It's too dang hot!

Phew, I have never realized how much of a New Englander I am until the last couple GRUELING hot days. Secretly I'm daydreaming of Maine snowstorms and woodstoves (it's totally sick, I know).  Anyway, with the temperatures so high the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven. So yesterday I cooked up some sesame noodles for my husband and made myself a tomato salad. I thought I'd post the recipes since it's hard to come up with good, healthy things to make on a hot day.

Sesame Noodles (loosely based off of this recipe)
2 bundles of lo mein noodles (you can use any kind of thin noodle, this is just what I had in my cabinet)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tblsp. brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
1/2 a medium onion, diced
thumb size piece of ginger, diced
1 tblsp. red pepper flakes (adjust to taste, we like it spicy 'round these parts)
2 tblsp. rice vinegar
2 tblsp. sesame oil
2 tblsp. vegetable or canola oil
sesame seeds, for garnish

Cook your noodles according to package directions, drain and run under cold water. Then mix up all your other ingredients and combine with noodles. Enjoy immediately or chill for an hour or so to let the sauce get soaked into the noodles and for the seasoning to meld. Don't forget to sprinkle on some sesame seeds right before diving in!

Tomato Salad
2 large tomatoes, cut into chunks
one huge ol' handful of basil, torn
2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (If you haven't had this stuff before, you haven't truly lived. Do yourself and invest in a bottle of the good stuff. You will NOT be disappointed!)
1/2 cup of mozzarella, shredded (use the pre-shredded kind, shred the block stuff, shred the fresh stuff, totally up to you)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything in a bowl. Enjoy immediately! If you want to let it chill in the fridge for a while, that's fine too but don't add the cheese until just before eating. It can get a little slimy or break down...you get the idea.

I definitely liked the sesame noodles but I am not a big fan of sesame oil so I gobbled up all the tomato salad and left the noodles for my husband to enjoy on duty. What about you guys? What's your favorite thing to whip up on a sweltering summer day?

Until next time (and stay cool!),

xoxo Stacie

Bok Choy LOVE

I was a vegetarian for 5 years then got married to the biggest carnivore on the planet and sold my soul to make cooking easier. Honestly, my body was never made for eating large quantities of meat. When my husband is deployed I maybe eat meat once to twice a month and that's only because I have a huge hankering for it that I believe is my body's way of telling me it needs some protein.

So lately for both our health and our grocery budget I've been cooking meat far less frequently. Going to the farmer's market has helped tremendously because it's much cheaper than the commissary and offers many unique veggies and fruits. This week I picked up a big head of bok choy just because I love bok choy so much. I usually make a meal plan but I've been winging it a lot lately because I'm never totally sure what will be there in the stalls on Saturday morning.

Today after a long day at the beach and a few errands both Mr. Marine and I were pooped but totally ravenous. I was going to make spaghetti and meatballs but the meat hadn't defrosted so I poked around in the fridge and saw that beautiful bok choy and knew I had to make it. After a little bit of chopping and a tad bit of stir frying we had a delicious and easy meal on the table that satisfied us both (even the carnivore). So of course, I thought I'd share the recipe so you all can enjoy bok choy just as much as we do!


Stacie's Fantabulous Stir-Fried Bok Choy 
 Ingredients
1 large head of bok choy, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes (add more or less depending on your taste)
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp powdered ginger or a piece of fresh ginger (I was fresh out of ginger root so I used powder)
1 tsp five spice powder
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp soy sauce
a "glug" of vegetable or canola oil

Dice garlic and onions and place in a large skillet with veggie oil, ginger, and red pepper flakes over medium heat. Once the onions start to turn translucent add in sesame oil, five spice powder, cornstarch, and soy sauce. When the spices start to get fragrant add bok choy and cook until the leaves are wilted and the stems still remain slightly crisp, approximately 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Yum! I've also used bok choy in meat based stir fries but I feel it stands well on it's own. A great meal to eat in the heat of summer too since it doesn't use the oven. Next time I post a recipe I promise to take a picture before it gets devoured. We were just too hungry tonight!

Until next time,

xoxo Stacie