Hurt Toe

I was minding my own business, checking my e-mail, when my right foot decided to kick forward and I smashed my toes into my desk. My poor middle toe took the brunt and scrapped a nice piece off. It of course hurt like no tomorrow and bleed like nobody's business. After a few choice swear words (I'll leave them to your imagination), I bandaged the poor thing and watched as it continued to bleed. I put another Band-Aid on and it finally stopped. It still hurts and I am not looking forward to wearing my shoes tomorrow. Do you think it would look funny if I wore pink flip-flops with my scrubs??

On a brighter note, I am making a fabulous dish tomorrow night for dinner. I made it once before and loved it! Its from Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller, which is my new favorite cookbook. I highly recommend it, and suggest you use the Soba noddles. Soba is a buckwheat noodle, so it has lots of fiber and a great texture and taste. Its found in the Asian food isles. The sauce makes 3 cups (you only need about 1+) for the recipe. The leftover sauce is a great marinade, or dressing, or a dip if mixed with some black bean paste.



Beef and Noodles in Thai Peanut Sauce
Recipe courtesy Robin Miller, 2006

8 ounces somen or soba noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti

Thai Peanut Sauce:
3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Pad Thai:
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 1⁄4 pounds lean beef steak (such as sirloin or flank), cut crosswise into 1⁄4-inch-thick strips
1⁄4 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts
1⁄4 cup chopped scallions (white and green parts)

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain, transfer to a large bowl, and cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the sauce ingredients until well blended and set the pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the peanut sauce and simmer until the beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the beef mixture to the noodles and toss to combine, and then serve on individual plates topped with the peanuts and scallions. The leftover peanut sauce will keep in the refrigerator up to 4 days or in the freezer up to 3 months; thaw completely in the refrigerator or microwave for about 3 minutes on LOW before using.