I go through a love-hate relationship with quinoa. I’ll go through phases where I make a batch every week and eat it up for quick lunches or dinners but then I’ll go months without making it.

After a pretty long quinoa dry spell, I needed something enticing to bring it back into my life. And I decided that something would be quinoa spring salad.

I combined cooked quinoa with a bright vinaigrette and then topped it with sauteed leeks and asparagus with some salty feta cheese and shrimp for extra protein and flavor. It was delicious! Since most of it can be made ahead of time, it is perfect for rushed weeknight dinners or packed lunches.

Kitchen24 is quickly becoming one of my favorite restaurants in West Hollywood.

It has a lot going for it – it is within walking distance, has a great outdoor patio and a whole list of fun, creative drinks. Oh, and the food is delicious. (Although, I just discovered this past weekend that they have very few appetizers which is too bad – I love appetizers).

Richie and I went for breakfast on Easter Sunday, I was there for lunch a few weeks ago with a friend from yoga and then we visited with my friend (and baby!) who were visiting last weekend for an early evening snack. So far, everything has been great. The California Eggs Benedict was ridiculous and the Cahuenga Chopped Salad was everything I wanted it to be.

I tend to go through salad phases – I’ll make and eat a salad until I get sick of it and then I’ll have to move on. So this chopped chicken salad, inspired by the one at Kitchen24 has been my latest phase.

All of the flavors and components I need in a salad are there: a combination of greens, salty feta, briney olives, protein-rich chicken, flavorful bacon, crunchy cucumbers and apples all tossed in a tangy balsamic dressing.

Most of us know that we should be including green leafy vegetables in our diets, but we may not know the what, why and how behind them. A combination of greens is best, so while kale is my absolute favorite, I make sure that I’m getting a wide variety of all of them (and additionally a variety of raw + cooked) in as often as I can! Aim for at least one serving of greens per day.

Greens to Eat:

• Kale, Chard, Collard Greens
• Bok Choy, Napa Cabbage
• Broccoli Rabb, Beet Greens
• Lettuce: Romaine, Bibb, Green/Red Leaf
• Spinach, Arugula, Mache

Why Eat Greens:

• High in antioxidants
• High in manganese, zinc and vitamins A, C, and K
• Good levels of calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium
• Full of fiber
• Can help to promote blood purification
• Can help to prevent cancer

How to Eat Greens:

• Salads
• Sauteed (my current favorite)
• Baked (Kale Chips)
• Steamed
• Recipes to try: creamed kale, spaghetti with broccoli rabe, toasted garlic and bread crumbs, garlic sauteed spinach, rainbow chopped salad

How do you feel about greens? What is your favorite way to eat greens? 

I was visiting some friends at Intelligentsia (super cool coffee shop) a few weeks ago and I decided to stay and work through lunch after they left. There was a farro salad on the menu which sounded amazing.

I normally don’t order grain salads when I’m out, but the Warm Farro & Artichoke Salad on their menu sounded too good. As luck would have it they were out, so I had the pear salad (also delicious) but I couldn’t get the Farro & Artichoke Salad out of my mind. And when that happens, I usually find myself needing to make it the following day.

You may be wondering – what is farro? It was certainly my first time cooking with farro and I’m not even so sure that I had ever eaten it before! Farro is a whole grain that is similar to barley. It has a nice chew to it – like al dente pasta – and is related to wheat. Nutritionally speaking, farro has 100 cal, 27 g carbohydrates, 3.5 g fiber, 4 g protein per 1/2 cup cooked. More fiber than quinoa and almost as much protein!

This warm grain salad, with marinated artichokes, shallots, leeks and parmesan was just the salad I was craving. And it was really good. Really good! I packed it in Richie’s lunch (yes, I pack his lunch), I ate it for lunch, I ate it for brunch with wilted arugula and a fried egg on top (amazing!) and we ate it alongside vegetables for dinner.

Southern California is known for its lack of real seasons, and I hear time and time again, “I just could never live without the change of seasons.” To which I reply with, “Yes, I know. Seventy-five and sunny most of the year is awful.”

I might miss the seasons (fall and spring only) at some point, but I haven’t noticed yet – I’ve been enjoying the weather just the way it is.

But now that spring has arrived for the rest of the world, it is time to embrace all of the lovely spring foods and produce.

This Spring Chicken Salad is wonderful – it has the bright and light flavors that we love in the spring and is so versatile – serve it over greens, on toasted bread, in a wrap or even mixed into pasta salad! I hear scooping it straight of the bowl with crackers is also delicious…

The inspiration came from Bon Appetit’s Three Pea Chicken Salad – I wouldn’t have thought to add peas to chicken salad on my own, but it was such a wonderful addition. I’m hooked! As an added bonus, this recipe is on the lighter side, without tasting anything like it. Greek yogurt replaces most of the mayonnaise but it isn’t evident at all, in case you live with someone who doesn’t like greek yogurt like me.

Is it really April? I’m still not convinced.

Coffee: I started with some coffee + 1/2 & 1/2 but just wasn’t feeling the coffee so switched to some green tea. Some days that happens – I have no idea why.

Breakfast: I hadn’t had eggs in a few days so I was craving them. Eggs and toast is probably what I would consider my standard/favorite meal to be – anytime of the day! I never get sick of it. Yesterday I had, sourdough rye bread + earth balance + 2 eggs.

I had a busy day of work, spring cleaning and prepping for an exciting interview – cross your fingers!

Workout: This really isn’t a “workout” but I wanted to move a little (but didn’t feel like actually working out) so I went for a short walk to pick up  a few things at Whole Foods. (1.5 miles) The weather in LA was absolutely gorgeous – it felt so good to be outside!

Lunch: Vegetables were, uh, lacking this past weekend so I was needing produce in my life! I had an apple while putting everything together.

Salad: mixed greens + blue cheese + nuts + dried cranberries + champagne viniagrette.

Side: bowl of kale sauteed with coconut oil.

Snack: 2 cups of Movie Theatre Popcorn from Trader Joe’s. I love my popcorn.

At about 6pm I decided I should do my taxes – normally I get them done right away in February, but I’ve been putting them off, mainly because I thought it was going to be a huge pain this year, but it really wasn’t. I have two small glitches to work through and then they are done! (Let’s hope the “small” glitches are just that)!

Taxes –> Wine!

Dinner: One of our go-to meals of late has been turkey meatballs (Trader Joe’s) with marinara. I usually serve mine over greens or vegetables instead of pasta because I never miss the pasta and I’d rather eat really good pasta than average pasta.

kale + 4 turkey meatballs + marinara + green beans

 And 2 ginger chews to finish the night off!

Have you done your taxes? Please tell me I’m not the only procrastinator!

Hello Friends and Happy Spring!

3.20.12

Coffee: Still on the 1/2 & 1/2 kick…

Breakfast 1: 1 packet instant oats + 1 Tbsp almond butter. I ate about half of it as I was leaving to work out shortly after and needed something, but didn’t want too much.  Pretty ugly and very boring!

Workout: Today I checked out up dog fitness, a yoga and cycling studio in my neighborhood. I’ve been wanting to try it out for a long time and I saw a groupon last week so I grabbed it! I took a great 45 min spin class. It was part motivational speech/part gospel church/ part gay dance club all rolled up into a spinning workout. It was fabulous.

Breakfast 2: egg + kale chips (sample from Expo West) Kind of random, but kind of like greens and eggs!

Lunch: 1 can tuna (with touch of mayo, onion, celery and shredded cheese) broiled on 1 slice sprouted bread + salad (romaine, arugula, olive oil, red wine vinegar, raw parmesan cheese, salt & pepper) + raw sauerkraut

Snack 1: small apple x 2

Snack 2: I had to take a few pictures (so embarrassing) so we had a photo shoot and wine on the roof!

Dinner: I didn’t have anything planned for dinner so we decided to finally check out the sushi restaurant around the corner. We’ve been a little nervous because it always looks empty, but I think we’ve been looking too early. I’m still not really used to the later dinner life of LA. (I’m used to my 5:00 happy hours, which really don’t occur here).  I’ve also been a little nervous that we would like it and then want to go all of the time.  It was about 8pm by the time we went and the restaurant was pretty busy and continued to get even busier as we were there. I had another glass of wine (rebel) and we shared 5 rolls that were all delicious. I kind of want to go back tomorrow for lunch…

 I’m snacking on a square of dark chocolate and getting ready for bed. Have a great Wednesday!

I’m going to guess that a lot of you are fans of sushi.

If you aren’t…I don’t know what to say…

We love sushi and would probably eat it on a daily basis if there wasn’t that annoying thing money, standing in the way.

Michelle from The Lively Kitchen makes her family Buddha Bowls and I’ve always loved the idea so I de-veganized them and added some typical sushi fillings. We have a really nice store in our neighborhood that has sushi-grade fish, but I realize not everyone has access, nor has the desire to use raw fish so don’t worry, there are a ton of options for protein in these bowls.

Everyone chooses their own toppings and they contain everything you need in a meal: whole grains, vegetables, protein and flavor!

Rice: 

• I would of course, recommend brown rice, but it doesn’t need to be special sushi rice
• the perfect use for leftover rice!

Nori: 

• can be found in natural food stores or asian grocery stores (much cheaper at the latter)
• best to roast with some sesame oil if it isn’t already roasted

Vegetables:

• julienned cucumber, carrots or spinach
• sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, bok choy
• sliced scallions, avocado

Protein:

• cooked fish like tuna or salmon
• raw sushi-grade fish
• cooked chicken, steak, shrimp or tofu

Toppings:

• sesame seeds, pickled ginger,
• sauces like miso, soy sauce, sriracha, peanut sauce, spicy mayo (mayo + sriracha)

What kind of sushi do you order? 

I’m always on the lookout for new salad inspiration.

And let me tell you, California has some really good salads.

You can get your burger on a salad (which I find absolutely annoying because I’m never the one doing it) and literally every single restaurant has a list of decent salads. Even Asian take-out restaurants! Then there are restaurants that serve only salads, like greens up in Santa Monica.

I had been working at greens up a few weeks ago, and spent a significant amount of time drooling over their menu.

For some reason the salad that contained dates and corn – two things that are not my favorite – sounded  really good. So I brought home two salads and we celebrated Valentine’s Day with salads and wine. The salad ended up being so good that I decided I needed to make it a few days later.

The flavors are perfect – sweet dates, creamy cheese, flavorful corn – all over dressed greens. I thought the salad was pretty filling, but if you really want to make it into a meal, add some cooked turkey or chicken for protein!

A few weekends ago, we visited Short Order for some burgers.  Short Order is Nancy Silverton’s newish LA restaurant focusing on a local, organic and artisan burgers.  We had some delicious cocktails but unfortunately the burgers were pretty disappointing.

All was not lost however as we spotted a Breakfast Cobb Salad on the brunch menu and I knew instantly that it would be on our plate some weekend morning very soon.

It isn’t out of the norm for us to have side salads with breakfast, but I’ve never thought of making it the main event.

I have no idea why…

It was delicious. Satisfying, yet light and felt like the perfect combination between breakfast and lunch. I have a feeling it will become a regular weekend breakfast for us.

Full of greens, healthy fats and tons of flavor.

Why not?