More Barcelona!

We made a visit to Barcelona’s famous La Boqueria and enjoyed walking though.  There is so much to see here and it made me miss Seattle’s Pike Place Market, even though Barcelona had a few more interesting things for sale!

Produce beautifully and perfectly stacked, cups of fresh fruit juices glistening with moisture from the ice they rested in, seafood so fresh some of it was still moving and fresh meat from local butchers filled the spaces in this large market.  It was hard not to wish I was a local who could shop here daily for fresh food.    

The fresh fruit was super affordable and we picked up a large fruit salad for 2 euro and fresh fruit juice was around 1 euro per cup if you purchased more than one.  I had a blackberry banana juice and it was the best smoothie I have ever had!

We also spent a little bit of time on the beach.  The girls loved looking for shells and eventually I have to cut them off as our pockets were overflowing with small shells. 

The advantage of going to the beach in February is that it isn’t crowded but the disadvantage being it is February and too cold for swimming.  I love the beach…the sand, the smell, the giggles from my girls but hate the water!  So I don’t mind not being able to jump in. 

Since we were on the beach we found a place for lunch.  Sangria and paella!  Surprisingly, it is difficult to find a good paella place since so many places do not make it fresh but apparently dump it all in the pan from a frozen bag!  GASP!  The horror!  JG did a lot of research on this since it is expensive and you don’t want to get ripped off.  So we found a nice place near the beach and enjoyed our paella, served to us by the owner himself, with a fantastic glass of sangria.  It was muy delicioso!

Yes, lots of food in this post!  I love food…eating it, taking photos of it, admiring the beauty!  I wish I was a better food photographer but I hope you enjoyed seeing things through my viewfinder today.

Sticking With It...

I posted last week about our quest to eat more vegetarian meals for dinner most days of the week.  I have suprised myself with how much I love the challenge and enjoy feeding my family healthier meals.  Here are some of the recipes I have tried recently. 

This salad was inspired by a salad I used to get at Panera during the summer.  So yummy and very simple.  When I make salads I usually toss the lettuce with the dressing before adding the toppings in.  I prefer this way because I use less dressing as it is right on the lettuce and not all over rest of the fruits, veggies, and cheese.  These ingredients are yummy on their own and don't need to be covered in dressing to taste good.

For this salad I used a bag of Romaine lettuce and tossed it with about 1/2 cup of Poppy Seed dressing until the lettuce was coated.  I added 1/4 cup of toasted walnuts, sliced strawberries, blueberries and a little bit of feta cheese to the top.  Easy, very delicious and everyone eats it.  It doesn't get better than that. 

I found the recipe for this Grilled Mushroom Salad from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.  I borrowed this cookbook from the library and I am really glad I did it has so many great recipes that I can't wait to try.  Because I obviously can't keep the library book indefinitely I had to order my own copy from Amazon.  This salad was delicious and we all loved it. 

Here is the recipe, with my modifications because I could not locate a couple of the ingredients at the commissary. 

1 large shallot, finely diced

Salt and fresh pepper

1 tbsp aged red wine vinegar

2 large portobello mushroom caps

Olive oil for the mushrooms

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 bag of arugula salad mix (original recipe calls for watercress)

3 tbsp walnuts, toasted and chopped

Dice the shallot and put it in a bowl with 1/4 tsp of salt and the vinegar and set aside.  Brush the mushroom caps with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill or broil the caps for about 4 minutes on each side, then cut into wide strips.  Whisk the 3tbsp of olive oil into the shallots/vinegar and season with pepper.  Toss the mushrooms with 1 tbsp of the dressing and then add the rest to the arugula and walnuts and toss until coated.  Divide the greens and then arrange the mushroom slices on each serving.  Serves 2 to 4.

I made a pear and apple salad that wasn't my favorite recipe of the week and that one is going into the recycle bin. It was edible but just not my cup of tea. 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Delish!

We have recently decided to add more vegetarian meals into our lives and this week I have done a bit of recipe searching to find some new things to add to the menu.  I found a recipe for a Fresh Tomato and Zucchini Tart with Mozzarella and Basil from The Best of Cooking Light cookbook.  I decided to give it a go and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious this was! 

Here is my take on the recipe:

Fresh Tomato and Zucchini Tart with Mozzarella and Basil

1 10 oz can refrigerated pizza crust dough (I used Pillsbury)

1 cup diagonally sliced zucchini

4 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch slices (I only used 2)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (I used a light version with fantastic results)

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

1 tsp garlic seasoning, such as Johnny's Great Ceasar! Garlic Spread Seasoning  (I love this and use it on pasta,  popcorn, salads and garlic bread.  I have even seasoned meat with this before.  Good stuff!)

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Unroll dough onto the paper and let it sit for 5 minutes.  Pat the dough into a 12x12 inch square.  Brush 1 tsp of the olive oil over the crust and sprinkle the garlic seasoning over the crust.  Arrange the zucchini and tomato over the dough, leaving a 1 inch border.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and fold the edges of the dough over the veggies.  You just want to form a small lip, not cover all the veggies.

3.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then top the tart with the fresh mozzarella and bake another 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.  Remove the tart from the oven and drizzle with the remaining 1 tsp of olive oil then sprinkle the basil over the top.  Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before cutting into 4 squares.  Serves 4.

This was an easy and fast dinner and the portions are large.  The olive oil came out a little fast so I may have gotten a little extra but it tasted fine.  James at his like a pizza and found his hands to be greasy from the oil but I ate mine like a lady and used a fork and knife and did not think the tart was oily at all.  The girls liked it and that makes me happy. 

Anyone have any yummy yet healthy vegetarian dishes to share?