LA/OC Eats and Beyond - Part I

I've been in the OC (and LA) a lot recently and have tried a lot of tasty eats so I thought I'd share with you all the things that have made my stomach happy. And yes, all these pictures were not taken with a camera. I've been slacking in that department. It's all about taste for me anyway.

 

Vitello's Restaurant, Studio City, California

 



 

 

Enjoyed the Lobster Ravioli and the Chicken DaVinci. Both were real treats. Also had the calamari but it was oily and had me a little woozy. A great place to hang with a few friends or go on a date. Heard the pizza is good here so we discussed coming back here for the pizza next time. I'm sure some of their other dishes wouldn't disappoint as well. I left not feeling well so wasn't sure if it was the food or not. Service was absolutely great. Atmosphere was very cool and relaxed. I'd say it deserves 3/5 hearts: © © ©

Paradise Cove, Malibu, CA

Lobster tacos. I'm a lobsta lover. Enough said. Pricy but whatever. Get them. 5 hearts: © © © © ©

 

Kagura Downtown, Littly Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA

 

 

Fresh fish. Affordable for the area. Would definitely make it back there --which you should, in my opinion, stick to a sushi place once you find a good one. Raw food isn't something to play with and get sick! I give Kagura 4/5 hearts: © © © ©

 

Tokyo Delves, North Hollywood, California

  

 

 

 Came here for the first time for a friends Dirty Thirty party. Sushi wasn't that great. Didn't taste fresh to me. And quite pricy. Entertainment was just okay. Tokyo Delves gets 2/5 hearts: © ©


Jae Boo Do, Koreatown, Los Angeles, California

 

Jae Boo Do is known for their Seafood BBQ. Not the typical AYCE Korean BBQ. I enjoyed this very much so, though my lungs did not! And major chest muscle pain but that had nothing to do with the food. There are 4 options to choose from here and we (4 of us) went with Option C, which came with:

Various Korean side dishes, Shrimp, variety of Clams, Green Mussels, Oysters, various Scallops, Abalone, Baby Octopus, Hag fish, Sweet Potato, Potato, and a warm soup to end the meal.

I enjoyed wrapping the Hag fish in the sesame leaf and eating it with a piece of garlic, onion, and ssamjang, a typical Korean eats. Seafood was fresh here. We left feeling really full but not overly stuffed to the point that we couldn't walk. The bill will be cheaper if you pay in cash. Friendly service. I'm already thinking about my next visit. 5/5 hearts: © © © © ©
 
 Miss Coffee, Koreatown, Los Angeles, CA

After all that seafood, we were in the mood for ice cream! In this HUGE measuring cup, we had green tea ice cream, ice, strawberries, sauce, malt, and all sorts of things in this concoction. Great for 4 friends to enjoy. Interesting experience. I'd come with a group. Fairly priced. I give it 4/5 hearts: © © © ©

To be continued!

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

While waiting for some family to head over to the house the other day, I decided to just chill, flip through some channels, and settle down a bit.

 

And naturally, I stopped on the Food Network.

 

I rarely watch TV nowadays and even the Food Network has less and less captivated me now that the shows aren't as innovative but I still love some of the competitive shows when I get a chance.

 

Before I go any further, I just have to say I still love Ina Garten. Possibly the only one on that channel that can actually cook pretty darn well and keeping it classy in the Hampton's.

 

So to continue my 'hang out time' story, Ina Garten's show was on and I decided to make a pit stop and watch it.

 

She announced she was going to make one of her favorite recipes, the fantastic:

 

Baked Lobster Mac and Cheese.

 

I took one look at the lobster....

 

And had a major foodgasm.

 

I am not even kidding!

 

Even just thinking about it now...

 

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

 

 I just had to have it baaad!

 

Lobster is one of those delicacies that I WISH I could have everyday. I promise I won't get bored of it! Of course it's expenisve to buy out here in the wonderful sunny state of California so I rarely get to enjoy it. So in the case of wanting to make Lobster Mac and Cheese right then and there, it was impossible.  

 

What is a girl to do?

 

Well I didn't let it stop me. I just made my own Mac and Cheese, just sadly without the Lobster.

 

My Macaroni and Cheese is pretty darn good, moist, cheesy, and comforting. Everything it is supposed to have and do. It's open to most pastas. Any cheese you'd like. Perfectly seasoned. Each bite was made to be loved.

 

PLEASE DON'T BE MAD AT ME! I forgot to snap a pic before the dish was served. I did however get a picture in for Instagram so just find me on there if you need to match the picture with the recipe!

 

Below I just mention cheese. You can use any of your favorite combinations. This time around, I used Muenster and Mozzarella and sprinkled Parmesan and Crumbled Turkey Bacon on top. Go with what you love.

 

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

 

Serves: 8 people

 

1 - 1 lb (16 oz) pasta

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp flour

4 cups of milk

1 egg (optional)

~ 4-5 cups of cheese

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 1/4 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Parmesan OR Breadcrumbs OR Crushed Unsalted Pretzel, for topping

Crumbled bacon, for topping (optional)

 

Directions:

 

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.

2) Boil water on the stove, salt it, and cook the pasta noodles. Take off stove after cooking for about 5-7 minutes, drain, and place back into the pot.

3) While noodles are cooking, melt butter over medium heat, add the flour, and make a roux. Once combined, add the milk and mix. If using an egg, mix separately than add to the milk. While the milk is thickening, start seasoning with salt, pepper, mustard, garlic, paprika, and red pepper flakes.

4)Once it starts to thicken, add the cheese and combine until melted.

5)When ready, pour over the pasta and make sure every noodle is covered in the sauce. Then get the noodles into the pan, cover with your preferred topping(s), and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy! 

Zucchini Chickpea Burgers

Whaaaat??! Veggie burgers? Where's the meat!

 

I know, I know! Kind of strange seeing this girl post a recipe for a veggie burger but hear me out!

 

I made plans for myself to try to go completely meat-less -minus fish and 2 eggs/week, of course!- for a few weeks, starting this past Monday. Doing it mainly for health reasons and actually feeling great about it! This will be my second meat challenge this year and I'm feeling pumped about doing this again but working harder to eat better meat-less meals.

 

So how to do this without giving up, feeling hungry, and getting discouraged?

 

Get creative in the kitchen. Try new things and experiment. Figure out new flavors or combinations that you like and ones you may not but glad you at least had the guts to try. Play around with your food! Make it fun.

 

The first thing I thought of doing was buying three cans of chickpeas and deciding on making three totally different dishes I've never had before than the usual ways of delving into the garbanzo bean. Gotta start somewhere!

 

I looked online for some inspiration or even a new recipe to try and right away I locked my eyes on the recipe for Zucchini Chickpea Burgers....and that was the first new meal I was going to create with one of my cans. I was a little wary but definitely went in with an open-mind.

 

I found the recipe on Vicky's blog: http://avocadopesto.com

 

and here's the link to her recipe: Zucchini Chickpea Burgers

 

I made a couple of changes for my own preferences (and the fact I rarely follow a recipe!) but here is her recipe below:

 



Zucchini Chickpea Burgers

Recipe type: Dinner

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 6

 

Killer veggie burgers made with zucchini, chickpeas, quinoa and sunflower seeds. This will be your new favorite burger. Vegan and gluten free too!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 1½ cup zucchini, grated on the largest setting of a box grater
• ½ cup sunflower seeds, toasted
• ¾ teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
• Black pepper to taste
   
• 1½ cup canned chickpeas
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (1/3 cup dry)
• ⅔ cups water
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• ½ teaspoon smoked and spicy paprika
• To serve::
• 8 hamburger buns or sliced bread (Udi’s gluten free for gluten free version)
• red onion, thinly sliced
• large handful arugula
• 4 tablespoons wasabi mayo (omit for vegan version)
• 4 tablespoons edamame hummus
• 3 small cucumbers, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan. Saute onion and garlic until tender. Add zucchini, and saute until zucchini is cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Grind pumpkin seeds, sea salt, and pepper in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add quinoa, chickpeas, dijon mustard, lemon, dill, and paprika, to the mixture. Pulse to combine a few times and then run the food processor until the mixture is broken up but hasn’t completely lost its texture. If you need to, add a little water to the mixture.
3. Place the mixture in a mixing bowl and add the zucchini, onion, and garlic. Mix until combined.
4. Shape the mixture into 6-8 patties with your hands.
5. Heat remaining olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Cook burgers for five minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
6. Serve each burger on hamburger buns with a dollop of wasabi mayo, edamame hummus, sliced cucumbers, red onions and arugula.

 

Here's my end result:

 



 

And my changes:

• I ended up replacing the sunflower seeds with pine nuts. 
• No need to add any water to the mix. It was perfectly moist.
• The olive oil was kind of low for only 2 Tbsp and splitting it for the first steps and when cooking the burgers but I stuck to it.
• I had no dijon mustard in my kitchen so I used regular mustard but cut it down to less than 2 Tbsp. I got a hint of it when I tried the burger but not overpowering at all. I wouldn't mind using this again or just buying some dijon.
• I used dried dill instead of fresh. I don't use it that often to buy fresh so dried came in handy today.
• I had smoky paprika on hand already so used that though it isn't spicy at all.
• I added 1 tsp of red pepper flakes for a kick!
• I was out of arugula. :)
• Instead of making wasabi mayo, I made wasabi yogurt instead. Just made about 1/2-1 tsp of wasabi and added to about 1/2 cup of plain low-fat yogurt. It was more than perfect! That and I'm trying to avoid mayo as much as I can.
• And I didn't have edamame hummus - which I absolutely love, by the way!

My thoughts?

 

I actually really like this burger. I forgot that it wasn't meat for a second! I wouldn't mind making this once in a while. I was able to get 7 burgers out of the mix, which I ended up freezing them to enjoy on another day. So far it's been about 5 hours since I had lunch and I'm still feeling full, no appetite at all, and I'm not missing meat...so far! I encourage you to try this out and taste for yourself!

 

 



Banana Nut Bread

Tis the season to bake, bake, and bake some more! Carb load all you want and then go for a great and long run after! ;) I love baking this time of year and the smells that come out of the kitchen in the fall....WOW. It just puts you in a great mood 24/7. I was just given the task of writing my first recommendation letter for one of my high school students so before this procastinator types away on the computer, I thought I'd indulge in some baking to get me in the mood!

So far this fall, I've made Pumpkin White Chocolate Popcorn, Pumpkin Marshmallows, and of course Pumpkin pie! You can NEVER have enough of pumpkin! Next up on my list was pumpkin bread and white chocolate pumpkin cheesecakes (Reese's Pieces Peanut But Cups status) but right before I reached for my pumpkin puree, I noticed 4 small and very ripe bananas hanging out in the fruit bowl. I do not like to let anything go to waste so I decided to make good old banana nut bread with my newly made recipe! And you are going to love this!

My go to banana recipe. It has everything you've been looking for in a banana bread. First, I've been enjoying baking with yogurt for quite some time now, so I love the addition of it to my banana bread. This makes for some scrumptious and moist banana bread. One of the best you'll ever have! Just believe me. :-) I always love the addition of nuts to any of the breads I make, but if you do not, it's perfectly fine to make the bread without. If you love chocolate chips or chunks in your bread, add a cup of it to the mix! I prefer without but everyone has their own preferences of course.

My favorite part of this bread is.....the cardamom! I love the slight hint of it when you take each bite. Makes for one unique banana bread experience. And to throw in some healthy, I added in flaxseeds. Does it make you feel less guilty now? :)) When you smash the bananas, don't go completely smashed or else the baking process takes longer...and do you really want to wait longer?? Just slightly smash them so they are somewhat chunky, yet smooth. Now go ahead and make this bread. I dare you! :) 

Banana Nut Bread

1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 tsp baking soda
1 stick of butter, softened
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup bread flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp flaxseeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon 
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 cup coarsely mashed bananas (yields a little over a cup with 4 small and very ripe bananas)
1 cup of walnuts, chopped

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease loaf pan (or 3 mini loaf pans).
2) Combine yogurt and soda in a small bowl. Set aside.
3) Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add vanilla. Then beat in the yogurt.
4) Add the flours, flaxseeds, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Beat gently and do not overmix. Before thoroughly combined, add the bananas and walnuts.
5) Bake the bread for 45 minutes or until a toothpick or cake test comes out clean. If using 3 mini loaf pans, they should bake in 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
6) When removed from the oven, let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes and then remove and fully cool on a cooling rack. Once cool, wrap with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge overnight. Or if you are like me, cut the bread into slices and eat right away! :)

Enjoy! :-)

Moroccan Lamb Stew

We are slowly coming to the end of 2013 and I decided to look back and post the recipe of the BEST thing I ever made, cooked, and ate this year! And it didn't take me long to think about it. I've had some pretty good meals but one dish has stood out to me and now I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! It's my Moroccan Lamb Stew. And oh my word you need to have this in your life!

The flavor has so much depth to it. Richness yet it is so simple. If this is the best thing I've had this year, I can only imagine what it is like in Morocco everyday! I HAVE TO GO THERE SOMEDAY SOON! Truly I will forever speak highly of this meal and I could definitely eat this every day and not get bored. Or at least finish the whole pot by myself! The only downside to this recipe: It takes too long and the smells coming from the kitchen will have you in a trance! You just want to eat it already! So this definitely takes some patience on your part. :-)

Look at that vibrant color! It's enticing you but don't jump fast! Cooking it low and slow for a couple hours will all be worth it in the end, I promise. Don't make this on an empty stomach!

The stew is served with couscous and it is 100% perfect together. You can just buy a box of the couscous and follow the package directions and it'll be just fine. I added a side note to turn it into a dessert below the recipe. Try this stew. You will definitely not be disappointed. Trust me on this. Without further adieu, here is the recipe for the Best thing I ever ate in 2013:

Moroccan Lamb Stew

Ingredients:

3 lbs Lamb shoulder meat, cut into 1-1 1/2 in. cubes or lamb off the bone (leave some fat on)

1 Yellow onion, chopped

4-5 cloves of Garlic, finely minced

1 Red bell pepper, chopped

1 fresh Pasilla chile pepper, remove the seeds and chop or 2 tsp Pasilla chile powder

1 Tbsp Smoky Paprika (or regular Paprika)

1 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Cardamom

1/2 tsp Thyme

1 Bay leaf

2 cups of Chicken Stock

14 oz can of Whole Tomatoes, pureed, or 14 oz of fresh Tomato Sauce

1 can of Garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained

Salt and Pepper, to taste

2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Couscous, for serving

1. Pat the lamb pieces dry. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the lamb and brown the sides (about 7-8 mins). This will be done a few times so the pot is not crowded. Transfer each batch to a plate after browned.

2. Add the onions, red bell pepper, and pasilla chile (if using fresh) to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute or two. Stir in the paprika, cumin, cardamom, thyme, and add the bay leaf. Cook for a couple minutes.

3. Next add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and lamb pieces into the pot. Raise the heat to high and cook until the mixture boils. Lower the heat and let simmer with the pot not fully covered for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the lamb pieces are tender. 

4. About 20-30 minutes before the stew is done (estimate), mix in the chick peas. When ready, season with salt and pepper and serve over cooked couscous. The combination of stew and couscous is perfection.

5. Enjoy. Enjoy. Enjoy.

*Side note: Getting off topic here. :-) I grew up eating couscous as a dessert and you should try it too! Follow the package directions but cook the couscous in milk, with a pinch of salt, and a couple tbsps of sugar. Serve warm with either powdered sugar on top or very fine coconut flakes! YUM! 

Let me know what you think!