River Wide and Big Rock

 

 

Tsunami 2004

The 26 December tsunami was the worst natural disaster to ever strike Thailand, causing loss of life as well as major damage to property, the environment and the economy. The severe impact on the natural environment in turn had serious consequences on the fishing and tourism industries and, therefore, thousands of families' livelihoods. http://www.un.or.th/tsunamiinthailand/tsunami.html

Our daughter, along with a friend, went to Thailand shortly after hearing the news of the devastation helped in any way that they could.  After cleaning up debris for several weeks, they reported back that things had been restored somewhat with the cleanup and all... but that recovery would take awhile. I then received many photos of this lovely land from our daughter. Have you been to Thailand? I have never been but would love to go someday. Have you ever experienced a major disaster before?

As with so many situations that bring confusion, fear and anxiety... hopefully you'll find peace from watching the video.

If you find comfort in eating, I wanted to share this great recipe with you from the paperback cook book, Rachel Rays 30-Minute Meals2, Thai-Vietnamese Salad Bar Supreme. (Makes 4 to 6 servings). This is my post for the Friday 56.

Ingredients

Salad Bar:

• 3 hearts Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 sack (10 ounces) mixed baby greens
• 2 cups fresh bean sprouts, any variety
• 1 cup thinly sliced daikon or red radishes
• 2 cups shredded carrots, available prepped in plastic bags in produce case
• 8 scallions, sliced on the bias
• 1/2 seedless cucumber, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise, thinly sliced
• 1 pint yellow or red grape tomatoes
• 1 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch fresh mint leaves, trimmed
• 1 bunch fresh basil leaves, trimmed
• 2 (2-ounce) packages chopped nuts, found on baking aisle
• 8 slices almond toast or anisette toast, (recommended: Stella D'Oro) cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup tamari dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, eyeball it
• 4 to 8 thin cut chicken cutlets, depending on size
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound mahi mahi
• 1 ripe lime

Peanut Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons white vinegar or rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup white grape juice concentrate or apple juice concentrate
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 inches fresh ginger root, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped nuts (from salad bar)

Chili Garlic Sweet Hot Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons white vinegar or rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup pepper jelly, available on condiment aisle
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons hot chili oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions

Arrange salad bar ingredients in serving dishes and bowls as you prep them: romaine, baby mixed greens, bean sprouts, daikon radishes, carrots, scallions, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, mint leaves, basil leaves, nuts and sweet almond or anise "croutons".

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat.
Combine soy and oil in a shallow dish. Add chicken and turn to coat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Drizzle fish with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken 3 minutes on each side. Cut chicken into strips on an angle and pile onto a serving plate. Grill fish 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until opaque. Squeeze lime over the fish and break into chunks as you transfer it to a serving plate.
Combine all ingredients, except oil, for peanut dressing in a blender. Blend for 30 seconds, then open lid and continue dressing by streaming in oil. Transfer dressing to a serving dish and sprinkle the dressing with a spoonful of nuts from your salad bar to garnish the dish.
For garlic dressing, whisk vinegar, jelly, garlic, black pepper and chili oil together. Stream in vegetable oil while continuing to whisk. When the oil is incorporated, transfer dressing to a small dish to serve.
Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals 2

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