Chipotle Bacon Kale Chips

Hello, My Name is Danielle and I’m addicted to kale chips. Granted, this addiction just started a week ago. But I fear that I may never eat a potato chip again. They are now replaced with baked veggie chips, which at the present moment are comprised of kale.

Okay, maybe I’m not actually addicted. But they’ve certainly won me over. My first batch was Vegan Chive Sour Cream and (Real) Bacon Kale Chips. (I just couldn’t get myself to make the tofu bacon when I could just use real bacon. Sorry!). I thought these were tasty. Although I’m sure if I used a larger food processor versus an itty-bitty mini processor my white sesame seeds would have had a finer consistency. So, I decided to research what other Bacon Kale Chip recipes were out there. And then, I came across this one. It was simple enough and included bacon. Score! Since I had a hankering for the Chipotle Tabasco, that was the hot sauce of my choice. But feel free to try with your fave hot sauce. Can you imagine the possibilities? Buffalo Kale Chips.Habanero Kale Chips.

Now, I’m on the prowl for more kale chip recipes and also concocting my own versions. So, don’t be surprised if you come across more Kale Chip posts! Or if you have any, please send ’em over. I’d love to try them out. Enjoy!!

I think this is the least amount of ingredients I’ve posted here.

The key is to rub the hot sauce, bacon grease and spices on the complete surface area for each “chip.” Then I focus on the bacon crumbles with the kale.

Ready for the Oven!

Since I wanted mine to have more of a potato chip texture, I baked them a bit longer so they’d be extra crispy. They were perfect!

Chipotle Bacon Kale Chips

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch of kale
• 4 strips of bacon
• 2 tablespoons of bacon fat
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon of Chipotle Tabasco (or your preferred hot      sauce)
• a pinch of salt
• a pinch of pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a pan, fry 4 pieces of bacon until crispy. Crumble the bacon into small pieces and save the bacon fat in a small bowl.
3. Take kale and tear or cut the leaves from the stems/spines.
4. Wash the kale in a salad spinner and place into a large bowl.
5. Mix the kale with bacon, bacon fat, paprika, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Ensure all pieces of kale are thoroughly coated.
6. Lay out on the cookie sheet and bake at 350F for approximately 10-12 minutes or until crispy. (I baked mine for closer to 20 minutes.)
7. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

 

When All You Want Is Just Meat, Cheese and Wine

Oh goodness gracious! One of my girlfriends knows how much I L-O-V-E the Pig Candy from Lou’s restaurant. It is phenomenal. Perfectly crisp but won’t shatter your teeth covered in a light layer of caramelization with the right amount of spicy kick. So last week, she emails me this recipe for a Bacon Brittle and Kale Salad. That set in motion plans for a special dinner for the Hubby and I. We both love bacon. I don’t know why I just lower-cased that. We LOVE bacon. So much so that we requested a Bacon cookbook on our wedding registry.

After reviewing the recipe for the Bacon and Kale Salad, I started thinking of what type of wine would pair well and what type of entree would compliment such a salad. Long story short, I found a recipe for a Cabernet Blue Cheese Bacon Sirloin Burger with Herbed Mayonnaise on a Toasted Onion Roll. Yup, you read that correctly. Cabernet. Blue Cheese. Bacon. Sirloin. Burger. My mouth salivates every time I say it or write it. Instant reaction.

This meal was awesome. While I focused on the salad and brittle portion. The Hubby focused on the burgers and the bacon on the grill pan. (By the by, this grill pan was quite the hassle to convince the Hubby to buy a few months ago for my Eggplant Timbale recipe. As he stated last week while cooking on said grill pan, “It pains me that I’m actually using something I thought you’d never use.” Haha. I win.)

Results of the Salad: I definitely need to practice with the bacon britle as I felt it was a little too caramelized. Not quite “burnt.” But definitely on its way there. So, poor us, we’ll be having more bacon brittle in the coming months. Raw kale is a first for me and it was interesting. Not bad interesting. Just something to which I’ll have to get used. The Aged Irish White Cheddar Cheese is such a strong flavor that I was impressed with how balanced it felt combined with the kale and spiced bacon brittle. Given the simplicity of the dressing, and of the salad itself, you really can taste each flavor and not feel overwhelmed with each bite.

Results of the Burger: Just wow! It honestly felt as if I was eating at Stout or some other artisan burger joint. Next time, I’ll just purchase regular ground beef–no need to break the bank every time with the sirloin. Surprise surprise! Cooking with a $3.99 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon worked out quite well. (Shout out to Ralphs Grocery store for offering such a well-priced bottle of wine with which to cook) Note: the bottle was great to cook with, not necessarily one I would choose intentionally to drink again. Next time, I’ll grab a bottle of Justin Isoscoles to pair with our dinner!

I hope you enjoy the pics of the salad and then the burger!

Bacon Brittle and Kale Salad (Original Recipe-no modifications- from the Tasting Table)

INGREDIENTS

Servings: 4,  Cooking Time: 15 min. (with cooling of brittle, add another 15 min.),  Preparation Time: 15 min.

Brittle

• 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
• 6 bacon strips, finely diced (about ½ cup)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 15 turns freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or red pepper flakes)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

Salad

• 1 head lacinato kale–tough ribs removed, leaves stacked and thinly sliced crosswise into ribbons
• 1 medium red apple, sliced into ¼-inch thick matchsticks
• 1 cup crumbled aged white cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup bacon brittle

DIRECTIONS

 

1. Make the brittle: Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and brown in the hot oil, stirring often, until very crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate.

2. Melt the sugar over medium heat in a medium saucepan. After about 6 minutes, it will start to turn mahogany brown around the edges; at this point, gently tilt the pan back and forth to move the sugar around. Use a heat-safe rubber spatula to slowly push the melted sugar toward the center of the pan; do this only two or three times (do not stir the sugar). Once there are only two or three patches of unmelted sugar left, turn off the heat and stir in the black pepper, Aleppo pepper, salt, baking soda and crisp bacon.

3. Pour the sugar mixture out onto a Silpat-lined baking sheet (I used parchment paper); moving quickly, use a spatula to spread it as thinly as possible, about ¼- to 1/8-inch thick, before the sugar cools. Set aside to cool completely, then chop into small bits. Set ¼ cup aside for the salad and place the rest in an airtight container for another use (it will last a few days).

4. Make the salad: Toss the kale, apple and cheddar together in a large salad bowl. Whisk the oil and vinegar together, add salt and pepper to taste and pour over the kale, mixing to combine. Add the bacon brittle, toss again and serve.

Original Recipe for the Cabernet Blue Cheese Bacon Sirloin Burger with Herbed Mayonnaise on a Toasted Roll (with my comments)

INGREDIENTS

Servings: 6, Cooking Time: 6-10 min., Preparation Time: 45 min.

• 1/2 lb. thick sliced pepper bacon, diced 1/4″ (I used regular bacon and added ground pepper on top of the bacon slices.)
• 2 Tbsp. bacon fat
• 1 cup sweet onion, diced 1/4″
• 2 Tbsp. fresh garlic, chopped fine
• 2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon (I purchased a bottle for under $5 and it worked well!)
• 2 lbs. ground sirloin
• 1/2 lb. Maytag bleu cheese (I used Amish Blue Cheese that I found at Ralphs)
• 6 each large onion rolls

• Herbed Mayonnaise:
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. capers, drained and chopped
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Cabernet Blue Cheese Bacon Sirloin Burger.

1. Fry the bacon in a dry pan until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels.
2. Discard all but 2 Tbsp. of the fat. Sauté the onion in the reserved bacon fat until just beginning to brown.
3. Add the garlic and cook until the onion is well browned.
4. Add the wine and cook until there is very little liquid left.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
6. Mix bacon and cooled onion mix into the ground sirloin.
7. Separate into 6 equal portions and form into patties about 1/2″ thick.
8. Grill over high heat about three minutes per side to medium doneness.
9. Top with bleu cheese and cover to melt the cheese. (If that doesn’t work well, the Hubby created an Aluminum Foil “plate,” placed it on the Grill Pan and let the cheese melt on the “plate.” When it was ready, he just slid the melted cheese onto each burger.)
10. While cheese is melting, place the buns under the broiler and toast them to golden. (We placed them on the Grill Pan to get toasted.)

Herbed Mayonnaise.

1. Combine all ingredients and chill thoroughly.
2. Assemble:
3. Spread 1 1/2 Tbsp. herbed mayonnaise on each half of each of the buns. I like to use a slice of ripe tomato and some shredded iceberg lettuce (I know, some will laugh at the lettuce, but I like it). (I didn’t use any lettuce. Just the tomato was perfect!)
4. Top with the cooked patties…and enjoy

 

2 Weeks, already?? What the H-?

The last 2 Weeks have been quite a whirlwind! I’ve truly missed blogging. But by the time I get home from work and the gym at 11-11:30pm, I have to admit, sleep is the only thing on my mind.

So, a brief recap before an onslaught of posts of what I’ve been up to the last 2 weeks: (We ate Lots of Yummy Yummy Food!)

– We visited family in San Diego over St. Patty’s weekend and enjoyed dinner at the Barona Casino’s Italian Cucina.

– An amazing 3-course meal with wine pairings at Lou’s in Hollywood (recently changed ownership- le boo hoo)

– An easy, peasy homemade meal of Turkey Hot Sausage with Grilled Onions, Bell Peppers and Yukon Gold Potatoes. When you’re looking to make a quick, hearty meal without lots of fuss, this will surely hit the spot.

– An emotional dinner at Craftsteak in Las Vegas with our friends who got engaged before our very eyes at the end of the meal. (She was so suprised and we caught it all on video!)

– A “recovery” brunch the following day at a hole-in-the-wall Las Vegas drive-thru for Sammy’s LA Pastrami large Pastrami Sandwich and “502” fries (almost 3 lbs. of awesomeness!!)

– And going along with the food theme, a Diaper Cake for a girlfriend to present for a Baby Shower (I L-O-V-E making Diaper Cakes!!)

I’ve been gathering several recipes that I simply cannot wait to try and share with everyone. Here’s a little Hint: Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Bourbon Frosting and Chocolate Frosting AND just in time for Passover, the Shiksa’s Passover Chocolate Chip Cookies!! Okay, so maybe that wasn’t a hint. But seriously, how yummy do these sound!!

 

Trying to Live Sanely Amongst the Chaos

Today is Wednesday, March 14th and in a short moment, I will be going to the gym for the 3rd straight day.

Now, don’t be fooled! This was no easy feat! But I’m not going to do another half marathon with little to no training. Training is essential and I’m committed to it being one of my priorities. In my non-Interweb world, I constantly preach about evaluating one’s priorities and that one makes time for one’s priorities and not to make excuses. If you want to do something, you’ll do it. You will make the time for it. No excuses!!

So here’s how this week went down. (Don’t worry; I will try not to bore  you with too many details.) Bottomline (aka Cliff’s Notes if you don’t feel like reading more): There’s always going to be some disruption from being healthy or exercising or making you a priority. Instead of succumbing to the temptation, remember why you’re doing what you’re doing and do it. No excuses!

Sunday: A great day, a relaxing day, a productive day. I did 2 loads of laundry, washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. I even made a small dent in that closet cleaning I told you about in my “About Me” section. I went to the market and bought food for my meals for the week. Highlight: I made some Irish Stout Chicken with Guinness beer and a small side salad with shaved Irish White Cheddar Cheese (Recipe to follow, I promise!). The hubby said that it was good enough to be put on a restaurant menu! Bam! How you like them apples? We were heading off to such a beautiful week, we were. Then…

Monday: I was emailing a girlfriend  and telling her that I was feeling pretty good about the week. It would be busy, but not the madness that was about to begin. Then, almost instantly after I hit the “send” button on that email, the week started. New Escrows, Escrow closings, Loan Docs, Fundings , 1099s. In other words, madness. I don’t even think I ate lunch…Actually, yup, I in fact did not get to eat lunch. But this wasn’t going to stop me from attending my 1st yoga class in a year. I was supposed to have “make up” GG Night on this night, but only AFTER I went to yoga, which my girlfriend Kuu partook wtih me. *NB: Do not do yoga when your body’s only running on water, fruit and snacks. You won’t function in general, but much less when doing yoga.* Yoga was great! We treated ourselves to sushi at one of my fave spots, a decision with which Tuesday morning and my stomach did not agree.

http://maketheworldyourstage.com/category/stress-reducer/

Tuesday: Or as I’d like to call it, the day from hell, started off with a head on collision between my stomach and its contents from the night before. Fun times! By the time I finally made it into work, I had no clue what hit me. It was madness x 10! But, even amongst it all, there were some really good moments, including but not limited to:

1) I met with 2 sets of awesome clients (They made my day!),

2) This time I had lunch, albeit oatmeal with blueberries and strawberries with 1 egg cooked in a microwave, all of which took me about 3 hours to finish between work, and

3) getting to speak with an Uncle and Aunt (This Uncle walked me down the aisle in our wedding last year and my Aunt is one of the sweetest, on-point persons you’ll meet. Plus, she knows how and when to say the things you need to hear right at the perfect moment 🙂 ).

But I digress…So at 7:30pm, my last set of clients left the office and I started making copies of the work for today. I was incredibly bummed and irritated since I was really looking forward to my first ever pilates class and then maybe a 3-5 mile run and finishing it off with some sauna time. (Ahh, the sauna.) At 8:45 or so, I decided that I could easily stay at work until midnight. But I wasn’t going to do that to myself, not to my mind or to my body. So I packed my things and took the 6 flights of stairs (Yup, I take the stairs now!) down to my car, where I realized I needed gas.

Bahh! You see, by now, I was super tired and just wanted to get home, plop myself on the couch and relax to some T.V. My first excuse to not go to the gym was being disgruntled and grouchy. Then, gas!?? Yes, it would take only 10 minutes. But it’d be 9pm by the time I got to the gym which closes at 10p. What kind of a workout would that be? A short, but worth it one, that’s what. So I marched on to the gym, literally second guessing my decision to do so for each block that I drove on the mile and half drive there. And, I managed a 30 minute walk/jog and 10 minute sauna time. It was just what I needed. On my way home when I called my Mamita who was hanging out with my Uncle and Aunt, I got to talk to them. Victory! But the uber-Victory was making it to the market to get a grilled veggie wrap as my dinner last night and 2 ready made salads for today and Thursday.

I’m no dummy. I could delude myself into thinking that I am Wonder Woman and will bring all my veggies with me and take the time to make one of my awesome salads. But that wasn’t going to happen! So I bought ready-made healthy stuff and made a bee-line straight to the checkout before I got lost in the sea of chips, dips and other items that would expand my hips!

This time, today, I had my banana and hot tea for breakfast (Fear not about there being a smoothie missing), I ate my chinese chicken salad, and then for an early supper, I made one of my smoothies! 1/2 c. blueberries, 1 c. chopped strawberries, 3/4 c. oatmeal, 1 c. almond milk, 1 Tblsp almond butter with flaxseed and ice. Voila! 20 seconds later I had a tasty smoothie. Would I have preferred an In-n-Out burger? Absolutely! But is that what my body needed as positive fuel before a workout? No. Not today at least.

So even though my assistant left early for doctors’ appointments and the madness got worse (of course!) and at times, I didn’t want to be so nice and professional, I knew I just had to plug on and focus on getting the day over with while fueling my body with something healthy. Have I finished all my work? Nope, I could stay here again until midnight. And, do I really want to just go home and plop on the couch? Ohh, G-d, yes! Am I going to though? No way! It’s time for the gym and sauna!

Besides I’ll be back tomorrow before 7:30am to get an earlier start on the day. And, with my ready-made salad and fruits for snacks, I know I can tackle whatever is thrown my way. Some wise words from my coworker, Sal, “We make our own stress and it gets us sick. Don’t let yourself do that! Stress is just B.S.!” So don’t let the B.S. get to you and find your sanity within the insanity you may find yourself, whether it’s the gym, yoga, painting, writing or cooking!

 

Fundraising Thermometer!

Oh, I love Google and Bing! Given that online fundraising for Rotary International is not as modern yet as other organizations, I have been trying to find a way to show progress from donations I receive for Polio Plus. Alas, I found a site where I can input my goal and how much I’ve raised, and it’ll create a customized thermometer for me. How awesome is that!?

So, here it is.

I can’t wait to update it when I send out my emails and letters! To help end the world of Polio, please visit this page.

 

Thank you.

 

Turkey Vegetable Soup

Happy Weekend, Everyone! It’s been a bright and sunny weekend so far. And, I’ve been meaning to post this soup recipe since I made it Thursday. Here goes!

While I was almost at 100%, the Hubby was still under the weather on Thursay. So that night, I had intended on coming home a little early from work and making some homemade chicken and veggie soup. That plan failed since I stayed later at work after a friend visited me to pick up a slice of banana bread I made the night before. In the end, I ran to the market, bought ready-made soup from the deli to feed Hubby that night and then shopped around quickly to make soup. Given that it was already 8pm, I headed for the deli section. Sadly, they’d run out of rotiserrie roasted chicken (apparently, I wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to cook that night). My only options then were either BBQ Roasted Chicken or Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, and there were only 2 or 3 boxes of each. I snagged the turkey breast, looked down at my list for Amy’s veggie soup’s ingredients and raced around the market getting all of the ingredients. I am not the biggest fan of peas. So I am omitted them.

I was able to get home by 8:15pm and feed him the ready made Chicken soup while I prepped this soup. Since Hubby started with flu symptoms that Thursday night and didn’t have work the next day, he’d have LOTS of soup to consume on his day off on Friday. Seriously, it’s Saturday, and we’ll be eating soup for a few more days!

The Result: Hubby enjoyed the soup. His words, “It’s really good, honey!” I asked for any suggestions to improve and I didn’t get any. I’m never sure if that means it doesn’t need improvement or that he’s not suere what flavors it needs to be improved (he proclaims that his sense of smell/taste isn’t that strong). I tasted it and it’s pretty tasty. I cooked with hardly any salt. So I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t need any. It had enough flavor from all the other ingredients. But I’m probably going to add some lemon juice at some point. It’s how I grew up, getting a sliced lemon and squeezing its juice over my soup…and sometimes adding a dollop of mayo (Don’t judge…).

So tonight that is what I’m having for dinner/bringing to my Abuelita’s house for dinner. Well, this and tamales and Ensalada Rusa (Russian Salad).

Enjoy!!

Ingredients (I’ve put in bold the ingedients I added):

• 3 cups v-8 original juice + 3 cups of water after all ingredients are in the pot
• 1.5 cups water
• ½ table spoon olive oil
• 2 small garlic cloves
• ½ small onion small chopped
• 4 small white potatoes (I chopped them into quarters.)
• 1 medium zucchini chopped anyway you want (I chopped them into rounds.)
• 1medium yellow squash (I chopped them into rounds.)
• 2 chayote squash
• 8 or 9 sprigs of parsley
• 1 head of broccoli
• 2 carrots sliced into rounds
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 2 ribs celery sliced
• ·         1/2 a can of peas (you can also used frozen) (I didn’t have any.)
• 1 package of ready-made oven roasted turkey breast
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp of dried Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp of dried thyme
• Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.

Directions:

1. On the stove top, use a large pot over medium heat
2. Add olive oil and sweat onion and garlic
3. Once translucent add potatoes and carrots and stir and heat for about 4-5 minutes
4. Add v-8 and water, zucchini, squash, broccoli, celery, and peas bay leaf/Italian seasoning/dried thyme.
5. Season to taste.
6. Adjust heat as needed (you want a rolling boil at the most- but not a hard boil) stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes.
7. In between stirring occasionally during this 20 minute period, take turkey meat off the bone and coarsely chop. (I didn’t use the skin in the soup.)
8. Add chopped turkey meat in the soup and cook another 20 minutes, occasionally stirring.
9. Make sure to test the tenderness of the potatoes and the chayote before you finish cooking it. The chayote should be as soft as the squash. And make sure to take out the bay leaf.

 

Grandma’s Homemade Banana Bread

Just as quickly as my flu/cold/yuckiness struck me, it appears to be leaving! Thank G-d! And, in perfect time now that my appetite is returning and I can smell and taste food again.

I have had a hankering for baking lately. Perhaps it’s all the amazing things I see my friend Tammy create here. Plus, I have been really really really wanting to try out my stepmom’s Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer that I inherited. It’s large and beautiful and screaming to be used for cooking adventures.

I will state for the record that I, Danielle, am NOT a baker. I love to cook, but baking is not my strength.at.all. Case in point, my first time baking brownies about 7 years ago. I followed the brownie box’s directions to the T! Mix ingredients, preheat oven, fill greased pan with brownie mix, put in oven, bake for xyz minutes, blah blah blah. After they were done, I let them cool…in the oven. Yup, I thought that I just had to turn off the oven and let them (somehow) “cool” in the oven. In my defense, the box didn’t state to take out them out and let them cool outside of the oven. If I had read that vital tidbit on the box, the brownies wouldn’t have doubled as a doorstop. Just saying.

So, now I’ve got this baking itch. And, I had these 3 bananas that didn’t look so fresh anymore. My first thought, banana bread! I googled “Best Banana Bread recipe.” One link immediately jumped out at me: “Grandma’s Homemade Banana Bread Recipe.” Is it coincidental that the recipe calls for 3 bananas and I just so happen to have 3 bananas in my fridge? I think not. It’s fate!

Tonight, I was supposed to have 2 giirlfriends over for GG night (Gossip Girl–seriously, one of my guilty pleasures!) where I would then present the banana bread for consumption (Sidenote: I specifically and intentionally didn’t add any nuts since one of my girlfriends is allergic). Alas, the Hubby caught whatever I had. So GG night was nixed. And instead, I’ll be making homemade chicken and veggie soup and doting on him.

As for the banana bread: I brought several slices into work after a few coworkers heard that I’d be baking some yesterday. Naturally, I had to taste it first for quality control. But since my senses are not yet 100% and I’m not sure I can really trust my opinion, my glowing reviews from the coworkers will suffice! **Afternote: It wasn’t as moist as I was hoping. It wasn’t dry, but it wasn’t super moist either. I think it may be my oven…We’ll see how the  next bread turns out.**

Ingredients

• 1      1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2      cup butter, softened
• 3      bananas, mashed
• 2      eggs
• 2      cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2      teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3      cup sour milk
• 1/4      teaspoon salt
• 1      teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan. (I used an 8.5 x 4.5 glass pan after reading reviews that said the glass pan worked best)
2. Combine sugar, butter, bananas, eggs, flour, baking soda, milk, salt and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl; beat well. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. (It took almost an 1 ½ hours for the center to come out clean. But after 60 mins, I reduced the oven temp to 330 since I was afraid the bread would char at the higher temp.)

 

It’s Soup Time!

Well, I’m on Day 2 of feeling like poop! And, when I’m feeling ill, I’m not in the cooking mood. Or rather, I dream of cooking but I’m usually too tired to make my own chicken noodle soup or I’m concerned about the health & safety of cooking while ill. But I also really don’t want to heat soup out of the can…

So, where does that leave me? In situations like these, buying amazing soups from my fave restaurants that always seem to make me feel better in no time. Herer’s just a brief list…

• For traditional Jewish penicillin (aka Matzo Ball soup), you have to try Langer’s Deli across from MacArthur Park! They may not be situated in the best neighborhood. But they’re by far the best! (It doesn’t hurt that they’re within 5 minutes from the office.) Tasty, softm hearty helpings of Matzo with a flavorful soup brothThe 2nd pick on my list would have to be Canter’s. 3rd choice, Brent’s Deil in Northridge, Ca.  I’ve had Solley’s and Jerry’s Deli (they’re both owned by the same parent company). But the flavor’s just not there. And, if you’re gonna pay for Matzo Ball soup, you might as well pay for some GOOD soup!
• For Tom Kha Kai: Hands down, the best is Original BBQ Thai on Western & Maplewood, across from the 7-11. I’ve been coming here for over 10 years! It was great when I lived a block away. I could just mosey across the street for Tom Kha Kai, Special Fried Rice and Angel Wings! Mmmm mmmm. (By the by, this is what I had for lunch yesterday. With the lemongrass and slight addition of red pepper, my nasal passages opened up and I, for a moment, forgot that I had a fever.)
• For Caldo de Res (Beef on the bone and Veggie Soup) – Los Burritos! You can walk into any of their chain restaurants, in Hollywood or North Hollywood, for example, and they all offer amazing Caldo de Res served in a hearty-sized bowl. Imagine carrot, potato, corn, tomato, cabbage and chayote (a green, Hispanic squash) with some cilantro simmered alongside beef on the bone, that melts off the bone.Se resucita uno de la muerte! (It’ll resuscitate you from the dead!)
• For a scrumptious, homemade vegetable soup recipe, you have to try my friend Amy’s recipe tried and modified by our friend Tammy on her blog here. You can check out Amy’s blog here.

I’m still looking for another good Pho place. I don’t even know where the one is that our coworkers use to go. But the made the most savory broth and the freshest herbs to create one’s soup. After those coworkers left, I’ve been on a hunt ever since.

What’s your fave soup spot and why? If you have any recommendations for me, please please send them over!!

 

(I’ll post pictures of my soups a little later.)

 

Avocado Cumin Dip

Tying in with my last post, I figured I’d try another avocado recipe this week. So on Tuesday when I came home from work around 9pm and did not feel like cooking, much less eating, a heavy meal, I opted instead for this dip with sliced bell pepper and cucumber.

Here is the Original recipe I found on Pinterest. I didn’t have cilantro…Maybe that would have made the difference. Otherwise, I followed the recipe true to form. It was tasty. But IMO it needed more salt or some lemon juice or both. In any event, since I’m trying to be healthier and monitor my sodium and cholesterol intake, I did not add extra salt, and ate it as-is.

I had plenty leftover–with my mini food processor, this recipe had to be made in 2 batches. So I took the bowl into work yesterday with more veggies as part of my lunch. This time around, the flavors were more pronounced. Still not salty enough though.

Final thoughts: Next time, I’ll use my blender since it has more room and then follow the recipe again exactly as it calls for and if it’s still not salty enough, I’ll just add more salt!

Now, on to the recipe:

In this picture are all the Ingredients with the yogurt in the processor. As you can see, I have a mini food processor. Make sure that you have enough room in your food processor, or you may find yourself, like me, making 2 batches and then mixing them both in together. 🙂

Bam! It looks like guacamole. But I assure you it won’t taste like your average avocado dip. The lime really does add a different taste from the lemon. In simple dishes, like this, where you are using fresh ingredients, I love that you can really taste every.single.ingredient.

The end result: dip and veggies. I LOVE bell pepper. Raw. Grilled. Sauteed! Nom. Nom. Nom.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup   1plain fat-free yogurt

1/2 cup   Finely chopped red onion

(3 Tbsp. Chopped fresh cilantro– I didn’t have any at the time. So this is not in my dip. Next time, I’ll try it with cilantro added.)

1 Tbsp.   Finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper(I added a bit more and a couple seeds for more of a kick.)

2 Tbsp.   Fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp.   Ground cumin

1/2 tsp.   Salt

3              Ripe peeled avocados, seeded and coarsely chopped

1              Garlic clove, minced

Okay, this next part is a little tricky…Are you ready?

…

Place all ingredients in a food processor (or a blender if your processor is small, like mine!)

As soon as you’re finished with the dip, cover with saran wrap and place in the fridge. On the 2^nd day , the top layer was still green, albeit leaning towards a light brown.

 

15 Minute Avocado Pasta

Last week, avocados were on sale at the market. This became the perfect opportunity to try out a few recipes I’d found on Pinterest. The original recipe for the 15 Minute Creamy Avocado pasta can be found here on OhSheGlows.com. (Super awesome vegan site!!)

This recipe truly can be done in 15 minutes, if you can multi-task. My recomendation: Start the pasta first, then go into making the pasta. So, here goes:

What’s great about this recipe is that includes common ingredients you can find in your pantry and kitchen! Super easy!

Here you see the olive oil, lemon juice and 2 1/2 garlic cloves — Next time, I think I’ll only try 1 clove.

This picture includes the delicious avocado. The yumminess is about to begin!

Okay, Come on! Look at how pretty that is. Such a bright green color, and it smelled fantastic!

Ta Da!! Le piece de resistance! You don’t really need a whole lot of lemon zest either. The lemon juice in the sauce adds a nice citrus kick.

Leftovers! My favorite. However, the Hubby can attest that it DOES NOT reheat well. Sorry for the caps. But after the Hubby asked if it was meant to be eaten cold, I really feel the need to emphasize how bad it’ll taste reheated. You’ve been warned.

Ingredients:

1               Medium-sized, Ripe Avocado, pitted and cut into smaller pieces (cubes, slices, whatever floats  your boat, just as long as it fits in the processor)

1/2           of a Lemon, Juiced

1-3           Garlic Cloves, to taste (I used 2 1/2 and it was super yummy garlicky. But I think I’ll try it next time with just 1 clove.)

2                Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2                Servings (6 oz.) of your pasta of choice (For this recipe, I used a Spinach & Chive pasta that had spent enough time in the pantry.)

Salt, to taste

Lemon Zest, to garnish

Black Pepper, to taste

*The recipe called for 1/4 cup of Basil to add in the blender for the sauce, which I didn’t try. I may try it next time to see if I like the flavor.

The directions are simple. First, boil salted water to prepare the pasta. The pasta packaging offers some nifty directions. While your water is heating up, start on your paasta sauce.  Peel the garlic and juice 1/2 of a lemon. (We have this amazing Meyer lemon tree in our backyard that produces the most aromatic and juicy lemons.) Then, add the garlic cloves, olive oil, and lemon juice into a food processor. Once it’s been blended smooth, add the avocado and continue to blend until smooth.

In betwen this time, you will add the pasta to the boiling water. Hopefully, by the time the pasta sauce is ready so will be your pasta! I chose to plate the pasta first and then add the sauce on top. But as the original post suggests, combine the ingredients. Then top with some lemon zest and black pepper, and Voila! dinner is ready.

**If you’re trying to monitor your portion sizes, try what I did. I split portions before fixing my plate and stored the 2nd serving in a tupperware-type container for leftovers the next day. Super Important Note: Do not reheat unless you like bad-tasting food! For whatever the reason, it does not reheat well. My Hubby found out the hard way the next day even after I told him not to microwave it. First, he asked me, “Was I supposeed to eat this cold?” When I asked him why and if it didn’t taste well, he paused for a good 5 seconds, folks, and then replied, “Well, it wasn’t your best meal…” Ladies and Gents, don’t fall victim to being told this comment by the one(s) you love. So, the lesson here, only make enough for that one sitting…or be prepared to eat cold pasta.