#347: Lemony Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pecans and Goat Cheese

So, there's rain outside and this whole week has been pretty dreary, but, to me, it still feels like spring is here!! And with it comes the influx of salad recipes (though, lets be real, I can have a good salad all-year round).  This salad is made with shaved brussel sprouts, that are softened with a nice basic lemon vinaigrette, and topped with chopped celery and pecans for extra crunch, and creamy soft goat cheese.

Lemony Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pecans and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

Juice of 1 lemon

2 oz chopped pecans

2 10 oz bags of shaved brussels sprouts

1/2 cup olive oil

salt + pepper

1 tablespoon maple syrup 

1 avocado, chopped
goat cheese  

Directions

1. Rinse and drain your shaved brussels sprouts in a colander.  Set aside. 
2. Prepare a quick lemon dressing, by whisking together the lemon juice, maple syrup (or agave or honey), salt + pepper and olive oil in a small bowl.  Set aside.  
3. In a medium sized bowl add the cleaned brussels sprouts.  Add the dressing and mix thoroughly.  
4. Add in chopped pecans and avocado.  Toss gently. 
5. Top with crumbled goat cheese and serve.  

#345: Cucumber Dill Salad

The other night I made pasta for dinner.  Usually I would pair my pasta with a Greek or garden salad, but I had a ridiculous number of cucumbers in the fridge (all that juicing/I love cucumbers) and remembered a quick and easy salad I use to make when I was in high school.  I might be one of the few high schoolers that, when they were in a mood for a snack, decided to whip together a cucumber dill salad.  I mean who decides to make a salad, instead of reaching for that wonderful shiny bag of chips? Ummm, I guess, me?  And, some other weirdos out there who can't get enough of their veggies.  

Anyway, I felt like a throwback salad was necessary, and boy did this one bring back some memories, but this one was a little more healthy (subbed in some yogurt in place of all that mayo) than 16 year old me would've chosen.  I guess some things do change!  

Cucumber Dill Salad

Ingredients:

6 pickling cucumbers or 3 regular cucumbers or 2 english, diced (feel free to peel also if you like)

3 tablespoons dried dill 

2 tablespoons celery seed

4 tablespoons plain yogurt

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard

1 tablespoon Himalayan pink salt

5 dashes of hot sauce (I prefer Tapatio or Cholula or good old Tabasco - sorry, put the Sriracha down for this one)

Directions:

1.  Prepare the salad dressing by whisking together in a medium to large bowl the  yogurt,  mayonnaise, brown mustard, hot sauce, dill and celery seed.  
2.  Add in the cucumber and stir gently to coat the diced cucumber.  
3.  Add in the black pepper and salt.  Stir one final time and you're ready to eat!  

#338: Roasted Cauliflower, Garbanzos and Chicken Salad

Everyone has officially been converted to 'vegetable roasting.'  It is everywhere.  I'm not exaggerating, it really is!  All over Pinterest and most food blogger pages are roasted vegetables, which are then used in some form or the other...as a side dish, on eggs benedict, mixed with quinoa, on the infamous avocado toast, and a whole other slew of recipes.  But, trust me, I'm not complaining, and in fact, I'm hopping on that roasted vegetable bandwagon.  And, I'll be real, it isn't just because the vegetables get this amazing flavor when they're blasted with this intense oven heat, no, it's also just plain simple to make.  Plus, you can throw any sort of flavors you want on them and get your fix on anything from Mexican to Thai to Indian fod.  This roasted veggie salad goes the Indian route and throws in a bit of boiled chicken, which I then roasted for a quick 5 minutes just to get all the yummy spices rubbed all over the vegetables and beans onto the chicken, but you really could just use the boiled chicken as is.  It's perfectly juicy!  Sidenote, I've never boiled chicken before, but this month I've done it twice and I gotta say it is so simple, healthy AND makes the chicken so freakin juicy.  A great way to cook chicken!  

Roasted Cauliflower, Garbanzos and Chicken Salad

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets

1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 or 1 teaspoon of cayenne, depending on the level of heat you like

1/2 tsp salt + pepper

2 tablespoons coconut oil 

lemon juice (fresh cilantro too, if you have some)

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder

1 13 tablespoons honey

3/4 teaspoon salt 

1. Boil chicken breasts in water:  Place chicken in a saucepan large enough to hold the chicken pieces.  Add water to cover the chicken.  Bring to boiling on medium-high heat; reduce the heat.  Cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink.  I used skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, and it took about 15-20 minutes.  Drain the chicken and cut into 1 inch cubes. 
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a large mixing bowl, toss cauliflower, chickpeas with spices and olive oil.  Lay in single layer on foil lined baking sheet and roast about 25-30 minutes, cauliflower should be softened. Sprinkle with lemon juice (and cilantro if you have it).  Set aside.  
3. Add the cubed chicken to the cauliflower/chickpea mixture in the oven, about 5 minutes before the cauliflower/chickpeas are done.  Toss them throughly with the cauliflower/chickpea, so the chicken can pick up some of the spices.  
4. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small below.  Set aside. 
5. Prepare the Salad:  Baby spinach on the base of the salad.  Top with roasted chickpeas and cauliflower and chicken.  
6. Drizzle dressing over the salad and sprinkle with sliced almonds or green onions.  

#335: Sweet Potatoes with Almond Pesto

Sweet Potatoes with Almond Pesto

Ingredients

2 medium sized sweet potatoes, washed, peeled, and chopped into matchsticks (or spiralized)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

1 teaspoon white bleached flour

3 tablespoons milk (cream, unsweetened almond, half and half, skim, most unflavored milks should work)

1/4 cup sliced, blanched natural almonds

3/4 cup hot water

Directions:

1. Blanch the almonds:  Place the almonds in a bowl.  Pour boiling water to barely cover the almonds.  Let them sit for 2 minutes to soften, drain and set aside. 
2. In a deep bowl (cylindrical container if you have one), place the almonds, parsley, flour, garlic, water and milk.  Use a hand blender to blend the entire mixture until it’s creamy but still a bit grainy and chunky.  It will end up a thick texture, so, if you want it looser, I’d add some more milk.   Set aside. 
3. Use the knife or spiralizer to turn your two sweet potatoes into matchsticks or noodles.  In a salute pan or shallow pan on medium-high heat, add the coconut oil, then add the spiraled sweet potatoes.  Cover and let cook for 5-7 minutes, uncovering to toss halfway through, until sweet potatoes are cooked through.  
4. Add the pesto cream to the cooked sweet potatoes, and stir thoroughly.  

This dish was intended to be vegan, so I used almond milk and no cheese at the end, but obviously if you love and eat cream and cheese, I will NOT stop you from using them! 

#334: Grilled Eggplant Pita Banh Mi

Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich made on french bread, and topped with cilantro and pickled daikon.  Falls Church, Virginia is home to a shopping center, Eden Center, filled with Vietnamese grocery stores, shops, restaurants and bakeries.  The bakeries there are home to some of the most delicious french breads perfect for a banh mi.  Most of these bakeries and sandwich shops offer banh mi sandwiches filled with pork, beef or chicken, with the obligatory vegetarian option - tofu.  

We took a twist on the traditional banh mi sandwich, by first using a whole wheat pita pocket, and my swapping out the tofu, for grilled eggplant.  While a cucumber sauce is also atypical of most banh mi sandwiches, I like how our version is sort of a Mediterranean take on what is a traditional Vietnamese (influenced by the French) sandwich.  This Grilled Eggplant Pita Banh Mi, is the perfect lunch dish for meatless mondays, or just when you want a lighter option, but one that is still full of delicious flavor.  

Grilled Eggplant Pita Banh Mi

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
5 whole wheat pitas
lettuce and cilantro, chopped

For the Marinade:
2 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsps lime juice
1 tbsp honey 
1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes
1/2 tsp ginger paste (or grated ginger)
1 tbsp lemongrass, chopped fine and crushed
1 tsp fish sauce (optional)

 In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the marinade.  Set aside. 

For the pickled radishes and carrots: 

1/4 cup red radishes, sliced into long thin strips 

1/4 cup carrots, sliced into long thin strips

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

2 tbsps sugar

salt and whole black peppercorns

Boil the apple cider vinegar, water, pepper  and sugar. Turn off the heat, cool a little and

add the vegetables to make a quick pickle. Toss thoroughly.  Set aside.

For the cucumber sauce:

2 basil leaves, julienned  
4 tbsps sour cream
2 tbsps grated cucumber
1 tsp lime juice
salt and black pepper 

Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Directions:

1. Marinate the eggplant slices in the marinade for 5-6 hours.
2. Heat the grill and grill the eggplant on both sides basting them with the extra marinade.
3. Grill until cooked, remove each slice from heat and keep aside.
4. Toast each pita and cut into two halves.
5. Apply the cucumber sauce a little and stuff each half with eggplant slices, lettuce and     cilantro.
6. Top with pickled vegetables and extra cucumber sauce before serving.

SF Eats: Mama's on Washington Square and Ike's Place

  
Mama's on Washington Square (rating: B):  Mama's is a San Francisco landmark.  Opening its doors over 50 years ago, it has developed a name for itself in the city.  It is known as the place to go for a reliably delicious brunch.  It definitely met our expectations, but wasn't so delicious as to merit multiple visits, unless I lived around the corner.  

We started off with the Crumb Cake, pictured above, which was crumbly and moist, and nice to share before we plunged into our nicely sized brunch entrees.  N and I shared the the Old Fashioned Pancakes and the Crab Cake Benedict.  The old fashioned pancakes were soft and fluffy, probably more so than any others we've seen before.  N proclaimed that "these are the best pancakes I've ever had!" - a bold statement that was shared to the two college students from Berkeley sitting next to us. They even commented that was a "pretty strong statement," but concurred that they've been taking the 30 minute drive to Mama's every now and again as their post-finals treat and that it is definitely worth it.  

Well, while the pancakes were the star of the show.  The crab cake benedict was definitely lacking.  I probably should've ordered the crab benedict instead, because the crab cake itself was filled with far too much filling and onions - and I love onions!  But, it didn't particularly suit my taste.  So, I would say try for a different benedict, because apparently Mama's is known for having some delicious ones and the florentine and crab did look a lot better.  

Ike's Place (rating: A+):  Ike's Place.  I can't even express my love for this place.  I get starry eyed just thinking of my go-to sandwich - "We're Just Friends" (by the way I love the names of all the sandwiches!).  This sandwich has shredded chicken, avocado and just all around deliciousness.  I like to add in the Godfather Sauce which is spicy and creamy and adds just the right amount of complimentary flavor to the sandwich.  

I think it's the quality of ingredients and the Dutch Crunch bread (a San Fran staple) that makes the sandwiches phenomenal - and the tender juicy shredded chicken.  You can even stuff your sandwich with jalapeno poppers or mozzarella sticks, if you're just that hungry enough.  Sometimes there's a bit of a wait, but I have to say things move along really quickly and it's just worth it.  

N and I took our sandwiches over to Alamo Square to sit on a blanket and have a nice view of the Painted Ladies, the Victorian rowhouses in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. 

#311 Orzo Three Ways, By: V

Orzo is an Italian short-cut pasta that looks a lot like rice.  I often tell people that it's similar to Risotto, but I'd say it mirrors rice even more.  Early last week I grilled chicken for dinner and was planning on serving them with some linguine marinara when I realized I didn't have any linguine at home.  In a flurry I just decided to dump a whole box of Barilla orzo into a pot of boiling water.  Let's just say after about 9 minutes of boiling later (yes, it cooks that quickly), I had enough orzo to last for the week. So, it became my dinner that night as well as my lunch for the week.  In order to make the dish more interesting as the week progressed, I came up with a few variations.  Unfortunately I don't have pictures for all of them, but I hope you'll try the recipes out nonetheless.

That night for dinner since I was grilling a pretty spicy chicken, I decided to balance out the flavor by pairing it with a mild but bright flavor. The Creamy Lemon Orzo was a perfect match.  The tartness of the lemon with the creamy addition of the soup morphed the taste of the orzon into that of a creamy risotto.

Creamy Lemon Orzo

Ingredients:

• juice of 2 whole lemons
• 1 can (10 3/4) oz. condensed cream of broccoli (or any creamed) soup
• 1/2 box of Barilla Orzo
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded mozarella or grated parmesan

Instructions:

1. Cook the orzo per the directions on the box.  Usually bring the water to a boil (covering the water with a lid and heating on high heat does the trick faster), add the dry uncooked orzo and cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes.  It should be al dente. 
2. Drain and place the orzo in a large serving bowl. 
3. Add your creamed soup and all of the juice from 2 lemons. 
4. Then, while the orzo is still warm add in your mozarella or parmesan.  
5. Add the salt and pepper to your personal taste and stir thoroughly.

Grilled Asparagus and Orzo

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of fresh asparagus
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup Caesar dressing (or Italian)
• 3 cups dry orzo

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Wash the asparagus.  Cut the stem ends (about 1/2 inch) off all the asparagus.  Place them on a baking sheet (on top of aluminum or tin foil makes cleaning easier).  Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper over the of the asparagus.
2. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until slightly browned. Take out of the oven and let cool, while you prepare the orzo. 
3. Cook the orzo per directions on the box (see 1 and 2 in the above recipe). 
4. Once you can handle the asparagus, place them on a cutting board and chop each into two or three pieces.  Size should match the orzo.  Add the asparagus to the orzo. 
5. Then add in the dressing.  You can make your own or use store bought. 
6. Mix thoroughly and serve tossed into a green salad with chicken and feta.

Orzo with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Crispy Kale

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 3 cups dry orzo
• 3 cups chopped fresh kale
• 3 tbsps olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp thyme

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Wash, peel and dice the sweet potatoes into about 1 inch cubes.  Place them on a baking sheet (I like to line mine with aluminum foil to minimize the clean-up).  
3. Drizzle the olive oil over the sweet potatoes along with the paprika and thyme.  Toss the entire mixture to coat the sweet potato pieces fully.  Add the chopped kale and toss into the mixture also.  
4. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
5. In the meantime, make your orzo per the instructions on the box or as I outlined in my directions above.  
6. Once the veggies are roasted take them out of the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.  Then add to the orzo and toss fully.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  

In my picture below I just placed the sweet potatoes and kale right on top of the risotto.  But, stirred everything together at lunch right as I was about to eat.  It really doesn't matter how you go about doing this.  It's amazing how the kale gets crunchy almost to the texture of kale chips.  With each bite the creamy sweet potato and crunchy kale blend perfectly against the risotto's texture.  This is the perfect cold weather dish.  You can even add this mixture to uncooked kale or spinach, top with a grilled salmon or steak filet and you have a delicious cold weather salad dinner.  

Washington, D.C.'s Restaurant week starts in exactly two days.  I have plans for lunch on Monday already in the works, so look out for that review next week! If you live in or plan on visiting the D.C. area from January 19-25 check out some of the great restaurant options and take advantages of these awesome deals:  http://www.ramw.org/restaurantweek.  I plan on checking out 701 and Nopa Kitchen & Bar :) Already excited!

#309 Southwest Beef Stew, By: V

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!  This New Year's Eve was fairly relaxed, S and I went to dinner at the Curious Grape.  It was our first time there, and I have to say I was disappointed in the food.  I ordered the monkfish wrapped in phyllo and S ordered the lamb chops with chickpeas and carrots.  They weren't particularly delicious, so I won't be heading back, but afterwards we joined my roommate and another friend to watch Ryan Seacrest Times Square countdown and drink some champagne and lambrusco.  I recently was introduced to lambrusco, this fizzy red wine is especially sweet and delicious!  I'd highly recommend it, it comes in a white wine version as well.  It is basically an Italian sparkling wine. It was a nice ease into the new year, and I have to say the perfect way to begin 2015.  

Earlier in the week two friends of mine and one of their boyfriend's decided to head to Hank's Oyster Bar on Monday night for what ended up being a cold and rainy evening.  Luckily D.C. clears out during the holiday season, so finding parking and getting ourselves quickly indoors and outside of the rain was a speedy process. 

We settled ourselves into a cozy nook and immediately ordered a dozen oysters, with a happy hour deal of $1.25 per oyster, we had to give it a go!  Two of us (me included) enjoy the clean, non-creamy oysters, while the other two love the briny taste of some oysters.  By briny I mean that taste of the ocean!  So we ended up with a good selection, but obviously that wasn't enough to satiate our dinner appetites.  I ordered the Hog Island Style BBQ Oysters.  They were fantastic!  The shucked oysters are topped with a hot sauce flavored butter and sprinkled with panko.  Then they are grilled on a barbecue and served on a bed of tangy lemon vinaigrette tossed watercress.  The whole dish was delicious.  

Friday I met up with N (yes, she's in D.C. until Tuesday, and will then be heading back to SF).  We started with a nice glass of wine and tomato crostini at Seasons 52.  They even had a piano player at the bar to entertain the customers.  Then we headed over to the Mosaic District, to Four Sisters (an old family favorite!).  We shared the crispy spring rolls, garden rolls, and the delicious caramelized fish in a clay pot.  The fish came out sizzling like a plate of fajitas, but quite possibly even more delicious! 

During the week I made a large batch of this warm and smoky flavored Tex Mex Beef Stew for lunch. 

Tex Mex Beef Stew

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 garlic cloves 

1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced

3 small-medium sized carrouts, roughly chopped

15.5 oz can dark kidney beans

14.5 oz diced canned tomatoes

14 oz "stew meat" (beef cubes)

1.25 oz packet McCormick Taco Seasoning

1/2 bottle of beer or 6 oz of beer -- IPA adds a darker flavor to the stew

1/2 cup chicken broth 

1 cup water

salt and pepper 

DIRECTIONS

1. Turn slow cooker to high.  Add the coconut oil and beef cubes to the pot. 
2. Use the flat part of a knife and smash each garlic clove.  Peel and chop finely.  Add the garlic and onion to the pot. 
3. Drain all liquid from the kidney beans and add to the pot.  Drain half the liquid from the tomatoes, and add them to the pot.  Add the chopped carrots.  
4. Add the taco seasoning, beer, chicken broth, water, salt and pepper.
5. Stir thoroughly and cover with lid. 
6. Cook on high for 1 hour.  Turn to low and cook for 1 more hour. 
7. Place 1 tbsp flour in a bowl.  Ladle one spoon of stew broth and mix into flour unti their are no clumps.  Pour this mixture back into slow cooker and stir into the stew thoroughly. 
8. Cook uncovered on low for 30 minutes. 

#293 Lunchtime: Stewed Chicken with Lentils and Chick Peas - By: V

This post is by V.....

Once again, a delicious dinner and dessert has me feeling guilty, and drove me to make a healthy lunch option, but I'll get to the culprit of my guilt after we talk about this healthy lunch recipe.  Please excuse the picture below....not the finest image of this dish, but I can assure you it's delicious.  I took this picture right as I was about to scarf down my lunch while working away.  Stewed Chicken with Lentils and Chick Peas with a side dish of Sauteed Brussels Sprouts.  Roasted brussels sprouts are always a delicious option.  I've done this before by splitting each sprout in half and tossing them in salt, pepper, olive oil and garlic.  Roasting the brussels sprouts in the oven (at a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit) really brings out the both bitter and sweet flavors of the brussels sprouts themselves.  Now, I know for a lot of people brussels sprouts bring some horrible childhood memories and don't exactly make your mouth salivate, so this side dish could really be made with potatoes, turnips, any hearty vegetable.  

For the main part of the show we have the chicken which is cooked in a slow cooker.  Slow cooker cooking is great.  You get to put everything into one pot and let it slowly cook while you do other chores or be lazy and watch some good (or bad) TV.  Also, it comes with the added benefit of making your food taste like it has been slaved over because the slow cooking process draws out the flavors of the food.  

Ingredients
5 chicken breasts
11 oz. can of Chick Peas
9 oz. can of Crushed Tomatoes
2 tsps garlic
1/2 cup - 1 cup of Red Lentils (Masoor Lentils)
3 cups of chicken broth
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp (or to personal taste) of red pepper flakes
1 tbsp salt

Place the chicken breasts in your slow cooker, along with the broth, cumin, salt, and garlic.  Let the chicken cook on high for 30 minutes.  Add the chick peas and crushed tomatoes.  Let this continue on high for 1 hour.  Add the red lentils and red pepper flakes and allow the dish to finish cooking for another 30 minutes.  At this time the lentils should be cooked through and the chicken should easily fall apart.

This is great served over saffron rice or if you add some water and additional broth, you can turn this into a soup.

Side Dish - Sauteed Brussels Sprouts
1 bag of frozen brussels sprouts
7 strips of turkey bacon
2 tbsps soy sauce
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp ginger
1 tbsp olive oil

Dice the turkey bacon and cook till browned in a sauce pan.  Set aside.  Place the olive oil, garlic and ginger in a pan on low to allow the oil to take the flavor of the garlic and ginger.  Add in a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for flavor if you like.  Add in the brussels sprouts.  If you use frozen brussels sprouts, de-frost them by heating them for about 3 minutes in the refrigerator.  Add in the soy sauce and close the pan to allow the brussels sprouts to cook through.  This should take about 8 minutes.  Then serve.

Now, what gave me the sudden guilt to make this healthy dish, well, one of my favorite restaurants in Arligton, Chasin Tails :  http://www.chasintailscrawfish.com/.  This restaurant is known for its seafood boils styled in a Louisiana fashion.  I always order the 1 lb. of shrimp which comes in a bag with a potato and corn cob.  You get your choice of a sauce that everything is tossed in.  I generally choose the 'Oh Dang' option - which includes the original cajun, lemon pepper and garlic-butter sauce options, and then you choose your heat level.  I haven't been brave enough to try the n'awlins hot, but I get the hot version and that suits me just fine. For dessert, my friend S and I shared the beignets which come with a heavy scoop of vanilla ice cream and both chocolate and caramel dipping sauces.  Ummm, delicious!  See picture below for some evidence of its doughy, powdered-sugar deliciousness and for an idea of why the onset of guilt pushed me to make a healthy dish for my lunch the next day.  This seems to be a growing trend with me....

#292 Lunchtime: Kale Chicken Caesar Salad - By: V

Last week I went to grab dessert with my roommate, S, and a friend of our's, B, at our neighborhood McCormick & Schmick.  While McCormick's is known for their seafood and steaks, I soon came to find out they're known for their apple pie too.  

After we downed our burgers and fish tacos, we all felt the need to satisfy our sweet tooth with a dessert to share, when my roommate, S, piped in that McCormick's has THE best apple pie.  We even asked the waitress what the best dessert was (we were in the midst of an apple pie vs. creme brulee showdown - S on the side of apple pie and B on the side of creme brulee, and me happily in the 'I'll take any dessert you put in front of me" zone), and she happily chimed in "it's THE best apple pie I've ever had," so we were quickly won over, and boy was I happy with the decision! 

The biggest surprise is that there apple pie is an upside down candied walnut apple pie.  The pie itself is baked twice with a candied walnut crust and then topped with a warm caramel sauce and served with cinammon ice cream.  Talk about a great flavor combination...and, what better than to have this warm apple dessert with a small glass of bourbon.  The balance of the bourbon with the cinammon and apple worked perfectly.  

Now after downing this dessert it's natural for a bit of guilt to set-in, particularly when someone wants to ask "I wonder how many calories we just ate?."  Not exactly what you want to hear after you've thoroughly enjoyed yourself and gone to town on your dessert.  So, I decided to go home and make myself a healthy lunch to take to work the next day.  I decided to make a kale caesar salad with chicken, green olives, and red cabbage.  Here are some pictures of the end product as I munch down on it while I work.

Ingredients (for one lunch serving)

Caesar Dressing - I'm partial to Ken's, but you can buy whatever you prefer OR make your own

Garlic Croutons - 1/3 cup

Red Cabbage - 1/2 cup

Kale - 2 to 3 cups

Green Salad Olives - 1/2 cup

Avocado - 1/2 chopped or a whole chopped

Grilled Chicken Breast - 1 chicken breast

First grill your chicken in the oven.  I kept my chicken's seasoning simple -- some garlic salt and lemon pepper on both sides (about a 1/2 teaspoon of each per side).  The salad itself has so much flavor, it doesn't really matter how much marinade or spice you put on the chicken itself.  It's better to let the other flavors shine in the salad's ingredients on this one.  Let the chicken breast bake on a sheet of aluminum (tin) foil for 15-20 minutes in a preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven. You don't even need to add oil.  

In the meantime, chop up fresh kale into the container you plan to take to work.  Then add in the red cabbage, green salad olives, and Caesar Dressing to taste.  Close the lid to the container and shake it around a few times. Then open the container and top the avocados.  

I pack the croutons in a sandwich bag and the chicken breast I cut up and place in a separate container, that way I can heat up the chicken and top my salad with the warm chicken and throw in crunchy croutons when I'm ready to eat.  If you dump everything into the container and let it sit overnight you'll just meet with a salad at noon that has soggy croutons and cold chicken.  

This is a rather basic recipe, and honestly, you can add as much or as little of each ingredient as you would like. But, let's try to keep things in moderation, so we can make room for those desserts we all love! :)