Cashew Nut Salad Dressing

We (my husband and I) first encountered a similar dressing at Mother's Cafe in Austin, Texas. We loved the dressing so much we went promptly to Whole Foods to buy a bottle of their Mother's Cafe Cashew Tamari dressing. We decided that we couldn't live without this dressing, but we ran into a few problems keeping our supply stocked! We don't live in Texas! And we don't have a Whole Foods anywhere near us to purchase this product regularly, so we decided to read the ingredients and make our own version. Now I'm not sure how this works to properly giving credit but now you have the complete story of where this dressing came from! Thanks for letting us read your ingredients Mother's Cafe =))

Cashew Nut Salad Dressing Recipe

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cashews
1/8 cup tamari (we tend to find San-J brand easily)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 
Dash salt

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender on a medium speed.  Blend until smooth with small chunks of cashews visible. Keeps in the refrigerator for several week but my guess is it will not last that long!!

To Yummy Fresh Summer Salads, 
Bretta

Lightening up for summer

It is finally warming up around here and I am finally not craving comfort foods. Bread, melted cheese, bread, cream, melted cheese. Yea, you get the point. It amazes me each and every year how much the weather influences my cravings and food choices. 

I made these the other night and it felt like the perfect transition into summer. I'll call them summer BLT's.

Summer BLT's

Filling
pack of bacon
can of diced tomatoes
cup of quinoa 
can of black beans
cup of frozen corn
Sauce
2 tablespoons mayo
few squeezes of lemon
dash of tumeric 
Holder
lettuce (small romaine works great)
 Method
cook bacon in oven at 425 until crisp
cook quinoa in tomatoes for 5 minutes, add corn and beans and cook until quinoa is tender
mix sauce together and add to quinoa
add crumbled bacon and mix
scoop into lettuce
serve with hot sauce if desired. 

Falling Off the Face of the Earth into Satay Chicken...

What the heck does that title mean, you may ask?

Fine Heirloom Jungle fans, I feel as though I have fallen off the face the earth for a short time with too much on my plate (pun intended).  My fall has landed me back into reality with Satay Chicken, a house hold favorite, especially for the summer grilling months. I hope along with this delightful dish (that I can't take original credit for) I find more free time, much more sleep (anyone with little ones can relate) and less inconvenient interruptions (that are not means to an end...well maybe)! 

I for the life of me can't remember were of got this recipe off the internet....I would happily give credit if I could find it again easily or wanted to make the effort to do so today. SO THANK YOU WHOEVER YOU ARE, the credit is all yours!! 

Satay Chicken Recipe:

8-12 skinless boneless chicken thighs (no it does not say chicken breast for a reason...trust me you low-fat junky)
1 small onion
3 garlic cloves
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 thumb sized piece fresh ginger (skin removed)
1/2 teaspoon dried turmeric
2 Tablespoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons cumin
3 Tablespoons dark soy sauce 
4 Tablespoons fish sauce
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
5-6 tablespoons brown sugar

1. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water while you prepare the meat (to prevent burning). The kitchen sink works well for this.
2. Cut chicken into thin strips and place in a bowl.
3. Place all marinade ingredients in a food processor or chopper. Process well.
4. Taste-test the marinade - you will taste sweet, spicy, and salty. The strongest tastes should be SWEET and SALTY in order for the finished satay to taste its best. Add more sugar or more fish sauce (in place of salt) to adjust the taste. You can also add more chili if you want it spicier.
5. Pour the marinade over the meat and stir well to combine. Allow at least 1 hour for marinating, or longer (up to 24 hours).
6. When ready to cook, thread meat onto the skewers. Tip: Fill up to 3/4 of the skewer, leaving the lower half empty so that the person grilling has a "handle" to easily turn the satay during cooking.
7. Grill the satay on your BBQ, OR on an indoor grill, basting the first time you time it with a little of the leftover marinade from the bottom of the bowl. OR you can broil in the oven on a broiling pan or baking sheet with the oven set to "broil" Place satay close beneath the heating element and turn the meat every 5 minutes until cooked (be sure to soak your wooden satay sticks in water before skewering). Depending on how thin your meat is, the satay should cook in 10 to 20 minutes.

To Falling off the Face of the Earth, Bretta ;-))