Thai salad with plum dressing

Photo lost when the old site was hacked. (romaine, red onions, peanuts, apples, and scallions) Newer posts will have photos.

Having one of us on a teaching schedule is awesome (more awesome for one of us than the other – but still awesome all the way around). Vacation is wonderfully freeing.  But with endless possibilities, come the possibility for endless activity — and we apparently lack self control.  Work means the potential to force ourselves to slow down.

This new school year hasn’t quite met that potential yet.  We’ve been visiting venues, meeting with florists, and haggling with over-priced caterers. It has been a blast!  Not to mention all the poker-night/birthday-parties/happy-hour/catching-up/double-date fun with our friends that we couldn’t live without.  It’s almost like summer. Except we both have to go to work, and we get much less sleep.

In the midst of it all, we are still trying to remember to make time to have date-nights, and the recipe below is the product of a date night that we managed to stretch into two fun activities — the first was an excursion to a local Thai restaurant that we have been meaning to try, the second, a few nights later, to re-create a delicious salad we had there.

 

“Thai” Salad with Plum Dressing

1 green apple (you only need about 1/4)

1 small red onion (you only need about 1/4)

Romaine lettuce

2 scallions

Peanuts

1/2 lb hanger steak

1/2 lb seitan

 

Plum Dressing

(for a salad that feeds 4)

4 tbsp plum sauce

2 tsp mirin

2 tsp tamari

2 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

Start by making the dressing.  Combine all the ingredients and mix well.

Now the salad.

Have someone with good fine-motor skills slice the green apple and red onion.

2 photos lost when the old site was hacked. (green apple sliced into long thin strips (Mr. Fine-Motor-Skills is responsible); red onions, thinly sliced by Z) Newer posts will have photos.

Chop the romaine and slice the scallions.  Then prep the meat/”meat”.  Splash some sesame oil into a frying pan and sear the seitan/hanger steak until it is browned on all sides.  Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt and grind a hefty portion of black pepper over it.

Photo lost when the old site was hacked. (romaine, red onions, peanuts, apples, and scallions, drizzled with plum sauce) Newer posts will have photos.

For those living with a vegetarian/meat-eater, parcel out the salad above onto your separate plates and top with your life-style of choice protein.  It was especially delicious when the meat/”meat” was still a little warm.

Photo lost when the old site was hacked. (thai salad with seitan and hanger steak) Newer posts will have photos.

If you are in our neck of the woods — we have got a great restaurant recommendation for you.  And, if not, or if you are feeling like a hearty, but refreshing meal in, then give this a shot.  It’s as easy as it is delicious.