California eats

I was in California a few weeks ago and there was no shortage of delicious food.

Went to Nekter Juice Bar for acai bowls and fresh pressed juice. Utah, are you listening?

 

Milk and Honey in Costa Mesa. Teen and I shared a PB & berry sandwich. gimme.

 

Got all fancy huh at Nick's in Laguna Beach. I ordered meatloaf! I haven't had meatloaf in YEARS! no regrets. so good.

Breakfast at Banzai Bowls one morning in Laguna Beach. Utah---pretty please?!

  

and Costco pizza. that. hit. the. spot.

 

Breakfast // Pancakes with no syrup

 

We made pancakes one morning while I was visiting my twin sister in California and she didn't have any syrup. No problem, I warmed up some frozen berries, gave them a mashing, and drizzled some honey to sweeten it up.

Healthy Wholewheat Pancakes
adapted from Favorites cookbook
1 cup wholewheat flour (I used freshly ground)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sucanat
1/2 teaspoon real salt
1 cup almond milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

Combine all ingredients and mix. Bake on hot griddle.

Dessert // Angel Food Cake

It's my favorite spring dessert---Angel Food Cake. I've only made it once, but that's because Whole Foods or Costco sells such delicious ones. I really oughta make it again though, just for fun.

We had this for Easter dessert and it's an easy and light way to end a meal.

I really love how angel food cake is super easy to make look pretty. Taking a big slice of angel food cake and with a scoop of strawberries and a large dollop of whipped cream it is presentable and delicious. Nothing tricky to it.

Easter Dinner

Looking at these pictures from our Easter dinner is making me hungry! It was a flawless meal.

turkey with cranberry sauce

ham with mustard+relish

roasted asparagus

raw rainbow carrots

citrus ginger salad

bunny rolls (our only food tradition for Easter)

scalloped potatoes (not pictured)

Eat // waffles

I can't quit the overnight waffle recipe! I've been a huge fan of it lately because it makes a soft, filling waffle and has no flour, no oil, and no butter. It's got great flavor and a little bit of succanat sugar which means I didn't need any syrup. I like to top these with applesauce or mixed berries. You must try.

Drink // Perrier

My mom ALWAYS has citrus fruits and Perrier on hand. That drink with a side of popcorn is my favorite nightly treat.

I don't drink other carbonated drinks, but this I totally love. Simple, no chemicals, no sugars added.

Perrier + how ever many citrus fruits you can handle = my drink of choice (besides water, of course)

I do think Perrier/club soda/plain seltzers are an acquired taste. Can you drink them plain? What do you like to drink?

spring side dishes

I love being in the kitchen with my mom. She has a fully stocked kitchen, great lighting, and all the great kitchen tools. I love how adventurous she is in the kitchen, pretty much never makes the same meal twice. While we were at Pike Place Market we over heard a lady saying she likes to cook her artichokes in the pressure cooker. We were intrigued and had to try.

This is what we did:
Snip off all the pointy tips from the artichoke leaves. Place in a normal size pressure cooker with a little salt, a cut up lemon, and fill with water about half way up. Put lid on and turn on to high until pressure cooker lid starts to rattle. Turn down and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Take the pot over to the sink and run cold water over the pressure cooker until the valve goes down. Serve with a little melted butter and olive oil to dip in.
Normally it would take 45-60 minutes to cook an artichoke in a regular pot, but with a pressure cooker it took only 25 minutes. Wonderful!

Another side dish we tried was mashed cauliflower.
Here's what we did:
Cut cauliflower in florets and steam in a large pot. Once the cauliflower is tender drain the water and mash the cauliflower. We added some cream cheese and mashed until combined. Salt and pepper to liking.