A Fresh take on Cucumber Salad

We went to a new Japanese Sushi Restaurant the other night and when perusing through the menu I saw something interesting.  Plum and Cucumber Sushi.  At first I thought it sounded weird, but then I started thinking it would probably be a really lovely combination.  One of Brian and my favorite things when we are going for Sushi is the cucumber salad which I also make at home fairly often.  I have tried rolling my own sushi at home and it just never comes out exactly like the professionals so I wasn't going to embark on that again.  Not to mention buying all the necessary tools to make sushi is more expensive than going down to the restaurant and paying the whole $5 for the roll.  

Anyways, below I made my own rendition of Cucumber Salad with Plums.  It turned out beautiful and the flavors were perfect together.  This is the season to make it too with Plums so ripe and gorgeous right now.  Just looking at the picture is making my mouth water because it was so fresh and light!

I know this picture isnt that attractive, but I had to show you how to best sliver the plums.  Using a mandolin, slice the plums into fairly thin slices (upper right).  Then using your knife, stack a couple plum slices together and sliver them vertically (lower left).  I also used my mandolin to slice the cucumbers since I already had it out.  Usually I am so lazy to wash it I just use my knife!

Cucumber Plum Salad

Ingredients

2 cups Cucumber, thinly sliced

1 cup Plum, thinly sliced and slivered

1/4 cup Red Onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup Carrot, match-stick cut

1 tablespoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Cilantro, fresh and chopped roughly

2 tablespoons fresh Lime Juice

2 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar

1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

1/8 teaspoon pepper

salt to taste (won't need hardly any)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and toss gently making sure to combine all ingredients.  Enjoy!

Nouveau Roasted Potatoes

Ever on the quest to find or reinvent new side dishes, I came up with something last week that was sure to breakup my feeling of boredom for my current collection of side dishes.  Potatoes are not my favorite vegetable and I feel no inclination to like them because they really don't provide any fabulous health benefits, but they are pretty much the ultimate starch.  If I am going to indulge in an unhealthy starch, I would much rather a giant piece of homemade bread.  

When I was young I remember my mom making these Roasted Potatoes with Caramelized Onions.  They seemed so sophisticated and special!  She later told me, "oh, those potatoes?  They are so easy!"  They are easy, and still look so impressive to me, but even though I make them all the time for Brian and my sis (the potato fiend), I still don't eat them.  

Then, it hit me!  I like sweet potatoes and I could do the same thing with them!  They were delicious and different.  I love the color and the more intense flavor.  I also felt good knowing I was getting some nutritional benefits to go with my happy taste buds.

Nouveau Roasted Potatoes

(I also had to give them a sophisticated name because I am just so impressed with myself.  Ha!)

Ingredients

4 Sweet Potatoes or Yams, chopped into 1 inch cubes

2 medium Red Onions, sliced

2 tablespoons fresh Cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons dried Tarragon

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh Cracked Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange sweet potatoes and onions on a cookie sheet covered with cooking spray.  Toss with olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown and onions are caramelized.

Reinvention: BLT

Lately, it kinda seems like I have been obsessed with the concept of a BLT.  Well, it is sort of true.  I am obsessed with the flavor profile, but mostly it is the ease of making it.  The almost insignificant effort required to make something tasty.  As I was perusing the pages of my new Martha Stuart Magazine, I came across a BLT soup.  Yes, a BLT soup...

I checked out the recipe.  I love the concept, but did not like they way they did it in the recipe.  I am pretty picky about tomato soup =)  The way they had the recipe written was with iceberg lettuce, tomato soup, croutons, bacon and an egg drizzle.  

No offense, Martha, but Iceberg lettuce in soup does not work for me!  

My re-invented, BLT Soup came out perfectly delicious, healthy and satisfying.  I would make this again any day and the tomato soup was great for lunch the next day!  

BLT Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup chopped onion, one medium

3/4 cup shredded carrot

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon, shallots, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 basil leaves

3 drained sun dried tomato halves, packed in oil with herbs

2 (14.5 ounce) cans organic diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (14 ounce) can fat free, less sodium chicken broth

Croutons

8 slices Turkey Bacon Pan Fried in cooking spray (or Regular Bacon), torn into pieces

2 cups Fresh Spinach

Directions

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add chopped onion, shredded carrot, garlic, and shallots to pan.  Cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently.  Add sugar, pepper, salt and 4 basil leaves and cook for 5 minutes.  Add sun-dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.  Remove from heat.  Use and immersion blender (or regular blender) and blend until smooth.  

In the bottom of each bowl put a bunch of spinach.  Divide soup amongst bowls and top 

with croutons and torn bacon. Serve!  

Enjoy this one!  It was wonderful!

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BLT...again!

I had another BLT reinvention the other night, but I wanted something that tasted a little fresher. We were in the desert, where inside every steakhouse you will find a wedge salad, so I morphed the two into this BLT Wedge Salad. I felt full and satisfied without a heavy hot meal in the 90 degree plus weather.

BLT Wedge

Ingredients:

Iceberg Lettuce, washed and quartered

1 cup Reduced Fat Blue Cheese, crumbled

2 cups Grape Tomatoes, halved

1/2 Red Onion, chopped

1 avocado, diced

8 slices Bacon or Turkey Bacon, cooked

Fat Free or Reduced Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette

Directions:

Place an iceberg wedge in the middle of each plate. Top each wedge with 1/4 of each ingredient. Drizzle with dressing. Serve!

This is a "no big deal" dinner that I was able to use all the ingredients for other things all week! So if you are in the mood for something simple and fun try this out!

True Food Reinvention

I have been wanting to try this restaurant called True Food in Fashion Island for some time now and I was so excited to go there with Brian's dad and Linda the other day to celebrate Brian's birthday! The food was excellent and healthy which is the best combination

don't you think??

When we left all I could think about was going back, but we were headed down to the desert that week. What was I to do? Recreate what I had for lunch! I also have been throwing some ideas around in my head for a while for a flat bread. I thought my new flat bread and the salad I had at True Food would make an excellent pair!

I even had to recreate my drink I had also! It was really refreshing and didn't seem to complicated to duplicate. I highly recommend this place and if you aren't near one of their two locations, try my recipes below.

Date Gorgonzola Flat Bread

Ingredients:

1 piece whole wheat flat bread

2 dates, chopped

2 tablespoons apricot jam

1/2 onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons Gorgonzola cheese

Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat Broiler.

Drizzle a olive oil in a small pan and heat over medium heat. Combine onion and garlic in pan and saute over medium heat until onions are caramelized and lightly browned.

Put piece of flat bread on a piece of foil sprayed with cooking spray. Put in oven for 3-5 minutes depending on your oven, just till slightly crispy. Remove from oven.

Spread the jam evenly over the flat bread, with the back of a spoon is easiest. Spread onion mixture over the top. Sprinkle dates and cheese evenly.

Put back in oven for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown.

Slice and serve...enjoy!

Spring Chopped Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups Spring Mix Greens

4 Strawberries, sliced

1/4 cup Goat Cheese, crumbled

1 cup Sugar Snap Peas, ribs removed and roughly chopped

1 Roasted Chicken Breast, skin removed and shredded

(I just used a rotisserie chicken that I bought at the grocery store)

2 Tablespoons Almonds, sliced...optional

Balsamic Vinaigrette (I used a fat free one from Trader Joe's)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients but dressing in a large bowl. Toss gently. Drizzle with dressing and toss and serve amongst several plates. Enjoy.

Hangover Rx

Combine 1 can Coconut water, 1/3 cup pineapple juice, and 1/3 cup orange juice and stir. Serve!

This drink is really refreshing and healthy and makes a perfect compliment to everything on this menu. I hope you try out some of these recipes and leave me your comments!

Have a wonderful evening!

Renovated Falafel

Do you ever have a craving for something, but either are too far away to get it or don't want to waste the calories?

For some reason, I was craving a falafel, but after feeling like a blob all week there was no way I was going to eat something fried. Not to mention, I don't even know where to get a falafel around here. What to do, what to do?

I decided to create my own Mediterranean Israeli Feast the low calorie way. And no, I have never made this before, actually any kind of Falafel before,

but I am enthusiastic about the way it turned out!

Israeli Salad

Ingredients:

3 Japanese Cucumbers, diced

4 Roma Tomatoes, Seeded and diced

5 Green Onions, chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and diced

1/3 cup garlic, chopped

1 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/2 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Salt

1 Tablespoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Toss the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, garlic, and parsley in a bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice over the the salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Some Persian Bread I toasted from my reserves (aka. The Freezer)

Renovated Falafel and Yogurt Dip

Ingredients:

Garbanzo Beans, 15 oz can well drained

1 Yellow Onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour

3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, chopped

1 Tablespoon chopped Garlic

1 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro, chopped

1/2 Tablespoon Ground Cumin

3/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Lemon Juice

1/8 teaspoon Paprika

Black Pepper, to taste

Non-Stick Spray

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees.

Place all ingredients (except non-stick spray) into a food processor and pulse till still slightly chunky. Do not make it smooth.

Spray a cookie sheet with the non-stick spray. Use a spoon and your hands to make 18 small balls and place on cookie sheet. Each ball should be about the size of a golf ball. Spray the tops of the balls with the non-stick spray. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and turn over. Reshape the balls gently if the bottoms have flattened. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes till golden brown. Allow to cool 5 minutes.

Yogurt Dip

Ingredients:

Fat Free Greek Yogurt, 6 oz.

1 Persian Cucumber or 1/2 Regular Cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped

1 teaspoon dried dill

3/4 teaspoon crushed garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse till blended and somewhat smooth. Place in refrigerator till ready to serve.

Nutrition:

1 serving (3 balls) and 3 Tablespoons Dip is 139 calories, 2 grams fat,

6 grams fiber, and 7.5 grams protein. Enjoy!

I served these with some Pita Bread, Hummus (just in case Brian needed more beans) and my Israeli Salad. Check these recipes out and let me know what you think!