Red Hummus with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

My husband Lulu is still heartbroken that the Giants beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game last weekend, but our party for the Super Bowl is still on. At least I think it is. I'm planning on serving a lot of finger foods and this red hummus will be part of our tasty feast.

Though it's bursting with flavor, hummus can look a little dull, so I spiced it up with chile oil and sun dried tomatoes. The preparation is fairly simple and doesn't require more than a few ingredients, such as garbanzo beans, lemons, oil and of course sun dried tomatoes. Roasted or pickled garlic would be great here as well, but since we're going to be entertaining, I decided to omit it.

What are your plans for the Superbowl?

Butter Steak Recipe (Alain Ducasse)

If you're a regular reader, you know that I often tend toward the exotic or indulgent in my recipes. But at heart, I'm a steak and mashed potatoes kind of girl. I had an organic, grass fed, La Cense Beef ribeye steak that was just begging to be cooked, and today was as good a day as any to treat myself to a juicy steak.

I used French chef Alain Ducasse's method of basting the meat with a generous amount of butter and cloves of fresh garlic. The beef is served in style with a sauce chasseur (mushroom wine sauce), as if I were eating at Alain Ducasse's restaurant. It's a pretty simple meal, and since the meat is of such high quality, why mess with the flavors too much?


What with diaper changing, baths for my baby daughter and a little work out in between I've been exhausted, so I thought this delicious steak was well-deserved. Don't you agree? Now if I could only get all the vegetarians in our household (namely my husband Lulu), to give it a try. They don't know what they're missing out on!

And don't forget to enter our La Cense Beef Giveaway. Entering is easy — just leave your email address below! I’ll be choosing one winner at random. You have one more day (until this Friday, January 27th at 12pm PT) to enter. Good luck everyone! Plus, La Cense is offering a special deal to Pham Fatale readers. You can get $20 off 8 10-ounce Ribeye Steaks, plus 1 lb of free meatballs, all with free shipping ($157.48)! If that's too much meat for you, La Cense is also offering $10 off 4 10-ounce Ribeye Steaks ($71.24). La Cense Beef is 100% grass fed, with no hormones or antibiotics.

Tofu Stir Fry Recipe

Catering to a large crowd of vegetarians in my house, I often find myself cooking a lot of lentils (or any legumes) and tofu dishes. I realized I haven't cooked any tofu in quite some time, so I made my quick and easy tofu stir fry this evening. I sautéed a bunch of vegetables (Brussels sprouts, straw mushrooms, zucchini and red bell peppers) that I had on hand and mixed them with the tofu.

My husband loves this dish and says he could eat the same thing every day. I usually serve it with brown rice and a bowl of canh (Vietnamese broth). It's a complete, flavorful meal, plus it's healthy! What else could you ask for?
 

Bun Rieu Cua Recipe (Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup)

This soup, called bún riêu, is typical Vietnamese comfort food. It's paired with the usual Vietnamese aromatic herbs and topped with other vegetables and fried tofu for a complete meal.

Just thinking about this seafood dish makes my mouth water! Tomorrow, my cousin Tri and his wife Tran are coming over to greet us for the Lunar New Year. So I spent today making a delicious, though a tad time-consuming (but oh-so worth it) soup dish for them. Bún riêu cua is a briny crab rice noodle soup garnished with feathery-like crab cakes in tomato and fermented shrimp (called mắm tôm) broth. Once you're ready to serve, shredded lettuce and mint finish the dish for added crunch along with lime and a drizzle of nuoc mam. 



If you love crab, this dish is ideal for you. If not, you could always try the veggie version (bún riêu chay) I make for the rest of my family members who are vegetarian. Either way, what a great way to start the year!

Sweet Peanut Nugget Recipe

If you're an Asian food aficionado and walk your way through the blogosphere, you've probably heard of Bee from RasaMalaysia.com. As we speak, Bee is in Malaysia with her adorable 15-month-old baby boy, visiting relatives, celebrating the Year of the Dragon. Since it's the Asian new year today, Bee is sharing with us her peanut nugget recipe from her cookbook, which has over 80 recipes perfect for the upcoming Lunar New Year. Dishes include classic dumplings and Cantonese dim sum, to classic Chinatown dishes such as egg tarts, Chow Mein, Beef Chow Fun, and American favorites such as Broccoli beef and Kung Pao Chicken. It also has comprehensive chapters about ingredients, techniques, and secret tips Bee learned from master Chinese chefs.

This decadent dessert is adapted from a classic Chinese recipe called “tang bu shuai”. Legend has it that in ancient China, the dessert would be served by the family of a single woman to the potential groom to signify the beginning of a sweet and happy marriage. I am not sure about the truth of this tale, but I am sure you will love this easy recipe that is both addictive and delicious.