Back to Reality…

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Jul 7, 2009 at 11:34am

It’s been quite a run of parties, entertaining, and dining out lately, whew.  Loads of fun, no doubt, but I’m itching to get back to my “normal” routine of eating lighter, simpler foods.  Especially after last night’s hurrah of a dinner/feast, sending off my brother David, whose 4th of July visit has officially come to an end.  David, Stacey, John, Cooper, and I put away a seriously fabulous dinner at Cafe Maude last night, my first time eating there (and definitely not my last, we all loved it).  We shared an assortment of fresh and creative small plates – salad with duck confit, croquettes, crab cakes, scallops, lamb skewers.  We went a bit wild for the desserts as well – particularly strawberry-rhubarb tartlets, chocolate cake with intensely pistachio ice cream, and warm chocolate cookies-n-milk, with a little scoop of ice cream floating in the milk!  I had to leave early to pick up Nathan, but I smiled as I left when I caught sight of Cooper’s chocolate-smeared “wips.”  If you go, definitely check out the interesting wine list and creative cocktails (both buzzy and non-alcoholic).

So, anyhow, back to reality! Despite including vegetables and salads in my entertaining menus, I’m still not hitting my usual quota of greens, so I made myself a quick veggie sandwich for lunch. I love a sandwich for working vegetables into my lunch, especially if I’m a bit tired of salads. Sometimes I go Greek in flavoring (tomatoes, spinach, feta, onions, cucumber yogurt), sometimes Italian (tomato sauce, zucchini, broccoli, onions, beans, mozzarella cheese), but today Indian sounded good. This is not authentic cuisine I’m talking about here, just borrowing some tasty seasonings. I warmed half of a loaf (piece) of naan, spread it with a bit of chutney and Greek yogurt, and topped it with vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, jalapeno) stir-fried in a teaspoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder (I added some chopped seitan for protein). Warm and spicy, sweet and tangy, it hit all the right notes.

Tonight, I’m thinking grilled salmon. We’ve really enjoyed the king salmon fillets I got from Vital Choice Wild Seafood – in fact, it’s time to order more. Perhaps a miso glaze, perhaps some dill and shallots. With some grilled vegetables alongside, we’ll be back on track.

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