On Tuesday night, one of Cate’s former preschool teachers Ms. Erika brought us dinner. Erika loves to cook (in fact, she posts her menu on my blog every week!). A few days prior, she sent me an email with 6 different menu options, all of them completely delectable-sounding. Nate loves Thai food and anything with peanut sauce, so we picked the Thai-themed dinner. And I’m so glad we did…it was fantastic!

For dinner Erika cooked up chicken satay with peanut sauce that was seriously AWESOME. (I’m super excited about the peanut sauce recipe because I’ve tried several different brands and recipes and could never find one I liked. Finally, we have a winner!) For side dishes she made jasmine rice, Thai cucumber salad and a Thai slaw, all of which were wonderful.

For dessert Erika made pineapple satay with a coconut caramel sauce, which I will share with you tomorrow. You do not want to miss the coconut caramel sauce. It’s heaven.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to survive life without my friends cooking dinner for us every night. It ROCKS.

Of course I had Erika send me the recipes for everything she made. Enjoy!

Chicken Satay

 

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Adapted from Vegetables on the Grill by Kelly McCune

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Main Dish, Poultry

Ingredients

• Appx 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips that fit on a kebob stick
• 4 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh lemongrass
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon minced dry red chili pepper (or a few shakes of chili powder)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions

1. In a food processor or blender, combine the oil, sherry, lemongrass, garlic, curry powder, chili pepper and brown sugar. Process until smooth. Pour mixture over chicken strips, toss gently to coat the pieces, and marinate for 1 hour or longer in the refrigerator.
2. Soak 16 wooden skewers in water for 15 minutes. Carefully insert skewers into chicken lengthwise.
3. Oil the grill. On a closed grill over medium hot coals, grill chicken, turning once until cooked through. Serve with peanut satay sauce.

3.2.2310

Peanut Satay Sauce

 

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Adapted from Vegetables on the Grill by Kelly McCune

Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• ½ of a medium-sized white onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 cup canned coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon minced dried red chili pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh lemongrass (the tender inner stalks)
• ½ cup unsalted crunchy peanut butter

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion, garlic and lemongrass together until soft and the onion is transparent. Add the curry powder and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, dried chili pepper, lemongrass and peanut butter. Cook over very low heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

3.2.2310

Thai Cucumber Salad

 

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From Erika Bailey

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Side Dish, Salad

Ingredients

• 1 medium, unpeeled English cucumber, sliced
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• About ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion (to taste)
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and cubed small
• 1 small red chili pepper, seeded and sliced thin

Instructions

1. Arrange cucumber, onion and pepper in layers in serving bowl. Mix vinegar, sugar, salt and hot water until sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle carrots over cucumber mixture. Pour liquid over cucumbers, chill several hours then serve.

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Thai Slaw Salad

 

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From Rachael Ray

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Side Dish, Salad

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounces) prepared shredded cabbage (coleslaw mix) from produce department
• ¼ European seedless cucumber, sliced into thin sticks
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced on bias
• 20 leaves fresh basil, shredded
• Sauce:
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ cup white distilled or rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar or 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. Combine vegetables in a bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in a small plastic container and shake vigorously for 1 minute. Drizzle sauce over vegetables and toss to coat evenly. Let stand 10 minutes and re-toss before serving and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

3.2.2310

One thing we really miss in San Diego is Leucadia Pizza.  And one of our favorites at Leucadia is the Thai Chicken Pizza.  If you live in San Diego and you are NOT eating this pizza, it’s a crime.

I’ve begun my quest to recreate it.  And I think I’m almost there!

Featured Recipe: Thai Chicken Pizza

 

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Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Main Dish, Poultry, Pizza

Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

• Pizza crust (homemade, TJ’s $1 crust, whatever)
• Shredded carrots (about ½ – ¾ of a carrot”¦1 full carrot was a little much)
• Bean sprouts
• Chopped green onion
• Chicken breast, cut into small cubes or strips and sauteed in olive oil (season with s&p)
• Peanuts (I went with roasted unsalted”¦you don’t need the salt on the peanuts)
• Peanut Sauce
• Chopped Cilantro
• Mozzarella Cheese

Notes

Leucadia’s peanut sauce really makes the pizza. A perfect blend of sweet and spicy. I tried the Trader Joe’s Satay Peanut Sauce. It was definitely not sweet enough and the texture wasn’t right.

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I just bought Organic Peanut Sauce at Whole Foods. I think this just might do it. I haven’t used it on the pizza yet, but I added some brown sugar to the sauce and it tastes awesome. And the texture is better for pizza. Next time I make the pizza, I’ll let you know how this sauce goes.  I think it will be a winner!

Whenever I make homemade pizza, I always put all the toppings on top of the sauce and add the mozzarella cheese last. Especially with fresh herbs. It’s the way to go.

If anyone has a recipe for a great peanut sauce, please share!