The other day I had this salad for dinner – it was fantastic. I have actually had many variations on the theme as of late but this one was especially pretty so I snapped a picture. Try it – you won’t regret it.
Crazy Seaweed Kabocha Eggy Salad
I just thew these ingredients in a bowl:
Romaine lettuce
Hard boiled egg
1/2 an avocado
Steamed kabocha squash
Hijiki mixed with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a few pinches of sugar
Cherry tomatoes
Diced onions
Brown rice (hidden under the veggies) (couscous would be yummy too) (don’t leave this out!)
Peanut Butter Vinaigrette Dressing
And topped it with this dressing (just mix together with a fork):
The most recent restaurant Cobb I had was at Yo In Yo Out. It’s a cute little French place on the upper upper east side (100th Street) that boasts an awesome menu and some truly delicious cappuccinos to boot. Their salad is Cobb Salad “A Ma Lacon” – it has a marinated chicken salad, bacon, eggs, blue cheese, tomatoes, and cucumber over organic mesclun with a balsamic vinaigrette drizzle. I had them hold the balsamic (I’m not a fan; shocker I know!) and sub out the blue cheese and add avocado instead. The dressing is their house dressing and it’s made with olive oil, red wine, raspberries, and some other stuff. It was light and fresh but still a little creamy.
UPDATE: Yo In Yo Out has since closed.
I also recently had a vegetarian Cobb salad at Curly’s Vegetarian Lunch. You know – I keep trying to enjoy this restaurant, but it’s just not that great. The salad tried but just didn’t cut it. The vegan ranch dressing was a small tragedy.
Here is how I make my own Cobb variation at home: cook up several slices of bacon, then fry some mushrooms and onions in the bacon fat with some garlic powder. To the salad (romaine lettuce base), add the bacon, sauteed veggies, half of an avocado, tomatoes, and top with some sesame seeds. For dressing I used Bolthouse Farms Classic Ranch (sent free for me to review).
For dessert I took the rest of the avocado and mashed it with peanut butter, NuNaturals Erythritol Crystals*, and topped it with some more sesame seeds. I call this “dessert guacamole”.
This afternoon we have a special errand downtown and then my parents are going to take us to NJ along with our kitties (Bobby is heading back up for another day of work and his bachelor party…!).
While I am running around, here is a yummy seasonal (and local) recipe for you. I got baby fennel from the local section of FreshDirect’s website the other day (don’t forget about my FreshDirect coupon – 20% off) and didn’t know what to do with it. I figured grilling is always a no-fail recipe method, so that is what I did.
Baby fennel is a licorice-y veggie (though not quite as harsh as fully ripened fennel). The leaves, seeds, and roots are all edible. It’s a decent source of vitamins A and C, niacin, and potassium; it also has a little bit of calcium, iron, and of course dietary fiber. It’s popular in Italian cooking and is called “finocchio” in Italy.
Grilled Baby Fennel Recipe
Ingredients
1 bunch of baby fennel
2-3 teaspoons peanut or olive oil (or oil of choice)
salt and pepper
(grill – or a saute pan would probably work)
salad dressing (optional)
Method
Trim the feathery leaves off of the top of the fennel (don’t know if you want to eat these? too odd for me).
Rub the fennel with the oil, salt, and pepper. Grill for 10 minutes (George is the best).
(If you don’t have a grill you could just saute the leaves – with roots attached – in a pan.)
Top with your salad dressing of choice – I used a creamy cilantro dressing from Trader Joe’s.
Exercise of the day: no idea yet! walking to work (1.4 miles) and probably a short calming yoga podcast.
I was over at my aunt-in-law-to-be’s house this weekend and she made a really yummy snack – just bread with mustard and melted cheese. She broiled it in the oven and voila – a healthy snack. We love to chat about recipes and life stuff. I am so excited to become a part of Bobby’s family! (I made gingerbread houses with her back in December.)
I recreated the healthy snack a few days ago after work – I wasn’t hungry enough for a big dinner yet, but I was definitely getting hungry… and didn’t want to wait and eat a big meal late at night.
Ingredients
2 slices of whole wheat bread
mustard
shredded cheddar
parmesan ranch dressing (for dipping)
Method
Spread bread with mustard, top with cheddar. Broil for 3-5 minutes (until the cheese starts to melt). Dip in ranch dressing if you like, or have it plain. (This is my favorite ranch dressing because it’s parmesan ranch, and I love parmesan.)
Another favorite (recent) snack (singular!) is organic baby carrots with this fabulous dressing from Trader Joe’s – cilantro salad dressing. It’s creamy and delicious.
Perfect for after work when I’m trying to wait for Bobby to get home so we can eat together.
P.S. If you want to do a guest post about any of the following: wedding, relationships, honeymooning, traveling, food, or health – let me know! Leave a comment below or just email me. I’m still soliciting guest posts for when I’m out for my wedding and honeymoon.
