Montrose Wine & Kebabs

Montrose is an adorable little town just north of our home in Glendale.  We love wandering the streets, shopping in the boutiques and most of all, eating in the unique local restaurants.  We’ve never had a fail at a restaurant in Montrose and last night we tried another win!  I have noticed Montrose Wine & Kebabs for awhile.  It sits on the second story of a building and has a beautiful patio overlooking downtown Montrose.  Since last night was such a beautiful night, we decided to check it out!

The restaurant is an Armenian run place with Armenian/Mediterranean decor and food.  One of the owners came over to our table soon after we sat down.  I asked him what his favorite meal is at the restaurant in which he replied with a series of questions for me.  Do I gravitate towards beef or chicken? Do I like whole pieces of meat or ground meats?  He then said, you should order the Beef Shish Kabobs with grilled veggies.  Now, that’s how I like to order my food!  Josh ordered the Chicken Lula Kabob with mini potatoes.  We expressed our concern about gluten in the sauce of the food and the owner said not to worry, we only use fresh seasoning and marinate the meats in onions.

The owner then brought us some radishes, basil leaves, and feta cheese.  It appeared to be a take on the Caprese salad…  I was skeptical about eating raw radishes, but this combination was awesome! Pretty soon our entrees were ready…wow.  Josh and I were both amazed at how flavorful our meals were!  They were beautiful displays of tender meats and seasonal veggies with the perfect blend of spices to not overshadow the entree.

We left Montrose Wine & Kebabs extremely satisfied and determined to return soon.  If you like healthy, flavorful, and affordable Mediterranean food then this is the place for you.

Thanks Montrose Wine & Kebabs for a delightful meal!!

Ye Olde King’s Head English Pub

When we were in London we visited a pub and had a classic British drink called Pimm’s. From our first sips, we both loved this fruit liqueur. It has the perfect amount of sweet mixed with an exciting flavor of fruit. It has been nearly a year since our London excursion, and I have still missed the taste of Pimm’s. Until…last weekend!

Josh and I were wondering Santa Monica enjoying views like this…

And this…

When we discovered…The Ye Olde King’s Head English Pub! While I am no expert on British pubs, this place had the feel of an authentic British pub. The decor… the food choices… and most authentic, the accents! At least half of the people dining in the restaurant were British and the majority of the servers were British. A little taste of London in Santa Monica!

Delicious Pimm’s:

I encourage you to check it out. You may just be transported across the pond!

The Cow’s End

I have discovered Instagram! This means I can edit photos quickly on my IPhone and therefore have photos for my food blog.  Today I want to highlight a new find of mine–a local coffee shop called “The Cow’s End.” Located in Venice Beach, CA “The Cow’s End” was born in 1988 as a recreation of Old Town Chicago.  My husband had been to this local coffee shop many a time, but this was my first time. I was pleasantly surprised by the wide variety of teas… black, green, rooiboos, oolong, white, herb and more! It’s a rare day that I walk into a coffee shop and learn about new types of teas, but today I did. Despite the vast array of tea options I couldn’t resist a White Hot Chocolate made with Almond Milk instead of regular milk.  Oh my goodness. So yummy! Sweet, luxurious, and surprisingly refreshing. Even Josh preferred my drink to his coffee (which was also good but not as good as mine hehe).  I was also pleasantly surprised at how big the coffee shop was… there were many more tables and couches than most coffee shops.  If you are on the westside and want a yummy drink from a local coffee shop, check out “The Cow’s End.”

Grandma Paquita’s Spanish Flan

This recipe was shared with us from a friend at church. We love it, and it is a yummy gluten & grain free treat to enjoy!! I will confess that I, myself, haven’t actually made this recipe, but my husband has and he says it is super easy to make! I’ll have to make it eventually because he has already requested this to be his birthday cake come April. It is THAT good! 🙂

Ingredients:

2 C sugar, divided
6 large eggs
2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk
1/4 t salt
1/2 t vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Cook 1 C sugar in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring as needed until sugar melts and is light golden. Quickly pour syrup into a 9-inch round cake pan. Tilt pan to evenly coat the bottom. Set aside.

3. Whisk together eggs and remaining sugar. Gradually whisk in milk, salt and vanilla. Pour mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into prepared cake pan. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Place in a roasting pan and add hot water to roasting pan to a depth of 1 inch.

4. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

5. Remove pan from roasting pan. Uncover and cool on wire rack. Cover and chill 4 hours.

6. Run a knife around edges of flan to loosen, then invert onto a large serving plant.

Chicken Parm Bake

One of the best Italian comfort foods… done healthy!

Ingredients:

2 t olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
hot red pepper flakes to taste
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 c marinara sauce
1/4 c chopped basil
8 oz mozzarella, shredded (I used cheddar instead)
4 oz Parmesan, grated
1/2 c almond meal

Preparation:

Using a casserole dish, put in the olive oil and crushed garlic-mix. Spice it up with red pepper flakes. Put chicken breasts in and then marinara sauce. Next, put fresh herbs-basil, and then layer 1/2 of each cheese. Sprinkle almond meal on top of the cheese. Then add the rest of the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

–http://foodwishes.blogspot.com

* Note: I modified the chef’s original recipe to make it gluten free

Bacon of Hearts

At our house we don’t eat all that much bacon but every once in awhile, it is an awesome breakfast treat! We’ve tried a variety of bacons but the winner by a landslide is Trader Joe’s Applewood Smoked Bacon. On Valentine’s Day I decided to surprise my love and make him a fun breakfast… Bacon Hearts! It was a hit on many levels–tasty and romantic.

Ingredients:

1 package of bacon

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut your bacon slices in half.  Using the 2 pieces, shape the bacon into a heart on a sheet pan.  Back for 18-25 minutes.

Enjoy! 🙂

–http://thepapermama.com

And if you want an easy way to cook bacon not in hearts, just bake it in the oven for 400 degrees for 12-17 minutes. Super easy and much less messy!

Perfect Roast Chicken

One of my very favorite meals growing up was roast chicken.  It was always the meal I requested for my birthday.  I love the flavorful meal and the crunchy skin.  Since having my own kitchen I’ve always been intimidated to try it…such a big piece of meal, it’s cooking nearly the whole animal! I tried the grocery store rotisserie chickens and restaurant roasted chickens, but they can’t compare to the taste of home cooked roasted chickens.  About a year ago I tried cooking one on my own, and it miserably failed.  Tough meat, no flavor.  I temporarily gave us.  That is, until Pinterest.  I was inspired again and pinned several recipes.  I decided to try this recipe.  After all, how can you go wrong with Martha? And… I don’t need to try any other recipes! This was perfect! I’ve made this recipe now several times and am sold.  I’ve also made this recipe twice for dinner parties and everyone remarks at how tender and flavorful the chicken is.  I hope you can enjoy this amazing recipe.  Every time I eat it I’m transported back to Virginia eating a Sunday supper after church.  Love it!

Ingredients: 

• 1 six lb roasting chicken (Trader Joe’s sells great organic whole chickens)
• 2 T unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced crosswise 1/2 in thick
• 1 lemon
• 3 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 C chicken broth, skimmed of fat

Preparation:

1.  Let the chicken and 1 T butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one.  Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity.  Rinse the chicken inside and out under cold running water.  Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels.  Tuck the wing tips under the body.  Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.

2.  In the center of a heavy duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of the lemon and pressing down, roll the lemon back and forth several times.  This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely.  Piece entire surface of lemon with a fork.  Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly.  Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity.  Place chicken in pan, on onion slices.  Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.

3.  Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Place in oven and roast until skin is golden brown and crisp, and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours.  When the chicken seems done, insert an instant read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh.  The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.

4.  Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well.  Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle.  Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan.  Leave any brown baked on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan.  Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minutes.  Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes.  Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid.  Discard onions and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated.  Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon.  Carve and serve gravy on the side.

–Martha Stewart

 

Lentil Soup

This past month we have discovered lentils.  I love that they are a non meat form of protein and are easier to digest than beans.  We found a pound of pre-cooked steamed lentils at Trader Joe’s that seemed super easy to work with.  Next I got online and discovered a simple lentil soup recipe from Food Network’s Alton Brown.   When I realized the recipe was Alton Brown’s–I was sold, this man knows food! This recipe was unbelievably easy and really flavorful!

Ingredients:

 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
• 1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
• 2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground toasted cumin

Preparation: 

Place the olive oil into a large 6 quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat.  Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, and salt.  Sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes.  Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, and cumin and stir to combine.  Increase the heat to high and bring to just a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes.  Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency.  Serve immediately.

–Alton Brown, foodnetwork.com

Mahi Mahi Lettuce Tacos

The last 2 weeks I’ve been playing the game of “let’s see how long we can make it without grocery shopping.” Thanks to our weekly Abundant Harvest box of fruits and veggies and a semi stocked freezer, we haven’t had to shop! Although, I believe we’ve run out of meat, so tomorrow there will be a grocery shopping trip. Our last meat left in the freezer was some frozen wild caught Mahi Mahi fillets from Trader Joe’s. So I took that + a few choice fruits & veggies + leftover cheese and sour cream and am happy to say, produced a yummy taco spread! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Trader Joe’s Wild Caught Frozen Mahi Mahi Fillets (These were a first for us, very yummy!)
6 Large Lettuce Leaves
1 Pear
1 Slice of Yellow Onion Finely Chopped
6 Fresh Mint Leaves
10 Spinach Leaves Finely Chopped
1 Lemon Slice
1 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salt, Pepper, and Sour Cream to Taste
Grapeseed Oil

Preparation:

Dethaw the fillets. Season with salt and pepper and oil. Cook according to the directions on the package–I chose to oven roast them which was 6 minutes on each side at 375 degrees. Once meat is done, it will be easy to pull apart to be taco meat.

While the fillets are cooking, mix together the salsa. Chop up the mint, spinach, onion, and pear. Mix together in a bowl. Squeeze lemon over the mixture.

Create tacos using the lettuce as a wrap. Fill the lettuce with the fish, salsa, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Enjoy a healthy Mexican meal!

–Jennifer Gunther

Pomegrante Spritzer

We received SO many pomegrantes over the last 2 months from our CSA box. At first I had no idea what to do this fruit… but slowly over time I have come to love them! Most of the time I throw the pomegrantes onto a salad or meat, or really anything we are eating. 🙂 But lately, I have begun to enjoy to use them in drinks and sauces as well. This is a yummy refreshing drink filled with Vitamin C and many other nutrients!

Ingredients:

* 1-2 T fresh pomegrante juice
* 1 T honey
* 6 oz sparkling water or club soda

Preparation:

Blend up fresh pomegrantes in food processor or blender. Strain.
Mix the juice, honey, and sparkling soda all together. Throw in a splash of tequila if you’d like.
Enjoy!!

–Adapted from http://whiteonricecouple.com