Sunday, November 29, 2020

Thai-style Turkey Glass Noodle Salad

This Thai-style Turkey Glass Noodle Salad recipe will bring fresh zip to your leftover Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey by adding glass noodles, lime juice, chili peppers and fish sauce, turning it into an Asian specialty.

Food Lust People Love: This Thai-style Turkey Glass Noodle Salad recipe will bring fresh zip to your leftover Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey by adding glass noodles, lime juice, chili peppers and fish sauce, turning it into an Asian specialty

I learned how to make this salad from a Burmese friend who was my close neighbor when we lived in a small oilfield town in Brazil. I didn’t know any better so I assumed it was a typically Burmese recipe. Turns out that Burma, Vietnam and Thailand, among others, all claim it. Here in the US, most people seem to think of it as a Thai dish, hence my title. 

Ma Toe’s version starts with ground pork that she fries really crispy. And in addition to the dried shrimp, she also puts in some boiled shrimp for added protein. It’s one of our favorite things so I make a great big bowl and we eat it for several days. 

When we lived in Malaysia, occasionally I’d make it to take along to a school lunch or potluck, replacing the pork with ground chicken so even the Muslim students or my Muslim friends could enjoy it. It was delicious with either addition and just as good with shredded turkey.

If you are looking for creative ways to repurpose leftover turkey, you might want to try my Brie cranberry turkey quesadillas, my turkey cranberry Camembert muffins, or my own personal favorite turkey pot pie.  Make sure you scroll down to see what other holiday leftovers my Sunday FunDay friends are transforming into other wonderful dishes. 

Thai-style Turkey Glass Noodle Salad

Turkey is an excellent addition to glass noodle salad, a worthy and delicious use of leftovers. True confession: I actually poached boneless turkey breast to make this dish because I couldn’t wait for leftovers. 

Ingredients
For the salad:
8 oz or 227g bean thread or glass noodles (not rice sticks!)
1 packed cup or 200g shredded, leftover turkey 
1/2 chopped or 30g green onion tops
1/2 cup or 25g chopped cilantro, leaves and fine stems. (Discard hard woody stems.)
2 tablespoons dried shrimp

For the dressing:
1/4 cup or 60ml fresh lime juice
1 onion, sliced thinly
2 bird chilies, chopped
1/4 cup or 60ml fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar


Method
Soak the glass noodles in cool tap water to soften for about 10 minutes.


Drain the water and put the noodles in a heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over the noodles and leave for about 1 minute. Drain and rinse thoroughly with cool water. Set aside. 

Put the sliced onions and chopped chilies in a bowl with the lime juice and set aside while you make the rest of the dressing. 


Use a mortar and pestle to pound the dried shrimp into powder.


Combine the fish sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Stir till the sugar dissolves. Add the sweetened fish sauce to the lime juice and onions. Stir to combine.


Pour the dressing over your drained bean thread noodles in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
 

Tip: I find that the bean thread noodles don’t toss very well whole so I use my clean kitchen scissors to cut them up a bit. Or you can use your clean hands to mix the other ingredients into the noodles. 

Add in the green onion tops, cilantro and shrimp powder and toss to combine again. 


Mix in the shredded turkey. 


Taste for seasoning and add a little more fish sauce if more salt is needed. This salad just gets better as it hangs out in the refrigerator so it’s great to make ahead and chill until you serve. 

Food Lust People Love: This Thai-style Turkey Glass Noodle Salad recipe will bring fresh zip to your leftover Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey by adding glass noodles, lime juice, chili peppers and fish sauce, turning it into an Asian specialty

Enjoy! 

If too many leftovers are the bane of your existence after a big holiday meal, let us help you out. Check out these Sunday FunDay recipes that will transform your leftovers into new dishes your family will love.

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family Funday, so each Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join!

Pin this Thai-Style Turkey Glass Noodle Salad!

Food Lust People Love: This Thai-style Turkey Glass Noodle Salad recipe will bring fresh zip to your leftover Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey by adding glass noodles, lime juice, chili peppers and fish sauce, turning it into an Asian specialty

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Sunday, November 22, 2020

Marmalade Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Marmalade glazed sweet potatoes are a bit sweet, with a lovely sharp edge from the orange marmalade and a good splash of sherry vinegar. They are just as tasty as they are pretty and would make a great addition to your holiday table. I mean, really. Look at that shine!

Food Lust People Love: Marmalade glazed sweet potatoes are a bit sweet, with a lovely sharp edge from the orange marmalade and a good splash of sherry vinegar. They are just as tasty as they are pretty and would make a great addition to your holiday table. Look at that shine!

Over the years, when we lived outside of the United States and away from family, we celebrated Thanksgiving with various groups of friends, some American, others not. When we lived in Paris, we hosted a fun dinner with friends and neighbors. I roasted the turkey, made quite a few side dishes and pecan pies and told everyone to bring the side dish or dishes it simply would not be Thanksgiving in their houses without.

All told, we were about 20 people, children included, and the array of side dishes was downright impressive. There was one dish I was completely unfamiliar with so I had to ask. Apparently creamed pearl onions is a must-have family side for my friend, Teresa.

That was in the days before internet but years later I remember looking it up and creamed pearl onions are a New England favorite. I’ve never made them myself but I remember them fondly from that one special dinner.

In my family, sweet potatoes are one of the must-have side dishes. My grandmothers would make them sweet and sticky, pouring on the Karo syrup with lots of butter. Truly, you could eat them for dessert. 

I like them less sweet, often just with a sprinkling of brown sugar. This recipe with marmalade and sherry vinegar is a little fancier but just as easy.  

Marmalade Glazed Sweet Potatoes

This recipe is wonderful made with butternut squash or pumpkin as well. You can use homemade or store-bought marmalade for this dish. 

Ingredients
2 lbs or 900g sweet potatoes – more or less
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon flakey sea salt or to taste
1/4 cup or 80g thin cut orange marmalade 
2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons butter

Method
Drizzle the olive oil in a large non-stick pan where the sweet potatoes can fit in one layer. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes and add them to the pan.


Mix together the marmalade, vinegar and the thyme leaves in a microwaveable bowl. Add in the butter and warm in the microwave until the butter starts to melt. Stir till the butter is completely melted and set aside.


Over a medium to high heat, cook the sweet potatoes, tossing or stirring occasionally, until they are browned on many sides, about 8-10 minutes. Add in a few tablespoons of water, turn the fire down to a simmer and cover the pan for 5-6 minutes or until the sweet potatoes cubes are fork tender. 


Remove the lid and add in the marmalade vinegar mixture. Over a medium heat, cook it down carefully until the sauce thickens and the sweet potatoes are well glazed. 

Food Lust People Love: Marmalade glazed sweet potatoes are a bit sweet, with a lovely sharp edge from the orange marmalade and a good splash of sherry vinegar. They are just as tasty as they are pretty and would make a great addition to your holiday table. Look at that shine!

Transfer to warm serving bowl and use a silicone spatula to spoon every last sticky drop of glaze over the sweet potatoes. 

Garnish with thyme, if desired.

Food Lust People Love: Marmalade glazed sweet potatoes are a bit sweet, with a lovely sharp edge from the orange marmalade and a good splash of sherry vinegar. They are just as tasty as they are pretty and would make a great addition to your holiday table. Look at that shine!

Enjoy!

Today’s SundayFunDay theme is That Holiday Feeling! Many thanks to our host Rebekah of Making Miracles. Check out all the great recipes below to get you in the holiday mood!


Pin these Marmalade Glazed Sweet Potatoes!

Food Lust People Love: Marmalade glazed sweet potatoes are a bit sweet, with a lovely sharp edge from the orange marmalade and a good splash of sherry vinegar. They are just as tasty as they are pretty and would make a great addition to your holiday table. Look at that shine!

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Friday, November 20, 2020

Cheesy Shrimp Stuffed Poblano Peppers

These cheesy shrimp stuffed poblano peppers are wrapped in bacon and roasted till the bacon is crispy and the cheese is soft and melted. They make a fabulous starter or even a good main course, served with sides. 

Food Lust People Love: These cheesy shrimp stuffed poblano peppers are wrapped in bacon and roasted till the bacon is crispy and the cheese is soft and melted. They make a fabulous starter or even a good main course, served with sides.

Pretty sure I’ve mentioned this before but my meals each week are often predicated on whatever catches my eye in the market or grocery store. (These days mostly just the grocery store since I am limiting my forays into the public to once a week.) 

These shiny green poblano peppers jumped out at me and I suddenly remembered a recipe I made years and years ago around this time, from a post on my friend Christine’s blog, where she used cornbread dressing to stuff poblanos. Girl after my own Texas heart. 


When she first posted it, I had never come across poblano peppers in Dubai but then, suddenly, my supermarket had some! You’ve never seen anyone so excited over a vegetable since, honestly, I don’t know when. I know, I'm sad, but here we are. 

Meanwhile, I'm back in Texas where poblanos abound. I didn’t have any cornbread stuffing on hand but I did have queso fresco or farmer’s cheese, shrimp and bacon and who can resist those? If you are looking for a non-traditional Thanksgiving dish, try these stuffed peppers. We loved them!

Cheesy Shrimp Stuffed Poblano Peppers

For this dish I used jalapeño bacon but any smoked bacon would be just as lovely. We happen to be chili pepper freaks in our house so our motto is the more heat the better. It’s also hard to tell from the photos but my poblano peppers were about 6-7 in or 15-18cm long. The cheese is a fresh, soft, dry curd cheese highly prized for many recipes in Mexico and South America. If you can’t get a similar cheese, perhaps try a fresh goat cheese instead. The flavor will be different but still delicious. We are looking for something that will melt without melting out of the pepper. In a pinch you could use grated cheddar mixed through with well-drained cottage cheese or ricotta so it doesn’t completely melt and drip out of the peppers because no one wants that. 


Ingredients
4 fresh poblano peppers (480g total)
10 1/2 oz or 300g raw, peeled, cleaned shrimp
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
5 oz or 142g queso fresco
8 slices smoked bacon 

Optional to serve: your favorite salsa

Method
Heat your broiler to high, move your oven rack up to the top position and put the peppers on a big sheet of aluminum foil on a large baking pan. 

Roast the peppers for several minutes on each side, making sure to keep a close eye on them so they just pop and char a little but don’t completely burn. 


When they are nice and scorched on all sides, remove the pan from the oven and wrap the foil loosely around the peppers, closing the steam in by crimping the sides.  Set aside for 10 minutes. 

Open the foil and gentle remove the outer peelings. Cut a slit up the middle of each pepper. Save the foil for use later. 


Sauté the garlic in the butter for a few minutes, being careful not to let it color or, God forbid, burn. Add in the shrimp and cook till they release their water, then cook a few more minutes, until the pan is almost, but not quite, dry again. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. 


Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C. 

Slice the cheese into slim sticks and fill the bottom of the pepper with a little of them, tucking cheese right up under the seeded core at the stem end.


Add in one quarter of the shrimp with garlic.


 Top with more cheese. 


As best you can, try to gently pull up the sides of the pepper to close the slit. Stick a toothpick in, if that helps. Use two slices of bacon to wrap around and around the pepper to hold it closed.


Repeat until all four peppers are stuffed and bacon-wrapped. 

Return the peppers to the foil and put it back on the baking pan.


Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the bacon is cooked and golden. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for about five minutes. 

Food Lust People Love: These cheesy shrimp stuffed poblano peppers are wrapped in bacon and roasted till the bacon is crispy and the cheese is soft and melted. They make a fabulous starter or even a good main course, served with sides.

Serve with your favorite salsa for a generous first course or with a side salad and veggies as a main course. 

Food Lust People Love: These cheesy shrimp stuffed poblano peppers are wrapped in bacon and roasted till the bacon is crispy and the cheese is soft and melted. They make a fabulous starter or even a good main course, served with sides.

Enjoy! 

This month my Fish Friday Foodie friends are sharing recipes to serve for Thanksgiving. Many thanks to our founder and host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the recipes below.



Are you a food blogger who would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

Pin these Cheesy Shrimp Stuffed Poblano Peppers!

Food Lust People Love: These cheesy shrimp stuffed poblano peppers are wrapped in bacon and roasted till the bacon is crispy and the cheese is soft and melted. They make a fabulous starter or even a good main course, served with sides.

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