Sweet Heat Shrimp, Mango and Avocado Salad

Often when Luke goes out of town, I either use that time to catch up on happy hours with friends and eating out, or I make a large vat of homemade mac and cheese and live off of that for several days. Since neither of those are particularly healthy options AND I've got a wedding to look forward to (no date yet!), I needed to focus on some gentle, nutritious meals for one. This salad was simple and FAST to make, and I made it to the gym afterwards feeling energized and not stuffed. You'll love the sweetness of the mango and honey, creaminess of the avocado and the little kick of the red pepper. Give it a try!

Sweet Heat Shrimp, Mango and Avocado Salad

1/4 pound shrimp, deveined and tails removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon honey
Juice of 1 lime
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 cups spinach
1 Ataulfo mango, diced (these are the little yellow ones you might know as Champagne mangos - SO addictive)
1/2 small avocado, diced
1-2 small radishes, thinly sliced

Preheat a nonstick skillet with olive oil on medium high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, then cook 1-2 minutes on each side, until curled up and pink. Place in a bowl and top with honey, lime and red pepper and toss to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine spinach, mango, avocado and radishes and toss. Top with spinach and toss to combine and dig in!

Mastering the Art of a Julia Child Dinner Party

I just celebrated another birthday, but this time, I brought the celebration to my friends - via Julia Child. I've been a longtime fan of hers as I mentioned in a blog post a while back, and after watching Julie/Julia with a glass of wine in hand one too many times, I decided I wanted to spend my birthday with a full Julia experience.

A few cute decorations were in order, but I didn't want to buy a bunch of random items I wouldn't be able to use again, so I got creative. Since our dinner table is small, I pulled out a card table and then just got a nice, clean tablecloth to cover it. On top I have some antique blue mason jars from my grandma that I put some simple roses in. On a trip to World Market I came across a cute little Eiffel Tower replica and chalkboard for a perfect Julia saying - Bon Appetit! Votive candles and wine corks did the rest - along with Edith Piaf playing in the background to set the mood.

Like any dinner party, if you plan well enough, it's quite simple to pull off. Luckily I had a resource for recipes (Mastering the Art of French Cooking of course!). I thought a simple start of french bread and cheese paired with artichokes with a lemon beurre sauce would be a gentle way to start the evening. And, with my sister in town to be my sous chef, she tackled the artichokes from start to finish!

Thanks for the help sis!

For the main course, I went with the tried and true Bouef Bourguignon that I'd blogged about in the past. Although the dish takes about 4 - 4 1/2 hours from start to finish, there's a lot of down time perfect to clean yourself (and your kitchen!) up.

For dessert, I made the Reine de Saba (chocolate almond cake) from her book. It was simple and small, perfect for a dinner party without a whole bunch of cake leftover to stare me in the face for a week!

I had to dress the part of course! Pulling off the Julia look wasn't tough. A simple buttoned shirt, knee-length skirt and pearls were the basis, and I made my own Ecole des Gourmands pin. I had a wig sitting around that a few clever placements of bobby pins gave me the perfect hairstyle for the evening. The finishing touch was of course one of my trusty aprons.
The most important part of a dinner party is the company you keep. Many thanks to my gentle friends for spending my birthday evening with me, bring wine to pair with the courses and for dressing like Parisians!

Cheers to a gentle birthday!

Thanks friends :)

Spicy Mediterranean Steak Salad

Well, I managed to survive vegan week, but it confirmed my joy for meat and dairy, so while I may enjoy a vegan meal every now and then, there won't be any big changes on Apron Adventures.

BUT, speaking of changes, this Apron will become a Mrs! My photographer, taste-tester and fellow contributor Luke proposed last week. Stay tuned for wedding details! In the meantime, be on the lookout for more health-conscious meals as this apron works to fit into the ultimate - a wedding dress! But, I do need to satisfy my palette, so no frou-frou here!

Spicy Mediterranean Steak Salad

1 pound skirt steak
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 small golden potatoes
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced
6 ounces mixed greens
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup pitted olives, sliced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinaigrette

Marinade the skirt steak in 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper for about an hour. In the meantime, slice potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces, spread on a baking sheet and coat with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes, finishing on a broil if needed.

While potatoes roast, preheat a cast iron skillet on medium high heat, add remaining olive oil and cook steak 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove and set to rest about 5 minutes, then slice.

While the steak rests, saute onions, bell pepper and jalapeno for about 3 minutes. To assemble salad, toss greens, feta, olives, and vinaigrette with roasted potatoes and cooked vegetables, then top with steak. Enjoy!

Vegan Day 3

Yesterday I was finally put to the test. We were offered free Annie's cafe for lunch at work, however there were no vegan options. I could've opted for a salad and asked for no meat, but I had already packed my Mardi Gras salad that I was looking forward to, so I went with that. Then, some sweet/evil colleagues ordered Tiff's Treats, which I again had to refuse. But, I felt like one tough cookie and not deprived at all, so I'll chock it up to a win.

One large component of my success yesterday was snacking on a KILLER olive tapenade I whipped up. So easy, yet so satisfying salty. Give it a try:

Olive Tapenade

1 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 tablespoon roasted garlic
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Pulse the olives and garlic in a good processor, then stream in olive oil to reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and you're done!

I've been eating the tapenade with The Pioneer Woman's Olive Focaccia Bread, which is a favorite in our house.

For dinner, I had spotted Stetted's recipe for Indian-Spiced Mushrooms and Lentils a few weeks ago and knew I wanted to make it. She describes it as almost stew-like, and she's right! It was really satisfying. I didn't have any naan, so we ate some just with a fork and I tried some in a tortilla as well - pretty good! Also, I'd never prepared lentils before, so this was a fun experiment - they were easy! If you're looking to mix things up, definitely try this dish!

Mardi Gras Salad

Apologies for the bad photo, but I had a share an image of my "Mardi Gras" salad. Why you say? Why, look at the vibrant colors - the green from the basil dressing and salad and the vibrant purple of the beets are perfect to celebrate Mardi Gras! This was quite filling and surprisingly sweet, a delicious salad.

Mardi Gras Salad

1-2 beets
1 cup fresh basil

1 tablespoon roasted garlic

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

5 ounces salad greens
1/2 cup prepared couscous
1 small carrot, shaved or grated

Coat the beets in olive oil and roast whole in a 375 degree oven for about an hour and 15 minutes. Let cool, then peel the skin and dice.

Meanwhile, to make the dressing, add basil, garlic and pine nuts into a food processor and pulse to combine. Stream in olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To combine the salad, place salad greens, couscous, shaved carrot and diced beets. Top with desired about of basil dressing, toss and enjoy!

Veggie Wrap

Day one of the vegan experiment went well. I found that by being prepared with small snacks throughout the day, I was able to put off any hunger before it got so bad that I caved in for a non-vegan treat. Let's see if I can remain that strong for the reminder of the week.

I made this tasty and very filling wrap for dinner last night that satisfied my hunger and got me through an hour-long Body Jam session. Success!

Veggie Wrap

1 large whole wheat tortilla
2 tablespoons homemade hummus
2 tablespoons salsa of your choice
3 ounces salad greens
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup cooked black beans
1/4 cup couscous
1/4 red bell pepper, sliced
A few red onion pieces

Lay the tortilla out and spared the hummus over one half of it. Next spread the salsa over the hummus layer, then pile on the remaining ingredients. Wrap it up and enjoy!

The Great Vegan Experiment

If you've been a long-time Apron Adventures reader, or even if you haven't, you've probably noticed my affinity for cheese, bacon and other meat/dairy products. I find I often rely on them to make a dish pop. So, in order to step out of my comfort zone, and also just to see if I can, I'll be following a vegan diet today through Friday. This isn't to make a statement, rather just a friendly experiment to see if I can hack it.

So far, I've armed myself with homemade hummus and olive tapenade, almond milk for my morning coffee and ceareal, tons of fresh produce, grains such as quinoa, cous cous and lentils, and tofu. If you have any tips for this brave blogger entering a new world, they are much appreciated.

I'll be blogging along the way, so cheer me on since I know I'll need as much support as I can get!

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus

1 red bell pepper
1 can chick peas, rinsed
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
Dash cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Approx. 1/4 cup olive oil

Roast the red pepper in the oven until skin begins to blister, turning occasionally. Place in a paper bag for about 1 minutes. remove the blistered skin and place in a food processor. Add the chick peas and galic and pulse. Add in seasonings and pulse, then slowly stream in the olive oil until a desired consisteny is reached. Enjoy with pita bread, fresh veggies or on your favorite sandwich.