A Lil Sushi, So You Say

I'm frequently driven by fierce avocado cravings.  I bet ya couldn't tell it was one of those days...   And I'm not sure what I intended to happen with crab and avocado and little to no other crab complimenting ingredients on hand.  I had no other choice but to turn to my good friend, Google.
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The search resulted in loads of ooey, gooey dips that would have been appropriate if this dish and I were planning to arrive someplace other than my newly purchased placemat (Anthropologie, much respect).  Page two, page three, page ah ha!  Do you know how many sushi rolls have crab and avocado?  Why I didn't think of this sooner, I don't know.  But it turns out sliced avocado, a little lump crab, and ponzu sauce equals a perfect little sushi substitute.  

I Got Fed

Although passing by granola place after veggie place after grassy place gave me a sense of being, I had a different mission during my Austin vacation.  The only important task on my agenda was checking out the food project a friend of mine has been slaving over for quite some time now: The Shed.  If only all "important tasks" could be so un-task-like. 
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We ordered the full spectrum of the Mohawk location offerings: pulled pork sandwich, brisket sandwich, and for me?  Well, it's never that simple.  A BBQ and bread combo has never been my fancy, so The Shedders whipped up something along the lines of a pulled pork sundae.  Y-U-M!  Pulled pork in Texas is a rarity in itself, and combined with a sauce from the gods themselves?  BBQ treasure.
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If ridiculously tasty BBQ and a hip venue are up your alley, you should probably get yourself fed at The Shed too!

Christmas In August

Tonight I left my Junior League Provisional Meeting with a sense of soon to be accomplishment and five cookbooks, FIVE!  As if my cookbook shelf isn't already in need of additional structural support...  But, if you've known me for any bit of time, you're well aware that crowded drawers and failing shelves barely count as a detour in my ongoing purchasing journey.

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Nonetheless, I'm exicted!  A Mid-Summer Night Cocktail was my first brush with this culinary collection and it came with great success.  The next recipes on my League blogging agenda?  Lobster with Lemon Basil Butter and the Farmhouse Salad.  Word on the street is each and every recipe has been tested to the Nth degree, and then some.  And that, is a comforting concept in a kitchen that is no stranger to a meal mistake!

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If you'd like to add one of these gems to your structurally sound (or unsound) shelves, they can be purchased here.

Comforty Goodness

My mom's infamously easy tuna noodle casserole was, hands down, a top five most frequently requested meal of my childhood - lucky her!  I carried the recipe in my 'first time living alone' box of tricks when I left for college.  And I continued to whip it up until gluten-free ruled my life.  The recipe was nixed from memory upon reading the ingredients of every cream of mushroom soup can I could find.  

Although I rarely eat gluten-free at restaurants since finding out I'm not officially intolerant, I steer clear of bringing glutenous groceries home.  In my opinion, gluten in the average American diet is beyond excessive and not as necessary as your handy dandy food pyramid makes it seem.

Off my soap box, back to the meal...  

Every few trips to the market, I head to the gluten-free aisle to grab a bag of brown rice pasta.  Most of the items on that aisle, though gluten-free, tend to be super processed and hokey, so I grab what I need and go.  This time...  I noticed a gluten-free cream of mushroom soup and my most memorable cozy, comfort meal came to mind.

Mom's Recipe - Altered (2 servings)

4 oz. of Gluten-Free Elbows

1/2 Can of Gluten-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

2-1/2 oz. of Albacore Tuna in Water, Drained if Canned

1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated

Boil noodles per package instructions.  Mix noodles, soup, and tuna together and pour into an oven safe bowl (I used a pie plate).  Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.

Super Food Smoothie

I've seen wheatgrass advertised from time to time over the years, but never gave it a second thought.  Why?  Simply put, in my experience, the taste was wretched.  

But when I saw the lone pallet of grass at Greenwise last week, I felt the need to own it.  And since the impulsive need to own, well, anything is far from uncommon for me, I decided to think about it.  After all, it was a twenty dollar piece of sod.

I used the same methodology as I do with clothes, shoes, make-up, appliances, gadgets, electronics, everything.  If I go home and never give it a second thought, then I must not have wanted said thing all that badly.  However, if I found it was all I could think about and it made an appearance or two in my day dreams and night dreams alike - there must be a need.

I'm somewhat sad to say that wheatgrass crossed my mind that many times in one week that I allowed myself to bring the pallet home.  To justify my purchase, it's going to be a "green" smoothie kind of week.  And to justify the taste, I'll keep in mind that one ounce of wheatgrass contains the same amount of nutrients as 2-1/2 pounds of green veggies.  That…  Is a lot of veggies.

Super Food Smoothie:

1/2 Cup Wild Blueberries

1 Sambazon Acai Package

1 Tablespoon Agave Nectar

1 Gala Apple

2"x2" Square of Wheatgrass

1/2 Cup Water

8 Ice Cubes

And Where Have You Been?

Let me just start with...  This was not tonight's original game plan.  A storm blew threw this afternoon and with it came web-like lightning, horizontal rain, and a massive headache.  All I wanted to do was shut my eyes.

Grocery shopping was a challenge.  The full armed elevator ride to the 11th floor was a challenge.  However, cooking was not, as everything else seemed to be, a challenge.  I began sautéing some baby bellas and searing some scallops and all seemed well in the world.  While standing in the kitchen eating, I remembered a few of my sweet purchases.  It was then in my best interest to eat faster.

I've always been a fan of coconut milk "ice cream"; it nears the top of my favorites list on the pantry staples page.  But when I was at the market earlier this evening, a new flavor accompanied the coconut pint my freezer is accustomed to: passionate mango.      

I scooped myself a dollop of mango, scattered sliced strawberries, and sprinkled it with mini chips.  Holy crow.  It's not often, if ever, you scream praise for a food out loud when you're alone.  I just couldn't help myself, kind of embarrassing, glad I was alone. 

It's A Growin'

One would think an indoor garden would have been checked off of my to-do list much earlier in life.  The truth is, I've tried.  In Dallas, I managed to destroy three basil plants on three separate occasions.  And more recently, succulents.  Succulents?!  I killed unkillable plants!  It's a miracle that Clarke is still amongst us...

In a search to fill the blank wall in my kitchen, I found an Ikea inspiration ad from which I decided to steal almost every decor detail.  Two problems...  my negative green thumb abilities and zero natural light in my kitchen.  After more research, I found that I could overcome the natural light issue using traditional CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) bulbs as "grow lights".  And after more consideration, I decided I would overcome my planting inabilities with dedication.

The newest living additions to my home are basil, cilantro, and thyme.  If these puppies have a positive life status through the end of August, I'll add rosemary, dill, and chives to the collection.  I'll also consider replacing the target desk lamp with a more aesthetically pleasing stainless CFL hood.

This is a true Fashion Meets Function moment in the KV household!

Hunky Halibut

I bought this fish for no other purpose than I like halibut (I know stuff like this now).  I figured I could dust it with seasoning, broil it, and call it dinner; however, there's a theoretical limit to how many times I can post about broiled fish.  And likewise, there's a not so theoretical limit to how many times I can eat the "same" fish.

Due to my broiling assumption, I did not recipe hunt for alternatives nor did I purchase any ingredients out of the norm at the market.  Dilemma?  A bit of a dilemma...

Light bulbs and sirens went off simultaneously as I remembered the ridiculous amounts of wine I had recently purchased to stock my wine fridge.  Going only off of ingredients I thought might taste OK, I started mixing.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the smallest saucepan you own.  Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic and 2 stalks of chopped green onions to the melted butter and stir over medium heat for a few minutes.  Add 1 cup of white wine (I used Souv Blanc), salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil.  Add fish fillet and poach, turning mid-way, for 6-8 minutes or until fish is cooked all the way through.  Spoon a small amount of the broth over the fish and disregard the rest.

For the record, poaching is the new broiling in this kitchen!

Choptastic!

Salads are a sole exception to my food scarfing tendencies.  It's not because I don't love them, I do.  But when you combine a dressing fork dipper with the need for a little of each ingredient in every bite, you get an uber slow foliage feaster.

This little salad chopping gadget is shear genius (no pun intended).  It turned my ordinary salad into dense decadence.  I threw baby spinach, romaine, avocado, green onion, cucumber, and blue cheese in a bowl and chop, chop, chopped.  I drizzled with the tiniest bit of balsamic vinaigrette and satisfyingly ate every last bit.  I can promise you that drawer time will be scarce to non-existent with this thing!

Get Her To The Greek

Since the popularity explosion of Greek yogurt, I've made an effort to regularly stock my fridge.  Lower cal, higher protein, and superior texture...  Yeah, it was a given.  What I had yet to realize was how easily other dairies could be replaced with this Grecian gem.

I stumbled upon Jillian Michaels' chicken salad recipe over the weekend and I was pumped!  I love any kind of salad in the summer: egg, tuna, even my food nemesis, chicken.  And when I saw that mayo was subbed out, I was this salad's biggest fan.  I fixed it up on Sunday evening and ate it for yesterday's lunch and dinner and today's lunch - it's that good.  And if you toss the bread and plop it on a bed of baby spinach?  You're looking at three gigantor servings at mere 320 calories a pop.

Dear Blender, I Love You

My mid-year resolution should include blending daily for no other reason than I love it (my blender that is).  It's the one tool in my kitchen that never fails at producing miracles.  And it's the only tool in my kitchen that guarantees vitamin packed-ness with the touch of a button.

I've been randomly craving cream of asparagus soup for too long to have not already posted something.  Perhaps it has something to do with creamy soups and 100 degree weather not jiving.  But more likely, it has to do with forgetting my sporadic craving each and every time I pass through the market's automated entrance.

You'll need:

1 lb Fresh Asparagus, Chopped

3 Leeks, Sliced

2 Garlic Cloves

1 - 16 oz Can of Vegetable Broth

1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt

1 Tbsp Parmesan, Shaved

Boil asparagus, leeks, and garlic until tender (about 15 minutes).   Blend vegetables until 100% smooth.  Add vegetable broth and yogurt and blend again.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Colorful Coverage

Pictured above is my staple go-to dinner.  And while it happens to be super simple, it also happens to have a purpose - greens for metabolism protection, reds for cancer prevention, and both for heart-disease prevention.  Who knew a ten minute meal could have your color bases covered?

Typically, I wilt spinach leaves with heated red sauce and throw in some gluten free pasta, but tonight I was reminded of my frozen food debacle and decided I wanted to "cream" my own greens.  So much better than frozen!  It might even cook faster than the five to seven nuking minutes required by the previously mentioned frozen fare.

Melt 1/4 to 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a pan.  Throw in a couple handfuls of baby spinach leaves until they are fully wilted.  Sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of sharp white cheese, stir, and voila!

Healthy Pants Pizza

Some days you crave fatty pants pizza, some days you settle for lazy pants pizza, and the other days?  Well the other days you just need healthy pants pizza.

A few weeks ago during one of my all too frequent grocery store trips, I stumbled upon a sample stand.  And if you've been with me to the market, you know that by stumble upon, I mean ran to.  Rarely do I 'stumble upon' a sample stand and think "I'm happy I just ate that".  In fact, before that day, it had never happened - a scrunched face and search for the nearest paper towel is more like it.

To create your own healthy pants pizza, you'll need:
- 1 Eggplant
- Pizza Sauce
- Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- Typical Toppings (I chose spinach, mushrooms, and onions)

Thinly slice eggplant.  Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place eggplant disks.  Broil eggplant on each side for about 4 minutes or until browned.  Watch closely as they burn easily, especially the ones in the back!  Cover with sauce, cheese, and toppings, and broil another minute or two until the cheese is bubbly.

Merry's Miracle Tart

After being on the road for two weeks, I felt as though I could not eat one more junky bite.  Knowing this, my Dallas friend, anxious to show me a new health hot spot, brought me to Southpaw's Organic Cafe.  She ordered the Dr. Luke sans beast and it looked amazing.  But honestly, I couldn't imagine anything passing through my food abused lips.

In true 'I can't sit still' fashion, I wandered around the store.  I honed in on the refrigerated goods and the word 'raw' immediately came into focus.  I'll take one of these!

At 400 calories for one Merry's Miracle Tart, it's not a guiltless treat.  But knowing that the the ingredients were quality, the fats were good and the taste was to die for, was enough to make me not care.  Rumor has it these bad boys are sold at Whole Foods - I'll keep ya posted!   

Oh No?

Wanting to love something and actually loving it are often disconnected.  As we approached 230 Forest Avenue, it was a place I wanted to love.  The scene was quaint, well styled, well lit, and perfectly packed.  If I could pick one restaurant style that defined me, this would be it - high expectations were instantaneous.

I ordered my favorites, the steamed mussels (and clams) appetizer and Chilean sea bass entrée.  And as I waited for the food to arrive, I wondered if I would soon hit a rock wall of disappointment.  A feeling of ‘oh no!’ rushed over me.

It was a false ‘oh no’ as I was definitely not disappointed.  In fact, there was no room for disappointment between the two complete packages of inner and outer beauty that found their way to my table last night.  Even though 230 Forest Avenue is a little far from home, I am positive it will remain highly ranked on my list of all time favorites! 

Feed Me Now

Cross country flights are brutal, two cross country flights in two weeks - my oh my!    By the time we landed at LAX, bussed to the rental car lot and headed to Long Beach, I was starved.  It took a few minutes to calculate across time zones exactly how long it had been since I'd last eaten.  As the words six and a half hours came out of my mouth, I realized I needed food, now.

I also realized that when I get this hungry it's impossible to figure out what I'm in the mood for.  Sushi within Pacific walking distance?  I wasn't sure it was what I was craving (why isn't that what I was craving?), but I was more sure that sushi was a better decision than my only other option: Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles.  I'm pretty sure I'll never get what all that rage is about.

We plopped into a booth at Bai Plu and embraced the speedy service.  And the sushi?  Quality, quality.  The fortune?  "There is prospect of a thrilling time ahead for you".  An exciting outlook for my next few weeks of traveling adventures!

Flopping Flounder

You're not imagining it; I'm partial to seafood these days.  Since the acquisition of my fish cooking skills during 'Technique de la Hanz', I just can't stop.  The thought of cooking chicken has always caused an urge to snooze, there's a limit to how many times you can pretend turkey tastes differently than chicken, and beef?  Beef lost its attraction after living steps from the Bern's Bar.  So fish it is.

And if you thought spending a lifetime within eye shot of water would create a connoisseur of some sort, you'd be wrong.  Beyond salmon, tuna, and grouper...  I'm clueless.  If you can imagine someone spinning me in circles, blindfolded, and telling me to point - that would be a fairly accurate description of tonight's seafood department experience.  And, that would be the only possible explanation for how I ended up with flounder.

Due to my lack of grill, I brushed the filet with olive oil, sprinkled it with Northwoods Seasoning, and broiled it for 5-7 minutes on each side.  I served it atop seasoned and sauteed baby bellas, asparagus, green beans, squash, and zucchini.  The veggie medley equaled "woah!" and distracted me from my new found dislike - flounder.   

Beautifood

Tonight's meal inspiration stemmed from an article that was sent to me a while back entitled '10 Ways to Eat Yourself Gorgeous'.  The article was shelved and I'm not certain why.  But from this point forward, food brain-block or not, I will be referencing it quite often.

My plate consisted of broiled salmon brushed with olive oil and fresh dill and boiled artichoke with dill garlic butter for dipping.  The salmon/artichoke combo created a dish rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Protein, Vitamins B/C/D, Magnesium, Folic Acid, and Biotin.  And chances are, if the last sentence bored you, you're in dire need of a meal like this!

I am beyond pleased.  So pleased, in fact, that I am immodestly giving myself the highest rank on every scale - A+, 5 stars, all 10's.  

Spaghetti? Sort Of...

A few weeks ago, a friend suggested a spaghetti squash recipe she made post kicking butt at the Boston Marathon.  I raided her leftovers and knew I'd give it a shot.

After a weekend of birthday/mother's day glutton, I was craving something veggieful.  And subbing a meal's primary starch with a veggie?  Well, that sounded right about where I wanted to be.  I scribbled down the ingredients and B-lined it to the market on my way home from the office.  

My excitement for the recipe grew as I realized my basket was only lacking two ingredients and I hadn't yet left the produce department.  And feta and kalamatas?  I barely had to brush the processed aisles to scoop those up!

This dish was a delightful main course, but could also be served along side a lean meat for a more "complete" meal.


Side Note:  Tastes even better chilled the next day.

Quickie Lunch

Meal satisfaction, for me, tends to come hand in hand with simplicity.  And uncoincidentally, my simple means faster and fresher.  Five ingredients or less is a good theory in my book.

This 'five or less'-er lunch was protein packed and full of feel goodness.

- Turkey Breast, Thinly Sliced & Cooked

- Baby Spinach Leaves

- Shallots, Chopped

- Sunflower Seeds

- Raspberry Vinaigrette