Steak & Baby Bella Mushroom Risotto

O my, what a busy week that was, weekend flew by and it is Monday again. All that homework, kids after school activities are more and more demanding each day. Anyway it is close to lunch time and I bought wonderful Arborio rice so you can guess risotto for the lunch:)
Today I will make risotto with steak and fresh baby bella mushroom.
I don’t have any parmesan in my fridge so I will substitute with mozzarella, hope parmesan want mind:)

Risotto with steak and baby bella mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 lb grilling steaks (such as ribeye, strip, or top sirloin), cut in cubes
1 packet fresh baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 red onion, chopped
garlic cloves, few
1 cup Arborio rice
1 reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat medium saucepan on medium-high. Reduce heat to medium, add onion, garlic till well brown. Set aside. Then grill the steak till medium rare, put onions back and add mushrooms.
Cook for 12 minutes or so, season with salt and pepper, add water, chicken broth and rice. Cook for 20 minutes.
Serve immediately with fresh parsley and mozzarella cheese on top.
This is fantastic meed week lunch, fresh warm and very easy to make. You can add meat or make only with vegetables, your choice.
Enjoy:)

Calories- per small bowl: 160cal, fat 1g, cholesterol 5mg, carb 31g, fiber 1g, protein 8g.

Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles, Pupusas & Tacos:)

Lunch time in Downtown Los Angeles. A lot of places to eat and try different foods but this time we decided to visit Grand Central Market.

Offering fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry and fresh fish from California and around the world, the Grand Central Market has been a hub of bustling activity since 1917.
Very festive place to be with wonderful aromas in the air. I never saw better prices for fresh produce anywhere around, pint of blueberries are 2 for $1. Unbelievable and great because price is right!
We were very hungry so we decided to try few places where the crowd was waiting patiently and you can tell that the food is fantastic.

Sarita’s Pupuseria, Salvadorean food has amazing pupusas.

Pupusas is a traditional Salvadoran dish made of thick, hand-made corn tortilla (made using masa de maíz, a maize flour dough used in Latin American cuisine) that is filled with a blend of the following: cheese (queso) (usually a soft cheese called Quesillo found in all Central America), cooked pork meat ground to a paste consistency (called chicharrón, not to be confused with fried pork rind, which is also known as chicharrón in some other countries), squash (ayote), or (pataste), refried beans (frijoles refritos), or queso con loroco (loroco is a vine flower bud from Central America).
The two most common pupusas are pupusa de queso (cheese) and more popular pupusa revuelta with mixed ingredients of queso (cheese), frijoles (beans) and chicharrón.e Pupusas are typically served with curtido (lightly fermented cabbage slaw with red chilies and vinegar) and a watery tomato salsa.
Made fresh on the spot and filled with variety of fillings (we chose with cheese, queso) with cold horchata, fantastic:)

After little strolling we decided to try tacos at Anamaria’s Mexican food.

Tacos were delicious too. This time we tried tacos with carnitas, fresh onion, cilantro and lemon.

Meat was so tender, juicy and perfectly seasoned.
Dried beans are available and sold in huge bins, same with rice and dry peppers of all kinds.

Many different dry goods like fish and spices are also available and sold here.

Very nice place to visit, try and enjoy wonderful prepared dishes:)

http://www.grandcentralsquare.com/

Roasted Beets & Bunapi Mushrooms, Great Sides:)

Yesterday I was on the quest to add something new to our lunches, different kinds of sides. This time I picked fresh beets and adorable bunapi mushrooms, how about that?

With beets I wanted to make nice warm salad and for the mushrooms, just pan fried with nice oil, sesame-chili, simple but super tasty.
I preboiled the beets for 8 minutes or so.

Give them shower with cold water and peel.

Dressed them up with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, salt and pepper.

Put the beets in the nicely heated oven on 400F and bake for 20 minutes.
In the meantime on the hot pan stir fry mushrooms for a 5 minutes top.

Season with salt, pepper, lemon and sesame chili oil.

They are absolutely delicious.
When beets are done they will have slightly crispy edges, great texture. Squeeze the garlic from the peeling and spritz with balsamic vinaigrette.

Very quick to make and ready to eat as moment vegetables are done. Healthy, flavors are amazing. Have a good lunch:)

Beets are highly nutritious and “cardiovascular health” friendly root vegetables. Certain unique pigment antioxidants present in this plant have found to offer protection against coronary artery disease and stroke, lower cholesterol levels in the body and have anti-aging effects.
Bunapi mushroom is highly nutritious mushroom, good source of: vitamins B1, B2, B3, magnesium, potassium, protein, iron, other minerals and beta-glucans.

Beet

White Clamshell Mushroom

Field Trip to Centennial Farms:)

Centennial Farm is a three-acre working farm at the OC Fair & Event Center created to educate youth about agriculture and its importance to daily life. The Farm is home to fruit and vegetable gardens, livestock, and the Millennium Barn. Children and adults can view pigs, chickens, cattle, goats and more while strolling though gardens of lush vegetation. Centennial Farm offers tours as well as general public visits.
It was a great field trip, very educational and kids really enjoyed it.
They learned a lot.

School bus is here and we are ready to go!

Beautiful Centennial Farms grounds.

Let’s learn all about Dairy and MILK:)


Milking station.

Fresh milk:)

Farmer Fred, amazing educator, great with kids:)

All about chickens and eggs.


Organic garden is amazing, great variety of different kinds of fruits and vegetables:)

For more info please visit:

http://www.ocfair.com/ocf/CentennialFarm/index.asp

Raw Kale Salad and Rosemary Beef Roast

Why Kale? Many people are not so familiar with kale but if you try this recipe in future I am positive that kale will be more often on any healthy shopper list.
Usually I love to steam kale but this time I wanted to make something different and crunchy, so there it is.
To pair salad with I chose nice piece of beef and simply did little rub with fresh rosemary, sea salt, pepper, whole garlic cloves and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Preheat oven for a while on 400F and bake covered with heavy duty aluminum foil for approximately 2 hours. Check the meat with thermometer and desired temp should be 170F. There is a little secret( not anymore:)….in the halfway of roasting I like to sprinkle meat with beer, 1/4 of the bottle. This will also tenderized the meat and combine all the wonderful flavors.

Raw Kale Salad with Asian Pears, Blood oranges and Pecans

Ingredients:

big bunch of fresh kale
1/2 of the Asian juicy and sweet pear, cut
2 blood orange or any other orange, one for salad other for juice
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
spritz of balsamic vinegar

Wash kale truly, trim and cut the vegetable. Sprinkle with salt and orange juice, cover and leave in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Then just add slices of Asian pear, orange and pecans. Season, sprinkle with balsamic and serve. Very refreshing salad. Great addition to grilled fish or chicken too.

Kale is a real superfood. It’s a member of the Brassica family of vegetables, which include cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Kale is loaded with nutrients and compounds that aid in warding off other diseases and ailments as well. For example, kale is packed with beta-carotene, an important nutrient for good vision. Several studies link an increase in vitamin A. Kale is also an excellent source of vitamin C, which is good for cold prevention, as well as a reduced risk of colon cancer. Finally, kale is rich in minerals, such as iron, manganese, calcium and potassium.
Kale

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Asparagus stems are officially here, fresh on the Farmers market stands. I love to buy asparagus when it’s thin with deep green color…. best texture and flavor.
Usually roast the same with little salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil but today I decided to make a soup, cream soup. The great thing about Asparagus soup is that you can serve it cold or hot whatever you prefer. Today it will be cold asparagus soup. You can even make it and take it along with you, if you go for the picnic, hike or even to work. It has refreshing, creamy and super tasty flavor. This soup is made without any added fat, so it is even more healthier.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Makes 4 cups

Ingredients

2 bunches of fresh asparagus
1 pear
1 red onion, broiled
sea salt, for taste
freshly ground pepper corns for the taste
1/2 cup non fat sour cream
1/2 cup non fat half&half
1 cup broth (from asparagus)

Wash and cut asparagus, coarse ends. Cut off the the tips and leave them for roasting and decoration.
Peal the onion and put it in the broiler till grilled texture is visible and aroma fill in the kitchen:)
Using medium sauce pan add: asparagus, pear, onion, pepper and little salt.
Boil for 30 minutes. Strain and keep the broth. In the meantime preheat the oven to 400F, roast tips of asparagus little seasoned for 5-12 minutes.
Using blender

pour the ingredients slowly, add sour cream, half&half, salt and pepper.

Blend on medium, gradually adding broth till desired consistency.

Serve in the soup dish and garnish with crunchy roasted asparagus tips.

Bon Appetit

Note:
If you substitute half & half and sour cream with regular variety-gluten free this soup will be gluten free:)
Asparagus contains useful amounts of calcium, magnesium and iodine and is an excellent source of folic acid. Moreover, vitamins A, C and E are also well supplied.
Just ½ cup of cooked asparagus provides about 25% of the RDA for folic acid and more than 80% of the RDA for vitamin C.

Asparagus

Good Morning, Oat Bran Muffins w/Honey & Blood Oranges!

I love muffins. Always trying to make something new and good for us….paired with fresh brewed coffee in the morning, beautiful:)
Today I made Oat Bran muffins. They were delicious.

You will need:

2 cups organic oat bran flour or hot cereal
2 eggs
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 orange zest
1 spoon sweet butter
1 blood orange juice
1/4 cup raisins
1 tea spoon vanilla sugar
honey for drizzling

Using mixer, mix first egg whites till firm, then add yolks, sugar, butter and orange zest.
In the small bowl cover raisins with hot water till they get plumped.
Add to the mixture. Finally add oat bran, and squeezed juice from blood orange.
Combine nicely.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Bake for 14 minutes.
In the meantime make fresh coffee or tea. Serve muffins hot from the oven. Drizzle with little honey and enjoy. They are crunchy on the outside and fluffy inside. Great muffins.
Oat bran is the edible, outermost layer of the oat kernel. Oats have been recognized as a food and an herb. Like oatmeal, oat bran contains B complex vitamins, protein, fat, minerals, and heart healthy soluble fiber.

Oat Bran

Breakfast Project, accomplished:)

Another day, another breakfast. This time I wanted to make something good, tasty, nutritious, light and to keep me going till late afternoon….but still needs to look dazzling:)
Sloppy or just throw on the plate dishes doesn’t really invites you to sit on the table and enjoy meal.
I considered my few favorite breakfast items and made little bowl of happiness.

Non fat plain yogurt, blueberries, toasted wheat germ, tiny waffle french toast pb&j- all served on the bed of lace thin omelette.
How about that?
You have your egg in the morning, creamy yogurt, fresh blueberries, healthy wheat germ and dessert, little fancy pb&j.
Needs just a few minutes to be made and ready to serve.
Best way to serve wheat germ is to toast it in the oven on 400F for 5-9 minutes and sprinkle on fruits, yogurts or similar.

In the meantime using whole grain waffles from your freezer cut two little squares. Scrambled egg with little milk, dip pieces in and toast for a minute each side.

Don’t waste your egg leftover, make thin omelette, it’s good for you.
Pick a nice glass or little bowl. Omelette on the bottom, layer yogurt, fruit, tiny bit more yogurt and sprinkle of toasted wheat germ.
Pick your favorite peanut butter and jelly and glue teaspoon of each between two pieces of toast.
Good breakfast, good start!
Wheat germ is amazing, natural source of folic acid.

Wheat germ contributes important nutrients that may be missing in a low-carbohydrate diet or any diet that eliminates starchy foods like breads and other baked goods made with flour. For this reason, those on low-carb diets will often supplement it with wheat germ.
Raw wheat germ provides about 101 calories, 6 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat and 4 grams of fiber. Wheat germ is also a good source of B vitamins and minerals such as iron and zinc.

Wheat Germ

.

Dry Blueberry Almond Bon-Bons:)

I wanted to make something sweet for a long time but wasn’t sure exactly what. Today I found and bought dry blueberries and idea was born.
I already had in my pantry almonds, which I toasted for extra aroma, petit beurre cookies, organic clementines, honey and a little bit of melted sweet butter. For the coating I used powder sugar/ sliced almonds….little variety.

Using food processor, ground almonds and cookies. Add all the ingredients from the list, clementine can be used for the zest and the juice. Pulse few times just to combine.
Let dough sit in the fridge for 20 minutes and then form little bite size bon-bons. You can use any coating that you like. Melted chocolate will work too but I wanted more natural, healthy, earthy & fruity flavor. Beautiful dessert for Holidays, Christmas or any other celebration. These Blueberry Almond Bon-Bons are gluten free.
Hope everybody will like them…Thanks for looking:)

Blueberry

Healthy Roasted Vegetables:)

You know me, I am practicing healthy food almost every day but I would love to put this post in special healthy category because it is very healthy, good for you dish plus very easy to make and super delicious….can be combined with meats or just by it’s self, vegetarian style.

Key to this dish is fresh vegetables, from your garden or Farmers market. Aroma and flavors will really pop out and you’re will have fabulous dish.
I chose 4 winter favorites: Carrots, Yellow-creamy Potatoes, Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes(Beauregard).
If you need you can trim or peel veggies a little bit first.

Off course little seasoning is the must. I chose rosemary for the potatoes, garlic for parsnip, pecans for sweet potatoes and just a sea salt for the carrots, little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil here and there, crumbs of sea salt, fresh grounded black peppercorns, if you have on hand orange or mandarin peal ….that’s even better, and well heated oven on 450F.
But there is a catch:)
Like my favorite Chef Jamie Oliver advises, great thing to do is to pre-boil vegetables for 8-12 minutes.

Then when veggies are drained put them in the shallow pan, arrange, season and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Serve veggies warm because they will be crisp and in it’s best!

And now few good words for the vegetables:

Carrots
Carrot is one of the most healing foods that provides the finest and highest quality in nutrients, especially from its juice. It is an excellent source of pro-vitamin A, vitamins C, D, E, K, B1 and B6.
It is rich with biotin, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, organic sodium and some trace minerals.

Parsnip
Parsnip is low in Saturated Fat, Sodium, and Cholesterol and very high in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Manganese, and Potassium.

Yellow potatoes
45% of the daily value for vitamin C, 620 mg potassium, comparable to bananas, spinach and broccoli, trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, iron and zinc and only 110 calories and no fat.

Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A. They are also a very good source of vitamin C and manganese. In addition, sweet potatoes are a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. Among root vegetables, sweet potatoes offer the lowest glycemic index rating. That’s because the sweet potato digests slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar so you feel satisfied longer.

Sweet Potatoes

Parsnip

Carrot

Potato