of pasta. 

Going back to the chicken, shred it and mix it into the pasta. 

Once you've done that, throw in the scallions and garlic.

Toss to combine and plate this baby, garnishing it with sesame seeds. Brandon ended up loving the dish and I've already packed some away for him to take to work tomorrow. We're cute, I know. I actually ended up doubling the recipe for the sauce, as I thought it was too dry at first. Once I added more sauce to the pasta, it came out to the perfect creamy consistency and was so, so good! 

Lucy won with this dish too, as I had leftover shredded chicken and not much to do with it. Now, as I look over at my sleepy dog and full-tummied roommate; I have to worry about the exceptionally evil looking pile of dishes in the sink waiting for me. 

Until my next adventure...

xx,

ronit