Hold the carbs please

With my upcoming wedding only three months away, I've been avoiding one temptation after the next in an attempt to look stellar on my wedding day. With so many Italian restaurants dotting South Florida, it's been tough to stay away from the ultimate temptation-pasta! I got the nifty idea to substitute pasta with different foods that can fake my palette into thinking I'm eating pasta after dining at a restaurant in downtown Miami called "Delores but you can call me Lolita". On their menu, they offered a "zucchini pasta" dish. Instead of spaghetti, they used zucchini. The dish was wonderful, and it inspired me to experiment in my own kitchen.

I have two simple variations of the same recipe, one featuring zucchini and one featuring spaghetti squash. Both were delicious, but I tend to favor the spaghetti squash version if spaghetti squash is in season.

I love to purchase a simple store brand of spaghetti sauce and jazz it up with onions, garlic, mushrooms, and ground meat. During wedding prep, I've been fond of the Jenny-O ultra lean ground turkey. I like to add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil onto a hot skillet. Then I throw about half the package of turkey into the pan and sprinkle red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and dried basil into the pan. Allow it to cook while breaking up the ground turkey into small pieces until the turkey is nearly cooked through. Then, I throw in about a quarter of a cup of chopped onions, and 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic. While the onions cook down and the garlic infiltrates its flavor throughout the skillet I like to add the chopped mushrooms so they can begin to soften up. After the turkey is cooked through, turn the skillet onto a low heat and cover everything with the store purchased sauce.
(Please note the nutrition facts on the can before purchasing. I have found that some sauces are so high in sugar and fat content the sauce itself can ruin an attempt at a lowfat meal).

Now onto the trickery. Instead of boiling pasta, I add either the zucchini or the spaghetti squash.
If using zucchini:
Take a vegetable peeler and peel off the entirety of the green skin and dispose of it in the trash disposal. After the flesh is exposed, begin peeling long strips of the flesh and save them in a bowl or a plate to the side.
Peel until you've obtained about two cups of zucchini (for one person, if serving for two use 2 cups of zucchini, and so on and so forth for additional people).
Set a medium pot of water on to boil, and once the water is boiling, add the zucchini into the boiling water for approximately 45 seconds. Do not leave the zucchini in the boiling water for too long, as it will turn mushy very quickly. Strain the zucchini like you would pasta, and allow to cool for several moments. Once your sauce is cooked to perfection, pour it over the zucchini and enjoy!

If using a spaghetti squash:
The reason I prefer a spaghetti squash is because I think the slight crunch of the spaghetti squash is reminiscent of a slightly al dente pasta, and I personally prefer the flavor of the spaghetti squash over the flavor of the zucchini.

The spaghetti squash can prove somewhat challenging as the squash is initially hard to penetrate with a knife. Use a large knife and work your way around the squash until you've succeeded in splitting the squash in half (oblong-wise).

With so many varieties of squash, this is what the Spaghetti Squash looks like

Once the squash is halved, take a spoon and scoop out the seeds and the stringy membrane around the seeds.

Drizzle a tiny amount of olive oil over each side of the squash, and add a pinch of salt to both sides.
Into an oven that's pre-heated to 375 degrees, cook the squash face down for about an hour (or until soft).

Once the squash is soft, remove it from the oven and allow it cool down enough so that you can handle it with your bare hands.
With a fork, simply grate the insides of the squash, which will naturally come out in a stringy spaghetti-like manner.
After you've obtained all the edible meat of the squash, divvy it up into bowls or small plates and cover it with the pasta sauce like you would spaghetti!

If you want to indulge a little bit, top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese, and enjoy your guilt-free meal. The best part- your main course is your vegetable, so you don't even have to prepare a side veggie for this meal to be balanced!

Delray is Delicious

Since moving to Florida, we've been asked the same question over and over again by new acquaintances "Have you visited Delray yet?" We always answer with a frustrated "no, but everyone asks". Finally, we bit the bullet and decided to make plans with another couple to dine in Delray. After a 20 minute drive north of Ft. Lauderdale, we arrived in the quaint Atlantic Ave greeted by a 20 foot Christmas tree. The restaurants were packed, and hundreds of diners were eating outside on the patios and the sidewalks. We finally understood the hype-this place was adorable and everyone not in Miami seemed to be spending their Friday night here!

Our friends, who live in South Florida, suggested the restaurant and after sufficient yelping we were thoroughly excited about our reservation for 4 at Tramonti. Tramonti is a rather large Italian restaurant with a quaint feel. Upon arriving, we headed to the bar to meet our friends, and then we were quickly escorted through the restaurant to our table. The atmosphere of the restaurant is warm, with chatter from other tables creating a buzz throughout.

We indulged in an appetizer of fried calamari which arrived to our table quickly. The calamari was slightly greasy, but the pieces were thick and not too chewy. The red marinara sauce served with the calamari was garlic goodness, and I ended up dipping some of the extra bread in the sauce once the calamari was gone. After the appetizer we ordered a salad with pears, feta cheese, and various nuts. The salad was large enough for all four of us to have a decent portion. I'd even venture to say the salad was large enough to constitute an entire meal. The pear created a sweet flavor that paired nicely with the nuts, and the dressing was light enough to really shine the spotlight on the marriage of flavors between the pear and the nuts.

For my main course, I ordered one of the specials of the night- Baramundi served with a red sauce with mussels and clams. Since moving to Florida, I have been eating a lot of fish. I thought that Snapper and Grouper were my favorite varieties of white fish, but that was all before the Baramundi entered my life! This dish was uneblievably delicious. The portion was huge, and I usually never come close to finishing my entire dish. Unfortunately, I did not take photo evidence, but by the time this meal was over my plate was clean! The only thing remaining were the shells left from the mussels and clams. The fish was soft yet thick, giving it a heartier feel than snapper. The sauce was a thin red sauce, that would fail miserably if drizzled over a thick pasta, but it passed with flying colors as a compliment to the fish and the clams and mussels.

Carl's veal ravioli tasted homemade, and the wines we chose from Tramonti's large wine selection were a delicious addition to the meal. After our meal was over, Carl and I were already looking for excuses to return to Tramonti. The problem is, there are so many other restaurants dotting Del Ray that we would be hard pressed not to try another restaurant before returning to Tramonti. However, I give Tramonti two enthusiastic thumbs up, and we're looking forward to our next trip up to DelRay. 

Adjusting to a South Florida foodie lifestyle

After a long hiatus, I'm back! After our trip through Asia, Carl and I packed up and drove halfway across the country to our new home in South Florida. While the weather and the sunshine are absolutely fabulous, finding great food is sometimes a challenge. South Florida (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm, and all other small cities in the area) is an interesting makeup of residents. Flying into Miami International Airport is like flying into a different country. Spanish is one of the most prominent languages, with English seemingly taking a back seat. Cubans, Puerto Ricans, other Latin Americans, and Haitains have all taken up residence in Miami creating an interesting melting pot of languages, cultures, music, and of course food. Another group of people that flock to Miami and South Florida are retired northeasterners and seasonal northeasterners escaping the brutal winters of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and any other cold city along the northeastern seaboard. A large majority of these folks from the northeast are Jewish which makes South Florida the first place that I have ever lived where Jews are quite literally everywhere! With so many Jews present in South Florida, I finally get to embrace the Jewish delis that I've always loved! Bagels, pastrami sandwiches, whitefish salad, matzah ball soup and latkes are easy to find! Kosher restaurants and supermarkets are commonplace here, and seeing menorahs decorate public spaces during the holidays is almost as gratifying as spending the holiday season in Israel! Although, I've not yet found an abundance of sufganyot or ruggalach at any of the local bakeries, but then again I haven't looked that hard!

I've always found that in large cities that house significant Jewish populations also tend to be home to large Italian populations. South Florida seems to follow along that same equation. I've run into more Italians here than I ever encountered in Texas, and there is most definitely no shortage of Italian restaurants. As a matter of fact, Italian restaurants dot every shopping center and line nearly every street in my current home city of Ft. Lauderdale. This is wonderful for me, as I love everything about Italian food and Italian culture!

Unfortunately for me, I've found a severe lack in any decent ethnic foods down here in South Florida. Thai food, Vietnamese food, Indian food, and even decent sushi has been hard to come by. One of my biggest foodie pet peeves is the sudden need to fuse Thai food and sushi into one. Nearly every restaurant that claims to be a "Thai" restaurant also boasts a sushi menu. The last time I checked, Thailand and Japan were not the same country, nor were they even near one another. Yes, they're both in Asia, but then again Texas and Hawaii are both in the United States but you don't see too many Barbeque restaurants in Texas boasting an additional Hawaiian fusion fish menu. So why the need to incorporate sushi into every Thai menu? If your Thai or Vietnamese food isn't good on it's own, you should reconsider owning a restaurant instead of simply throwing in a trendy sushi menu to draw in a larger clientele. And if the consumer really needs to have sushi on the same menu as Thai food, there's always P F Changs and Pei Wei which offer consumers a full tour of Asia through their menus.

Another foodie roadbump I've encountered down here is the focus on trendiness over quality. Many of the "hip" restaurants in South Florida are so focused on the scene that their food is significantly lacking. There have already been several occasions where Carl and I have walked into a restaurant filled with gorgeous people and a gorgeous interior but the service and the food simply didn't compare to the final cost on the bill. If we're paying over $25 per person, the ingredients shouldn't only speak for themselves, but the service should be impeccable. Yes, a restaurant's interior has a certain allure to consumers, but at the end of the day we are going to a restaurant for a culinary experience. As a restauranteur, shouldn't the ultimate goal be to satisfying your patrons with a delicious meal and fabulous service? If that's lacking, no patron ever wants to return for a second time to experience mediocre food. Seeing the trendy interior once is enough! Luckily for me, I love good food enough that I'm willing to search high and low for it! I know that after enough botched Pad Thai and fish and chicken curry dishes that I'll eventually find that one Thai restaurant that will be my go-to. We've sampled enough Vietnamese Pho to know which restaurants to avoid at all costs, and which restaurants offer a decent bowl of steaming soup. As a die hard Texan, I've already sampled several steak houses in an attempt to find one that can come close to any given steak house in Texas! I'm willing to keep seeking out the most remote areas to find the most delicious food!

On the bright side, I know I will grow to be spoiled by is the abundance of fresh delicious fish options. I have eaten more Grouper and Snapper since moving to Florida than I have in my entire life. If all else fails in my foodie experimentation in Florida, I know that I'll always be able to walk into any given restaurant and walk out a happy eater after a delicious fresh fish meal!

He works so I can eat

Ok, so I didn't quite come up with the title for this blog post on my own. My fabulous fiance may have been poking fun of my current part-time working status and my attempt at becoming a super blogger so that I can fulfill my dream of meeting Anthony Bourdain when he sarcastically said "he works so she can eat". But lately, it seems as if the benefits of Carl working have heavily benefitted my foodie palette. The most recent "working" dinners I've gotten to attend with Carl have been oh-so delicious, with a pricy bill to match. The best part, neither of them came out of our pockets! Enjoying a nice meal complete with wine always tastes better when the bill isn't hanging over our heads. The first meal we enjoyed together was compliments of Carl's insurance dealer. Apparently discussing the oh-so-exciting topic of disability insurance means a delicious meal.

We met our insurance date at the W Ft. Lauderdale's signature restaurant "Steak 954". I immediately knew our experience at the restaurant was going to be one to remember as we walked past their jellyfish tank. I must say, if I weren't so starving I could have stared into the tank full of mesmerizing jellyfish for hours. If you ever find yourself visiting Steak 954, please allow sufficient "jellyfish staring time", as it only enhances what is going to be a top notch dining experience.

Once at our table on the patio, we took advantage of South Florida's seasonal delicacy, Stone Crab. Stone Crab season just started a few weeks go, so of course Stone Crab found it's way onto Steak 954's appetizer specials menu. We each indulged in one giant crab claw which was the quintessential stone crab experience. Arriving at our table perfectly chilled, it was accompanied with a dipping sauce that I honestly couldn't even tell you about. It was not needed. The meat of the crab was the star of the dish. For those of you who are looking for a "green" dining experience, my future father-in-law puts it best when describing Stone Crab as the perfect "green" food. Stone Crabs can regenerate their claws. The law dictates that when one of these crabs is caught, only one claw can be removed, and the crab must be thrown back so that it can regenerate that claw for next season. This means that no crabs were harmed in the making of this dish. Actually, I have no idea if yanking off a crab's claw hurts or endangers the crab's risk of survival in any way, but hey it's a pretty cool concept! The claws were about the size of my fist, and they were pre-cracked for easy dining. The meat was cold and succulent, and it tasted like it had been swimming that morning.

Since moving to Ft. Lauderdale, my personal goal has been to eat more seafood. Yes, it's ironic, but I find steak restaurants are great places for a wonderful piece of fish. That evening, snapper was featured on the menu, so I opted for the snapper while Carl opted for a nice piece of red meat. The fish was as fresh as the seabreeze that kept us cool that evening. The fish was fileted but served with all the bones in tact, which I believe enhanced the flavor. Yes, the bones prove tricky for eating, but the work was worth it! I also had to taste Carl's steak, as I'm a true steak lover at heart! Steak 954 does not mess around, the steak was cooked to a perfect medium-rare and the seasonings took a back seat so that the true flavors of the meat could shine through. Overall, the entire dining experience at Steak 954 was one I'd love to repeat again soon. Our server knew the menu like the back of his hand, and even suggested several wines. There was no need to call over the sommelier, although if we would have requested the sommelier's help I'm sure he would have indulged us with a smile on his face. Our meal lasted over two hours, and we never once felt rushed by our server who generously kept our wine and water glasses full. I guess discussing insurance benefits does, indeed, have it's benefits!

Tony can you hear me?

I had a foodie revelation the other day. Being a foodie is the things careers are made of. The Food Network is a cash cow, the Travel Channel is less about Travel as it has become about food, and even Bravo (the home of the Housewives) has jumped into the food obsessed culture of today by hosting shows that attract fabulous ratings like Top Chef. There are probably hundreds of thousands of food bloggers, and I am just another little fish swimming in the sea of food blogging. I do love food, and I do love blogging, but I'm no Perez Hilton here. I've been around the world, and I've done my fair share of eating. I can check eating in Italy off my list, I can check eating in Paris off my list, and I can now check eating in Thailand off my list. However, in life everyone has to have that one seemingly unreachable goal. Something that is so outlandish that if it ever does come true, it's as good as winning the multi-million dollar lottery jackpot. My absolutely absurdly laughable goal is to meet Anthony Bourdain. No, I don't mean I want to meet him on the streets of any given city in a whirlwind encounter where I forget my own name and hastily ask him where I should spend 7 bucks on a cheap meal he recommends, but I really want to sit down with Anthony Bourdain at a small unassuming eating establishment that serves something like foi gras on top of escargot with a touch of truffle salt. Tony not only goes to the El Bulli's of the world, but he finds the true hidden gems of our great cities and he lets the world know that McDonalds and Dairy Queen aren't the grand gourmet, but that the tiny establishment down the street that can whip up incredibly creative and fresh meals in a charismatic fashion are the places we should be investing our dining experiences. Because, really, everytime we enter a restaurant and order a three course meal it is an experience that should be savored. The real allure that Anthony Bourdain has is his lack of stuffiness. He doesn't dress in a designer suit and expect someone to kiss his ass, he just expects someone to wow him with a creative dish and some great food. At the end of the day, that's what I want my blog to be about- delivering fabulous food finds to the everyday person. Of course, every once in a while I'm going to get dressed up and spend an exorbitant amount of money on a meal that is, indeed, going to blow me away. However, for the most part, I just want to find delicious food that isn't served from a drive-thru window. One day, perhaps I'll be at the forefront of food blogging and Anthony Bourdain will film a show in my city. Maybe one day I'll get a phone call from his producers saying they would like me to be his tour guide for one afternoon and Carl and I can show him our favorite hot spots. Until then, though, I'll come back down to reality and keep on dreaming the impossible dream! I'll work on my dry sarcasm, and learn how to be a real badass. I'll avoid ritzy brunches that serve the unmentionable eggs benedict (thanks for the tip Anthony), and I'll keep exploring the cities I live in through the food they have to offer. And, hey Tony, if you're ever in South Florida, don't hesitate to give me a call.

Lovable Luang Prabang Laos

I have to admit, the best eats in Southeast Asia, in my opinion, are not found in Laos. However, just because the food is not the best doesn't mean that I didn't love the city that UNESCO declared as a World Heritage Site. The luscious green mountains of the jungle surrounded by the brown flowing waters of the Mekong River engulf the tiny strip of Buddhist spirituality. The chanting of monks can be heard in the early morning and early evening while strolling down the main street dotted with simple Bed and Breakfasts and trendy Boutique Hotels.

After the hustle bustle of Thailand and before the all out craziness of Vietnam, Luang Prabang was a quiet retreat of solitude for Carl and me. The pace of life is pleasantly slow, and the locals seem to walk through the streets without a care in the world. There is no shortage of tourists , but there is no chaos or stress in the site seeing as the real charm of the city is simply being there.

Like the rest of Southeast Asia, I was expecting curries and noodles, soups filled with prawns and squid, and more noodles! I was in a for a bit of a surprise when I found out that their diet is much heartier than that of Thailand, Vietnam or even Cambodia, consisting of sausages, buffalo meat, and stews called "Orlam". Of course, like the rest of Asia, they rely heavily in rice to help artificially fill their bellies during every meal. Rice is the heartbeat of Asia.

During our first evening in Luang Prabang, we found a fabulous restaurant overlooking the main street, and we ordered the two most common typical Lao dishes- Orlam Stew and Buffalo Sausage. As a girl from Texas, I'm used to a greasy sausage with a nice snap accompanying each bite. In Laos, the sausages are completely different. They are tough upon first bite, and the insides lack all remnants of grease, leaving one with a mouthful of gritty shreds of Buffalo meat. The sausage was too tough and dry for my taste, and after finishing one, I chose to leave room in my stomach for the Orlam.

The Orlam was, sadly, disappointing as well. I'm a girl who absolutely loves soups and stews. I've experimented with stews and soups in my slow cooker more times than I'd care to mention, sometimes leaving Carl to finish off a pound and a half of mediocre to inedible concoctions. Needless to say, my excitement about a hearty stew in the middle of Southeast Asia was pretty high! My elation deflated like a popped balloon upon tasting the Orlam, which was predominately overpowered by a strong black licorice flavor (which I found out later is due to the use of a "Holy Basil" plant, which is a key ingredient in many traditional Lao dishes). The one delectable aspect of the stew was the use of elephant ear mushrooms. They are a dark brown mushroom more closely resembling the size and shape of a human ear, but referred to as "elephant ear" mushrooms. I happen to love mushrooms, so the use of this particular mushroom in the dish was quite a treat for me! Otherwise, there appeared to be very little about this dish to rave about. Later in our trip, we participated in a Lao cooking class and learned how to make Orlam, so I'm quite positive that all Orlam is prepared similarly, as both of my attempts at the local favorite tasted equally as disappointing.

There were two traditional dishes that I did thoroughly enjoy! Their green eggplant dip and their traditional Riverweed. We sampled the eggplant dip at two restaurants prior to learning how to make it ourselves at our Lao cooking class. It's a simple concoction, consisting mainly of green eggplant, chilies, and garlic. Each ingredient is seared by an open fire to quickly cook the vegetables and give them a mushier consistency. After they are thoroughly fired, they are all thrown into a mortar and pestle, and ground up to resemble a typical MIddle Eastern Eggplant dip. They look the same, but they taste quite different! Lao eggplant dip has a touch of fire after the initial garlicy goodness. The most surprising part of the eggplant dip is how it's eaten. Accompanied with a bowl of sticky rice, one grabs small balls of sticky rice and dunks them into the eggplant dip, then pops the little ball of rice covered in green eggplant dip into the mouth! It's a snack that's as fun to eat as it is delicious!

Strange as it sounds, the Riverweed was also delicious. Imagine dried strips of seaweed salted and topped with peanuts, and you've got Lao Riverweed. I liked to call it Laos' version of chips and salsa. The Riverweed is dipped into a sweet chili sauce, and eating it brought me right back to any given Tex-Mex restaurant in Texas! Albeit, the Lao Riverweed is hands down a healthier alternative to chips and salsa any day!


Eating the Eggplant Dip at Dyen Sabai in Luang Prabang, Laos


Traditional Lao Riverweed

Supermarkets and Grocery stores are for pansies

A true foodie cannot travel to Southeast Asia without seeing how the local people shop for their food. We visited markets in almost all of the major cities we visited along the way, and each market evokes different sensory experiences. We've all seen travel shows and food shows highlighting the bizarre and obscure foods found in the markets, but what we often don't see or even think to understand is the sheer resourcefulness of the local people. In America, consumers are so far removed from the actual source of our food, typically selecting food goods that have been so processed and removed from their natural state that something as simple as a chicken breast can taste entirely different than a chicken breast in, say, Laos. Don't get me wrong, my track record of food bourne illness at home is a pretty good one, and I'm quite happy to get a nice Tyson chicken breast or a USDA prime rated steak, but seeing the way developing countries eat and shop for food brings me back down to foodie reality.

The first thing that I, as an American, recognize every time I enter a local market, is the sheer amount of food that I can't help but consider to be foreign and strange. A typical example of some fine protein in Laos is pig fetus or congealed blood. In Vietnam, they believe eating a pig penis will help a man's libido. If a family member has recently suffered a heart attack, the Vietnamese will prepare a lovely pig's heart which they believe helps the heart to heal. In Thailand, they will mark their eggs with anumber. The number depicts how mature the chick inside the egg is. It is common for them to eat eggs that are days away from hatching-talk about feathers in your eggs! The people in this region of the world are farmers and gatherers and to them, every meal is precious. It is a disgrace to let any part of a slaughtered animal go to waste, including snouts, ears, testicles, and even the blood. If I were to walk into Tom Thumb or Whole Foods and request a buffalo fetus with a side of pig snout, I think they may call for security! It's a sad shame for us to be so entirely wasteful when there are parts of animals that could be sold cheaply to hungry Americans.

Southeast Asians are not only resourceful when it comes to animal products. The selection of fresh herbs and fruits is unbelievable. Exotic fruits such as the pink skinned dragon fruit, custard apples, rambutan, and the ever popular Durian fruit (which I find to smell like tar, but after six weeks traveling in Asia have gotten more accustomed to the stench) are bursting at the seems of every fruit stall in the markets! Similar to the meat, their resourcefulness when it comes to herbs is equally admirable. Things that I avoid while cooking, such as the skin of garlic or the leaves from the limes, are common ingredients in completing the final touches of a perfect traditional dish. I have fallen in love with so many dishes here and I know that my attempts to recreate them at home will be both costly and difficult as the herbs and fresh ingredients will be extremely hard to come across.

I couldn't complete this post Without mentioning the most fabulous part of these markets-the seafood. Between the Mekong, the Irewaddy, the Andaman Sea, etc the Southeast Asian countries we visited rely on bodies of water as their lifeline which results in the most spectacular showing of fresh seafood I have ever seen. It is not uncommon to see women waking up at four in the morning to go select their fish for the day while it's still swimming, and watch the stall operator clean and filet the fish in front of them. Lobsters, crabs, prawns, eels, and even frogs abound! It makes the seafood case at Whole Foods look like the amateur show. My selection of farm raised, previously frozen salmon is such a bore in comparison. Granted, the Vietnamese people's love for fish of all stages, fresh, fermented, and in sauce, definitely singed my nose on more than one occasion.

Regardless of the unfamiliarity of some of the more bizarre foods I encountered in SE Asian food markets, I was constantly amazed at how well each culture knows their food. They have such an intimate relationship with the food selection process and their knowledge of how to prepare such a vast array of delectable dishes would make even Julia Child envious. For them, each meal is special. It is to be savored and enjoyed, and it is common to spend the entire day preparing dinner. The next time I come home from work tired and reach for an instant frozen dinner or a microwave pizza pocket, I will try to remind myself that cooking a lovely meal is not that difficult. If a farmer in Laos can prepare a decadent meal, why can't I!?


Our cooking instructor showing us the variety of fresh herbs and vegetables at the market in Luang Prabang, Laos.



Dried goods at a market in Yangon, Myanmar (better known to many Americans as Rangoon, Burma).



A selection of fruits in a fruit stand in Saigon, Vietnam