Happy Autumn to you. Although not a lot of difference to Summer in North Queensland, it's still lovely to mark the change of seasons. I'm writing this from our cattle station, our office overlooks the house paddock, with long green grass and cattle chewing on it contentedly. Life is good. Sadly, some are still waiting for their rain and wondering just when Mother Nature will dish out. Here's hoping it's very soon!
For the last two years, I have been swinging my existence between cattle station and town office. A 4-hour drive between the two, time in car is well spent, mulling over what I need to do for my somewhat double life! Variety is the spice of life for me and a change of scenery is a wonderful thing. There are Gut Powders (along with other goodies now available from my online shop) to be packed off from my town office and there are animals to be looked after on cattle station. A lovely mix of both worlds.
Speaking of a little spice, I found this recipe yesterday and thought I'd share it with you. It's nice to start off a change of seasons with something different to cook for dinner. I'm hoping you'll already have most of, if not all of the ingredients sitting in your fridge and pantry! If you don't use what you have, a get the missing ingredients when at the shops next.
Thai Beef Salad
Ingredients:
250g beef, rump or sirloin
50 gram of vermicelli noodles (optional)
1 cucumber, in ribbons
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 red onion, finely sliced
1/4 bunch of coriander, leaves picked
1/4 bunch of mint, leaves pick, or Thai basil
3 cups of mixed salad leaves
1 cup of bean sprouts (optional)
1 cup of sprouts (if you have them)
3 tbsp of peanuts, toasted
Dressing:
1 lime, juiced, approx. 2 tbsp of juice
1 tbsp of fish sauce (really important!)
1 tbsp of tamari sauce
2 tsp maple
1/2 chilli, de-seeded & diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp of sesame oil
Method:
To make dressing, combine all of the ingredients into a bottle, put lid on and shake like crazy!
Season beef with sea salt and black pepper and place in a shallow bowl. Pour half the dressing over the top, cover and leave to marinate for at least 30 mins. If you have time, marinate for 2 hours, turning beef occasionally.
Prepare noodles as per packet instructions.
To make salade, combine cucumber, tomatoes, onion, herbs, salad leaves and bean sprouts in a large mixing bowl. Toss together.
Remove beef from fridge, allow to come to room temp. Then, heat a bbq grill or a frypan to med-high heat. Cook the beef for 2-3 mins on each side for med-rare. Cook time will depend on the thickness of your beef. Once cooked, remove form the pan, cover with foil and set aside to rest for 10 mins before slicing.
Divide the salad between serving plates, top with sliced beef, drizzle the remaining dressing over the top and garnish with toasted peanuts.
Note: Don't be put off by the cook time! Prep time for this recipe is only around 15 mins, the remainder of the cook time is for marinating.
Time to cook: 55
Serves: 3
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Johanna x