black mission figs

This past weekend I went to Jimmy's Bar & Oven to grab a salad with a friend. I was IN LOVE with the decor and ambiance of this restaurant... high ceilings, cement and chalkboard walls, industrial lighting, an open kitchen, bar seating, and my favorite spec: a glass garage door that opens up to the outside street. I saw a man and asked if he was Jimmy. Luckily, he was. Turns out he used to own a restaurant in the South End and closed it 4 months ago to open up this new place. I did not get into too many details, but told him how much I love the look of Jimmy's (sorry I wish I had my camera on me to take a picture of the interior!)

jimmys

Both my friend and I ordered baby arugula salad with figs, and goat cheese. I also asked for a side of beets. The Salad was fresh and delicious, we asked for more goat cheese, since we felt that both salads could have used more. They brought us more with no charge. Hey we love cheese!

The thing we enjoyed most about the salads were the figs. They were smaller and darker than what we  thought normal figs were. We asked the waitress what kind of figs they were and she said "normal figs". We thought they had to have been soaked in something because they were oozing with goodness. But turns out they were  just ordinary figs! They were oozing with their natural sugars! Totally sweet and yummy. I found them in Trader Joes today:

figs

I just ate some now. I cut them up in small pieces and put them in greek yogurt with walnuts! YUM it was delish. I love the creamy texture of the yogurt mixed with the chewyness of the figs, and then the crunchy texture of the walnuts.

What do you do with your figs?

GREAT recipe website!

I love Gojee recipe website! Easy to navigate, somewhat interactive, and always has a beautiful final product picture of the recipe! You can tell Gojee what you crave, what you have, what you like, and dislike and the site will narrow down their many, many recipes. Their recipes are compiled from all different and wonderful food bloggers. I want to make a new dish tonight, and was stuck with no ideas. I took a visit to Gojee and after some narrowing down of what I like I ended up with two new ideas:

   Tilapia with Olive & Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade

Recipe and Photo by Meredith Steele

OR

Steamed Wild Salmon with Mizuna, Mustard Greens, Soy Sauce and Ginger

Recipe and Photo by Joanne Goodman

What are your favorite sites for getting recipes?

Why blanch?

I blanched this weekend for the second time ever, and I for sure will continue to do so.  Blanching (yes a funny word when said over and over again) is a quick and easy cooking technique.  Blanching is AWESOME because it keeps your veggies BRIGHT in color and crisp in texture, and really cuts your actual cooking time in half! After you blanch your veggies you can then quickly saute, or eat them the way they are.  You can add some seasoning like lemon, salt and pepper, or you can store right away and eat the next day or throw them in a fresh salad. Not only does blanching seal the vegetables color, but it also keeps the nutrient content and crispness of the vegetable. How to blanch:

Prep your veggies. Wash. Cut. Do what you would normally do.

Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add in  your vegetable.

The amount of time you boil your veggie is key! You do not want to over boil, or else it defeats the whole purpose of blanching. I boiled the asparagus for about 3 minutes. I gave it the "pinch test". I took out an asparagus and made sure it had a little "give" to it. Not too squishy and not too hard, yet still had a nice tenderness to it.

After veggies are cooked you want to take them out with a pair of tongs and immediately place them in a bowl of ice water. The transition from boiling hot to ice cold water will "shock" the vegetable.  Shocking stops the cooking process and preserves the bright color of the veggie. I left my asparagus in the ice water for about 20 minutes. But for the future I think 10 minutes will do.

Final product! Enjoy blanching!

Liberty Hotel mat class and lunch!

Every Saturday Equinox sponsors a FREE class at the Liberty Hotel, 10-11am. This class is open to anyone, and not only hotel guests! Bottled water, a few mats, and towels are provided. Today I taught a strength and stretch class... with a little Sweat with Lauren Hefez twist.

Thanks Keri for taking pictures!

hip work

Working that Gluteus Maximus

Standing leg series

Push up, into plank, into push up into plank! 

It was hot and humid today, so after class I needed something refreshing! Watermelon is what I was craving...

ingredients:

• watermelon
• feta
• arugula
• vinaigrette
• you can add pine nuts, walnuts, or any nut!

Ever try watermelon and feta together? The sweet and salty combination is unreal!

My top 7 favorite super foods

1. Berries

• each berry's color stems from a different collection of flavonoid, so switch it up and eat a variety  berries
• blueberries rank among the highest in antioxidant power
• berries can reduce inflammation
• raspberries contain least amount of sugar and most fiber compared to blueberries and strawberries

2. Brussel Sprouts:

• smelly yet so delicious (cruciferous) vegetable.
• contain phytonutrients called glucosinolates, which contribute to the pungent smell when cooked, but is also said to fight cancer
• research has shown a link between the consumption of cruciferous vegetables and the reduced risk of premenopausal breast cancer

3.  Beets! (will be attempting to make beet chips later today, will keep you posted via blog)

• highest sugar content of any vegetable
• high in fiber, rich in iron, low in calories and full of beta carotene and folic acid (good for women trying to get pregnant, can help protect from birth defects)
• the leaf of the beet is even more nutritious than the root! So next time you make a "green smoothie" add some beet leaves
• raw beets will last a month, but the greens will only last up to four days

4.  Sweet Potato

• low in calories, high in fiber
• packed with antioxidant beta-carotine
• Yams are NOT sweet potatoes. YAMS are drier and starchier than sweet potatoes. Yams also have very low levels of beta-carotine.

5. Walnuts

• To maximize freshness store in fridge or freeze walnuts. Walnuts are more perishable than other nuts due to their high polyunsatuarted fat.
• one of the few nuts, or even foods for that matter, that offer high amounts of alpha-linolic acid (an omega 3 fatty acid)

6. Papaya

• can help strengthen nails and improve skin
• a ripe papaya contains nearly a three days supply of vitamin C
• Unripe, green papaya contains high levels of Papin. Papin in an enzyme that acts like the digestive enzymes in your stomach

7. Quinoa 

• contains all 9 essential amino acids, quinoa is considered a complete protein
• great source of fiber contains 5.2 grams per one cups serving
• contains B2 and riboflavin, two nutrients that may help reduce frequency of migraines
• red quinoa has a nuttier taste than white quinoa; red quinoa has more fiber per serving