Day 362: Thanks for the Memories, Balboa!

One of the restaurants we've visited most frequently over the past year (and since moving to SF 2.5 years ago), is the Balboa Cafe, a staple in our neighborhood.

As I've done during nearly every other visit to The Bal, I ordered the field green salad (mixed greens, raisins, sliced apple, candied pecans, and a crostini smeared with goat cheese) and the fish dish. The Bal always has a fish option on the menu, usually either halibut or salmon, plated on top of seasonal vegetables. The cooks at the restaurant really know how to cook fish. There is always a beautiful crust on top while instead remains soft and moist.

Tonight's fish option was halibut with fresh spinach and fingerling potatoes and crabmeat beurre blanc. I asked the restaurant to leave the potatoes off and double the spinach, which they gladly did (and always do for me). This was a delicious meal, due in no small part to the buttery crabby sauce which was absolutely divine.

Thank you, Balboa Cafe for serving so many amazing dinners to me this year. I look forward to continuing to enjoy your food for many years to come!

Day 361: Best Deal of the Blog

As this blog comes to a close, I find myself reminiscing about the great things I cooked, ate, and discovered over the course of the past year.  One of my best discoveries by far, is Costco's $4.99 rotisserie chicken.  This bird is juicy, succulent, savory, and cheap!!  And, perfect for a night when you can't/don't want to cook.

Tonight was one of those nights.  I had planned ahead that I would go to the gym after work, which means that the earliest I would get home is 7 or 7:30.  So, my husband and I agreed that he would stop off at Costco on his way home.

When we take the easy way out on one piece of the meal, I like to cook another.  Tonight, I sauteed up some sugar snap peas that we had purchased at the farmer's market over the weekend.  I used a non-stick pan so that I didn't need much oil.  After heating up some olive oil, I sauteed the peas with S&P and a little bit of cayenne - I love the combination of sweet and spicy.  I let them cook over medium-high heat for a good 10 minutes, stirring them often.  This allowed them to soften up but still maintain a little bit of crunch.  Yum.

I find that this kind of dinner is a terrific compromise of easy, cheap, but with a homemade touch.  And for $4.99, you just cannot go wrong! 

Day 360: What Happens When I Do Not Have a Plan

It's too bad that I had to create such a terrible meal during the last week of this blog.  The problem was that I really didn't have a plan when I went to the market - that hardly ever works out.  All I knew was that I wanted to use some of the items purchased at the farmer's market this weekend to make something healthy.  I accomplished that, but unfortunately, it wasn't very tasty.

I purchased some tilapia to make fish tacos and marinated it for about 1/2 hour in a mixture that included the juice of 2 limes, sliced fresh ginger (a 1 inch piece), a sliced jalapeno (seeds and all), 2 smashed garlic cloves, 1t sugar, and 2T olive oil.  The marinade was really tasty - but the fish just didn't suck up enough of the flavor.

I made two toppings to go in the tacos.  The first was simple - I purchased some tiny little cherry tomatoes and sliced them in half.  That's it - but their freshness added a lot of great flavor.

The zucchini we purchased at the farmer's market served as the second topping.  I ran it across the large holes of a box grater and sprinkled it liberally with salt to soften it up and pull the extra liquid out.  I placed it in a strainer and pressed the liquid out every several minutes.  Then, I mixed it with the juice and zest of a lemon and seasoned it to taste with S&P.  This was meant to be a substitute for cabbage, which what one would normally use on a fish taco.  But I've found that we found up throwing half the head of cabbage away the last few times so I thought I'd try this since we already had the zucchini.  It actually wasn't bad - but when the fish in the fish taco isn't too tasty, all the delicious toppings in the world can't save it.

Okay...my commitment to you - readers who have stayed with me for nearly a year - is to create and/or eat nothing but GOOD food for the last 5 days of this blog.

Day 359: Most Nutritious Dish Ever?

Recently, I read that kale is the most nutritious vegetable out there so I've been determined to try to prepare it.  Those stiff, tough leaves have always intimidated me at the farmer's market, but this weekend I decided to give it a go.

I found a recipe for kale and beans on Epicurious and followed it with the following exceptions, per some reviews from people who had prepared it before:  1/2 cup of chicken stock instead of a full cup, 5 cloves of garlic instead of 3, and 2 tsp of sherry vinegar instead of 1.  If you're looking for a hearty vegetarian meal, simply replace the chicken stock with veggie broth and you're sure to enjoy this dish.

I served the kale and beans over some lemony steamed quinoa - another super food that seems to have become a buzz ingredient lately.  Quinoa is a whole grain that packed a protein punch.  I've tried making quinoa lots of different ways and this is my favorite, as it's always light and fluffy.

Boil water in medium sized pot.

Rinse quinoa under cold water and place in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Drain quinoa in a metal strainer.

Bring a couple of inches of water to a boil in the pot and place the strainer over the top.

Cover strainer with a dish towel and then the pot lid.

Steam quinoa for 10 minutes.

Remove pot from the heat and remove the lid, leaving the towel in place.

Let quinoa sit for 5 minutes and then flush with a fork.

You can use quinoa as you would rice or couscous, plating saucy foods over the top.  Or, you can toss it with olive oil and the juice and zest of a lemon for a light, zesty side dish.  This is what I did tonight, scooping the kale and bean mixture over the top.  I found the freshness provided by the lemon really lifted up the overall dish.  The way I look at it, kale + quinoa = possibly the most nutritious dish ever!

The (animal) protein that I choose to serve tonight was lamb chops.  I seasoned the rack with S&P and browned it in a pan with hot olive oil.  I then transferred the rack to a baking sheet, coated it with a mixture of minced garlic, finely chopped rosemary, and olive oil, and baked it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Admittedly, I overdid it a bit.  It was still flavorful and juicy, but lamb should be served medium-rare and mine was medium-well.  This is a result of my desperate fear of poisoning my husband - I figure better overdone than underdone.

All in all - a very successful meal.  The kale was a hit, so I plan to purchase it again in the near future.  Any favorite kale preparations?  Please leave a comment with the details.

Day 358: Geez Louise - That Was Tasty!!

I had the urge to leave the 'hood for dinner tonight so we tried a restaurant we had never been to in Russian Hill - 1550 Hyde Cafe & Wine Bar.  Looking at their menu online, the numerous salads and fish entree appealed to me.

I loved the restaurant's setting right away.  It's small with simple decor - warm and welcoming with a very friendly staff.  The menu is somewhat limited - about 5 appetizers and entrees to choose from, but the menu changes regularly to reflect what's in season.

My salad was composed of baby greens with bing cherries, toasted almonds, and fiore sardo cheese.  I'd never tried fiore sardo before and as it turns out, this sheep's milk cheese was too strong for me.  When I ate it with a bit of each of the other components of the salad, it was okay - but otherwise it was just too much.  I wound up giving most of it to my hubby.  On the other hand, the almonds were among the most delicious I had ever had. 

I followed up the salad with salmon, served on top of a mix of fresh chickpeas, corn, and spinach.  I absolutely loved the veggies - the fish was okay.

The star of the meal, though, was dessert.  I rarely indulge in sweets after dinner but tonight's special could not be ignored:  nectarine and chocolate bread pudding with almonds, topped with vanilla ice cream.  Geez Louise - this dish was ridiculous!!  It had the perfect amount of chocolate and the nuts offered a bit of crunch.  It could have used a bit more nectarine, but it was amazing.

I adore restaurants that support local farmers and change their menu frequently to include seasonally relevant dishes.  We'll definitely be returning to 1550 Hyde Cafe and I'm glad I was able to include them in this blog before the 365 days are up!