Brian's American Eatery

This is just a little shout out to Brian's American Eatery on Washington Street in Hillcrest for NOT sucking. I drive by it at least once a week on my way to a friend's house and--to be completely honest--I always think, "Guuh, that place looks like a dump." However, I went there for breakfast this morning and surprise, surprise, it's super cute and dinery, and the service is fast and friendly. They doooo have a HUGE menu (which I don't always like in a place) and their coffee is expensive ($2.89), which I thought was a bit odd, but overall I was very pleased with my breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, a biscuit, and house potatoes. Delish. You can read more about it HERE.

Cucina Urbana

It's been a loooong time since I've gone to a new interesting restaurant... which is one reason I haven't posted anything since January. The other reason is that I just got too busy. And another reason is that my garden looks like $h!t right now and I'm embarrassed to even call it a garden. I do, however, have some lovely squash growing despite my neglect, and after eating at Cucina Urbana last week, I'm inspired to make some of my own fried squash blossoms (pictured here). Stuffed with ricotta cheese, lightly fried and served with aioli-- I ate them all and didn't give any to my husband (he was leery anyway).




The other delicious thing I had there was a watermelon rose martini... sadly the waiter spilled half of it on my leg, but it was on the house and he brought champagne for our anniversary, so I forgave him quickly enough.




If it's your turn to plan a date night, this is what you should do: Park at Balboa Park's Organ Pavilion, take a stroll through the botanical gardens, then walk across the Laurel Street bridge to the corner of 6th and Laurel for dinner at Cucina Urbana. My husband and I each got a personal pizza: I got the mushroom with truffle oil (ooooh so good), and he got a spicy pineapple prosciutto pizza (also so good). The decor is rustic and artsy-- I wore jeans, but some people were more dressed up as well, so anything goes. The wait staff is very friendly and the food is superb (if you didn't pick up on that already)--they use fresh ingredients from local farms (like Suzie's) and create seasonal dishes.

We didn't make reservations and so we had to wait until there was an opening at the bar area (we didn't wait long), but if you want to sit at a table you definitely want to make reservations ahead of time--they book up nearly every night (even on weekdays).

Cucina Urbana
505 Laurel Street
619.539.2222

Cafe Madeliene, South Park

After our 8 mile run this morning, my running buddy and I ate at the newest creperie in South Park: Cafe Madeliene. I'm not a big fan of crepes because I find them dainty and flavorless most of the time--unless of course Nutella is involved--and I'm usually wishing the crepe was a tortilla instead of the limp, floppy, little thing it is. Today wasn't all that different in that regard, but as far as crepes go, Cafe Madeliene has a fun selection of unique flavors. For example I had the Poached Pear & Bleu Cheese with honey:

It was a quite tasty appetizer, and now I'm ready for a breakfast

burrito. I don't recommend crepes as a real meal, unless you like small meals. (Though not all crepes are so flat and Frenchy: the ones at the Farmer's Market are overstuffed with veggies...though they're still flavorless.)

My crepe date, who suggested both crepes and going to Madeliene's, was enticed by the Croque Monsieur (pictured here), thinking it would take her back to her days spent in Paris. She said it was "good," although it didn't use real French bread

and seemed more like something she'd make at home. Ah, c'est la vie.

The fresh squeezed orange juice was delicious and the coffee drinks are pretty (because of the glass they are served in)-- it looked like a lot of people were enjoying them. Seating is (very) limited, so try to go during a non-regular meal time (brunch hours, early or late afternoon are OK) and you shouldn't have any problem snagging a patio table or inside spot.

Cafe Madeliene

2248 30th Street (Turn right on Juniper: it's between Ivy and Juniper)

San Diego, CA 92104

619.544.1735

What to Eat Now

Eating seasonally? Here's what's tasty and ripe right now:

Artichokes, Asparagus, Avocados, Basil, Green Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carambola (Star Fruit), Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Chili Peppers, Citrus, Collards, Cucumber, Eggplant, Medjool Dates, Kale, Kiwi, Kohlrabi (Whatever that is), Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard, Okra, Green Onions, Passion Fruit, Green Peas, Peppers, Pomegranates, Potatoes, Spinach, Squash, Tomatillos, Turnips, Yams.

Things you might be afraid of in this list: Brussel Sprouts, Okra, Turnips. At least these are the things I don't want to eat. However, I have learned to like brussel sprouts when steamed then sauteed with olive oil and sliced almonds. As for okra, I've yet to discover a way to make the slime go away (What is that stuff anyway?). And as for turnips, they taste like dirt to me. Any suggestions?

New Year's Resolution:

Find better ways to drain the run off so I don't get bogged down and wilty.

The Last Farm Box

I might be taking a hiatus from the farm boxes for the rest of winter. I still really like them; however, I'm also wasting a lot food. For example, after picking up my box tonight, I came home and had to toss a whole head of wilty lettuce, dandelion greens, parsley, two soft radishes, wilty sage, and chard to make room in the frig for the new stuff. That's A LOT of food going to waste because I was too lazy to cook and instead ate Trader Joe's wasabi peas and sesame sticks for dinner every night last week.

This week's box contained:

Beets (4)

Carrots (4)

1/2 lb Dragon Tongue Shelling Beans (oooh. preeeetty.)

Delicata (2)

Chard

Lettuce (LOTS of it)

Napa Cabbage

Spinach (LOTS of it)

Parsley

Braising Mix (LOTS...)

Sprouts

Rosemary, sage, thyme, mix bunch

Microgreens

Dandelion Greens

First of all, what the cuss should I do with Dandelion Greens!? They don't taste like anything but bitterness. Bleck. If you have a recipe for Dandelion Greens pleeeeeeease share because if I don't use this bunch it will be the 3rd batch that goes to waste. And, what am I going to do with all these other greens? Cabbage and lettuce and spinach and braising mix? (What the f is that?): I need new recipes and I don't want them to be salads- I'm so sick of salads I could punch them (if they had faces).

On the plus side, I am excited about trying the Dragon Tongue beans; they have purple and white marbles shells. I've never seen anything like them. I'll let you know what they're like and share some pics.

Please post some recipes or ideas for me here about my farm box contents so that I don't waste any more food.

Happy Holidays

These are a few of my favorite (food) things

The holidays are here and it only took one trip to my parent's house (where my mom puts out a amazing fresh baked goods every 5 hours) and I already have an extra 3 pounds to carry around on my runs...and no, it's not the type of 3 pounds that can be lost in a lengthy bathroom session. It's 3 real pounds and there are more to come if I'm not careful.

Trying to stick to a vegan, or even vegetarian, diet over Thanksgiving wasn't possible, but I'm not beating myself up over it (though my intestines are still in recovery mode). So, when I came home from the holiday break, and was explaining all this to a friend, he told me that I'm an OPPORTUNIVORE. (It's the love child of "opportunity" and "omnivore" in case you missed that.) Apparently this is a real thing--he didn't just make it up. What it means is that I'm realistic about life and its complications concerning food. Our diets are determined by so many factors: location, finance, travel, allergies, the list goes on and on. So, I'm realistic about the way I eat and make no apologies when I have to veer off my vegan course. When it's possible and I have the time, money and resources to do so, I will always choose vegan. However, if it's inconvenient to others or simply not possible because of travel, I will do what is most logical. So there. Opportunivore. Spread the word.

In the mean time, here a few holiday treats I've tweaked so that I don't feel like I'm missing out on the good old fashioned holiday goodies:

Favorite Thing: Milky Hot Chocolate

New Favorite Thing:

-Heat 1 C sweetened or unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk in a sauce pan

-Add dry, non-dairy, cocoa powder (to taste)

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1/4 tsp nutmeg, allspice, or pumpkin spice (or more to taste)

**Optional: add a 1/4 tsp of peppermint or vanilla extract**

Favorite Thing: Eggnog & Eggnog Lattes from Starbucks:

New Favorite Thing:

Rice Milk Eggnog: It's not as good as the real thing (obviously--what is better than real eggnog?!) But, I found that it's good if you do 1/2 rice milk eggnog with 1/2 sweetened almond milk. This makes it a tad thicker like the real thing. Or, add the "eggnog" to your coffee instead of regular creamer. That is goooood.

Favorite Thing: Apple Pie

New Favorite Thing:

-Peel, core and slice about 4-5 apples to fill an 8 x 8, lightly greased, pan

-Toss with lemon, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg (as much as you like)

-Then toss with 1C of oatmeal or your favorite granola

-Drizzle maple syrup or agave nectar over the top of everything (Put about handful of oats or granola on top if you want a little crunch).

-Bake at 350 until the juices boil a bit and apples are soft (I have no idea how long that takes, I don't pay attention. I just check on it every once in a while).

** This recipe is also really good with some dried cranberries and fresh slices of pears.**

That's all for now. As I come up with more tweaks to holiday favorites, I'll post 'em.

Please share any healthy versions of classic holiday recipes you might have up your sleeve-- I'd love more recipes to try!