Avocado and Tomato Salad

This is a simple salad that is quite good (and I say that as someone who's not big on either tomatoes or onions!). I did make some adjustments to the original recipe - specifically, I used only half of the onions and balsamic vinaigrette recommended, and squeezed some lime juice onto my salad to keep the avocado from turning brown (as I was saving some for lunch the next day), and I like how it added a refreshing taste to the salad. The recipe, as I prepared it, is as follows:

AVOCADO AND TOMATO SALAD

Ingredients:

• 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• 4 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 4 oz balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
• 1 lime
  

Directions:

1. In a large serving bowl, toss together the tomatoes, avocados and red onion. Squeeze the juice of a lime onto the salad.
2. Dust lightly with black pepper, and pour salad dressing over.
3. Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving to blend flavors.

Yields: 6 servings

Links:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Avocado-and-Tomato-Salad/Detail.aspx

Co Co. Sala (Washington, DC)

R.'s mom was in town last week and we took her to Co Co. Sala, an upscale chocolate-themed "lounge and boutique." This was actually the second time I've visited the one-year-old joint, and let me just cut right to the chase: Everything about this restaurant is impressive! The decor is trendy yet inviting. The service staff was accommodating and helpful. And of course, the food....ooooooh the food! I only have one word for the food: HEAVENLY. I guess one could say that about anything chocolate, but Co Co. Sala makes chocolate interesting. They have the most creative way of working chocolate into their recipes; indeed Co Co. Sala has the most unique dishes I've seen in any restaurant! Let me show you our scrumptuous dinner via photos below.

Co Co. Sala serves only small dishes called "Coco Bites." You order two or three per person as a meal. I ordered the bacon mac & cheese which consisted of a piece of chocolate-dipped bacon on top of four-cheese orecchiette pasta. It was much more filling than I had anticipated. And the chocolate-dipped bacon? Delicious! Who would've thunk it?

Bacon Mac & Cheese

The other Coco bite I got was the Crispy Louisiana Crabcake, with mango salsa, chiptole chocolate tomato glaze, and avocado cilantro emulsion. Oh. So. Good.

Crispy Louisiana Crabcake

R. ordered the Lobster Salad, with lemon aioli, cucumber, crushed avocado, greens, corn bread, and passion chocolate vinaigrette. He took one bite and exclaimed, "Oh my GAWD!" I had some and can certainly attest to its "Oh my GAWDness." :)

Lobster Salad

R. also got the Aztec Cheese Course to share. It was a pepper cheese enchilada with guava sauce and it was excellent!

R.'s mom got the tasty Portobello Flat Bread with portobello mushrooms, goat cheese, roasted peppers, kalamata olives, and sweet & sour fig marmalade. It was HUGE, for a supposedly small dish anyway.

Portobello Flat Bread

Another fantastic Coco Bite that R.'s mom ordered was the Goat Cheese and Beet Salad, with yellow and red beets, greens, maracaibo nibs, and raspberry vinaigrette. If you like beets, you are gonna love this!

Goat Cheese and Beet Salad

And of course, how can you go to a chocolate lounge and not have dessert? We were stuffed from the Coco Bites, but got a three-course dessert to share anyway. We went with the fabulous Asian-inspired Sweet Sensei.

First course: Pistachio date, kataifi cocoon, and lychee chocolate cream.

Main dessert: White chocolate lemongrass rice pudding roll, green tea creme brulee, with kiwi and pineapple. This really was something special. Just the thought of the green tea creme brulee makes me hungry!

Petit fours: Wasabi almond financier and kalamansi pate de fruit. Kalamansi is a lime-like citrus fruit from the Phillippines. The financier and the kalamansi provided a nice contrast in taste, and they paired well together.

Co Co. Sala is a nice change of pace from your regular restaurant. I'd love to try some of their drinks next time (the cocojito sure sounded good!).

Pertinent info:
Address: 929 F St NW, Washington DC 20004
Phone: 202-347-4256
Nearest Metro station: Metro Center (Red, Blue, and Orange lines); Gallery Place-Chinatown (Red, Green, and Yellow lines)

Crab Quesadillas

I have made this a couple of times now but this is the first quesadilla recipe (from Yahoo/Eating Well) I've attempted. Though there was definitely a learning curve (turns out flipping quesadillas is not so easy!), this recipe is definitely one worth sharing. The filling is creamy and tasty, and if you like a little spicy, I would absolutely recommend including the optional pickled jalapenos because they really do give the quesadillas a distinct kick. The only change I've made to this recipe is that I cooked each side of the tortilla for longer than the recommended time; I've found that I need the extra time for the tortilla to turn golden brown which helps a lot with the flipping and the cutting.

I am also excited to report that this is the first blog post featuring photos taken with my new DSLR camera, so regular readers of this blog will notice (hopefully!) that the quality of my photos has improved significantly. :) Anyhoo, here is the recipe:

CRAB QUESADILLAS

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
• 2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos (optional)
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 8 ounces pasteurized crabmeat, drained if necessary
• 4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas
• 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided

Directions:

1. Combine Cheddar, cream cheese, scallions, bell pepper, cilantro, jalapenos (if using), orange zest and juice in a medium bowl. Gently stir in crab. Lay tortillas out on a work surface. Spread one-fourth of the filling on half of each tortilla. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently to flatten.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 2 quesadillas in the pan and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes each side until no longer soft. (It is much easier to flip the quesadillas when they are no longer soft.) Transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. (I highly recommend using a pizza wheel if you have one!)
   

The crab filling.

Spreading crab filling on top of half of a tortilla.


Crab quesadillas!

Links:
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/eatingwell/1257/crab-quesadillas

Chicken and Rice Jubilee

My family used to have a subscription to the Toronto Star, and every summer it would come with a free "milk calendar," courtesy of the Dairy Farmers of Canada. I always looked forward to the milk calendar (the geek that I am!), not for the calendar itself but for the recipes featured in the calendar. Here is a really old one, probably from the late 1990s, but one I've made with success a few times.

CHICKEN AND RICE JUBILEE

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (450 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
• 1/2 lb (250 g) sliced mushrooms
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch
• 1 cup (250 mL) long-grain rice
• 2 1/4 cups (550 mL) milk
• 2 cups (500 mL) diagonally cut carrots
• 1 green pepper, cut in strips
• 1 red pepper, cut in strips
• 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped cashews or almonds, toasted

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into 1" (2.5 cm) cubes.

2. In a large fry pan, cook chicken in butter over medium heat until chicken is lightly browned on all sides. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic; cook until onion is softened. Add cornstarch and rice and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Stir in milk, carrots, pepper strips, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Just before serving, sprinkle with cashews.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Links:
http://www.dairygoodness.ca/en/consumers/food/recipes/all/0200/361.htm?recipeid=361

Panache (Washington, DC)

So this awesome site Groupon (like "group coupon") recently launched in Washington, DC. The short of it is that they offer a great deal per day and if enough people sign up for the deal, then everyone gets it. The maiden offer at Groupon was a $25 groupon to Panache restaurant for $10 - which I promptly signed up for! It didn't take me long to make use of my Panache groupon. R. and I went there on a rainy Wednesday night before a show at the DC Improv nearby. We wanted to try the tapas and didn't want a large meal since we had planned on eating more later, so the two of us shared three hot tapas (and please excuse the phone camera photos!):

Carciofi Ripeni Al Prociutto ($7.95)

Long stem artichoke hearts in white wine with proscuitto and Italian roasted red peppers.

Funghi Portobello Alla Griglian ($8.95)
Marinated and grilled portobello topped with herb whipped goat cheese and basil.

Petite Crab Croquettes ($10.50)
Over a crip sweet potato nest with avocado butter & pomeray roumulade sauce.

Everything was delicious! My favorite was probably the crab croquettes; the sweet potato nest was a really nice touch. I really liked the other two dishes as well though. Really, I have no complaints about my meal, though if I was going to have a full dinner I would have gone with at least two tapas per person. The entrees range from about $18-28 which is a bit pricey for a casual evening but just fine for a special occasion. The atmosphere in the restaurant was great as well, with a happy-hour-perfect bar area and a patio. I'd definitely be inclined to go back at some point. So Groupon ended up being a win-win situation for both myself and the restaurant: I got a cheap meal out of it and Panache gained a new customer. :)

Pertinent info:
Address: 1725 DeSales St NW, Washington DC
Phone: 202-293-7760
Nearest Metro station: Farrugut North (Red line)

Portabella Parmesan

The first time I saw this recipe on Ken's blog, I knew I had to try it! And I'm really glad I did, as it is both easy and delicious! Perfect for a quick meal!

PORTABELLA PARMESAN

Ingredients:

• Portabella caps (1 per person)
• Olive oil (1 tsp / mushroom)
• Salt & Pepper
• Pasta sauce (I used 1 jar for 4 servings)
• Mozzarella cheese (as much as you want)
• Butter (1 tsp / mushroom)
• Parmesan cheese (as much as you want)
• Pasta (I used spaghetti)
  

Directions:

1. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel.
2. Brush mushrooms on both sides with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Grill mushrooms, 3-5 minutes per side.
4. In a shallow baking dish, coat with pasta sauce.
5. Place mushrooms, vent side up (i.e., upside-down) in baking dish.
6. Add sauce to mushroom caps (enough to coat with a thin layer).
7. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese to cover mushrooms, add butter, and sprinkle Parmesan cheese.
8. Bake at 400° for ~15-minutes (until cheese is browned).
9. Serve with pasta.
   

Links:
http://kencooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/portabella-parmesan.html

Caffe Demetre (various locations in and around Toronto, ON)

Sometimes I really miss the food in Toronto. One such establishment I often crave is Caffe Demetre. It is the place for dessert crepes (as well as waffles, ice cream, coffee, cakes, and other sumptuous delights). I mostly frequent the one at East Beaver Creek, but they have other, more convenient locations as well (such as one at Yonge & Eglinton and another in Greektown which are subway-accessible). The thing I like most about Caffe Demetre's desserts is that the ice cream is really fresh (they make it right on the premises), and while it is delicious, it is not so sweet that it gives you a sore throat. I also like the ambience of the restaurant; it is causal, yet hip (and very colorful). Caffe Demetre opens pretty late at night though it is usually very busy. Here are some of the items I ordered during my last couple of visits (I always get crepes):

The one on the left is the "Rusty Pelican." I don't remember exactly what the one on the right is, and I wish I did because it was fantabulous!

Last time I went I discovered that you could create your own crepes. I think I'm going to try that next time!

The only way to make this place even better?? Caffe Demetre crepes with Jeni's ice creams! Mmm...!! (Wishful thinking, I know!) :)

Pertinent Info:
Address: 100 York Blvd, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J8, Canada (but see other locations here)
Nearest intersection: Hwy 7 and East Beaver Creek

Links:
http://www.waycoolcafe.com/ (Caffe Demetre's official website)

Bonus Weekender: Cathy's Custom Cakes (Part II)

Last weekend, I finally had the pleasure to sample Cathy's cakes. She made this heart-shaped, four-tier beauty for a wedding:

Just absolutely gorgeous! The DJ said he thought it was a sculpture. The cake tasted amazing, too! Each of the four layers (you only see three here) had a different flavor: butter pecan, chocolate, yellow, and vanilla strawberry. I sampled three of the flavors and they were all excellent! Again, if you're in the Pittsburgh are and need a cake, check out Cathy's Custom Cakes!

Baked Dijon Salmon

My family loves salmon. I found this recipe some years ago when my siblings and I were looking for an easy but tasty dish to make for our parents. It truly takes only about 20 minutes or so (from start to finish!) and always gets high marks. In fact, I've been told that this recipe has turned some people into salmon-lovers!

BAKED DIJON SALMON

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1-1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• 4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon (or 1 lb total)
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lemon, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 ºF (200 ºC).
2. In a small bowl, stir together butter, mustard, and honey. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
3. Brush each salmon fillet lightly with honey mustard mixture, and sprinkle the tops of the fillets with the bread crumb mixture.
4. Bake salmon 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Links:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Dijon-Salmon/Detail.aspx

Toffee Crunch Cookies

I needed to bake some cookies for an event, and decided that it was time I tried making something other than marble cookies. I love toffee, so I figured I'd do a search for toffee cookies online, and this came up. The cookies came out delicious so I thought I'd share the recipe here!

TOFFEE CRUNCH COOKIES

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups toffee baking bits
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Combine and sift flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter or margarine. Add sugar, egg, and vanilla; mix until smooth and creamy.
2. Stir in dry ingredients; blend in toffee bits and pecans.
3. Drop tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until done, 12 to 15 minutes. (Clara's note: For me, 10 minutes was enough!) Remove from baking sheets and cool.

Mmm...toffee!

Links:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Toffee-Crunch-Cookies/Detail.aspx