Red Onion | Eating Out of the Local Box

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Black-Pepper Pork Banh Mi

By Stephanie on January 31, 2011 in Uncategorized

I don’t usually think about eating sandwiches in the winter. Sandwiches usually = light, cool summer fare, at least in my mind. But when I was creating my weekly menu plan a few weeks ago, I came across a recipe for pickled daikon radishes and carrots (I’d just gotten a bunch of each in my Greenling box). At the end it said “Remove vegetables from liquid before using in banh mi.”

I’d never heard of banh mi before and did some googling. Turns out it’s a Vietnamese sandwich that has many, many variations, and many, many fans. There are entire websites devoted to cataloging the different types of banh mi you can make. Pickled daikon radishes and carrots are a common condiment, though, no matter which iteration you go with. So is cilantro, which I love. Mayonnaise is a typical spread, but since I think it’s disgusting (Mayo is Satan’s condiment. It’s true.) I ate my sandwich dry. The fillings were delicious enough without it. The site I link to below has many different meats and condiments you can use to create your own banh mi.

Black-Pepper Pork Banh Mi (adapted from Banh Mi Battle)

Pork:
1 lb pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
1-2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped shallots or onion
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame seed oil

6 bollilos (Mexican sandwich rolls) or other sandwich roll

Condiments:
Pickled daikon radishes and carrots
Cilantro sprigs
Thinly sliced cucumber
Thinly sliced red onion
Mayonnaise (optional)

For the pork, combine all ingredients in a zip-lock bag and let the pork marinate for at least an hour. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add pork and marinade. Cook 3-4 minutes per side, until pork is cooked through.

To assemble the sandwiches, cut a slit lengthwise into each bollilo. Pull out some of the bread from the inside (this gives you more room for fillings). Fill with pork and condiments of your choice.

- Stephanie

Comments { 5 }

Lentil Dal with Cauliflower and Collards

By Woman With a Whisk on March 8, 2010 in Gluten-free, Main Dishes

I made this a few weeks ago after an Indian craving struck. It made so much that I froze a bunch and am still eating it now!

This dal was incredibly hearty and warm, and the scents coming from my kitchen while this was cooking were fantastic. I felt like I walked into an Indian restaurant as it was cooking! Greenling delivered some beautiful baby collards and cauliflower, and I picked up a few late-season (or is it early-season?) tomatoes at the farmer’s market. I imagine that this recipe can be changed to use whatever produce you have on hand — turnips for the cauliflower, chard for the collards, etc.

The recipe notes not to add any additional water, but I needed to add ~3/4 c. to allow the lentils to cook through. It also made it a bit “saucier,” which I like (more to scoop with some flatbread!). Also, next time, I won’t stir the yogurt into the mixture at the end of cooking. It didn’t exactly curdle, but it was a weird texture. I preferred adding a dollop of yogurt on top of the dal right before serving.

From Nooschi

Ingredients:

Canola oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
4 tomatoes, chopped (including the seeds and juice)
2/3 c. cilantro, finely chopped, separated
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. turmeric
1 Tbsp. curry powder
Cayenne pepper, to taste
1 c. red lentils (I couldn’t find red lentils, so I used brown lentils)
~4 c. cauliflower florets from 1 medium head
2 Tbsp. lowfat plain yogurt (see note above)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Saute the garlic, ginger, and onion in canola oil in a pot or large saute pan until the onions are translucent.
Add the tomatoes, 1/2 c. cilantro, the bay leaves, and all of the spices (including salt and pepper) into the pot, and cook until the tomatoes are crushed (~10 minutes).
Reduce the heat to simmer, then add the lentils to the tomatoes, and cook with the lid on for 20 minutes. At this point, I added ~1/2 c. water.
Add the cauliflower and cook with the lid on for 25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender. I added an additional 1/4 c. water with the cauliflower.
Adjust seasonings to taste, then top with the remaining cilantro and yogurt. Remove the bay leaves prior to serving.

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Nacho Pinwheels

By Woman With a Whisk on February 2, 2010 in Uncategorized

In addition to the jalapeno popper dip, these nacho pinwheels are another tasty Super Bowl snack that uses lots of Local Box produce! They’re totally addicting and super easy, making them a great addition to your menu for this Sunday.

Finely minced red onion, jalapeno, or cilantro would also be great additions!

From Pillsbury.com

Ingredients:

1 can crescent rolls
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 tsp. taco seasoning
1/3 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 c. fresh corn
1/4 c. red or green bell pepper, minced
2 green onions, minced
Salsa, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Unroll the crescent roll dough and divide each rectangle in half (so you should have 4 smaller rectangles). Press the perforations together.
In small bowl, mix the cream cheese and taco seasoning mix together, then stir in the cheddar cheese, corn, peppers and green onions.
Spread 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture over each rectangle to within 1/4 inch of edges.
Starting with one short side, roll up each rectangle and press the edge to seal. Cut each roll into 6 slices with a serrated knife, then place each roll cut side down on a cookie sheet
Bake ~15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Serve warm with salsa.

Comments { 1 }

Red Onion and Yellow Bean Salad

By Woman With a Whisk on January 3, 2010 in Recipes, Salads

We had friends over in the middle of the week a few weeks ago, and while I love seeing them, it’s hard entertaining during the week! To make it a bit easier, I prepped the salads and put the pork in the slow cooker in the morning, and finished the salads when I got home from work. (If you chop the potatoes ahead of time, make sure that you soak them in water so they don’t turn brown.) With a simple green salad (the lettuce also came from our Local Box), there was plenty of food and all were happy!

Red Onion and Yellow Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. yellow beans, washed and trimmed
3/4 c. red onion, diced (about half of a large onion)
3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Steam the yellow beans in a steamer basket over a pot of salted boiling water for 7 minutes, or until the beans are tender, but al dente.
When the beans are still warm, toss with the onion, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
Let sit for at least an hour before serving.

Herb Potato Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. red potatoes, roughly chopped (I don’t peel them.)
4 Tbsp. chopped herbs (I used dill, but chives, parsley, cilantro, or thyme would be great here, too.)
3/4 c. red onion, diced (about half of a large onion)
1/3 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and can be pierced easily with a fork.
Drain the potatoes and toss them (while still warm) with the remaining ingredients. Adjust ingredients to taste, if necessary.
Serve at room temperature.

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Panzanella Salad

By Woman With a Whisk on October 1, 2009 in Recipes, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan

[Printable Recipe]

I had the best panzanella salad at Redd in Napa and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about panzanella since then! It’s a perfect summer salad that uses tomatoes and cucumbers at the height of ripeness.

If you’re planning on making this in the morning and taking it for lunch, don’t toss the bread with the rest of the salad. It’ll become soggy and laden with dressing, which isn’t quite what you’re going for!

Some people toast the bread, others rub it with garlic, there are so many variations. I just like it plain, but it’s great to play around.

These quantities are for a large, entree-sized portion for 1 person. Feel free to scale it up or down as necessary.

From Epicurious

Ingredients:

1/3 loaf day-old Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large tomato, trimmed and each cut into wedges
1 sliced unwaxed cucumber
1/2 cup sliced red onion (I didn’t have red onion so I subbed a white one. Red is so much better.)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. red-wine vinegar
10 fresh basil leaves, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, gently toss the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the ingredient levels as necessary.

Verdict:
So many wonderful flavors and textures in one dish! The bite of the red wine vinegar is a perfect match for the sweetness of the ripe tomatoes. Though the ingredients are so simple, it packs a huge flavor punch. It’s also a good base recipe, so if you want to throw other things in there (e.g., artichoke hearts, garlic) or substitute anything (e.g., shallots for red onions), it’s really forgiving.