Day 300: Day 300!!?!

Okay.  So yesterday I made a big deal out of how excited I was to be home and cooking again after a week away on vacation.  One day later, here I am going out to dinner again!  

After work, I decided to join some colleagues for a drink (or three).  After that outing, it just  wasn't desirable (or safe) for me to handle sharp implements, so off to Bistro Aix we went.

As always, I started with a salad.  Usually at BA, I order one of their seafood dishes for my entree but tonight I had a craving for beef so I ordered the rib eye.  It normally comes with french fries and watercress salad but I substituted haricots verts instead and didn't eat any of the buttery sauce that was served.  Those moves made me feel better about eating the red meat.

It's almost the weekend, so that means more restaurant wining and dining.  Next week I will really have to get back into the kitchen to make some good, tasty meals at home.  Tune in to see what I whip up!

Day 299: Kitchen Sweet Kitchen

I love eating and I dislike doing dishes, but tonight, after a week on vacation, I was excited to be home where I'd have to cook and clean.

I decided to make up for my insanely unhealthy diet of the past week with a meal packed with lean protein, whole grains, and lots and lots of veggies.  That manifested itself in brown rice with shrimp and sauteed vegetables.

Ingredients (serves 2):

1/2 cup brown rice, prepared as suggested on the package

2 T olive oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined and cut into three pieces each

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1.5 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

1 shallot bulb, minced

White wine or chicken broth

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup sugar snap peas, halved crosswise

2 stalks of celery, chopped

Zest from 1 large lemon

Pre-heat olive oil & red pepper flakes in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add shrimp, season with S&P, and saute for a minute or two until pink.  Remove, set aside, and cover.

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook garlic, ginger, and shallot until soft.  Turn up the heat to medium-high, add a few splashes of white wine or chicken broth, add all veggies, and saute for 8-10 minutes until all veggies are crunchy tender.  If the pan dries out during cooking, add another splash of liquid.

When veggies are cooked to desired consistency, add shrimp and cooked rice to the pan and mix all ingredients together until it's all heated through.  Turn off the heat, mix in the lemon zest, and serve!

I adore vacation, but I also like getting back to "normal life", especially when it includes homemade, nutritious, tasty dinners like this one!

Day 298: Wrapping Up a Highly Caloric Week

I cannot recall a time in my life, other than possibly during college, when I would have consumed pizza, nachos, a cheeseburger, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, french fries, Doritos, beer, pie, and ice cream all in one week. Well, add tonight's fried chicken to that list and you now have a complete list of the junk that went into my face this week while visiting friends and family back east. It's horrifying really.

Tomorrow I return to California, thankfully known as the healthy food capital of the USA. It may cause me to go into shock, but I plan to cram as many veggies as I can into the system over the coming week or two. I know I can't undo what I already did but I sure can try to make up for it (and then some!). I hope the farmer's market is ready for me!

Day 297: Pub Grub

Tonight I met up with a bunch of friends at McGee's in NYC. I suppose that I'd say that my main course was beer, with some bits and bites of pub grub including chicken fingers, nachos, mozzarella sticks and thankfully, a veggie plate.

This has been a disaster of a week calorie-wise, but an extraordinary week of catching up with old friends. I'll take that trade off anytime!

Day 296: Please Pass the Burger Bite

Day 2 of my marathon of friends during this trip back east, this one with college friends. There are two couples who live within just a 15 minute drive of my parents' house so we decided to take advantage of the amazing weather we've been having and gathered at one of their homes for a bbq.

It was a great night to sit outside, sip some cold white wine, and enjoy catching up with friends that I haven't seen in well over a year! Dinner was hamburgers and sweet potatoes, both from the grill, and potato salad and green salad. One hamburger became the casualty of "the flip" and broke up into what we called "burger bites" which sort of got passed around throughout the meal, depending on who needed another small does of red meat in their system. The bite on my plate actually wound up in someone else's belly.

The sweet potatoes were definitely the star of the meal, however. They had marinated in olive oil, some herbs, and S&P and then were grilled until tender. Everyone raved about them! Good job, Kelly!

And, I'm thrilled to say that I did indeed carry last night's lesson with me, sipping a beer and some white wine like the adult I am supposed to be! Will it last? The marathon isn't over yet!

Day 295: I Just Can't Party Like I Used To

Whenever I come back east for a visit, I try to squeeze in some fun with as many friends as possible. It can be difficult due to obligations I have with my family and the fact that friends are scattered about the metropolitan area and many have young children. But it's always worth the effort, however brief or long the time is that we get to spend together.

Today the marathon of friends began. I met a college friend for lunch at a midway point between her house down the shore and my parents' house in Northern NJ. Of course, we met at a mall. This is Jersey after all.

Tonight I headed into Manhattan for dinner with 1/2 dozen friends, most of whom I used to work with. We chose Cafe Frida on the Upper West Side as it was convenient for everyone to get to, nearby my crashpad for the night, and who doesn't love a margarita?

As far as a gathering place, Cafe Frida offers delicious food and yummy margs in lots of flavors (we had plain and hibiscus), but it is also really loud so we were shouting at each other for most of the evening.

We began with made to order guacamole. The first bowl was perfect but the second needed another squeeze of lime. Still, it was fresh and tasty, with chopped avocados rather than mashed so it had great texture. Next, I had fish tacos. I could choose whether I wanted the fish fried or sauteed (I went with sauteed) and whether to have corn or flour tortillas (corn, of course!). They were fabulous, especially with the spicy green sauce (avocado, tomatillo, jalapeno?) drizzled over the top.

After dinner, we gathered at one of my friend's apartment for wine and dessert - homemade key lime pie that she had whipped up earlier in the day. I have great friends.

Unfortunately, in all the excitement, I definitely didn't pay attention to how much booze I was putting away. Some wine before dinner + margaritas with dinner + more wine after dinner = a not so happy tummy in the morning. Let's make no bones about it - I felt like crap! Let's hope I carry that lesson with me as I proceed through the rest of my trip!

Day 294: Hey, I Know That Guy!!

One night last year, I sat down to watch one of the many reality shows that I tune into - Kitchen Nightmares. As usual, the narrator was introducing the restaurant that Gordon Ramsay was going to go in and fix this time and what do you know, the owner is a guy I grew up with!

Unlike on many other episodes, the problem at Campania wasn't that the food was bad or the management was made up of moronic pricks. The issue was simply that the lack experience running a business was causing the restaurant to lose, rather than make money. Gordon worked his magic and everyone lived happily ever after.

Or did they? I needed to see for myself. So, on this weeklong trip back to New Jersey, I decided to treat my parents to dinner out - at Campania, of course!

I'll start off by saying that the place is adorable. I'm not sure if Gordon and his renovation are to thank for that, but the atmosphere is warm and welcoming.

I ordered both my starter and my entree from the specials menu. The special salad was mixed greens with red grapes, toasted almonds, goat cheese, and lemon vinaigrette. I loved it. The combination of ingredients was perfect and it paired wonderfully with Campania's delicious, soft foccacia which I used as a goat cheese carrier and to mop up the dressing.

My entree was pan roasted grouper with eggplant and grilled ramps. This was a great dish - the fish was cooked perfectly and the accompanying elements were delish. I hadn't thought to grill ramps (which taste like mild green onions) before but I'll definitely try it at home. The eggplant was perfect - soft and sweet. There were two large pieces but I wished there were more.

In the end, I was too full for dessert, which was heartbreaking since they had homemade tartufo on the menu and that is one of my faves!!! I guess I'll have to go back next time I'm in the neighborhood.

I'm always one to root for the local small business owner, and that sentiment is multiplied by a thousand when I know the owner personally. This one even invited me to visit him in the kitchen which was a great treat! Thanks, Joe!

Day 293: Back in the Jerz

I'm in New Jersey for a few days visiting family and with a hectic day today, we decided to order pizza for dinner.

We ordered two pies, with each half being different (clockwise):
1st half: pepperoni
2nd half: sausage with peppers and onions
3rd half: anchovies and garlic
4th half: black olives

All were tasty and I wish I could remember the name of the joint in Garfield that made them. I'll follow up with that via a comment below once I get that info from my sister!

Day 292: Potatoes? Or Marshmallows?

With a redeye flight to catch tonight, there wasn't time for cooking and cleaning up afterwards, so off we went to Balboa Cafe for dinner.

I almost always order fish at the Bal, because it's always damn good. I don't know what their trick is, but it's always tender, flavorful, and crispy on the outside. Normally, they have a salmon dish, but recently they switched things up and they offer halibut now instead.

The halibut filet sat atop a bed or spinach and a couple of fingerling potatoes that tasted oddly like toasted marshmallows. I can't explain it and the Bal may not be able to either, but their flavor definitely took me back to sticking marshmallows at the end of a branch and toasting them over the grill.

All of this was served with crabmeat beurre blanc sauce and bits of crab on top. Yummers. Add a bottle of wine (split with my hubby, of course), and I was in good shape to sleep soundly on my flight!

Day 291: A Work Perk

I'm fortunate in that from time to time, my job allows me to enjoy some very good meals on some very nice expense accounts. Tonight was one of those nights.

Some work associates and I had amazing sushi at Ozumo where I had my first roll wrapped with soy rather than seaweed. Interesting, but I prefer the more traditional seaweed route. The soy is rather tasteless and slightly rubbery.

The four of us shared lots of dishes - far too many to remember them all. We had some delicious rolls: tempura, lobster, spicy tuna. Yum, yum, yum. We also had some some addictive garlic edamame, some soft and supple soy glazed black cod, and various pieces of sushi. Everything was wonderful, including the ice cold sake I drank throughout the meal.

I go through waves with sushi. Sometimes I crave it constantly and can't get enough. Other times the thought of it makes me kind of sick. This meal was phenomenal and made me want sushi again soon! Next time I'll probably be paying for myself, however, so Ozumo may not see me again for awhile. Any wallet friendly sushi recommendations in SF? Leave a comment and let me know!

Day 290: Recession Deals & Steals

Lots of restaurants are employing new strategies to bring customers in during the recession.  In our neighborhood alone, Three Seasons offers happy hour specials, Isa has half priced wine, Mezes has introduced appetizers with wine pairing, and Izzy's is now open for Sunday brunch.

We noticed that Jardiniere, a normally pricey restaurant in Hayes Valley, recently began serving a three course prix fixe menu with wine pairing for only $45 on Monday nights.  Each week, the meal has a different theme, this week being "Celebration of Spring".

This was my third time dining at Jardiniere.  I've found their food to be a little inconsistent.  Some dishes are wonderful.  Others, not so much.  But a great deal like three courses with wine pairings was intriguing enough to get me there for another try and I am so glad because the meal was wonderful.

We started with chilled pea soup, which was perfect given the steamy hot weather we've been experiencing here these past few days.  I literally felt my entire body cool off as I ate it.  Next, we had house made pasta with asparagus, morel mushrooms, ramp greens, and parmesan cheese.  Dessert was vanilla angel's food cake with whipped cream and macerated strawberries.

To see the wine pairings, click here.

If you live in SF and know of other great restaurant deals, please leave a comment and give the what, where, and when.  I'm happy to eat and drink my way to a stronger economy!

Day 289: Spring is Here and It's Delicious

So much good produce is in season now:  asparagus, artichokes, and peas.  So, for our salad tonight, I decided to forgo lettuce and spinach and those usual leafy greens and instead, used pea shoots.  If you haven't eaten pea shoots before, they are light, crisp, and taste just like sweet peas.

I also quartered a couple of handfuls of heirloom cherry tomatoes.  There were red, yellow, and dark green ones - each with its own flavor.  I also added a cucumber, a red bell pepper, an avocado, some celery, and a couple of baby beets.  Instead of using a bottled dressing, I made my own using the juice of a lemon, about 1.5 T olive oil, about 1 tsp sugar, and S&P to taste.  

For our protein, we took the easy way out.  Our local grocery store sells marinated pork tenderloin that had been pounded flat and it is delicious, especially when cooked on the grill.  So...that's what we did.

This was an easy, fresh, flavorful, and healthy dinner.  A great start to the week!

Day 288: Zuni Cafe's Famous Chicken

After two and a half years of living in SF, we finally made it to the famous Zuni Cafe.  Zuni Cafe opened 30 years ago and is cheffed by Chez Panisse alum Judy Rogers.  It is a legendary place and it's hard to believe that it took us so long to check it out for ourselves!!

Any time I've heard someone talk about Zuni, it is usually coupled with mention of their chicken for two.  It is a whole chicken (cut into pieces), roasted to order with a bread stuffing with currants and pine nuts.  Mustard greens are tossed over the top.

You know when things are talked up so much that you automatically assume that there's no way that they can live up to the hype?  Well, this was one of those times, only it TOTALLY lived up to the hype.  Perfectly seasoned.  Crispy skin.  Delicious accompaniments.  When can I have it again?

Of course we had a couple of starters before the miracle chicken:  fried cauliflower, onions, and capers (fair), breasola with grilled fava beans (I did not care for this), and polenta with marscapone & parmesan cheese (um, YUM!).

Believe it or not, after all of this, we also had dessert.  I was very intrigued by the caramel and balsamic vinegar ice cream, which was most sweet but also a bit sour-tangy.  

What a meal!  And excellent service, too.  Our waiter was a recently relocated New Yorker, like us, and we enjoyed reminiscing about all the great food offered there.  When we go back to Zuni, we will definitely request Jeff as our server.

Day 287: Sharing at Isa

For my husband and me, Friday night calls for good food and a nice bottle of wine and this week we enjoyed both at Isa.

Diners at Isa are encouraged to share all plates, which is what we always do.  There are several small dishes that we always order:  the seasonal salad (right now it's arugula with apple, fennel, and shaved parmesan cheese), baked goat cheese with tomato, basil, and pine nuts, and seared scallops with mashed potatoes & asparagus (or brussels sprouts, depending on the season).  The rest of our order varies, depending on the menu and our mood.  Tonight we also had tuna tartar and duck with huckleberries, bacon & cabbage (pictured).

As always, we brought our own bottle of wine but the restaurant comped each of us a glass of dessert wine to thanks us for our loyal patronage.  Free wine or not, we will definitely return to Isa again and again because it's just plain good!

Day 286: Buh-Bye, Passover!!

For me, the worst part of Passover is not that I can't eat bread or cereal or pasta.  I don't eat much of any of that stuff.  But no legumes?  No rice?  That was tough.  So, to celebrate the first night in a week without such restrictions, I made an Indian dish tonight.

This was an easy dinner because I used some jarred sauce and only had to saute my chicken and veggies and make some rice.  I cubed two chicken breasts, browned the pieces in olive oil, and set them aside.

I deglazed the pan with some white wine and then tossed in a head of broccoli, a yellow bell pepper, and a couple of handfuls of sugar snap peas.  After a few minutes, I added a can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed).  

After a few more minutes, I added the sauce.  The one I chose tonight was a korma sauce, tomato based and spicy.  There are others I like as well - a spinach one and a tangy lemony cilantro one.  

A few minutes before serving, I added the chicken back into the pan and cooked until it was heated through.  Covering the pan speeds that process.  I served the mixture over brown rice and gobbled it up.  Oh, rice and beans, how I have missed you!

Day 285: The End of Passover (thank goodness!!)

Tonight is the last night of Passover and although I've kept to the rules (for the most part), the only Passover specific dish I've prepared this week was matzoh ball soup.  I decided to end the holiday with a Spinach Matzoh Pie recipe that I found on Epicurious.com.

I followed the recipe almost to a T, prepping the dish last night and fridging it until tonight at which point I baked it.  The only changes I made to the recipe were:

- lowfat cottage cheese

- skim milk

- 16 oz frozen spinach and a small bag of fresh spinach (which I chopped and sauteed with the onion) because that's what I had in the house

- 8 ounces of feta

This was a great way to use up all of our leftover matzoh.  And, because it could be prepared the day before, it made it easy to get dinner quickly to the table tonight.

Will I miss Passover?  No way!!  But, this recipe was a great find and I'll definitely use it again in the future.

Day 284: Tuna Tuesday

According to Anthony Bourdain, Tuesday is one of the best days to buy fish so off I went to the market today to see what looked fresh.  I walked out with a couple of pieces of great looking ahi, two nice sized bok choys, and some prepared "Greek style roasted tomatoes".

I sliced the bok choy crosswise, thinly at the end where it's thicker and wider through the leafy part, since those thinner pieces would cook more quickly.  Then I was sure to clean the pieces thoroughly.  Bok choy is like celery - it collects lots of dirt between the layers, so you really need to clean it carefully.

I took the tuna, cut it into 1 inch cubes, and tossed it in a Ziploc bag with the juice of a lemon, 2 T olive oil, and a good dose of S&P.  

After heating up some olive oil, I added 3 cloves of minced garlic and a thinly sliced shallot to the pan and sauteed them over low heat until they were softened up (but not browned).  Then I added the bok choy and 2 T white wine, turned up the heat to medium high, and covered the pot.  After about 5 minutes, the bok choy was softened but still had a little crunch.

I removed the bok choy from the pan and set it aside in a large bowl.  After pouring the liquid from the pan into the sink, I drizzled some olive oil into the pan and heated it on medium-high heat.  Once hot, I added the tuna and sauteed for about 4-55 minutes, stirring the cubes every minute or two.  Once cooked, I tossed the tuna into the bowl with the bok choy and some of the diced Greek style roasted tomatoes.

Assuming I can find those tomatoes again, I will definitely make this meal again.  They added a really nice salty, acidic note to the dish.  And as Anthony said, buying seafood on Tuesday almost always assures the freshest most flavorful fish.

Day 283: Chicken x 2

I cooked up some delicious chicken soup and matzoh balls over the weekend and used the leftovers to make a delicious dinner tonight.

The remaining chicken that I hadn't returned to the broth went into a salad with arugula, yellow bell pepper, sliced beets, chopped carrots and celery, and sliced almonds.  My very favorite bottled dressing, Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette brought it all together.

And of course, my yummy matzoh ball soup made a great pairing with the salad.  Sadly, the soup is now finished.  My hubby has requested that we have matzoh balls again soon but I'm torn.  Keep it as a special annual holiday treat or make them more often throughout the year?  Thoughts?

Day 282: Brownie Points from (Someone Else's) Mom

We have a couple of goy friends who really love when I cook up a Jewish feast for them.  So, in celebration of Passover, I invited ourselves to their house with a feast in tow:  matzoh ball soup, brisket, and roasted butternut squash.  One friend's parents were in town so it was a downright Passover party of six.

This was actually my first time making matzoh balls, so I cheated and relied on a mix.  Considering how delicious they turned out, I may cheat every time!

My soup took awhile to come together but once it was done, it was SO good.  I followed a recipe from Epicurious.com but found that once it was complete, the broth was thin and rather tasteless.  To solve that problem, I simmered the broth (minus the chicken which I reserved to serve with the soup and the veggies which I threw away) for about 2 additional hours, allowing it to reduce, bringing out much more flavor.  Adding more salt helped as well.

My brisket recipe was also from Epicurious.com.  I prepared this dish for others on Hanukkah to rave reviews and it didn't disappoint this time either.

I roasted the butternut squash simply.  After peeling it and removing the seeds, I cut it up into uniform 1 inch pieces and mixed them with olive oil, about 2 T fresh thyme leaves, and a good dose of S&P.  I lay the pieces out in a single layer on a baking sheet and roasted it at 400 degrees for about 22 minutes, or until very tender.

My friends loved the meal, as did my husband and the visiting parents.  They didn't just clear their plates, they gobbled it all up and handed out lots of compliments.  I'm always happy to earn some Mom love, even from someone who isn't my own mom!

Day 281: En Papillote

A few weeks ago, while in a taxi, I went past a cute looking restaurant called Hyde Street Seafood House.  Coincidentally, during an office happy hour last week, a couple of my co-workers were talking about the place and how much they loved it.  This weekend I decided to try it for myself.

The restaurant prides itself on en papillote preparation.  That's when you bake food in parchment paper, usually with veggies and starch, like rice or potatoes.  I went with the New Zealand Blue Nosed Sea Bass which frankly, I had never heard of.  It was baked, as you can see, with loads of thinly sliced zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and jalapenos.  I squeezed two juicy slices of lemon over the top and presto - a light, flavorful, super healthy meal.

En papillot is actually a pretty easy and very impressive dish to make yourself.  Several months ago, I tried it for the first time with halibut and it was a huge success.  Give it a shot!

Day 280: Just the Facts

There is no long, drawn out story to accompany tonight's meal.  I was in the mood for chicken and we had some sugar snap peas that I had purchased at the farmer's market earlier in the week...so sauteed chicken and sugar snap peas it was.

I cut 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite sized pieces, seasoned them with S&P, and browned them in a stainless steel pan pre-heated with olive oil.  I removed them from the pan (leaving the oil behind) and tossed them in a bowl with about 1.5 T of peanut oil.  I covered the bowl with foil and set it aside.

I turned the burner down to medium low and deglazed the pan with about 1/4 cup of low sodium chicken broth.  I added four cloves of minced garlic and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and allowed them to soften up in the broth for a couple of minutes.

After removing the tough "string" from the peas, I threw them into the pan and cranked the heat up to medium high.  Whenever the broth had nearly cooked away, I added a few more splashes to keep the garlic from burning.  Once the peas were cooked through (cook them as much or as little as you'd like), I tossed the chicken back into the pan and mixed everything together and cooked until the chicken was heated through again.

I served the mixture over steamed quinoa tossed with lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, toasted sliced almonds, and S&P.  Yum yum good!  

Day 279: TGIT!

It's been a long and arduous week at the office.  No time for shopping or cooking so the fridge is empty and the cabinets are bare.  Plus, I'm trying to keep Passover which means I cannot have grains, pasta, corn, beans...  Makes eating (and cooking) though.

We decided to head to Izzy's but once there, I realized I wasn't really in the mood for my usual giant prime rib.  I had ordered swordfish at Izzy's before and really enjoyed it, so I went with that.  In fact, tonight's photo is actually from January - tonight I had steamed broccoli and creamed spinach as my sides.

Tomorrow is Good Friday and my office is closed.  This meal was a great way to kick off a long weekend.

Day 278: "Why is Jewish Food So Gross?"

That is the question a friend of mine emailed me today.  She was headed to a family member's house tonight to celebrate the first night of Passover and she was not looking forward to the meal.  Upon further probing, I found out that she doesn't care for the way they prepare the lamb and the peas they serve are from a can.  Ah ha!!  Proof once again that you shouldn't blame the food itself for poor flavor or icky texture.  Blame the cook!

Of course there are foods that each of us simply do not care for, no matter how they are cooked.  However, I firmly believe that at least some of the time, it isn't the food item we don't care for - we just haven't had the chance to enjoy it prepared properly.  Here are some sure fire ways to ensure that you (and the people you are serving) will hate what you (and they) are eating.

1.  Boil (or bake or broil or whatever) it to death

2.  Forget to season it

3.  Buy poor quality ingredients

Take that lamb that my poor friend was forced to eat tonight.  I'll admit that lamb has a strong and unique flavor that may not appeal to everyone.  But I'll bet that a good amount of people who currently say "lamb is gross" could be convinced it's delicious if they try a tender, perfectly seasoned lamb chop set ablaze before it's served - like the ones I enjoyed at Mezes tonight.  Mustard crusted lamb chops are delicious too.

And while canned peas may be a good staple to keep in your bunker, they are simply not very tasty.  Nothing beats fresh English peas, especially if they come from your local farmer's market.  Just do not cook them until they are mush.

Speaking of fresh veggies, I enjoyed a lovely Greek salad along with my chops tonight.  Nothing from a can on my plate tonight!

Day 277: Burning the 8:30pm Oil

Two nights in a row at the office until after 8pm and tomorrow promises more of the same.  But thanks to my good planning, there were leftovers in the fridge and food made its way quickly into my belly.

Tonight...leftover shepherd's pie.  I prepared this dish on Sunday, using pureed cauliflower instead of potato and ground turkey instead of ground lamb.  My hope had been that upping the nutritional content of the dish wouldn't mean too great of a sacrifice in taste.  Well, the original is definitely tastier, but simply having this on hand tonight bought it lots of brownie points!

Day 276: Farmer's Market Flavor

Anticipating several late nights at the office this week, I cooked up some food yesterday that would lead to some quick and easy dinners.

For tonight, I did the prep for pork tenderloin with kumquat-jalapeno marmalade.  I had been seeing kumquats at the farmer's market recently and was determined to try to cook them.  This recipe was very easy.  I made the marmalade yesterday and then tonight, my husband warmed it up and threw the pork tenderloin on the grill while I made my way home.  Perfect teamwork!

Our sides were steamed asparagus (also fresh from the farmer's market!) and some white bean salad that we purchased this weekend at a lovely little Italian cheese shop in our neighborhood.

Being spontaneous is fun, but during a hectic work week full of long days, nothing beats a flavorful, healthy, quick dinner on the table.  Let's hope the rest of this week goes this smoothly.

Day 275: Shepherd's Pie Purists Should Not Read This

The inspiration for tonight's dinner was a head of cauliflower that had been in my fridge for a little over week.  I decided to use that cauliflower to make a healthier version of one of my favorite comfort foods - shepherd's pie.

I love traditional shepherd's pie made with ground lamb and mashed potatoes.  And to be honest, that version is much tastier than the one I created tonight although mine was quite a bit more nutritious.

After cutting the cauliflower up into halved florets, I tossed the pieces with olive oil, S&P, an roasted them at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes (until golden brown along the edges).  Then, I placed them in a food processor with 1T butter and 1/4 cup skim milk and blended until smooth.  I used this mixture as a replacement for the mashed potatoes that are normally smoothed along the top of shepherd's pie.

For the meat layer of the dish, I used an Allrecipes.com recipe as the base with the following changes to further lighten up the dish:

- 1.5 lb ground turkey instead of 1 lb ground beef 

- low sodium chicken broth instead of beef broth

- Red Dragon mustard seed cheddar instead of plain cheddar

I also added 2T worcestershire sauce, 1.5 tsp dried oregano, and replaced the ketchup with tomato paste for more flavor.  In retrospect, a couple of cloves of garlic would have done a lot of good as well.

This dish was okay and there wasn't the usual guilt I feel after eating "real" shepherd's pie.  I'd probably try several other recipes before making this one again.  It simply wasn't all that tasty - and I'm pretty sure it wasn't the replacements that made it so.  It was more likely the lack of spice and seasoning.

Our side dish, asparagus fresh from the farmer's market, was delicious though.  I'm glad we bought two bunches so we enjoy more later in the week!

Day 274: Mt. Asparagus

We had planned to enjoy a cheese plate at the end of our meal at Absinthe tonight, but after the asparagus "shared plate" we ordered turned out to be a mountain of food, that seemed unlikely.  As you can see in the background of this photo, we also had the cured meat plate, making that cheese thing REALLY unlikely.

Asparagus is in season now and this was a wonderful way to serve them.  They were topped with burrata, roasted peppers, and arugula, with a charred onion vinaigrette.  A slice of speck was draped over the top, but we moved that over to the meat plate as there were a lot of flavors already working on the asparagus dish.

Still hoping for cheese, I chose one of the lighter entrees on the menu:  scallops with artichokes and baby fennel over pureed sunchoke.  I love scallops but unfortunately, I haven't mastered cooking them so I order them at restaurants all the time.  These were very tasty and made me want to try preparing them at home again sometime soon.

In the end, we decided to have one piece of cheese, just to help us finish our wine.  The Absinthe cheese menu is just too good to pass up.  Each cheese is served with a specially paired accompaniment and it's so much fun to taste them all.  We went with a blue cheese tonight, paired with candied kumquats.  Coincidentally, I purchased some kumquats at the farmer's market today and I have NO idea what to do with them!  If you have an idea or a recipe, please leave a comment!

Day 273: No Food Envy Tonight!

Last time we ate at Capannina, my husband ordered the seared tuna bruschetta and man, was I jealous!  The dish is totally misnamed.  The tuna doesn't arrive on thinly toasted bread - it arrives on top of deep fried discs of rice!  Tonight, they were mine.  Add a thin of slice of caper berry to each bit and swipe it quickly through the vinaigrette and it's the perfect combination of savory and richness.

I followed this up with the seafood mixed grill, which is one of my favorite entrees at Capannina.   Tonight it included salmon, sea bass, and a tiger prawn - all plated on top of the smoothly mashed potatoes you've ever had.

As always at Capannina, an amazing meal.  Thanks, guys!

Day 272: Feeding the Monster

I have a cat named Monster, but he is not what I'm referring to in this entry's title.  I'm referring to my noisy, growling tummy!!  I was absolutely famished tonight!

First, we attempted to go to the Balboa Cafe but there was an hour wait to sit down.  So, we walked a couple of blocks to Bistro Aix where two great surprises awaited me.  First, I ran into an old friend whom I had not seen nor spoken to in ages - and since there was a short wait to sit down, we were able to catch up.

The second surprise was tonight's special:  Spaghetti with Maine lobster, tomatoes, and basil.  Lobster?!?  Just what the monster ordered!!  Not only was the dish delicious, but it was loaded with lobster and only cost $25!  The monster and my wallet are super happy tonight!

Day 271: Can You Spot My Secret Ingredient?

The goal tonight was to use up a bunch of items that we had on hand:  cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, spinach, and a fennel bulb.  I decided to make some whole grain pasta and toss in those items and some others that we also had:  garlic, parmesan cheese, and my favorite secret ingredient - white wine!  The only thing I actually had to purchase was some spicy turkey sausage.

I mixed the tomatoes with two large cloves of pressed garlic, about 1.5T of olive oil, and S&P and poured everything into a square glass baking dish.  The dish went into a 375 degree oven.

Next, I set the pasta water to boil (with salt & olive oil, of course) and cooked the pasta until al dente.  While that was happening, I prepared the rest of the dish.

I chopped up two links of spicy turkey sausage and thinly sliced the fennel.  These ingredients went into a large saute pan that had been pre-heated with a light coating of olive oil.  I also added about 2-3T of white wine and stirred frequently, cooking the mixture until the fennel was softened up (about 10 minutes).  

Then, I rough chopped four large handfuls of bagged baby spinach and added them to the pan.  The tomatoes had burst in the oven by the time the spinach was wilted, so I dumped them into the pan with everything else and cooked the mixture for another couple of minutes.  Then the cooked and drained pasta went into the pan and I cooked everything until the pasta was heated through (the noodles had finished before my sausage and veggie mixture, so I had drained them and rinsed them in cold water to stop the cooking process).

Finally, I tossed in about 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese and mixed everything together again.  Once the pasta was plated, I sprinkled another healthy dose of cheese over the top and some chopped fresh basil leaves over that.

This was a decent recipe - not one of my favorites, but a tasty and well-rounded meal with whole grain, protein, vegetables, and calcium.  The best part was, it enabled me to use up a bunch of stuff we had on hand just in time for the weekend.  Because you know I don't "do cooking" on Friday or Saturday nights.  Speaking of that, any restaurant recommendations to share?