inspiration and the final result, beef salad

i fell in love with pickled red onions today…i made them this morning after reading a blog i found on twitter a couple days ago. i saw the picture and i felt like not only could i already taste them but oh man, i had dreams about them last night. i had to wait till this morning for the recipe to be posted…trust me, it was worth it. balsamic vinegar and red onions, how can you not fall in love:-)

these are the type of recipes that make me happy. they make me think back on picnics and bbq’s. what more do you need when it’s cold outside, thoughts of sun and pickled veggies:-) just so you should know, i’ve been snacking on them all afternoon with a baguette.
seriously though, the great thing about reading blogs is that you find recipes like this. it gives me great ideas and inspiration to do my own thing. i mean look, blue kitchen* uploaded a picture of onions to twitter and i immediately felt inspired, it actually inspired a whole meal. it’s crazy how the mention of something can set me off into this creative mode.

so while making this pickled onion recipe, which i wasn’t going to post because it’s not mine and i didn’t touch it (you don’t touch perfection), i looked over and saw a steak…beef salad, i must be on a thai kick. to be honest, i’m totally siked because now i don’t have to keep looking for thai food here. between the curry soup, figuring out thai sweet chili sauce, and now this, i’m totally set. hope you enjoy my salad, it was amazing, the onions set it off just right. heaven:-)

thai beef salad

for dressing:

• 2 tbl olive oil
• 1 lemon juiced (you could use a lime too)
• 2 tbl of the pickling juice
• 2 tbl of the thai sweet chili sauce

for the salad:

• steak
• salad leaves
• cilantro
• cucumber
• tomatoes
• sprouts
• pickled onions

1. for the dressing, measure and add all the ingredients into a measuring glass and whisk. taste it, see if it needs anything, everyone’s tastes are different.
2. chop and slice all the veg and put it in a bowl, grill steak, sliced it thinly and add to salad, i added the onions on top (i just wanted to look at them).
3. you don’t have to use a lot of the dressing. it’s got a kick but it’s sweet also, a tbl or so in your salad and your good to go.

*the pickled onion recipe is from the blog, blue kitchen. it’s an amazing blog with amazing recipes with a lot of the same ideas that i set out to do. he is a normal person like me who enjoys cooking and loves food. go check out his blog when you have a moment. it’s a good read and i can assure you his recipes will inspire like they did me. • www.blue-kitchen.com •