So, just as a recap of the past few days, I DID cook, but didn't take pictures. I made Kale Chips, which were an amazing crunchy salty snack (though to be fair I ate the whole bowl as dinner...) that is so healthy it's shocking that it tastes good at all. For skeptics, I know it's good because Boyfriend couldn't stop grazing on them even though they were my dinner! But, I will be making them again soon for passover, so stay tuned.
Last night, we went to Mussel Pot for dinner. Because I had finally reached the pre-move-in-weight I wanted to totally go nuts, and boy was this NOT the place to do it! Also, afterwards, my pre-move-in-weight was gone and I did not feel it was worth it. =(
I don't know about you, but one of my favorite things about mussels is being able to dip some bread/fries into the sauce they come in. Well, these were neither saucy, nor did they come with good bread or fries. We ordered fries (decent) and occasionally had bread brought to us (stale).
For a mussel place, they should be ashamed of their beer menu and in the end, we were so disappointing, we went across the street to PinkBerry for dessert instead of trusting them. Big big thumbs down. If you're reading this and want to know a GOOD mussel place? Try BXL East in the east 50's. Amazing mussels, amazing beer....I don't even see why we tried something new!
Ok, on to what I've heard people actually want to read about...
The Chicken Mango Salad (serves 2 + leftovers)
2 turkey breasts marinated in honey mustard marinade (any somewhat sweet marinade will work)
1 mango, chopped
1/3 white onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, finely diced (optional!)
2 scallions, chopped
Fruit/Nut/Seed mix (throw in at the end depending on how you like it)
Greens mixture
Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg to taste
1. Chop the 2 turkey breasts into bite sized pieces and place in a ziplock back with marinade, 30 min-all day
2. Chop up the white onion coarsely, place in pan with non-stick spray and sautee until translucent (3-4 minutes)
3. Throw in the turkey and the chopped up mango, scallions and jalapeno if you like things hot! Add salt/pepper/nutmeg to taste.
4. Consider pouring in a little water if you want a saucy salad topping (doubles as dressing, no extra dressing calories!)
5. Set up your salad bowl: lettuce mixture at the bottom, throw in the fruit/nut mixture, top with contents of pan. Mix, enjoy =)
Boyfriend claims to have enjoyed the salad. Actually I used a whole jalapeno and while I do like things spicy, this may be a bit much for the general public.
Notes: I think this would also go really well over some rice or even wrapped up with some pepper-jack cheese in a taco/burrito situation!
I thought it was phenomenal, though by my traditional rating system, Boyfriend was not amused, so I can't really tell on this one. He claims he doesn't like pumpkin.
Anyway, here it is, pumpkin cake. It was a big bowl full of delicious for only about 120 calories!
Pumpkin Pie Filling Fake-Out
1/2 cup pumpkin (do NOT use pumpkin pie filling!)
1/4 cup egg whites
1.5 packets sweetener
Cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup (this is reduced calorie/reduced sugar, tastes just as good as the real thing)
Mix all this into a bowl (use a bigger bowl than you think, it rises!) and microwave for about 3 minutes, consider stirring halfway through.
Even a graham cracker crust! Mmmm.....
But tonight it's just plan. It tastes better than it looks. Like pumpkin pie filling, without the butter/eggs/guilt!
Enjoy! I will be spending the rest of the night enjoying my full belly, a good movie and knowing that this whole meal was completely guilt free (this means no butter, sugar, oil or red meat). Score!
Tomorrow: Morning yoga, dodgeball, birthday dinner out. Maybe I'll figure out something to make for lunch!