Hello folks, well I have continued to extend my list of blogs I read, mainly adding the recipe blogs I find interesting and tasty. I am hoping that as I increase my number of posts and make more connections with others, MY readers will increase.
It is now spring break and I have two restaurants that I have been to in the last week: Pho Saigon and Cinnamon's in Kailua.
Pho Saigon
I had been wanting to revist a pho place because the last time I tried this Vietnamese noodle dish was at least 5 years ago. My memory was that I didn't really like it, but now that I am trying to be more epicurious, I decided to try again. And my memory served me correct.
My fiance and I went to Pho Saigon across from Walmart last tuesday. I wanted to try a couple different things so he ordered a pho with meat balls and strips of beef, and I ordered spring roll and chicken on top of cold noodle salad. The waiter was very helpful in explaining the different things we could have in our pho, and as we waited for our order, we experimented with the different tastes of pastes and hot sauces that are used to accompany various dishes. When our meal came out, the pho came with a big plate of sprouts and (much to my dismay) a heaping pile of fresh cilantro. Randy started on the pho and I dug into my spring rolls which were very good, especially dipped into the lightly sweet sauce with shredded carrots that was brought with my dish. The chicken was a little spicy and had peanuts on top but I enjoyed that as well. Unfortunately, because I was sharing, I had to give half of mine to Randy and eat some of his pho. Even without the cilantro, I did not like it very much. The beef and meatballs didn't have much flavor, and the taste of the broth simply didn't sit well on my tongue. Needless to say, now I have learned my lesson and will stay away from pho next time I eat at a Vietnamese restauramt. I did end the meal plesantly by buying a melon flavored bubble tea drink for us to share.
Cinnamon's Restaurant in Kailua
Being raised in Kailua, I have eaten at Cinnamon's many times for breakfast, and each experience has been very plesant. This time I went with my mother for breakfast on Saturday morning. The inside of the restaurant is nice and homey with a country feel and a large gazebo like stucture in the middle of the main dining room that you can sit inside and look down on the rest of the restaurant. The best part about Cinnamon's is their daily pancake (and now french toast) specials. I have tried (and loved) their carmel banana pancakes and another time their holiday themed gingerbread pancakes.
My mother had already eaten breakfast and I knew I wanted my usual, but we both wanted to try the specials. The gracious waitress allowed us to order just one of each (pancake and french toast) even though on the menu they come in stacks of two or more. My mother chose the french toast special of Sweet Bread French Toast with a Orange Cream Sauce and Fresh Strawberries and Blueberries. I only had a bite, but I wish that I could have eaten more! When it came out, it looked so beautiful and colorful with fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. I don't particularly like french toast but this was amazing! The sweet sauce went delicately with the fruit and it tasted almost like a dessert. I could see flecks of orange zest in the sauce and there were also orange slivers to accompany the other fruits. My mother savored every bite and said it was heavenly.
I ordered one pancake of the daily pancake special and when it came out it filled the plate it was so big! (Sorry no picture on it) The flavor was pumpkin with a haupia (coconut) and cheesecake cream sauce. It wasn't presented very fancy like the french toast; it was a slightly orange color pancake with what seemed to be two separate flavored sauces smothered on top. This tasted even more like dessert than the other one and I am glad I ordered something else to balance out the sweetness. But oh, it was soooo good. The pancake was moist and fluffy, a perfect texture, and the sauces were sweet and delightful. The haupia flavor definately came out but the cheesecake flavor tasted more like a cream cheese frosting. I didn't mind though, I nearly licked my plate clean, and my mother had more than a few bites of the pancake.
The other thing I ordered was a half order of a Veggie Sunrise (?). This was a half an english muffin with fresh spinach and a slice of tomato on top, all covered in a rich cheddar sauce. This order came with one scrambled egg and a side of homestyle potatoes. I can be picky when it comes to homestyle potatoes, but these had just enough onions and herbs to give them flavor and I relished the taste with a healthy addition of ketchup. The cheddar sauce is really what makes this dish and its sharp taste is savory but not too overpowering that you can't taste the fresh veggies.
Overall this was a fantastic breakfast and I wish I could taste their daily specials every day so I wouldn't miss one of their original winning flavor combinations!
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I made a couple things worth noting this weekend. The lesser of the two I won't provide a recipe for since you can pretty much use any meatloaf recipe you have. Becuase we haven't been food shopping for a while, I was looking for something that didn't require many ingredients and that could use up the 1/2 a lb of ground turkey in the freezer. The solution? Mini meatloaves. I mixed the meat with oats, a bit of bread crumbs, a dash of wostershire, some ketchup, and herbs, and put them in four muffin cups of a 12 cup muffin tin. Like the recipe I was basing my dinner off of said, I made small indentations in the top center of the mini loaves before baking and filled the indentations with a squirt of ketchup. I wish I had taken a picture, but that is a testiment to how good they turned out; I didn't even think about the camera!
The next recipe is something I made for my mom and step dad on friday night, but I had made once before so I knew how it would turn out. I made a carb-concious recipe of zucchini lasagna that replaces the pasta in lasagna with thin strips of baked zucchini. Trust me on this, this recipe is so delicious and has become one of my new favorite homecooked meals. I love zucchini as a vegetable and anything that is low in calories and fat and lets me eat cheesy, tomatoey, zucchini-goodness without having to worry about pasta calories is my new hero. So without further ado, the recipe:
Zucchini Lasagna
Serves 8
Per serving: calories 265, 13g fat, 21g protein (for regular recipe-not my lowfat variation)
Ingredients:
4-5 medium-size zucchini OR 3 zucchini and 2 yellow summer squash
1/2 tsp dried Italian herb seasoning (or improvise on herbs like I did)
1/8 tsp salt plus 1/2 tsp
1/8 tsp black pepper plus 1/2 tsp
2 Tbspn Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 and 1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 cups prepared low-calorie chunky mushroom pasta sauce, like Healthy Choice
1 container (16 oz) 1% low fat cottage cheese (I used nonfat)
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup grated Parmasean cheese
8 (or more) Tbspn packaged Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 package (8oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1) Heat oven to 425 degrees. Coast two-three baking pans with non stick cooking spray. Trim the ends of zucchini and cut lengthwise into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Spread on prepared pans in single layer; season with Italian seasoning, 1/8 tsp pepper, and 1/8 tsp salt.
2)Bake zucchini slices in 425 degrees oven for 25 minutes, turning over once halfway through baking.
3) Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add ground turkey and cook, stirring to break up clumps until no longer pink. Stir in 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and pasta sauce; cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
4)Remove zucchini slices from oven; set aside. Reduce oven temp. to 375 degrees.
5) In food processor, combine cottage cheese, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, basil, egg yolks, and 2 tablespoons grated parmasean. Pulse until all ingredients are combined and mixture is smooth.
6) Assemble: Aprinkle 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs in bottom of 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Top with half the zucchini slices, covering bottom of dish. Spread zucchini with cottage cheese mixture. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons bread crumbs. Top with remaining zucchini slices. Sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs. Top with ground turkey mixture. Spread mozzarella cheese over turkey layer. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons grated parmasean.
7) Bake lasagna in a 375 degree oven until cheese is browned and sides of dish are bubbling, about 35 min. Let stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to cool before serving.
