Chicken in Yellow Curry

The posts are few and far between now - but I wanted to get this recipe on the blog since it is delicious and nutritious!  My teammate was asking me how to make it, and it inspired me to write on the blog a bit more.  Since I began teaching third grade this past December, my mind has been thinking more about my students than about my stomach.  With that said, teaching also reminds me how much I love writing, and so I wanted to try to keep blogging if at all possible!  So hopefully I can try to find time to do so!

This Chicken in Yellow Curry comes from The World Kitchen from Williams-Sonoma with some slight alterations made by yours truly.  It is a FANTASTIC cookbook and I use it more often than the other recipe books that decorate the counter in my kitchen.  It has authentic cuisine from countries around the world, and I have yet to dislike a meal that I made from this cookbook.

If you enjoy curry, give this one a try!  If you aren't sure about curry, try it anyway.  :)

This is great to make on a Sunday when you may have more time to cook.  Plan ahead because the mixture simmers for an hour, but it is well worth it!  This also makes great leftovers for the week.  Next time I may add some green pepper to give it some color because it is pretty yellow, as the name suggests!  Maybe I should have served it in a different color bowl...


Chicken in Yellow Curry
Ingredients:

• 3 T canola oil
• 3 lb. Chicken Thighs - I used boneless / skinless
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 3 T curry powder
• 1 T dark brown sugar
• 1 t red pepper flakes
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 2 t lemongrass (the easiest is using the kind from a squeeze tube); otherwise, 2 stalks chopped
• 1 inch fresh ginger, minced (if you want large pieces of ginger, slice instead)
• 1 C chicken broth
• 1 can lite coconut milk
• 2 T fish sauce
• 3 carrots cut in 1 inch pieces
• 1 med. sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 3 T basil (optional, but it adds some color)!
• Wild, brown, or basmati rice

Directions

1. Warm the oil in a dutch oven over med-high heat and brown chicken  in batches (about 4 minutes each side). Once browned, remove from pan and set aside on a plate.
2. Once chicken is browned, at shallots and garlic to drippings in dutch oven and saute 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Then add curry, sugar, red pepper, black pepper, lemongrass and ginger.  Mix together and saute for about 30 seconds.
3. Add chicken broth to the pot and deglaze the pan.  You may need to scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon!
4. Stir in the coconut milk and fish sauce.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. Add the chicken thighs, carrots and sweet potato back into the coconut milk mixture.  Make sure to push the chicken and veggies down into the liquid with a spoon so they are covered.
7. Partially cover and cook over low heat for about 1 hour.  Chicken should be cooked through and tender, veggies should be soft.
8. Meanwhile, cook the rice.
9. Spoon rice into bowls, and scoop chicken curry mixture on top.  Garnish with basil and serve warm.

Bon Appetit!

Sausage, Cauliflower and Kale Potpie - Thanks Real Simple!

I have yet to put together a recap of the end of our summer tour of the U - S - of - A, but I will hopefully post that soon.  In the meantime, I have been very excited about being back in my own kitchen and eating home cooked meals, so I thought I would share this delicious recipe that we I made the first week we returned home.

Sometimes the thought of making a potpie or casserole scares me.  I would consider myself a mindful eater and the words "potpie" and "casserole" typical cause visions of cheese, cream of something soups, and other "stick to your bones" ingredients.  When I found this recipe in Real Simple, it seemed healthy, easy, and a good fit for a dinner party!  Plus, it made plenty to feed four and still have leftovers.

This one has the same home-cooked feel of a standard potpie, but with a different twist.  Definitely worth a try!  Another good Real Simple find in the stacks of recipes I had ripped from old magazines.

Sausage, Cauliflower, and Kale Potpie
Yield: (1) 9x13 casserole - about 8 servings
 

Oil, Onions, and Spices - oh my!

Ingredients:

Onion mixture + broth and flour....

• (1) 17.3 oz. package of puff pastry, thaw and cut each sheet into 4 rectangles
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 lb. sausage links (your fave flavor), remove casings and cut into 1 in. pieces
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 1 T fresh rosemary
• Dash of red pepper flakes (this was my addition - not in the original recipe)
• 1/3 C flour
• 3 C low sodium chicken broth
• 2 bunches of kale, torn into pieces (the recipe called for one but I thought 2 was necessary) 
• 2 T white wine vinegar
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets

Large bowl with all the deliciousness...

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 F - unless you are assembling ahead of time and then baking later in the day or the next day.
2. Heat oil in the pan and cook sausage until browned - they should be mostly cooked but don't need to be cooked the whole way through since you will be baking them later
3. Use a slotted spoon to set sausage aside in a large bowl (yes - it needs to be large), and leave pan drippings.
4. Add onions, rosemary and a dabble of salt/pepper, and red pepper flakes to the pan and saute for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add flour and stir to coat other ingredients (about 1 minute)
6. Add chicken broth and simmer until the base has thickened, stirring often.
7. Once the sauce thickens, add white wine vinegar, some more salt/pepper and kale to the pan.  *Note - since there was a fair amount of kale, I added the greens in batches until some became wilted, thus making room for the remaining greens.  Continue this process until all kale is wilted and combined.
8. Pour mixture over the sausage and toss to combine
9. Place mixture into a 9x13 pan and top with the 8 pieces of puff pastry, overlap pieces slightly.  *Note - it only took me six slices to cover the pan, so I added some honey and cinnamon to the remaining two pieces, wrapped them and baked them for fifteen minutes while we ate our potpie. They were a nice light dessert after the meal.  It was a delicious and wonderful life decision!
10. Bake at 400 for 25 - 30 minutes (the mixture should be bubbling), cool and then serve!

Prepped in a 9x13 pan

It is super easy, super satisfying and not too too heavy.  After reading the reviews on the real simple website there were some good ideas for alterations - adding garlic or garlic powder, putting an egg wash on the pastry, using spicy sausage, using apple cider vinegar instead of white wine vinegar, broccoli instead of cauliflower, different greens...

Any way you make it is sure to be delicious, so work with what you have in the house and make it your own!  It was a great meal on a crisp fall day!!

Yummmmmmmmy!!!

Bon Appetit!

A New Discovery and Fall Tradition in the Making

Honey Crisps - Ripe for the Picking!

After finishing work in NYC, we had a four day drive awaiting us - getting from Long Island, NY to San Antonio, TX wasn't looking like an easy drive in the truck, nor was it something I had planned on doing in this lifetime - but then again, who ever thought I would be touring the U.S. in a food truck?  We ended up making the drive enjoyable with some nice stops along the route (more on that soon), but first, we made a fantastic pit stop in PA for some R&R with Luke's parents and a quick visit with his Grandma Sally.  It was just the right amount of "real-life normalcy" (if that is even a thing) before hitting the road for the final push of our tour.

Grandma Sally and Luke

Our first stop in Pennsylvania was to see Luke's grandma Sally.  Our visit was too short, only a few hours, but we were able to make it happen which is what mattered.  We had lunch and chatted with Sally for a while, and took a short walk for her to check out our truck.  We also stumbled upon a great old fashion car, so we checked that out, too! Last summer we were fortunate to spend weeks upon weeks with Grandma Sally, but we were just happy to be able to see her this summer at all.

Classic Car Spotting

Lucas sitting on "his" steps

Then on to Milan, PA to see Bill and Sue.  We had a great few days with Luke's family and enjoyed a trip to Friendsville, gourmet meals compliments of chef Sue, a visit from Anneliza and Adam, and
education on bee keeping.  We also took a closer look at Sue's beehives - where my face ended up on the wrong side of a bee stinger (whoops)!  It turns out bees are more aggressive in the fall since they are working hard to pack in the honey before winter arrives.  We were sitting about seven feet from the fence but it was still too close and in the line of fire where the bees were entering and exiting one hive.  Lesson learned.

The highlight of our stay was when I discovered my new favorite fall activity.  I have always loved fall and welcome the season with open arms to breathe in the crisper air, create pumpkin dishes of every variety and surround myself with my favorite earth-tone colors.  However, never have I had a chance to partake in the best fall event of all...APPLE PICKING.  Well, while in PA, Sue introduced us to the joys of picking apples.

We went to Russell farms near Vestal, NY where they have 20 acres of trees spotted with every variety
of apple I could imagine and then some.  The apples looked so beautiful hanging from the branches, in some cases so heavy that the trees needed significant supports to stay standing.  Apples, I learned, reach peak ripeness at various times depending on the type of apple, and when we went picking the farmer recommended McIntosh, Ginger Golds, and (drum rolllllllllll) Honey Crisps!  I was ecstatic.

We spent the next 1.5 hours trying to find the best looking apples to put in our three 1/2 bushel bags and take home.  We admired the variety of colors, tasted some apples as we picked from the trees and pretended like we knew how to select the best of the best.  We were also amazed at the way a leaf shape could be "stenciled" on an apple if the leaf blocked the sun just right, and how sun kissed apples were colored so differently from their shaded neighbors.

Leaf Stencils

After making our way from McIntosh rows to the Ginger Golds, we headed over to the Honey Crisps.  One bite into those apples fresh from the tree confirmed why I am obsessed.  Plus, they sold for 1.49 per pound, double that of the others, yet this was a steal compared to store prices which are insanely expensive. Oh man, they are good!  

Once we had filled our bushels, we meandered through the rows of colorful vegetables, apple butters, and other farm fresh goods.  We picked up some sweet corn fresh out of the field to have with dinner, checked out and headed home.  The next day, we also helped Sue pick clean one of three apple trees right in their backyard.  They had some great apples right there and we filled three laundry baskets full of apples just from that one tree!  I would say we made out like kings.

I love colorful veggies!

Our picked apples

Sue is going to be busy making apple sauces and ciders to keep for the fall and winter.  Lucas and I will be busy eating up the of of apples we took with us for the road trip.  Either way, we discovered a fun fall activity that I plan on doing again when we get back to Colorado, once I do some research on apple picking locale in the Boulder area (pending flood damage...yikes!).

Yummy!

There is just so much more satisfaction in eating something you picked from the tree yourself.  Hence, why some day I would love to have our own garden.  In the meantime, when I get back to a real kitchen, I plan on indulging myself by making some of the following apple recipes - hopefully with hand picked apples!

Apples, Apples, Apples!

Easy Skillet Apple Pie - It is easy and amazing!  Favorite apple pie I have ever made.
Chopped Winter Salad (Squash, Apples and Feta) - Made it already, and loved it!
Or this salad from one of my favorite food blogs...
Fig, Apple and Gorgonzola Flatbread -  If only I could get fresh figs from the Hutcheson's fig tree!
Apple Pie Pull Apart Bread - This looks like something I could go for on a Sunday morning
BBQ Apple Pizza - Holy Smokes!  This sounds out of this world.  With fresh pizza dough...mmmmm!

Banana Smoothies Galore!

Freeze Bananas for Future Use - But Peel First!!

Naturally, you would expect me to be biased about usage of bananas in smoothies, but I truly think they are a necessity to make smoothies delicious and filling.  While we follow two banana smoothie recipes on our food truck, we have also created many other banana filled smoothies that I find quite delicious.  Some banana smoothie ideas below, and while only two of them were required for the summer tour, the rest are Carmalt originals!

Please note - when making smoothies, we throw some ingredients in a blender, hit the on switch and assume our concoction will be tasty.  I can list ingredients for these smoothies, but for the most part I can't tell you how much of what went in where.  Did you get that?

1. Banana Pineapple Coconut Smoothies are required on the banana boat that has taken us across the nation.  You can read about it in a previous post here.

2. Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie - 

Think about some of the best food combinations of all time (see list below):

• banana + peanut butter  (sandwich)
• peanut butter + chocolate (reeses)
• chocolate + banana (frozen banana bites - read here)
• peanut butter + honey (sandwiches)
• banana + honey (baking / oatmeal)

So of course this smoothie combining all of these flavors is delicious!  This one is borderline milkshake and is also required for our sampling tour.  To be honest though, I think I will make this again well into the future.  If you want to pretend like you are having a frosty, simply use frozen bananas.  It gets so thick it is pretty much impossible to pour without making a mess.

In a blender combine the following, blend, pour and enjoy.

- 2 bananas, frozen or ripe (one frozen and one ripe is the best combination)
- 1 C chocolate almond milk
- One big dollop of peanut butter (1/4 C)
- One squeeze of honey (1 T)
- 1 C ice

Peanut butter cup banana yum yum!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothies 

3. The straight up Banana Smoothie - 

This has been a lunch favorite throughout the summer.  It is easy because we have all the ingredients on the truck, and it saves us a trip to go get lunch if we aren't terribly hungry.  Plus, it is delicious and filling!

•  3 to 4 frozen bananas (If you don't use frozen, then throw in some ice cubes)
•  about 1 to 2 cups almond coconut milk
• -sometimes a little yogurt, but more often than not we just blended togethers banana and almond milk!
• The Kicker - Some fresh nutmeg sprinkled on top adds a nice touch.  We learned this little trick on our honey moon on the small island of Nevis in the Caribbean.  The banana smoothie I had on the beach in Nevis was possibly one of the best banana smoothies of all time.  I realize that is a bold claim, but it is true.  Fresher bananas maybe?

4. Banana and Fig Smoothie - 


This smoothie
is something I discovered on Pinterest and that I tried while we were in Arizona.  I don't totally remember what I put in the smoothie, but I remember it being satisfying (and healthy)!

• 1 to 2 Bananas
• 3 Figs, fresh or dried (if using dried, soak overnight so they rehydrate)
• Ice
• about 1 C Almond Coconut Milk
• Touch of Honey

5. The Patriotic Smoothie - 

We were working on the night of the 4th of July this summer, so we celebrated America with a festive smoothie for breakfast and a cookout for lunch.  The Red, White and Blue smoothie we made ended up being more of a Purple, Pink and White Smoothie - but it was the thought that counted.

Each layer included some ice, some yogurt, and almond milk.  The only difference in each layer was the fruit we used to make the different colors (strawberries, bananas, and blueberries from top to bottom).  The trick with the layering is to pour in the first layer, spoon in the second and third layer instead of pouring.   A big thanks to Mama Weston for being in charge of that tedious process.  It was a fun thought but I don't think I would ever do this again.  Worth one try though!

Happy Smoothie Eating!

....And Be Adventurous!  

Throw a few things into a blender and see how it goes!

Gourmet Getaways - Cuban in L.A. and Pakistani in Arizona

     Given that we are eating out regularly this summer, a restaurant really has to WOW us in order to be considered "blog worthy."  If I tried to blog about everything we ate, you would get bored and I would develop a serious case of carpal tunnel syndrome from typing every waking hour of the day.  Of course, I make exceptions for the best meals we eat - if you recall, just a couple of days ago I posted about Lemonade a delightful, mouthwatering wonder that we found in L.A. (Side note - I plan on making strawberry rhubarb lemonade today because our L.A. find was such an inspiration - will let you know how that goes).  Anyway, I wanted to tell you about two delicious places we recently ate that were quite different, but also amazing.  If you ever visit L.A. or Phoenix, it is worth going out of your way for these meals!

Cuban in Los Angeles - Portos Bakery and Cafe

Mariquitas (Plantain Chips) with Mojo (garlic sauce)

     Every time we told someone in L.A. that we were there for a few weeks they always asked where we were staying.  We told them we chose to stay in a hotel central to the many spread out events we had while there – Downey, CA.  Many people looked at us with a shameful, pitying glance suggesting we made a terrible mistake, perhaps thinking we should have asked for their advice on where to stay; however, in my mind we made an excellent choice!  Not only were we central to events, and have a two room suite (important given the amount of boxes we had to store), we also enjoyed two movies at a theater only one block away, AND we stumbled upon an incredible, unexpected culinary paradise right next to our hotel.  Now let me tell you about THIS gourmet getaway!

     We ventured into Portos Bakery and Cafe one afternoon simply to find out what they had.  We were greeted with beautiful cakes, a variety of sandwiches and salads, a complete espresso bar, fresh pastries including guava strudels, mango turnovers, fresh croissants, and Cuban delicacies.  There was an entire section of the store dedicated to cakes, the long, glass pastry shelves lined both counters of the cafe and there was, without fail, always a line of eager customers.  We had entered a world of Cuban culinary cuisine and we would venture back to this place at least 4, maybe 5 times, during our stay.

Horchata Espresso

      From the pastries to the breakfast sandwiches to the horchata beverages and lunch sandwiches - nothing failed to satisfy our hunger.  Some highlights to get your mouth watering are below.

      It was mid-day and we hadn't planned on eating - just  wanted to check out the menu - but we couldn't resist.  

We left with:

• a horchata smoothie - horchata is a traditional Mexican drink (but also made in a variety of ways in other countries) that is very rich and creamy - often made with ground rice, vanilla and cinnamon
• a rellenito sugar coated plantain stuffed with black beans (it doesn't look appetizing at first but it is jaw dropping delicious)
• mariquitas (plantain chips) with a side of Cuban garlic dipping sauce (mojo) - I just can't get enough of my bananas!  

  

  Rellenitos (photo pulled from website)

  
  
      In future trips we stopped in for breakfast, lunch and dinner, trying items on the menu such as:   

Machacha Wrap (photo from Portos website)

 
 
 
 

• Machacha Wrap (egg, roasted pork, cheese, tomatoes, peppers and onions in the best tortilla I have ever tasted)
  
• Chorizo and Egg Omelet Sandwich on Cuban Bread
• Caprese Sandwiches
• Torta de Pollo (chicken, goat cheese and black bean sandwich)
• House Salad with Mango Vinaigrette
• Horchata Espressos

Chorizo and Egg Omelet Sandwich

  We unfortunately were unable to try the  cakes, because splitting a whole cake between two people is just wrong.  I imagine they are delicious given the droves of people that left the store with boxes upon boxes of cakes, plus, this is how the bakery and cafe originated.  When the Porto family emigrated to CA from Cuba in the 1960's, Rosa Porto began selling cakes out of their home to make ends meet.  Being the amazing baker she apparently was, she slowly developed a strong customer base and later opened Portos Bakery and Cafe, which now has three locations in California.  You can read the whole story here (which is quite interesting), and see the menu.  If you are ever in Los Angeles, you must try this place!
  
Pakistani Cuisine in Phoenix - Curry Corner 

     We made another amazing find in Phoenix after watching an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  As the show came on, I thought outloud, "I wonder what places this show covers that are in Phoenix?"  Sure enough, Curry Corner was featured on that very episode!  It was destiny!

Bass Pro Shops Photo Shoot (note the hat Lucas is holding)

     We had a late event the following day so Lucas had made plans to go to a Bass Pro Shops in the morning to get a trucker hat since truck stops had proven to not have the right kind.  The Bass Pro Shops was about 30 miles from where we were staying, and there was a brewery in the same area that Lucas had his eye on.  Just our luck, Curry Corner was in the same general area so it was easy to tack on to our plans for the day.
    After an amazing trip to Bass Pro Shops (more later) our stomachs began growling.  We decided to hit Curry Corner before getting Lucas' growler filled - partly because of our very talkative stomachs, and partly because we were concerned a growler full of beer wouldn't hold up in the heat of the car when we stopped for lunch.  This stop at Curry Corner was one of the best detours we have ever made.

Cheese and Garlic Naan

     The restaurant itself is tucked away in the corner of a strip mall and doesn't scream "amazing eating establishment" as you pull into the parking lot.  This was a perfect example of the old saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover."  We were seated quickly once inside, we beat the lunch rush apparently, and the service was wonderful.  We quickly ordered cheese naan and garlic naan since we had watched how it was made on DD&D the night before.  I took one bite and am pretty sure I said something along the lines of "Oh my Lord, this is the BEST naan I have ever tasted."  The satisfaction didn't stop there.
     Lucas ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala and I ordered the Tandoori Chicken Tikka which was also featured on the show the night prior. Both dishes were overwhelmingly delicious and were very generous portions (enough to have for dinner as well)!  I would not do the meals justice by trying to explain what spices and herbs were included in each one.  I wish I had that kind of palette, but alas, I do not.  I suggest watching the clip on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives since we ordered those dishes (with the exception of the goat dish).

Tandori Chicken Tikka

     Next time you are in Phoenix, make the trip to Curry Corner, even if it is out of the way.  Look how happy Lucas was enjoying his meal!!

    

Lemonade L.A. - a.k.a. Leah's Dream Lunch Spot

We managed to make it to the beach!

     When on the road you manage to eat out a lot…well, always.  In Boulder, we never went out to eat – partly because we try to eat healthy, and partly because we were poor grad students (mostly the latter).  Anyway, now all we do is eat out which has certainly shocked our systems.  Hence, when we find healthy, delicious options for food, we are fine with returning to the same establishment multiple times in one week (hence why we enrolled in the My Panera rewards program).

     Fortunately, after visiting Dole Headquarters while in L.A. we stumbled upon a nice neighborhood with a glorified outdoor shopping area and a sign for a restaurant that simply read, “lemonade.”  We were unfamiliar with this place, but an ice cold lemonade sounded delightful.  Certain they would have lemonade we ventured in to give it a try, despite our uncertainty of what the food would be like.   We came to find, simply put, it was divine.  I had walked into my eating habit heaven and I was floored with wonderful, albeit many, choices.  Read on.

     As far as I know, lemonade is only in California and there are limited locations; however, in our short time there we managed to visit two locations: Westlake Village and Manhattan Beach.  When we arrived at the restaurant in Westlake Village, I was flustered by the choices, deciphering between market options, sandwiches, braises, soups, etc. and the school cafeteria-esque way in which you placed your order. Plus, the menu posted behind the counter is no help since it doesn't list all the options.  Luckily, since we went out of our way to Manhattan Beach in order to enjoy lemonade again, I made sure to check the menu online ahead of time and our second time there I ordered like a champ.

This is only half of the amazing market portion options!

    Now you are wondering why I love this place.  I like to pick at different things when I eat.  A bite of this, a bit of that, a taste here, a forkful there, bites from others’ plates – you get the idea.  I am the annoying person that can never decide what they want, asks everyone else what they plan to order, and then make sure everyone is willing to share part of their meal with me.  My best friend and former roommate Amy was the first to point out my quirky eating habits, and made me realize how often I pull out leftovers, take a bite out of each of them and put them back.  What can I say, I have a hard time making decisions.  In addition to "picking" I also love salads with all sorts of toppings and flavor combinations.  Picture side items such as three bean salads or roasted veggie quinoa salads or cold noodle salads or leafy green salads or roasted vegetable salads with bulgur.  Let’s put it this way, the Whole Foods salad bars excite me more than I can explain because they have countless little salad like options. 

From Left to right: Broccoli, Ricotta and Champagne Vinaigrette - Brussels sprouts, red flame grapes, pistachio, parmesan - Orecchiette, asparagus, perlini mozzarella, sorrel - Pineapple chicken, green beans, coconut, apple jerk dressing

     Anyway, to my point, at lemonade the first thing you can order are portions from the market.  There are about 15 - 20 different choices of salads / sides to choose from and you can order 1 – 6 portions. You can get 1 to go with a sandwich, soup or braise, or you can get 4 or 5 portions for a filling lunch and still have enough leftover for dinner.  The options were endless, but all were healthy, flavorful and catered to my “picking” and undecisive eating habits.  This place allowed me to eat about 4 different side salads as my meal.  It was like I had walked into a culinary heaven that was made for me.

Clockwise: Crunchy cabbage, sunflower seeds, black bean vinaigrette - Brussels sprouts, red flame grapes, pistachio, parmesan - Italian chop vegetables, garbanzo, gruyere - Soba noodle, kimchi marinated vegetables, toasted peanuts - Watermelon radish, ahi tuna, snap peas, black sesame, ginger

Blueberry Mint and Cucumber Mint Lemonade

    Don’t worry, it gets better.  Remember, we entered this gourmet dream because of the appeal of a large glass of lemonade and boy, were our expecations exceeded.  They not only had old-fashioned lemonade they had the most flavorful and refreshing lemonade flavors I have ever tasted.  Better than 5 cent roadside lemonade from an eight year old, too.  We tried blueberry mint lemonade, pineapple cardamom lemonade and our favorite for it’s refreshing and soothing taste - cucumber mint lemonade. They also served a blood orange lemonade, watermelon rosemary lemonade, spinach pineapple lemonade, guava limeade and arnold palmers. 

    On our first trip we both had two sides along with a sandwich for me and a miso short rib braise for Lucas.  We both loved our meals and were determined to find other locations where we could have this again, knowing we would not be as far north as Westlake Village againi.  However, on the second trip in, we both stuck to what was the most delicious part of our first meals - portions from the market.  We loaded up on a bit of this and a bit of that, and were able to stretch the deliciousness through both lunch and dinner.  Mmmmmmm Mmmmmmm.  We loved every bite of our meals, and we didn’t even venture into the white truffle mac and cheese and the plentiful, mouthwatering dessert options.  

Dinner with the Walrath Clan!

     I may argue lemonade could be ranked in the top three for the best meals on the trip thus far… and don’t worry, we have been eating quite well.  Best meal definitely goes to a homemade meal with the Walraths - cousins on my Mom's side that live in L.A.  This included a homemade meal that included a reunion with family, a beautiful view, many items fresh from the Walrath garden, a trip in Bruce's VW Bus and homemade hot fudge...nothing can top that (which reminds me, I need to blog about that)!! Second best goes to a splurge we made for a delicious meal in Bend, OR and lemonade may win for the #3 spot.  We loved it and I kept saying how we needed something like lemonade in Boulder because it would be a hit!

     As we venture into Arizona (and as I sit on the side of I-10, in the middle of nowhere, in the heat of the desert, with a blown tire and the closest mobile tire replacement company 80 miles away) I am beginning to think about what types of infused lemonade we can attempt to make while we are in Arizona for the next two week.  Weather forecast is calling for 118 degrees on Saturday, so my guess is we will yet again be craving a tall, ice-cold lemonade.  Will keep you posted if we can recreate something as wonderful as what we had in L.A!

 On a side note - we saw this truck as we left L.A. and headed to AZ.  It is hard to tell, but if you look closely you can see that person is hauling a dog and multiple goats, among other things...

 

Dole Banana Pineapple Coconut Smoothies

     As mentioned previously, over the course of the summer I will shed some light on the six recipes we make from our truck regularly.  We rotate recipes depending on the ingredients we have on the truck, how long our event may be, and the time of day we will be serving food.

     Let me introduce you to the Dole Banana Pineapple Coconut Smoothie.  This gem is not only refreshing, but it is easy to make and requires limited kitchen utensils, which means a faster clean up (something we value highly nowadays).  Our appreciation for dishwashers has sky rocketed since joining this tour, and we LOVE when we find a kitchen that allows us to use their industrial washing machines.  Talk about a time saver.

Making Smoothies in the Hotel

     Although we have been making the Dole Banana Pineapple Coconut smoothie recipe every week since we began the tour, I can honestly say we have now perfected the recipe to make a cold, refreshing, and all around satisfying smoothie.  With a few slight adjustments, without changing any ingredients or ratios, we have figured out the best way to make this smoothie thick, cold, creamy and absolutely delicious every time.  This was important for us to perfect now, especially since the temps are only going to shoot up from this point forward.  We enjoy this so much, we also make it when we are off the clock - and have tried some variations as well!  Nope, not sick of smoothies or bananas yet!

     If you need some motivation to try this one at home, I can tell you that our consumers appreciate this smoothie and express their satisfaction with comments such as, “This is so refreshing!” or “I love the tropical flavors!” or “I just love that it is cold!”  So give it a try and you will be pleasantly impressed with the magic that can happen with four simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

Just blend with ice!

•  2 ripe Dole Bananas, (peeled and frozen prior to using in smoothie – ripe bananas work well too, but the frozen bananas enhance the flavor and provide extra creaminess!
•  2 C Dole Pineapple, drained (you could use fresh pineapple, or buy a can of pineapple chunks in 100% pineapple juice, drain the pineapple juice and use the canned pineapple in the smoothie (we like to drink the pineapple juice drained from the can over some ice…mmmm mmmmm).
• 1 C Vanilla Almond Coconut Almond Breeze (if you can’t find the Vanilla Almond Coconut, look for the Almond Coconut, or use Vanilla or Original AND if you stop by the Peel the Love truck we can give you a coupon for $1.50 off)!
• 1 C ice
• If you like coconut, add some toasted coconut, but it is tasty without it!

 Directions (this is the best part)

1. Place all ingredients in a blender.  Blend.  Serve cold.

     How we perfected the recipe:

1.     Draining the canned pineapple makes a world of difference.  It makes a thicker, creamier smoothie and brings out the banana flavor rather than tending to be more pineapple flavored.

2.     Peel and freeze bananas ahead of time – but do not freeze with the peel on!  The frozen bananas not only make the smoothie colder, but it also makes it thicker as well!

3.     If you make too much, you can place the blender in the freezer, then give it another quick blend before your second serving.  This keeps it cold and fresh!

One other note:

Since we use the Almond Breeze almond milk in the recipe, this delicious and healthy treat is dairy free, soy free, lactose free, gluten free, vegan, peanut free and very nutritious!  Using unsweetened almond milk will also reduce the calorie count (which isn’t terribly high to begin with)!  

Happy Smoothie Making and Peel the Love!