Scallops with Spring Veggie Pilaf Ingredients:
Coconut oil
1 crookneck squash or zucchini
chopped ½ bunch asparagus
chopped ½ cup chopped green beans
¼ cup veggie broth
¼ cup cooked quinoa
Directions:
1) Wash and prep the veggies (make sure to save half of your green beans for tomorrow’s dinner). Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and saute veggies until cooked, about 5-7 minutes.
2) Add quinoa and veggie broth to the pan. Cook for another few minutes and season with sea salt and fresh pepper. Cover with a lid and keep warm while you make the scallops
3) Pat the scallops dry and season with salt and pepper. Melt 1 T of coconut oil in a small pan and add the scallops to the hot pan. Sear for 3 minutes without disturbing, then flip, and sear for another 3 minutes. Scallops should be well-browned on both sides.
4) Prepare a plate the warm veggies and top with scallops.
Welcome to day 2! How do you feel? I already know of some friends who have cut out refined sugar or alcohol or tried yoga for the first time today… Great Job you guys! Well, my “no refined sugar” for a week goal didn’t go as planned… I reached for a bowl of complimentary chocolates at a store this afternoon with out even realizing it! Ooooops! But it’s ok, shit happens like we learned yesterday. Tomorrow I will try harder. Have you come up with a goal yet? Don’t forget to write it down!
Todays menu is so pure and cleansing…you will love it! And today’s healthy living tip is even better!
Tip #1 Live in the Present and be Happy with Today! I feel like this advice could not come at a more perfect moment. During the New Year I always become a bit, well, day dreamy. And I’m sure you do too. The New Year is a time for reflection. It’s a time when we often find ourselves thinking about our past and wishing for the perfect future. I know we’re all guilty of it. Well, how about we LIVE TODAY! Be happy knowing that someone loves you, Today! Love your body, Today! Be grateful that you have a job, Today! Know that 50% of the world’s population did not have access to a computer, Today {I just made that up…but it sounds good 🙂 }! And know that you were given an opportunity to be great, Today! I loose sight of living in the moment too! Every so often I dream about my past when I lived in Milan, Italy. And, to no surprise, it’s usually around a time like the New Year when I begin to day dream. I so badly wish to go back and live my Italian life again. Soaking up the Italian culture, speaking a beautiful language, riding my bike down the cobble stone streets, meeting my amazing Milanese friends for lunch on a weekday where pasta and wine are enjoyed for hours, grocery shopping at the (CHEAP) street markets daily and serving cocktails at a bar which is smack in the middle of Corso Como (the fashion street… where models and professional soccer players were my bar’s cliental). Clearly I am not living in Milan anymore (at least, for Today I am not). On a stroll through Crissy Fields Sunday I explained my dilemma to Sarahand she simple said to me, “why don’t you bring your Italian life to SF” Brilliant! Why hadn’t I thought of that!? So that’s what I did today. I know what it is about Italy makes me happy and I brought that here today.
You can do the same. If you know that sweating and working out makes you happy… lace up your sneakers. If you know that eating crap makes you feel like crap… give your Christmas cookies to the hungry man on the corner. If you know that your current job is not where you’d like to see yourself in 2013, apply for many other jobs.
The Power of choice and happiness is in your hands, everyday!
How I brought Italian life to me today: I got dressed super fashionable (yes, just to go to a kid’s park and hang with a 2 year old). You do not see Italian women wearing workout clothes… lulu lemon is for the gym, that’s it! I Enjoyed a long lunch, outdoors, with sparkling water. Afternoon bike ride on my adorable beach cruise (with a basket) that just looking at bring me back to Europe! Enjoyed an afternoon glass of wine at Lashfully where I got beautified (because Italian women definitely put time into their appearance) I joined an Italian group on Meetup! and am meeting for Happy Hour tomorrow! And lastly, I am feeling so happy today, in this very moment , even though I’m not in Italy 🙂 What can you do to appreciate today!?
Here are a few of my favorite inspirational TED talks:
Do What You Love (no excuses!) (here): Why Are We Happy (here): 7 Rules For making More Happiness (here)
Now For the Menu:
Breakfast:
Quinoa and Black Rice (you’ve already have it made in the fridge) avocado.
I cooked the egg with a little sesame oil and sprinkled black sesame seeds on top (SO great for digestion!)
Lunch:
I met Kate and Milo at the Park and packed a picnic in this adorable carrier I picked up in Chang Mai, Thailand
Miso Cabbage salad
Mix cabbage and carrots with rice wine vinegar, miso paste and coconut sugar (1 T of each)
Ginger Lime Shrimp
Always keep frozen Shrimp on hand (defrost in running cool water)
Toss with Olive oil, lime zest and grated ginger
Broil for 2 minutes on each side
Soy-Honey Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Slice Sweet potatoes and roast at 400 for 10 minutes on each side
Mix equal pasts soy sauce and honey, drizzle over
Slice Grapefruit and Kiwi
Sprinkle with raw coconut
Dinner:
Sweet Potato and Kale with Tahini Honey Sauce
bake sweet potato. Steam kale and mix with a bit of your grain.
Mix 1 T tahini with 1 t honey and 1 t water
I have been trying to refrain from boring you with the nutritional benefits of each meal… but this you should know:
Sweet Potatoes are packed with vitamin A. But your body needs zinc in order to distribute the A through out your body. Sesame seeds (tahini) are packed with zinc. Therefore, this makes a perfect A + zinc combo 🙂
At the park with Kate and Milo
Milo and Me
Proof that happiness can be as simple as an empty box
Anyone who has lived in San Francisco knows that September is the most beautiful month of the year. It’s actually common for the fog to disappear for a few consecutive days! Everyone’s mood changes and positive vibes fill the streets, shops and cafes.
Anyway, my plan was to go to the do-over, a day party at the Phoenix Hotel where I’d dance and drink the beautiful afternoon away with girlfriends. As I was slipping into my summer dress, my friend texts me to say, “the line is crazy, we’re going to the park!” So I slipped into my bikini, grabbed a towel and water (with fresh lemon) and made way way to the roof of my apartment, where I spent the next few hours basking under the San Francisco! I’ve got to get tan because in one week from today I will be laying pool side at the Trump Hotel in Vegas with about 15 of my closest girlfriends (since preschool/middle school)! I must have listened to about 7 TED talks on my iPhone, and Brene Brown’s discussion on The Power of Vulnerability was by far my favorite. I also painted my toes in my favorite O.P.I. color wrote up some great thoughts for my new business/branding direction (so excited, I’ll share soon!).
By 4 my tummy was rumbling and I made my way down to fix lunch. I love being in the heat because I feel like it suppresses my appetite, and makes me eat smaller portions, well French portions (proper portions) These Sushi rolls are perfect for lunch on a hot summer day or for a late light dinner. I served with wasabi that comes in powder (you mix with water) and pickled ginger that always have in the fridge to snack on 🙂
I was planning on using the avocado that has been waiting helplessly in my fridge- but I was too late – she was a goner 🙁 Because I always have a whole grain in the fridge ready to add to dishes, this was a super fast lunch. You can use what ever veggies you have on hand like I did
Makes 2 Rolls Ingredients: 2 Sheets of Seaweed 1/2 cup cooked rice Pea shoot sprouts 1 large carrot shredder 6 shrimp, boiled 1/3 of a cucumber, peeled and sliced
I use a sheet on tin foil when I don’t feel like searching for my bamboo sushi rollers, it works just as well. Place 1/4 cup of precooked rice (if you learn anything from my, it is to always have a pre cooked whole grain in your fridge, ready to add to dishes!) on the bottom third of a sheet of seaweed Top with your veggies and shrimp Roll and enjoy
(I actually started writing this on September 18th…and am just now getting to adding the photos and posting! It has been a BUSY month!)
At what point do you go from being able to have a few margaritas and still feel like 100 bucks the next morning OR have a few margaritas and wake up absolutely crabby!? Does this aging happen over night, literally?!
Last night Mindee and I had dinner (and margaritas) at Tacolicious in the Marina- a neighborhood where the pitch of women’s voices reach a frequencey unlike anywhere else in San Francisco and all the men look and dress the same. Not exactly mine and Mindee’s type of neighborhood… it’s the authentic tacos and margaritas, not the well groomed men, that keep us coming back for more. By sun down and the time it takes Mindee and me to finish our first margarita, this place has gone from taqueria to swanky, sleazy, sweaty bar! These aren’t the sugar packed and pre mixed margaritas, but rather made with actual lime juice and good quality tequila! So good, they go down like juice! Anyway, I woke up feeling, well you know the feeling, not entirely chippery, to say the least. And the only thing sounding remotely appetizing is something hot, spicy and greasy! I mixed together what I had on hand, canned crab (is that tacky?) bell peppers and hot sauce and the result were these perfectly little moist crabby cakes! yum!
Enjoyed anytime of day for any occasion, casual or fancy, hung-over or chippery, these little guys are a pleaser for sure! I topped them with homemade herb aioi to really add to the fat-factor!
Makes 8 small cakes Ingredients: 3 cans crab 2 eggs 1/2 bell pepper diced 2 T homemade aioli (or mayo) A handful of mixed fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, chives, dill) 1 garlic minces 1 T fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used gluten free) Sanf and pepper Extra bread crumbs for rolling Vegetable oil for frying (I used grape seed) Mix the eggs Add the remaining ingredients Divide into 8 patties Fill a shallow dish with some bread crumbs, season with salt and pepper Line a baking sheet with foil, spray Roll the cakes in the bread crumbs and press the crumbs into the crab Place the tray in the fridge for about 30 minutes, allowing them to firm up Preheat the oven to 300 Heat the oil in a frying pan In batches of four, fry the cakes, about 3 minutes on each side Transfer back to the baking sheet and continue with the remaining four Transfer the sheet to the oven. Heat the crab cakes through, about 10-15 minutes
For those of you who think you don’t like oysters because you’ve only experienced them raw (like I) it’s time you have a BBQed oyster! I’ll admit, it may just be the butter and hot sauce smothered on that make oysters so delicious. But whatever it is, I don’t care, they are amazing! So meaty and fresh, how have I been living life without these little fishy bites of heaven? Ok, that’s a little much, but, shame on whomever thought my first oyster experience should be raw. Shame on you. You’ve ruined me for the past 10 years.
A friend who’s currently living in Switzerland has returned home for a short two week visit and we figured what better reason to squeeze in some fun day trips and things we don’t do nearly enough (like hikes, Tomales Bay, movies, BBQs…)
The beautiful drive to Tomales Bay is about an hour
and worth every minute and twisty turn
We stopped at Tomales Bay Oyster Companyto stock up on the goods- 150 oysters, gloves you’re suppose to wear, and one of those special knifes for “shucking”
Miso-Glazed Fish: (note) To make it really simple, just mix equal parts miso paste with brown sugar and spread that evenly over the fish
Ingredients: 2 T Mirin 2 T rice wine vinegar 1/3 cup miso paste, white or brown 2 T sugar oil for baking 4 skinless cod fillets (about 6 oz) Scallions for garnish
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small pan Whisk constantly over low heat until the sugar melts Transfer glaze to a small bowl and let cool completely
Heat the broiler, with rack 6 inches from the flame Coat a baking sheet with oil Arrange the fish on the sheet and brush generously with the glaze Broil until fillets are browned on top and opaque throughout 6-8 minutes
Rice: (note) You can use your Basic Grain recipe here! After you have made the cabbage add about 2-3 cups of grain and mix well. Add the 2 t rice wine vinegar, cover, and warm at low for a minute or 2. Also, I did not have fresh ginger once so I used my pickled jarred ginger that I always have on hand in the fridge, it is so delicious, I eat it plane 🙂
Ingredients: 2 T safflower oil, or other natural flavor oil 1 cup cabbage, coarsely chopped 1 t peeled and minced fresh ginger 1 garlic clove, small minced 1 cup long grain brown rice (I like Basmati because it cooks the fastest) 1 1/2 cups water 2 t rice wine vinegar 1 T sesame seeds
Heat Oil Add cabbage, garlic and ginger, cook uncovered for about 2 minutes on medium until wilted Spoon cabbage mixture onto a plate (or at this time add your pre-made Basic Grain) Add rice to the pan and stir until lightly toasted, about 1 minute Add a pinch of salt and water Bring to a boil then reduce to low Cover and cook for 30 minutes Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes Stir in the cabbage mixture, vinegar and sesame seeds Toss and enjoy
Japanese Eggplant: 1 T rice wine vinegar 1 T soy sause 1 T sesame oil 1 T brown sugar 1 T minced fresh ginger 1 garlic clove minced
8 Japanese eggplant, cut crosswise into about 1 inch pieces
oil for pan
salt pepper
sesame seeds and scallions for garnish
Whisk the first 6 ingredients
Heat the oil in a large skillet (maybe cook in batches, you want the eggplant to have lots of wiggle room while cooking)
Add the eggplant and cook for a few minutes, tossing often
Add the sauce, being sure that all the eggplant is covered equally by the sauce.
Turn the heat up and really grill and brown the eggplant
reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has turned glaze-like
I prefer raw fish over cooked fish- raw is so much more flavorful, and fresh tasting and just melts in my mouth!
For this dish I chose to pair the tuna with avocado and mango because the “theme” I was cooking for was a Summer Seafood dish, but this tuna is fabulous just on its own.
Ingredients:
Sushi Grade Tuna
Crushed ginger
Oyster sauce
Soy sauce
Sesame oil, just a couple drops
Chopped cilantro
Cut the tuna into nicely even little cubes
Mix gently with the remaining ingredients
Wonton Crackers:
24 Store bought wanton wrappers
2 T Honey/Agave
1 t Soy Sauce
Sesame seeds
Flax seeds (optional, I thought they looked pretty)
Preheat over to 375
Cut the crackers diagonally and place them onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Combine the agave and soy sauce in a bowl.
Brush the mixture onto the wantons.
Sprinkle with seeds
Bake for 7-9 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
September in San Francisco could not be more perfect, the weather is warm and so many fruits and vegetables are in season, so you can imagine how excited I was to surprise my mom with a birthday brunch party.
3 Heirloom tomatoes (different colors if possible)
3 balls of fresh buffalo mozzarella
fresh basil leaves
quality extra virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Slice the tomatoes horizontally into sixths
Slice the mozzarella into sixths
layer the tomato, mozzarella slices and basil leaves beginning with tomato and ending with the end piece of mozzarella.
garish with basil
drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with corse salt and fresh pepper
BBQ Shrimp on Rosemary skewers:
Yields 6
about 24 shrimp prepared
fresh rosemary
parsley
lemon
olive oil
Prepare 12 rosemary skewers: remove the leaves off the bottom 2/3 of the rosemary branch.
In a food processor combine the removed roesmary leaves, some parsley, fresh squeezed lemon juice, olive oil and S&P
Marinate the shrimp in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
Skew the marinated shrimp onto the prepared rosemary skewers
BBQ or heat an ungreased frying pan and cook on the stove for about 7 minutes, turning once
Spanish Style Potato & Zucchini Torte:
about 3 potatoes, sliced
about 3 green zucchini, sliced
one yellow onion chopped
1 clove of garlic minced
1 T of any fresh herbs chopped (optional)
6 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
S&P
preheat 350 degrees F
cook the potato slices in the olive oil- about 20 minutes
transfer and drain the potatoes on a plate lined with paper towels
In an oven proof frying pan…
cook the onion for a couple minutes
add the garlic
add the zucchini and cook for about 5 minutes
add the potato and arrange evenly in the pan
In a bowl combine the eggs with 2 T of water, S&P and wisk.
Pour the eggs over the potatoes and zucchini and cook for about 10 minutes moving the eggs around to insure even cooking. Be sure you’re lifting the bottom of the eggs ensuring that they’re not sticking to the pan. Be gentle. Try and keep eggs in the firm shape as the pan.
Sprinkle on your herbs and cover with a lid.
Bake for 10 minutes
Remove from the oven
Slide your spatula under all edges of the torte ensuring it’s not stuck to the pan anywhere.
