Best Things I've Eaten in SF this month:

Get out there are try these amazing eats...

1.  Cougin Amman with TCHO chocolate from SF-based Starter Bakery
Photo: Courtesy NY Times

2. Short Rib Koja sandwich and Kamikaze fries from The Koja Kitchen food truck:
Photo:  Courtesy of SF Weekly

3.  Mushroom cigars with Porcini Aioli at Paragon:

Photo:  Courtesy of squidish via Flickr

4.  Grilled Cheese Sandwich at Hog Island Oyster Company (Ferry Building):
Photo: Courtesy of jonasapproved.com

5.  Manly Burger at Umami Burger:

Photo:  Courtesy of http://cookandbemerry.com

Lemon Braised Rainbow Chard with Sesame Edamame

I found a beautiful bunch of Rainbow Chard with hot pink stems at the new Fort Mason Farmer's Market a couple of Sundays ago, and then read a few recipes before deciding on this combination. It was so fresh and delicious that I ate the whole pan-full for dinner, but it would also be great as a side with some grilled or broiled salmon fillets--remember to squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the fish too!

1 bunch Rainbow Chard (or Swiss Chard)

1/2 to 3/4 cup shelled Edamame (soya) beans,

thawed or heated through*

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 glove garlic, minced

1 Tsp red pepper flakes

1 Tsp toasted sesame seeds

or black sesame seeds

Extra virgin Olive Oil

Salt & pepper

*Note: If you can't find shelled Edamame beans, just steam your Edamame pods until tender and remove the seeds before stir frying.

Chop stem ends off chard and discard. Keep 1-2 inches of stem for color and texture and chop those up separately from the chard leaves. Chop the leaves into long ribbons by bunching leaves up and slicing across the bunch horizontally. Heat a few good glugs of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok. Add garlic and red pepper flakes to oil and cook until starting to brown. Add stems and stir-fry until slightly tender (2-3 mins). Add the Edamame beans and chard leaves and stir-fly an additional 1-2 mins, or until leaves start to wilt. Be careful not too cook too long or leaves will lose their bright green color.

Remove from heat and toss with sesame seeds & lemon juice. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Thai Style Crab & Udon Noodle Stir Fry

Ingredients:

7.5 oz package ready-to-wok udon noodles

3-4 oz. fresh crab (claw meat) - available in seafood dept. or in refrigerator case at Trader Joe's

3 green onions/spring onions stalks, chopped

1 c. snow peas, trimmed and chopped in 1/2

1/2 t. minced garlic

4 oz. (1/2 jar) Trader Joe's Satay Peanut Sauce or other quality Thai-Style satay sauce

dried red pepper flakes

fresh cilantro/coriander, finely chopped

1 lime

vegetable or canola oil for stir frying

Super easy one pot meal! Heat oil over medium flame and add onions, garlic & red pepper flakes. Once garlic starts to brown slightly, add snow peas and noodles. Heat through then add crab and Satay peanut sauce until mixed through. Removed from heat and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve with wedges of lime to squeeze juice over noodles. Enjoy!!

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

These spring rolls take a little patience to assemble, but they taste super fresh and are really healthy as well. I found the right kind of spring roll wrappers at Whole Foods in London, and used them up already, but am keeping an eye out for them in Birmingham. Let me know if you spot them anywhere!

They are best served with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce for dipping, but would also be good with a peanut satay sauce!

Ingredients:

1 pack spring roll rice paper wrappers (8.5 inch diameter)

1 pack ready-to-wok (pre-cooked) thin vermicelli rice noodles, separated into portions matching the number of spring roll wrappers

1 carrot, peeled, then grated into long slices with a carrot peeler

1 cucumber, peeled, then grated into long slices with a carrot peeler

1 bunch mixed baby salad greens

200g cooked prawns, tails off, sliced in half from head to tail

fresh coriander, leaves picked

fresh mint, leaves picked

Directions:

1. If you can't find pre-cooked rice noodles, then follow the pack directions to soften the noodles. Otherwise, follow the pack directions for softening the spring roll wrappers. I basically filled a large frying pan with warm/hot water and let it cool a bit. Spread a damp tea towel on the kitchen counter next to your pan of water for assembling the rolls.

2. Start by immersing one wrapper in the water, and let it sit until softened, 10-15 seconds. When soft and pliable (it should feel silky), remove it from the water and lay it on the tea towel. Dab the excess water off with a dry tea towel. The wrapper should be slightly sticky.

3. Place one portion of rice noodles towards the bottom edge of the wrapper. Lay several lettuce leaves over the noodles and top the lettuce with 5-6 pieces of prawns. Over the prawns, lay a few slices each of carrot and cucumber gratings, then sprinkle over coriander and mint leaves.

4. Fold roll like a burrito: take bottom edge (closest too you) and fold it over the filling until the wrapper edge touches the wrapper on the opposite side of the filling. The edges should stick together slightly. Next, fold each side edge in just enough to enclose either end of the filling. Last, roll the filled end over until the wrap is rolled up. Note: The tighter you can manage to wrap the rolls, the better chance you have that they won't fall apart. It takes a little practice.

5. Serve wraps immediately with sweet chili sauce or a peanut satay sauce. If you need to store them, I usually lay them on a damp paper towel in a Tupperware container, and then lay another wet paper towel over the tops before closing the lid. This will keep the wraps from drying out.

Easy Pad Thai with Chicken, Shrimp or Tofu

There are many ways to make Pad Thai, but I like the taste of the Thai Kitchen brand of Pad Thai Noodle Sauce, so I buy that and roughly follow their recipe, which saves me from having to get the right mix of spice and flavorings (Note: Take care if you have nut allergies, as the sauce may contain traces of peanuts, nuts and sesame seeds). We made this last night for dinner and I added extra fish sauce, which ended up making it a little too salty for my taste, so I wouldn't do that again next time.

You can use chicken, shrimp/prawns, tofu or any combination of the three, as long as you have the right weight. I used about 1/2 chicken and 1/2 cooked jumbo prawns, as that's what I had on hand. You could even try it with veggies I suppose (maybe green & red peppers or thai eggplant)! The jar says this makes 4 servings, but if this is all you are eating, it really only serves 2 -3 hungry adults. You could probably make it stretch to serve 4 if you serve some soup with it.

Ingredients:

1 jar Thai Kitchen Pad Thai Noodle Sauce, 340g/10-12 oz. (3 pepper rating--it's spicy)

2 large eggs, beaten

400g/13 oz. cooked prawns/shrimp, or raw, diced chicken breasts, or uncooked, cubed tofu

4 -6 scallions/spring onions, chopped

100-200g bean sprouts

250g (1/2 lb.) cooked rice noodles (cook ahead if cooked noodles aren't available)

1/3 c. crushed/chopped peanuts

Small bunch cilantro/coriander, roughly chopped

1 lime, cut into 8 slices

Instructions:

In a large frying pan, stir fry diced chicken with 1 Tbsp oil, add eggs before chicken is fully cooked and continue frying until eggs are fully cooked. Add about 1/2 jar of Pad Thai sauce, green onions, bean sprouts and cooked noodles, and heat through. If using cooked shrimp/prawns, add them to the pan about 1-2 minutes before serving, so they just heat through and don't overcook. Note: if using uncooked shrimp, omit oil and add shrimp to the pan with eggs, and cook until pink before adding noodles. If using tofu, grill or pan-fry ahead in a separate pan and add to dish with noodles and sauce.

You can add the chopped peanuts and cilantro/coriander to the noodles and mix them through before serving, or serve them on the side and let others add them to their own taste. Serve hot in bowls garnished with lime wedges (squeeze juice over noodles before eating). Enjoy!