Spring Lettuce Salad

Happy Saint Patrick Day my friends!!

I hope you all indulged in some yummy Irish snacks and green beer!

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day in southern California. I know all of you that don’t live here think it is stunning every day, but some days are on another level.

It truly felt like the first day of spring. And even though there are a couple of days left of winter, some of my favorite spring produce items are starting to hit the shelves.

Which means extra yummy salad ingredients.

Good for our taste buds, good for our waistlines.

You will need…

4 heads Belgian endive, chopped

1 head frisee lettuce, chopped

2 cups arugula

3 small carrots (rainbow if they are available), thinly sliced

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

½ cup chopped walnuts (candied if you want to get wild)

¾ cup red wine vinaigrette

Start by combining the endive, frisee and arugula in a bowl or on a large platter.

Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss well.

Top with carrots, blue cheese and walnuts and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

Spring Lettuce Salad

4 heads Belgian endive, chopped

1 head frisee lettuce, chopped

2 cups arugula

3 small carrots (rainbow if they are available), thinly sliced

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

½ cup chopped walnuts (candied if you want to get wild)

¾ cup red wine vinaigrette

Start by combining the endive, frisee and arugula in a bowl or on a large platter.

Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss well.

Top with carrots, blue cheese and walnuts and serve. 

Grilled Calamari Shrimp and Arugula Salad

With just forty-nine days till Maui, I’ve been working really hard in the gym and doing my best to eat healthy.

I’ve been using a calorie counting phone application and going to the local high school to run the track and the stadium stairs.

We have even been biking instead of driving everywhere possible.

And I’m seeing really positive results.

But how am I supposed to stay on the wagon with burgers around that look like this!?

Honestly, every diet deserves cheat days and you will never meet your goals by depriving you.

Although, after eating that bad boy I feel like I need something light, healthy and non-artery clogging.

You will need…

8 ounces arugula

½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup white wine vinegar

Juice of ½ lemon

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ crusty baguette sliced into ¼ inch thick slices

3 cups cool balsamic grilled shrimp and calamari

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating your grill to a medium heat.

While the grill is heating, combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and salt and pepper in a small bowl or mason jar. Combine or shake well until it is completely combined.

Toss the arugula and tomatoes with the vinaigrette and place it on a platter.

Top the arugula and tomatoes with the Parmesan and the seafood.

Place the bread on the grill and grill it for about 10 seconds aside. 

Just until it has good toasty grill makes.

Toss the salad and serve with warm crusty bread.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Grilled Calamari Shrimp and Arugula Salad

8 ounces arugula

½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup white wine vinegar

Juice of ½ lemon

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ crusty baguette sliced into ¼ inch thick slices

3 cups cool balsamic grilled shrimp and calamari

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating your grill to a medium heat.

While the grill is heating, combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and salt and pepper in a small bowl or mason jar. Combine or shake well until it is completely combined.

Toss the arugula and tomatoes with the vinaigrette and place it on a platter.

Top the arugula and tomatoes with the Parmesan and the seafood.

Place the bread on the grill and grill it for about 10 seconds aside. Just until it has good toasty grill makes.

Toss the salad and serve with warm crusty bread. 

Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup

I’ve never been on for drastic physical changes.

Trying out a crazy new lipstick, insane new fashion trend or new hairstyle has never really been my thing.

For most of my life, my hair has been long and boring.

Which is odd, because I love to wear crazy shoes and I could hardly call my personality long and boring.

Intense and eccentric yes. Long and boring? Not really.

I did cut my hair when I was eighteen for a charity. Hacked off fourteen inches. It felt really good to help someone in need. Until I looked in the mirror and HATED the way it looked.

I’ve never been one for change. Until tomorrow. It will still be long. Because I don’t want to cry over my hair over my hair again. But tomorrow, it will have some style. And some bangs.

And hopefully look just like this.

But darker. Because dying my hair is WAY too far outside of my comfort zone.

So tomorrow circa eleven in the morning, I’ll be wandering the rainy streets of southern California trying to keep my new do dry.

And then, I’m going to come home and make this soup again. It is delicious (Dad said it was one of the top three soups ever), healthy (bikini season is rapidly approaching) and it is PERFECT for rainy weather.

You will need…

1 head of cauliflower

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons butter

3 leeks, white parts chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

6 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

Chop your cauliflower into pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic powder and some salt and pepper.

Combine the mixture well and pour it onto a baking sheet (I covered mine with aluminum foil to save mess).

Spread the cauliflower into a single layer and pop it in the oven. Roast for 30 minutes.

When there are 10 minutes left for the cauliflower to roast, combine the butter and onions in a large pot.

Cook the onions for about five minutes. Until the butter has completely melted.

Add in the leeks and the garlic and cook, with a lid on, until the leeks have started to brown. About 7 minutes.

By now, the cauliflower will be out of the oven.

When the leeks are browned, add in the cauliflower and the chicken stock.

Bring the mixture to a boil.

When the soup has boiled, reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

After the soup has simmered, puree the mixture in batches in a food process, in a blender, or with my favorite, the hand immersion blender.

Serve hot with some croutons, bread crumbs or awesomely crusty bread.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup 

1 head of cauliflower

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons butter

3 leeks, white parts chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

6 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

Chop your cauliflower into pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic powder and some salt and pepper.

Combine the mixture well and pour it onto a baking sheet (I covered mine with aluminum foil to save mess).

Spread the cauliflower into a single layer and pop it in the oven. Roast for 30 minutes.

When there are 10 minutes left for the cauliflower to roast, combine the butter and onions in a large pot. 

Cook the onions for about five minutes. Until the butter has completely melted.

Add in the leeks and the garlic and cook, with a lid on, until the leeks have started to brown. About 7 minutes.

By now, the cauliflower will be out of the oven.

When the leeks are browned, add in the cauliflower and the chicken stock.

Bring the mixture to a boil.

When the soup has boiled, reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

After the soup has simmered, puree the mixture in batches in a food process, in a blender, or with my favorite, the hand immersion blender.

Serve hot with some croutons, bread crumbs or awesomely crusty bread. 

Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

The sprouts are back!

Not that they were every absent from my life, just from the blog.

There was a little stretch there where they were the little darlings of the blog. But like many little darlings, they became over exposed and suffered from “exhaustion.”

They may not be making their comeback on SNL, but they are back.

They are stripped down, served simply and tastier than ever. 

I wish I could say the same thing about the other starlets.

You will need…

1 ½ lbs Brussels sprouts

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Juice of ½ lemon (one full if they aren’t very juicy)

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

Then, quarter all of your Brussels sprouts. Make sure to cut off the tough ends.

In a large bowl, toss together the garlic, vegetable oil and salt and pepper. Make that all the sprouts are slightly oiled.

Lay out the sprouts and garlic in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast the sprouts for 15-20 minutes, making sure they are browned on at least one side.

Squeeze the half of a lemon over the sprouts, toss in a bowl and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 ½ lbs Brussels sprouts

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Juice of ½ lemon (one full if they aren’t very juicy)

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating

your oven to 400 degrees F.

Then, quarter all of your Brussels sprouts. Make sure to cut off the tough ends.

In a large bowl, toss together the garlic, vegetable oil and salt and pepper. Make that all the sprouts are slightly oiled.

Lay out the sprouts and garlic in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast the sprouts for 15-20 minutes, making sure they are browned on at least one side.

Squeeze the half of a lemon over the sprouts, toss in a bowl and serve.

Balsamic Roasted Broccoli

You know what makes for a really fun work week?

Quarter end shenanigans.

And then if you really want to have a blast, through in the fact that your major company is switching computer systems in less than a month and your world is going to be flipped upside-down and then pooped on.

But if you really want to make it a party, you should also have a coworker get really REALLY sick so your work load triples.

Which is a small price to pay for her speedy recover, but is overwhelming regardless.

Let’s just say it has been a SUPER fun work week.

So in honor of Friday, I’m going to keep today’s recipe simple.

Simple and delicious.

And upcoming bikini season friendly.

Yes it is only February and I’m getting ready for bikini season. That what happens when you live in Southern California, write a food blog and have a little around the middle you could do without.

You will need…

1 pound trimmed broccoli

½ red onion chopped

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 lemon (juice)

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the onion and broccoli.

Use a second smaller bowl, or jar to combine the oil, vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper. Mix or shake well until the mixture is completely combined.

Drizzle the dressing over the broccoli and onions and use your hands to coat the veggies.

They do not need to be heavily dressed. You just want them to get a bit of the flavor.

Spread the veggies onto a baking sheet and spread them out into an even layer.

Pop them in the oven and cook them for about 20 minutes, until the broccoli starts to brown a little on the top.

Remove the sheet from the oven.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the veggies, toss again and serve.

Happy weekend friends! I’ll talk to you Monday if I haven’t died from a Superbowl Sunday food coma.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela