Mexican Salad w/ Salsa Egg + Banana Boats

Somehow, I made it through Bikram yoga again tonight. I was a starving and disheveled mess when I got home, so I wasn't completely on top of my cooking-game. I knew I wanted to poach an egg in salsa verde (an idea Grandma gave me) and put it on top of a Mexican salad. I may have let the egg poach a bit too long... but other than that, the salad was good! I just put a mound of spinach on a plate with black beans, corn, poached egg, more salsa verde, cheddar cheese, avocado slices and tortilla chips. By the end of dinner, we were just eating chips + salsa + cheese. And canned peaches (?) because Evan grabbed those at the store. 

Dessert was yummy but way too small. Why did I think half a banana would be enough? This was a rendition of my childhood all-time favorite, the banana boat. Simply slice a banana lengthwise, but not all the way through and stuff! I stuffed mine with peanut butter, white and semisweet chocolate chips (marshmallows are also a phenomenal addition). Wrap in tin foil and put in a toaster oven/grill/oven until the banana is warm and chips are melted. Dig in with a spoon!

An Ode to Apps

I would never downplay the importance of the appetizer. Often it's my favorite part of the meal, whether it's cheese and olives, crostini, fruit, dips, chips - the simpler, the better. Tonight, sitting down on my couch with my appetizer and glass of Cabernet was by far the best moment of my day (though that's not saying much on a day like today). My glorified snack was a duet of goat cheese with strawberry on pita and cream cheese with red pepper jelly on pita.

A generous blond man will walk through the door in about 90 minutes bearing sushi, and I'll definitely be ready for it. Until then, these pitas and a hot bath will just have to do.

Marinara Poached Eggs on Garlic Bread

They weren't kidding when they said you'd feel as if a bus ran you over the day after Bikram yoga. I'm currently having serious walking issues, which resulted in me slipping and falling on my back in the middle of my hallway a minute ago. I'm sure that will help the soreness.
While perusing the web today, I came across a recipe for marinara poached eggs and was very intrigued. Its probably the easiest recipe in the world and surprisingly delicious. 

I poured one to two cups of marinara into a pan over medium-high heat, then cracked the eggs into the pan after the marinara was bubbling. I covered the pan and let it cook for about 5 to 7 minutes so the yolk was cooked through. I put the eggs and sauce on a piece of sourdough garlic bread with fresh basil, and would have grated Parmesan on top if I had the patience. 

I served this with my favorite salad combination of all time: spinach, goat cheese, strawberries, craisins and pecan pralines with balsamic vinaigrette. Those pecans are going on top of some vanilla ice cream later, for sure.

Tuna, White Bean & Spinach Pasta

Oh. M. G. Tonight I had my first Bikram (Hot) Vinyasa Yoga session at Down Dog Yoga in Georgetown. This class is not playing around. The room is 90-100 degrees, packed full of sweaty yogis moving nonstop for 90 minutes. I did it, and made it out alive! with only a few collapses. I've decided I am definitely a supporter of Bikram. I've never sweat like that ever, ever. 
After stripping out of my drenched clothing and walking the 2 miles home, I am SHOCKED I had the patience to cook dinner. I love this combination pasta dish, and I'm even happier there are lots of leftovers. 

Tuna, White Bean & Spinach Pasta

Ingredients

Whole wheat Penne (1/2 the box)

1/2 can white beans

2 handfuls of spinach

1 can white tuna

1-2 tsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. olive oil

2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Red pepper flakes

Sea salt

Grated Parmesan Reggiano 

Boil pasta. 2 minutes before done, add in white beans. Strain and mix in spinach leaves. Toss until leaves wilt. Add tuna and rest of ingredients.

Red Pepper Jelly Creations

It's Sunday, so you know what that means...Farmers Market! 

This was Evan's maiden voyage and he was not left disappointed. In addition to the numerous samples, we bought a pear spice muffin (which was divine) along with this gorgeous wheat sourdough round. That, and some brussel spouts, a crazy looking sweet potato and red pepper jelly. Love, love this stuff. 

I wasted no time and made myself a sourdough toast with goat cheese and red pepper jelly for breakfast. 

In the spirit to try new things, Evan suggested we rent bicycles and ride them up the C&O Canal. So that is what we did - after I bought nifty (extremely embarrassing) head band. I fussed a bit, only because my bike had gear issues, it was freezing, I was hungry and those bike seats are none too comfortable, BUT it was fun and had gorgeous views. I SO wish I had brought my camera but I had trouble even keeping up with my debit card. We traveled about 8 miles round trip. It was definitely a work out, but it beats running in my book.


After the ride, I was about to keel over from starvation, so we ducked into Tackle Box for lunch. 

When I got home, I went into a small coma of exhaustion, then continued work on my painting (which is coming along nicely), then started dinner. Naturally, I used my red pepper jelly again and made a cucumber, cream cheese and red pepper jelly sandwich on sourdough. With this, some brussel spouts adapted from my friend Blair's special recipe: steam the brussels, then put them in a skillet with oil or butter, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, garlic (I used garlic salt), balsamic and brown sugar. 

Lastly, I microwaved the odd looking sweet potato and mashed it up with half a banana, cinnamon, nutmeg, a tiny bit of butter, pineapple juice and brown sugar. Sprinkled raisins and a little more brown sugar on top and baked it for about 20 minutes at 400. 

 Now it's Hulu time.

Grilled Shrimp Tacos w/ Tots

Oh, how I love brunch. Today we chose bread and chocolate as the destination. Needless to say, it was a huge step up from last night's meal. I had the Muesli with tons of fruit mixed in and a side of challah bread dipped into a vanilla latte. 

After another large spree at Target (per usual), I headed over to Evan's for the UNC v. Florida State game. We won, there was yelling, boys ripping off shirts, high fives all around. 

FINALLY, the grill was ignited. 

While the rest of the crowd had "burgers & dogs," I made grilled shrimp tacos. Everything would have worked out smoothly if there had been light in the backyard near the grill. However, since it was pitch black, there was no way to discern if the shrimp was cooked through. It took two turns on the grill and a few minutes in a skillet to finish them up. I slightly adapted this recipe from Sarah Foster's Casual Cooking cookbook. I'd definitely make these again, but I'd bring a flashlight.

Grilled Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients:

Large shrimp

Salsa verde

Lime

Corn tortillas

Goat cheese

Avocado, sliced

Cilantro

Marinade the shrimp in salsa verde and lime juice for about 30 minutes. Soak wooden skewers before skewering shrimp. Grill for 1-2 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Brush tortillas with olive oil and place directly onto grill, 1-2 minutes per side. Cut shrimp into thirds. Spread goat cheese onto tortillas, add shrimp, avocado, salsa verde, cilantro leaves and a squeeze of lime. 

Friday Night Out

Evan and I had plans to go out to dinner last night, and it was my job to choose the fine establishment for our weekend splurge. I ended up being busy all day and Evan went with a knee-jerk decision he found on Yelp, with a seemingly promising review. Well, I think I've found my least favorite restaurant in DC. The poor reviews from a friend should have stopped us, the fact that it was in Foggy Bottom should have stopped us (arguably my least favorite area of DC), but we went. 


The setting of this restaurant was in the bottom of a hotel with short ceilings and an entrance through a lobby. We were seated and given the "Student Menu" and no wine list (though the name is F Street Bistro & Wine Bar). Poor Molly, our slightly socially awkward waitress, was the only waitress for 12 tables, all of which sat GWU students looking like they rolled out of bed. -- Now, I understand that not all restaurants have to be fancy, or even good. However, on the website of this restaurant they describe it as "Superb Cuisine & Ambiance" and "a haven for diplomats, professors, and high-powered executives who want to escape the bustling federal and business districts."

Image from website

As far as food, I ordered the spinach salad with goat cheese & apricot compote (there was no apricot compote, there was a fruity vinaigrette) and the baja fish "tacos" = tough fish with mango salsa in thick pita bread. Evan darlingly ordered calamari (a chewy, fried failure) and tequila cream pasta with "blackend" chicken, which was more like Tysons-chicken-from-a-bag. 


The experience is not fully conveyed without the obnoxious, self-important dialog from the students around us about their Thursday nights. This lesson was learned the hard way.