Browsing Tag

dinner

Tasty

Southwestern Cobb Salad

May 12, 2014

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I love dinners that transition well to lunches the next day.  Considering most recipes make enough for 4 people, I have to make sure to I really LOVE what I’m making (enough for a couple rounds of leftovers).  This salad is a great option! Super healthy, tons of Omega-3s, and under 400 calories per serving!

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Southwestern Salmon Cobb Salad

adapted from Eating Well 

  • 1 lb wild salmon, skinned
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce framed canned chipotles + 1 tablespoon minced chipotle in adobe
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt or reduced fat sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 10 cups romaine lettuce
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 1 bunch radishes, sliced
  • 2 cups cherry tomatos, halved
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
  1. Make dressing by mixing greek yogurt/sour cream, vinegar, water, minced chipotles and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Store in fridge until ready to use.
  2. Preheat grill to medium high heat.
  3. Divide salmon into 4 equal portions and brush with adobo sauce and sprinkle with salt.
  4. Grill salmon, turning once, until opaque – about 3 minutes per side.
  5. Divide greens, salmon and toppings among 4 plates (or 2 plates and 2 Tupperwares for tomorrow!). Serve dressing on the side and enjoy!

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*In a pinch I buy honey smoked salmon portions at Whole Foods.  They can be served cold and are an easy addition to this salad if you don’t feel like grilling.

**If you are out of chipotles, I also recommend using dried chipotle powder in the dressing.

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Per Serving (according to EatingWell.com): 385 calories, 22 g far, 91 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrate, 0 g added sugar; 37 g protein, 7 g fiber, 696 mg sodium, Nutritional bonuses – 85% daily value of Vitamin A, 62% DV of folate, 60% DV of Vitamin C, 42% DV of Potassium

Tasty

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

May 5, 2014

Mexican Salad2

I LOVE Mexican food.

If I had to eat one genre of food (without having to worry about my waistline), Mexican would win by a landslide… enchiladas? Quesadillas? Tacos? Oh goodness…

Chicken Enchiladas

Well in honor of Cinco di Mayo, I wanted to share some of my favorite Mexican inspired dishes that I’ve shared on the blog… take your pick for a yummy dinner for tonight!

Chicken Sopecitos

Starters

Mexican Salad

Mains

Fish Tacos

Don’t forget to check up my round-up of favorite margaritas from last week’s Fun Drink Friday!

Tomato Salsa

Travels

Hawaii 2014 Recap

March 31, 2014

*There were some issues with my website transition… so please click here for this full post!

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Each and every year I look forward to our annual family vacation, but this year we mixed it up a bit, which resulted in my favorite trip yet! Here are a few fun things we added to our itinerary (make sure to check them out if you ever are in Maui!)…

  • Restaurants
    • We had a slightly larger group this year, and going during spring break can be a bit of a struggle to schedule reservation-wise, but here is what we did (tip: make reservations as soon as possible – as in months in advance, you can always cancel)
      • Sansei Sushi – I advise 7pm reservations – there isn’t a view from this resaturat, so feel free to head to the Ritz next door for cocktails and the sunset, then enjoy the best sushi on the island (Must Haves: Mango Crab Hand Roll, Panko Ahi Roll, Sansei Special Roll)
      • Honu – This on-the-water restaurant is one of my favorites.  It is worth leaving the beach early to score a 5:30pm reservation because the sunset view can’t be beat (must haves: Skinny Chi cocktail, burrata appetizer, oysters, kale salad and macarons)
      • Mala – Honu’s sister restaurant, Mala is another one of our favorites.  Another spot where the early bird gets the worm, the view is gorgeous and food is amazing (must haves: ahi bruschetta, mahi mahi ceviche and Mai Tai cocktail)
      • Cool Cats or Cheeseburger in Paradise – both of these spots have great burgers and are great spots for a relaxed dinner after a day in the sun.  Cheeseburger in Paradise has a great water front location and Cool Cats has great live music every night… both have amazing burgers.
      • Star Noodle – This delicious noodle house is owned by a top competitor on Top Chef.  It doesn’t have an amazing location so I recommend a 7pm or later reservation – you won’t be catching any sunsets from there, but don’t let that deter you for stopping by – the food and decor are great (must haves: garlic noodles, ahi avo, pad thai and pork belly bacon and eggs.
      • Leoda’s – The same chef heads Leoda’s kitchen, and this place is so good my family went twice in ONE DAY. It’s super chill, and a great spot for grabbing breakfast or dinner when you need a night to chill.  You can BYOB with no corkage fee which is great too! I highly recommend picking up some goodies for your flight back home – they even have a airline lunch pack available (must haves: fried salad – I’M OBSESSED, breakfast sandwich, and any of their pies).
  • Sail and Snorkel Day 
    • Each and every year we look forward to setting sail on the Hula Girl.  The food, service and boat are all next level, and the few extra bucks you’ll pay (compared to the Teralani, Trilogy, Gemini, etc.) are well worth it (in my opinion).
    • This trip we were a hundred yards away from breaching mom AND baby whales.  It was crazy.
    • Also, make sure to get the fresh fish special for lunch, although I hear the pulled pork is great for all of you meat eaters.
  • Paia Day
    • Hiked Twin Falls at the entrance of Hana
    • Check out the surfers at Kuau Cove or go for a walk on the beach
    • Grab lunch in town at Paia Fish Market
      • We highly recommend the fish tacos or Mahi Mahi burger
      • GET there early (they open at 11am) and there is always a line
    • Head into Rock & Brews for a pre-beach Pina Colada (BEST of the trip!)
    • Enjoy some shopping in town (Letarte Swimwear and Tamara Catz Boutique are great stops)
    • Pack a towel and make your way down to the beach for a couple hours (a little windy, but some great surf – bring a boogie board!)
    • Cool off at Tobi’s Shaved Ice
      • MUST order their Poke there.  We had the Sriracha topped one… WOW.
      • Obviously don’t forget the snow cones… and make sure to get it with the macadamia nut ice cream!
    • Grab a drinking coconut for the drive home at the Maui Coconut Station on Honoapiilani Hwy

Overall it was a VERY memorable week with all of my favorite people. It’s so nice to have a trip that leaves you feeling refreshed and ready to go… sad to leave the Aloha state, but happy to be back! IMG_0565

Tasty

Good Ol’ Irish Meal

March 10, 2014

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This week is green themed and what better way to kick off a St. Patrick’s Day celebration than Corned Beef and Cabbage!?

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Corned Beef and Cabbage 

  • 3-4 pounds lean corned beef brisket
  • 1/2 pound fingerlings potatoes
  • 1 small onion, cut into 1 inch wedges
  • 3 celery stalks, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 5 carrots, peeled & cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 1/2 head of Savoy cabbage, cut into 1 inch wedges
  1. Place corned beef into crock pot.
  2. Sprinkle with spice packet (that comes with corned beef) or 3 Tablespoons pickling spice.
  3. Layer carrots, potatoes, onion, and celery over meat.
  4. Add enough hot water to cover meat by 1 inch (4-5 cups).
  5. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
  6. After 8 hours, add cabbage and cook on high for 45 minutes.
  7. Thinly slice meat against the grain and serve with vegetables.

Note: Whole Foods makes a GREAT brined corned beef (omit Step 2).

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*I recommend serving with grainy mustard or a yummy mixture of creme fraiche with some freshly grated horseradish.

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Now get your green beer ready and your grocery lists prepped for an amazing St. Patrick’s Day Meal next week!

Travels

Guide to San Diego

March 3, 2014

*There were some issues with my website transition… so please click here for this full post!

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One of Jeremy and my goals for 2014 is to travel to different places this year.  We kind of got stuck in a LA/Laguna Beach rut (can you even call it that?) and wanted to venture out.  With Jeremy’s job, it is tough to get away for long periods of time, so weekend trips work best… first up on our list? San Diego!

IMG_7399 My college roommate, Erin and her boyfriend Craig have turned into our travel buds (you know that couple that BOTH of you agree on!?), and Erin grew up in San Diego, so knew JUST the itinerary to put together… here was our agenda:

Friday

  • Checked into the Hard Rock Hotel
    • GREAT location (right in Gaslamp) and central to all of the great eateries and bars
    • Definitely a “party vibe” – Vegas meets California (a bachelorette party favorite)
  • After unpacking we made our way to Pacific Beach
    • We had lunch at the Pacific Beach Alehouse
      • Amazing fish tacos and I really enjoyed the spicy pear cocktail (although they have a ton of beers on tap – and that seemed to be most people’s program)
      • Make sure to eat upstairs on their rooftop – great views, fun vibe
  • After lunch we walked the beach to the Lahaina Beach House to grab drinks
    • Feels like you are at a college frat party – but fun for a cocktail and the view
  • Went back to the hotel – and had drinks at the rooftop bar Float
    • Great jalapeno strawberry margaritas
  • Got ready and walked to Searsucker
    • Their Happy Hour is until 6:30, so enjoy their infusions (cinnamon whiskey/cucumber gin/strawberry tequila) before you have dinner
    • After cocktails at the bar we were seated in their main dining room for an AMAZING meal. We shared apps (Vince was a great waiter who helped us navigate the menu – make sure not to miss egg + pork belly, truffled mushrooms + burrata, cheese puffs or their sundae for dessert
  • After dinner we made our way to The Shout House
    • Both Jeremy and my sister had been there before insisted we go… it is an AMAZING dueling piano bar, and we couldn’t have picked a better way to spend our Friday night (or any night for that matter)

Saturday

    • Craig is English, so he woke up early to watch the Ireland v. England Rugby match at a local bar – The Field
      • We caught up with him around 8am (just in time to catch the last 15 minutes of the game!) – it was so entertaining and I felt like I was at an Irish pub… pretty impressive for a place in the heart of SD
    • We made the 8 minute walk to Cafe Chloe for the BEST BRUNCH EVER
      • It was at this meal, we realized we hadn’t had one meal we weren’t obsessed with… San Diego is my favorite food city, that is FOR SURE.
      • This Parisian bistro, is super quaint and has a great patio (just make sure not to dine while the Crossfit team is getting their butt kicked and you are sipping a lavender-lemon mimosa).
      • Don’t miss their morning buns, flavored mimosas and I really enjoyed my truffled mushroom crepe.
    • After brunch we adventured to Coronado (via our rental car – you also could take the ferry over)
      • We had drinks at the Hotel Del (don’t miss out on their Old Fashioneds or Berry Acai Lemonades)
    • We attempted to have a light snack at Leroy’s, but ultimately had a full blown lunch because everything on the menu looked so good – update: IT WAS THAT GOOD.
      • We had (and loved) the poke tacos, Cuban sandwich, kale and quinoa salad.  I also am going to post a Fun Drink Friday on their cocktail the Blossom Breeze… SO DELICIOUS
    • After a quick change at the hotel we headed (via rental car again) into La Jolla
      • We enjoyed the insane sunset (pictures below) and the sea lions/wild life in the cove
    • Pre-dinner drinks were sipped on at George’s downstairs (the Bee Sting cocktail is AMAZING and one of the top 3 cocktails I’ve had in my life)
    • We had dinner at Eddie V’s – ask to sit upstairs on their patio (insane views!)
      • Great soups, steaks, truffled mac and cheese and don’t miss the banana foster butter cake… still dreaming about it
    • After we drove up to Mt. Soledadto look at a breathtaking view of the city from above… the gorgeous houses on the way up don’t hurt either!

Sunday

  • Woke up and had brunch at Cafe 21
    • This is definitly one of the places to be for Sunday brunch in teh Gaslamp – so make sure to get there early or book on Open Table
    • The salmon diamonds were a crowd (and Yelp) favorite, but the pancakes, skillet omelets (I had turkey sausage, heirloom tomato and mozzarella) were great too. They also had a killer cocktail menu with INSANE bloody Mary’s and a lengthy list of sangria/mimosa flights.
  • We checked out and made our way to SD ZOO (last minute decision).
    • Craig and Jeremy hadn’t been before, and considering this is one the best zoo’s in the world we knew we had to show them around.  This zoo is massive, but so worth it (just make sure to wear comfy shoes)
    • My “don’t miss exhibits” would be the giraffes, elephants, and polar bears (watch the polar bear cam here), but the panda exhibit was definitely the “hot spot” (too bad they were all sleeping)
    • I also was surprised that they quite the bar selection (frozen margaritas, wine, beer, etc. but we had to try their soft serve ice cream cones (so good!).
  • Around 3pm our feet were killing us, so we made our way to the Lodge at Torrey Pines (Jeremy and Craig are golf fanatics and wanted to check out their famous golf course).
    • A.R. Valentien is their signature resturant, and their outdoor patio is the perfect stop for a glass of wine
  • We headed into La Jolla for a quick and easy dinner at Porkyland – we HAD to have Mexican food before we left SD
    • We planned on taking our burritos down to the beach to watch the sunset, but we were so exhausted at this point we just ate on their patio and made our way to the airport
  • PHEW. Ok well that was our fun weekend in San Diego… can’t wait to go back (although we need to a get a few more spots under our belt first!).
    • Where should we go to next time… any recommendations welcome!

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