Thursday, March 14, 2013

A Little Spicy Deliciousness!


 Time for some asian food!!

Oh how I love it. Not enough good can be said about this goodness in a bottle that I found at Trader Joes. it's..... uh-mazing! It's tangy, and sweet, a little "peanut-y" and spicy very spicy! Pure deliciousness! I'm telling you, if you like asian food, GET IT! :) Ok... I'm done with my rant.. Lets begin! :)


So.. I had a recipe from my Spork Fed cookbook that I wanted to try, but this was just about what I expected that recipe to taste like, so I figured I would do the same kind of thing with this.. (Also.. I needed an alternative option because my library books had to be returned before I started incurring the, should be a crime, rate of $.25 per day, per book! and I had over a dozen books!)

I found a 2 lb. bag of mini sweet peppers at the grocery store. I got them because the regular bell peppers were out of control expensive. I figured, if I was going to spend $5 on peppers, I would get something fun and interesting. The mini sweet peppers are so good! Who knew? I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish the bag before we left on vacation, but I would say I maybe have a dozen left... if that. We're loving them! So many various things you can add them too, or I've just been chopping the top off and eating, inhaling them! Another favorite of ours now! G has always loved peppers, but these are off the charts. She loves them just about as much as I do, if not more!... well, I'm not sure that's possible.

Ok, take 2.. enough talk, on to the recipe...

You will need:

Spicy Peanut Vineaigrette (Trader Joes)
10 Mini Sweet Peppers
1 Shallot
1 Garlic Clove
Base of Your Choice: Fettuccine, Chow Mein Noodles, Rice.. whatever you want!
1 T. Sesame Oil + Drizzle Olive Oil (just enough to balance out the sesame oil)
Sesame Seeds
Sliced Water Chestnuts
Bamboo Shoots
Sliced Green Onions for Topping

First....

  • Heat oil in skillet. Don't make it too hot because you don't want the delicate shallots and garlic to burn the second you put them, but you want it hot enough to sweat the shallots just a bit.
  • Add shallots and garlic to pan, and cook just until you start to notice the shallots start to become barely translucent. 
  • Cut tops off sweet peppers, cut in half lengthwise, and deseed. Slice into thin strips and add to skillet.

*I barely let my peppers cook at all. Literally, maybe 2-3 min. I like my peppers VERY crunchy and basically just barely warmed through. Just cook them to your liking.

  • After your peppers are cooked how you like, add in half of the bottle of Spicy Peanut Vineaigrette. I got 2 good meals out of the bottle from 2-3 people, depending on what you use for your base.
  • Add in any add-ins your want. I chose water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Snap peas would be awesome.. whatever you feel like! (Can you tell this recipe is flexible??) ;)
  • Once your sauce has warmed through, you're ready to go!
  • Add on top of whichever base you want to use. I used fettuccine the first time because that is what my cookbook recipe called for from Spork Fed. The second time around I used chow mein noodles and they were SO much better. The sauce stuck to them so much better and... they just fit! Definitely want to try brown or wild rice next time. It would also possibly be good over quinoa? It's worth a try! :) 

Here are a couple pics of both ways I made the recipe.. I forgot to add the green onions the second time, because I was so anxious to eat it that I piled it on the plate and dove it! (after the pic of course) ;)




Have fun with this one, guys! There are SO many possibilities and room for creativity! :) Enjoy!

*~Lindsey~*

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