Thai food has to be one of my most loved cuisines. Just the thought of  creamy coconut, fresh basil, a kick of chilis in a rich sauce over rice or noodles warms my heart (and tummy) instantly. So, when David and I were planning this week’s Date Night Dinner I immediately said, “Thai.”

This meal came together pretty quickly and we used what ingredients we had around. You could easily make this with only one veggie as long as the sauce rocks, but try combos of various produce, fresh or frozen, and create something magical.

To make this easier for David, the evening’s chef, I prepped everything ahead of time. When I had this meal’s cast assembled and ready to go he jumped right in.

He started by sauté-ing the onions.

Then he added the garlic.

Next came a few dollops of Roasted Red Chili Paste….sweet but spicy.

Mix well.

Yes, I happened to have some lemongrass, so we added some big chunks to the pot.

We didn’t have any Galangal or Kaffir Lime Leaves, but I did have a lime, so we zest it into the pot, added some diced ginger and a few dashes of hot cayenne sauce.

Next we added the diagonally sliced carrots.

Then came the zucchini and potatoes. Usually I wouldn’t add potatoes to a Thai dish, but like I said, try various combos of produce for different textures and flavors.

Add the coconut milk.

And then brown sugar.

Then add some water.

And then some Tamari or soy sauce. You can even use Braggs if you like.

As the Squirrel Nut Zippers say ‘Put A Lid On It’ and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and poke a potato with your knife to see if it is tender.

Now add in your green beans.

Simmer it again for another 5 minutes until the green beans are heated through.

Now remove the lemon grass stalks.

Now take a taste to see if it needs any salt or pepper. It most likely will.

…and ours did.

We served this meal with some steamed brown rice and a wonderful Pinot Noir.
I plated it with some of the last of our summer gardens basil. Try this one out…it’s simply delish!

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MENU:
Smoked Paprika Tempeh Tacos w/ Roasted Corn Salsa
Kale Black Beans

I love smoked paprika! If there is any spice that I would take on a dessert island it definatly would be smoked paprika. The aroma, the slight hint of heat and the beautiful color can not be beat by any other spice, at least in my book. So, when a recipe calls for chipotle chilis or say, ancho chilis and I am at a loss for those in my pantry, I will easily substitute smoked paprika…the depth it adds is incredible, which brings me to Wednesday nights Date Nite Dinner.

We made Smoked Paprika Tempeh Tacos. I had a nice brick of Tempeh that I sliced and marinated in a simple sauce of smoked paprika, achiote paste, garlic and lime juice then grilled in a skillet. As another filling for the tacos we made another very simple dish of roasted corn salsa that added another layer of flavor to the tempeh. I had some kale in the crisper drawer of the fridge so I decided that the greens would be great mixed with some soy sausage and black beans…kind of like a Latin inspired Hoppin John. We topped the tacos off with a bit of Queso Fresco and a few cilantro sprigs and ate ourselves into smoky, savory oblivion.

Combine the smoked paprika, achiote paste, garlic and lime juice in a food processor or blender and puree.

Cover the tempeh slices with the marinade and set aside for a 1/2 hour.

In a large pot or dutch oven cook crumbled veggie sausage until browned.

Add the drained and rinsed black beans, adding just a bit of water so they don’t stick.

Add the washed and chopped kale to the beans. Cook until most of the water is gone, turn off the stove and put a lid on.

Dice 1/2 an onion and 1/2 a red bell pepper.

Saute the onion and pepper until golden and translucent.

Add the corn (we used frozen) and the juice of 1/2 a lime and saute until the corn gets a bit browned.

Heat the tortillas for a few minutes in the oven and then plate up the tacos and beans…this meal could only be made better by having it with a good Mexican beer with a wedge of lime or a glass of bold red wine.

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David and I are getting ready for a 2 week trip to Mexico in May 2008…in prep for that trip we are hunkering down and really getting into the culture, language and of course, the FOOD of Mexico!

I received Rick Bayless’ newest cookbook, called Mexican Everyday,for Xmas (Thanks Dawn!!!) and David and I have tried 3 recipes thus far from that book.
Simple and fabulous, easily converted to Vegetarian and not TOO many steps (like his last book.)

The following is a photo journal of what we made last night for our Friday Night Date Night Dinner (something new for us, as David usually gets too flustered at my hap-hazard cooking style,”It says 1 CUP!…YOU DIDN’T MEASURE THAT!”, he says…”Oh, I just EYED it…it looks good!”…) If you want the recipe let me know. IT’s actually pretty simple.

The Menu was:
*Creamy Corn Soup w/ Roasted Poblanos
*Spinach & Mushroom Enchiladas w/ Tomatillo Verde Sauce

We had this meal with a nice bottle of Argentinian wine.
It was a wonderful meal.

Creamy Corn Soup:

Roast Poblano Peppers in oven first, peel and leave in a bowl

Process corn, garlic, arrowroot powder (or corn starch) & soy milk until smooth.

Next strain corn mixture through a sieve… mine is way too small…it’s embarrassing…I need a larger one.

Super Creamy!

Next up…
Spinach & Mushroom Enchiladas w/ Tomatillo Verde Sauce

Place tomatillos, cilantro, serrano pepper, garlic & salt in a food processor.

Now cook for 20 minutes…reduce, reduce, reduce…

Add soy sour cream and let your sauce simmer.

A quick lesson in how to cut an onion…(I though everyone knew how to do this, but David didn’t and wanted me to let everyone else know…

Cut Onion in half (from root end to top end)

Cut off bottoms and tops then peel off outer skin.

Slice, chop, dice, whatever…I had to slice.

Okay, back to our meal….

Next slice up the mushrooms.

Sauté onions and mushrooms and then add the spinach.

Heat the tortillas in the oven…I used corn tortillas.

Dunk the tortillas in the tomatillo sauce and coat well.

Place 3 tortillas on plate and top each with a bit of the sautee’d veggies. Fold over with seam side down.

Top with the sauce spinkle with some soy cheese. Add the chopped roasted poblanos to the soup and plate it up.

Then….Dinner was served!…estaba muy delicioso!

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