We heart larb, and we used to make larb gai all the time, but with Lisa being on a veggie kick lately, we introduced this version into the mix. Instead of chicken, I used a mix of various mushrooms we had on hand — shiitake, cremini, and good old white button. It was delicious! One thing to note is that after sauteeing the mushrooms you should try to get as much excess liquid out as you can — you’ll be adding more liquid via lime juice and fish sauce, and you don’t want to end up with a soupy mess. Also, I noticed this version warranted a greater fish sauce to lime juice ratio than when done with chicken.

How about we don’t talk about this one, and just eat it instead?

Chris says:

I’m *so* okay with that. Also, “om nom nom nom nom”.

Mushroom Larb
1 lb mixed mushrooms (shiitake, cremini, white, etc.), roughly chopped
1 tbsp roasted rice powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp chopped shallots
3 tbsp chopped mint leaves
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp garlic and red chile paste
cabbage leaves
cilantro

Spray a nonstick skillet with oil and heat to medium. Add in the chopped mushrooms and cook until they release their water and start to brown.
Remove from the heat and put in a strainer to drain excess liquid. Add the mushrooms to a large bowl and stir in the rice powder, cilantro, green onions, shallots, and mint leaves.
In a separate small bowl, mix together the fish sauce, lime juice, chile paste, and cayenne pepper. Taste for desired levels of spicy/salty/sour.
Add to bowl with mushrooms, stir, and adjust seasonings.
Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve with cabbage leaves to scoop.

I was looking for a dish that would go well with our Korean pancakes, and after a quick interwebs search I came across this dish at epicurious. Rather than the usual sirloin, this recipe uses salmon as the lucky recipient of a tasty, spicy marinade made with soy sauce, onions, ginger, sesame oil, and more. It’s served over a bed of baby bok choy and shiitake mushrooms. I only made slight modifications to the recipe — I doubled the marinade and upped the number of mushrooms. The sauce/glaze is deeelicious.

Yum, this is really good!

Chris says:

Yeah, I really like how the salmon is cooked.. super tender on the inside. And I think that’s the first time our oven’s been set at 500.

Lisa says:

Well mark it in the calendar.

Chris says:

… anyway … I loves me that marinade/glaze. It’s good on the veggies and the salmon.

Lisa says:

You know, that spicy red sauce from the pancakes is good on my salmon, too.

Chris says:

I’m sure that’s good on cardboard. I think we’re going to have to do more Korean recipes soon.

Bulgogi-Style Salmon with Bok Choy and Mushrooms
2 large garlic cloves, peeled, divided
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry Sherry
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp Asian sesame oil
1 tsp chili-garlic sauce
2 6-oz center-cut skinless salmon fillets
1 tbsp olive oil
5-6 baby bok choy, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips (about 3 1/2 – 4 cups)
8 large fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced

Blend 1 garlic clove and next 7 ingredients in mini processor. Arrange salmon in a small glass baking dish. Spoon marinade over, and let marinate 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 500°F. Transfer the fish, with some marinade still clinging, to a rimmed baking sheet. Roast the fish until just opaque in center, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, transfer any remaining marinade to a small saucepan. Bring marinade in saucepan to boil; set aside and reserve for glaze.
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add bok choy and mushrooms; using garlic press, press in 1 garlic clove. Stir-fry until mushrooms are tender and bok choy is wilted, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide vegetables among two plates, top with the salmon, and brush with the glaze.

2 Servings

Here’s a recipe from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook that’s been sitting in the “need to post” pile for a while… we broke out the grill for this one a few months ago. We love the taste and texture of grilled portobellos, and when placed over a bed of greens and garbanzos with a slightly spicy, tangy mustard dressing, they make for a great healthy meal.

Portobello Salad with Spicy Mustard Dressing
Roasted Portobellos:
1/2 cup white wine
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large portobello caps

Dressing:
1/4 cup prepared spicy, smooth mustard
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Salad:
8 cups mixed greens
1 avocado, peeled, halved, pitted, and thinly sliced
1 small red onion, sliced into very thin half-moons
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Combine the mushroom marinade ingredients in shallow glass dish, then place the portobellos upside down in the marinade. Spoon a bunch of the marinade into the mushroom caps to form a small pool. Preheat a grill to high heat and marinate for 20 minutes.
Grill the mushrooms over direct heat, about 4 minutes per side. When done, remove from heat, and when cool enough to handle, slice and set aside.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl, then throw all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour the dressing over. Toss to coat.
Place the greens on a plate, top with the portobellos, and serve.

4 main-dish/8 side-dish servings

And now, award time!
I’d like to thank Margot from Coffee and Vanilla for presenting We Heart Food with a Beautiful Blog Award!

Click here to check out the other recipients of BB!

A month or so ago, we made this easy fish dish, adapted from a recipe in Fitness Food: The Essential Guide to Eating Well and Performing Better. The original used fish steaks (snapper, halibut, swordfish…) but we had a few tilapia fillets on hand and it sounded like a good match to me! We paired it with brown rice mixed with shaved carrot, ginger, green onion, and soy.

Is there anything that doesn’t go with cilantro?

Chris says:

In our house? No.

Lisa says:

Haha — true! Is this the dish you made because we happened to have everything in the house already?

Chris says:

You know, I’m not sure. It’s been a long while. Damn catch-up posts… I do remember liking it though.

Lisa says:

I barely remember it, but I’m thinking the fact that it’s slathered with stir-fried mushrooms means I hearted it a whole lot.

Chris says:

You have a way with words… but I’m guessing you’re right. Okay, on to the recipe…

Tilapia with Shiitake Mushrooms
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp Chinese rice wine
pinch sugar
zest and juice from 1 lemon
4 large tilapia fillets
1 tsp sesame oil
6 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 scallions, chopped

Mix the soy sauce, oil, rice wine, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice together in a shallow glass baking dish. Place the fish in the dish and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning over a couple of times.
Remove from the fridge and allow to return to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat and when hot add mushrooms. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until they start to soften, then add in the scallions, stir, and remove from the heat.
Sprinkle the mushroom mixture over the fish and bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and firm.
Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.

4 Servings

As we neared the end of our week, we still had a few different vegetables left over from ye olde CSA box to use up, and these two recipes allowed us to do that without having to go grocery shopping: we pretty much had the rest of the ingredients on hand. The stuffed vegetables were adapted from a recipe in Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites: Flavorful Recipes for Healthful Meals; the original uses medium-sized zucchini — we only had a few small ones, but we also had a bell pepper that seemed like it would work well to receive the leftover filling. The cauliflower recipe comes from Fresh Spanish: Over 80 Healthy Spanish Recipes, and has a nice bite to it from the vinegar, garlic, and paprika. Leftovers were easily reheated and tasted great the next day.

I like these tag-team nights.

Chris says:

You mean where we’re both cooking?

Lisa says:

Yep!

Chris says:

Same here. Although I could do without having to do half the dishes… ha!

Lisa says:

Hey! Comes with the territory…

Chris says:

Anway, good job on the zucchini boats. They’re really good.

Lisa says:

I know, I like them! That filling is so delicious with those mushrooms… good idea on using the red pepper to use up the rest of the stuffing.

Chris says:

Even if we hadn’t had that pepper, the stuffing wouldn’t have gone to waste; I’m sure we just would have had it on its own.

Lisa says:

That’s true… this cauliflower rules by the way.

Chris says:

Yeah I love the garlic… we should try this same recipe with broccoli and see how that works.

Lisa says:

Yum… I’m sure it would be just as delicious.

Chris says:

Guess we’ll see what the CSA fairy brings next time…

Mushroom-and-Spinach Stuffed Vegetables
5 small zucchini
1 medium red bell pepper
1/2 large onion, minced
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups chopped portabella mushrooms
1 tsp dried dill
1 tbsp dry sherry
2 tsp soy sauce
5 oz Spinach
1 cup cooked brown rice
Salt and ground black pepper
3/4 cup tomato juice
1/2 cup grated fontina cheese

Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and, using a small spoon, scoop out the insides leave a canoe-shaped shell. Slice the red bell pepper in half lengthwise and remove the inner membranes and seeds. Set aside.
In a skillet, saute the onions, garlic, and salt in the oil on low heat, stirring often, until the onions soften. Add the mushrooms, dill, sherry, and soy sauce and cook for about 5 more minutes. When the mushrooms are just tender, remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. While the mushrooms are cooking, rinse and stem the spinach. In a saucepan, steam the spinach leaves in enough water to cover until wilted but still bright green. Drain and add it to the sauteed vegetables. Stir in the rice and add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the tomato juice evenly around the bottom of an 9×12 inch glass baking dish. Distribute the filling between the zucchini boats and red bell pepper. Sprinkle on the grated cheese, cover the pan tightly with foil, and bake for about 30 minutes, until the zucchini are tender and easily pierced with a fork.
Uncover and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the tops are browned.

3-4 Servings

Garlicky Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
4 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp mild paprika
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper
flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook for 6-8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet. Add the garlic and cook over a medium heat, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower, paprika, and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook over very high heat, stirring, for 3-4 minutes, then remove to a serving platter. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

3-4 Servings