Thayer in the Kitchen

1/2 cup peanut butter 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or 1/2 tablespoon Penzey's dry minced ginger) 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons brown sugar salt (if needed) 1 box (about 8-12 oz.) whole-grain linguine, or whatever you have available 2 large carrots, julienned 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced 1 red or yellow pepper, thinly sliced into strips (if you are a big pepper fan you can use one of each) 3 green onions, sliced 1/4 - 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped 1/4 - 1/3 cup peanuts, chopped 1# cooked shrimp My husband was kind enough to peel and devein the shrimp.  I sauteed the shrimp very quickly in a little oil in a pan and then let it cool. Whisk together the dressing ingredients: peanut butter, tamari, vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water. Add the dressing to the vegetables, pasta, and shrimp and mix well.  Try to ...

I'm straying a bit from my mission to post recipes using local foods, but this recipe for Shrimp & Grits was so good I didn't want to lose it.  It was from a Family Circle magazine article. 1   pound    cleaned raw shrimp  It is OK to use frozen shrimp; just be sure they are uncooked. 1 1/2   teaspoons    Old Bay seasoning 1/4   teaspoon    salt 1   cup  coarse ground corn grits, either white or yellow works (such as Bob's Red Mill)* 2   slices bacon, cut into thin strips 3   cloves garlic, sliced 1   14 ounce can   creamed corn 3/4 - 1   cup    heavy cream 2 scallions, trimmed and sliced I got some excellent grits from the Old Mill General Store in Pigeon Forge Tennessee when we were on our trip to the Smoky Mountains.  They have an old grist mill to grind their grains.  Just don't use instant grits. 1.   In a medium bowl, to...

Although I'm posting this recipe out of season I didn't want to lose it.  It is a great recipe to use tomatillos which if you are a CSA member you may receive in one of your boxes.  Otherwise you can find them in the grocery store in the produce department, often with other Latino vegetables. They are most often used for green salsa but this is a great recipe if you want to try something different. 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup 1-2 jalapeno chiles, seeded, minced 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 lb tomatillos, chopped (see note below on preparing the tomatillos) Salt 1/4 liquid (water, chicken broth or clam juice) 1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined 1 cup Cotija queso seco cheese (can substitute feta) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Lime juice Black pepper   An oven-proof sauté pan or cast iron pan 1 Heat oil in the pan you will use for baking. Add the onions and jalapeños, cook for 5 minutes on medium high until the onions begin to...

Fabian's Seafood from Galveston Texas comes to Madison about once a month.  They sell their shrimp from a truck parked in the Steve's Liquor parking lot on University Avenue.  I usually try to get some of their shrimp and for a real treat lump crabmeat when they are in town.  This time I just purchased a pound of extra-large shrimp which I cooked with the broccoli from our CSA farm. Heat oven to 425 degrees.  On a large cookie sheet toss together 1-2 pounds of broccoli cut into florets of medium size with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin, salt, pepper and 1/8 teaspoon of hot chili poweder (optional).  If you use the stem, which I like to do, be sure to peel it first and then slice the stems.  I made the mistake of not peeling the stems and they were a bit on the tough side.  Spread in a thin layer and roast in the oven for 10 minutes.  Stir and roast for 5 more minutes.  Take the s...

I love fried rice, but I don't think the fried rice you get from your Chinese take-away is very heatlhy.  This recipe is for a healthy version that will also help you use up your napa cabbage if you happen to have some.  If you have leftovers, it makes a great lunch the next day. Canola or peanut oil (about 6 tablespoons) 1 medium onion 1 stalk celery 1" piece of ginger, minced small head of napa cabbage, finely sliced 2 (or 1 large) clove of garlic, minced 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined 3 eggs, lightly beaten 4 cups cooked long grain brown rice, preferably made the day before and chilled 1 cup frozen peas 3 tablespoons soy sauce 3-4 green onions, sliced for garnish 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, for garnish Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or a large nonstick skillet. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the onions, celery, and the ginger, and stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the cabbage and stir-fry until the cabbage is wilted ...

I don't normally post recipes except those using produce from our CSA farm. One of the recipes in this menu does use some of our farm veggies. However, the main dish was a recipe for barbecued shrimp that I thought was so good that I decided to share it (as well as remember myself which recipe I used). It has a lot of ingredients in the marinade but don't be put off by it because its very easy. The hardest part is peeling and deveining the shrimp and Arthur was nice enough to take care of that chore. We had purchased some frozen shrimp from a local vendor who comes to one of our farmers' markets. I normally prefer fresh shrimp but these were exceptionally good. Spicy Barbecued Shrimp 1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon fresh thyme 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves, plus more, for garnish 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (I used a little hot pepper from my daughter's garden. It was very hot! I didn't bother to seed it but mi...

Breakfast today was one of my favorite pancake recipes. Carrot Breakfast Pancakes (adapted from RecipeZaar) 1-3/4 cups milk 2 eggs ¼ cup butter 4 medium carrots 1¼ cups unbleached flour 1¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal (optional) 2 tablespoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ¼ cup sugar ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon cinnamon Put milk in blender or food processor; add eggs and butter. Blend. Add carrots and blend well, until carrots are completely chopped with no visible pieces. Pour into a bowl and add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices until thoroughly combined. If you think the batter is too thin add a little more flour. Spray frying pan or griddle with cooking spray or oil lightly. Pour batter into pan using ¼ cup measure and cook until bubbles appear on top; turn and cook until golden brown on the other side. Serve with maple syrup. Sometimes I add a few pecans to the batter. Again this is optional. These pancakes are si...