Tastes like summer

Now that the weather has finally gotten over the whole 'rain every single day for 3 weeks' thing, it is finally starting to really feel like summer. I don't know if it's the warm weather or the fact that the humidity is 80 percent, but it really makes me crave those cool salads. This salad is great for those kind of days when all you really want to do is read with a tall glass of cucumber water or lie by the pool. (or perhaps I am the only one who has these sorts of days) This salad is cool and crunchy with lots of herbs to perfume your mouth with the tiniest bit of heat at the end. There is a little planning involved here, but I think it is worth the time. Anywho, here's the recipe.

Vietnamese Noodle Salad
From Moosewood Daily Special
Cook's note: I used shrimp in this recipe because it's what we had on hand. Tofu, chicken, or beef would also be lovely.
Husband of Cook's note: Mike thought this should have had more shrimp.

Dressing:
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. rice vinegar
1 T. dark sesame oil
1 T. sugar
1/4 c. lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 T. lime zest

Salad:
1 pound of shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 pound rice sticks (linguine will do if you can't find rice sticks)
4 c. shredded green cabbage (I Sandra Lee'd it and used the bagged cole slaw mix)
1 c. chopped fresh herbs: cilantro, basil, scallions (I actually did a little more than this, maybe 1 1/3 c.)
1 large bell pepper, cut into matchsticks

1. Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
2. Place shrimp in a bowl, toss with 1/2 c. of the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.
3. In a separate container refrigerate the rest of the dressing.
4. Just before serving saute or grill the shrimp for 2-3 minutes, until just cooked through. Set aside on a plate.
5. Heat up a large pot of water to boil.
6. Once the water has come up to a boil, add rice sticks (or linguine) and cook until al dente. The time for rice sticks will be about 4 minutes.
7. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water. Let drain.
8. Combine the noodles, cabbage, bell pepper, herbs, dressing and shrimp. Toss well with tongs.
9. Enjoy!

Beat this Rachael Ray

Ok, I'm not food blog ignorant. I do understand that people want to see pictures of the actual food, not empty plates, but this was so good and let's be honest we were pretty hungry that the idea to actually blog about this recipe didn't strike until after everything had been polished off.

This is quite possibly one of the quickest meals I have ever made, hence the blog title. This dish is not only quick and easy, but it was very tasty. It may even become one of our regular press release week meals.

Basil & Tomato Shrimp
Adapted from an Ellie Krieger episode

Ingredients
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (we used the frozen stuff that had been defrosted)
12 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 c. basil, chopped
2 T. garlic, chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 c. white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add the shrimp and saute for 1 minute; turn the shrimp and saute for another minute. You want the shrimp to start to turn pink, but not completely cooked through.
3. Remove the shrimp from the pan to a plate.
4. Using the same pan, add the garlic and saute for about a minute.
5. Add in the tomatoes and saute for another minute.
6. Add the wine and let it come up to a bubble (2-3 minutes).
7. Add the shrimp back into the mixture and let them come up to temperature. (1 minute)
8. Season with salt and pepper and add in the basil.
9. Serve and enjoy.

Mike & I had this over orzo with a salad on the side. It really was a perfect light meal.