Restaurant Review: Tea Rose Diner – Utah

tea-rose-dinerLooking for some amazing Thai in Salt Lake County? Check out Tea Rose Diner, in Murray. Swai fish stir fry, pineapple curry, veggie pad thai, sweet thai basil with tofu… fantastic! Friendly service, reasonable prices, simple ambiance. Great spot if you have both meat and veggie eaters in your party.

Restaurant Review: Bambara – Utah

bambaraLooking for a great high-end meal in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah?

Bambara is your place for sure! Small plates are piled high and main dishes will knock your socks off. Gnocchi is to-die-for-good. For the #vegan: Get gnocchi and beet salad without creme. FAB!

Recipe: Hummus

hummusNeed an appetizer for a party? Try Hummus with veggies and crackers/chips.

Recipe: 2 cans garbanzo beans, 1 drained Juice
1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon organic no-salt seasoning (my fav is Kirkland)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne/chili pepper
2 clove garlic
1 tablespoon tahini
Blend all ingredients in high powered blender for 35 seconds

Note: additional ingredients could include kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, or whatever you want!

Product Review: Blendtec Blender

blendtecTwo things I deeply missed while on vacation: Blendtec and blender bottles.

Having a high powered blender is really important to a healthy lifestyle. From blending the perfect green smoothies, to salad dressings and #soups. Blendtec is a great brand in my book!

Recipe: Hominy Soup

hominy-soupHominy soup is served! This is one of my favs! Great to make a large batch, then eat for few meals. Filling dish and super easy to make. Enjoy!

Recipe:
In medium pot, on medium-high heat, water sauté 1 white onion, diced, and 3 garlic cloves, minced, for 3 minutes.
Add 5 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 jalapeno, diced (omit if you don’t want heat)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1-20 oz can hominy (posole), drained
1-10 oz can corn, with water
1-10 o can black beans, with water
Heat through on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
Serve with tortilla chips, lime wedges, avocado cubes, cilantro.

Recipe: Lentil Soup

lentil-soupDinner is served! Lentil soup is a healthy, easy dish to make. Bonus is that lentils are found all over the world! So wherever your travels take you, you’ll have a nutrient packed meal ready in 20 minutes.

Recipe:
1/2 lb. small potatoes boiled for 10 minutes, or until fork soft, drained and set aside.
Using same pot, water saute 1/2 medium size white onion, diced, with 3 cloves garlic, minced, and 1 carrot cut into rounds.
Add 1/2 teaspoon oregano and black pepper. Continue cooking on medium high heat for 2 minutes.
Add 20 oz cooked lentils (I found a jar of precooked lentils at the local Mexican tienda).
Turn heat down to medium until heated through, add potatoes-cut into bite size pieces-to soup and turn down to low.
Stir occasionally and served hot with crackers or bread and a green salad for a great vegan dinner!

Recipe: Mango Avocado Salsa

mango-salsaMango Avocado Salsa… yeah, it’s THAT good!
Recipe:
Toss together:
1 ripe mango, cubed
1/2 ripe avocado, cubed
1/2 teaspoon jalapeno, finely diced
2 tablespoon cilantro, rough chopped
Juice of half lime

Season with black pepper to taste. (Avoid salt because will likely have salt on chips)
Serve with tortilla chips and jicama spears.