Tuesday, July 28, 2009

cilantro lime dresing



Oh man... I'm a huge fan of salad. I can eat it everyday. Awhile back I had this delicious cilantro lime dressing at the Nordstrom Cafe and I had to have the recipe. Tonight I chose to make it. It's easy, refreshing, and simply amazing. It was the perfect compliment to my salad of arugula, watercress, cherry and grape tomatoes, and cucumber.

To make the dressing, you need: 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (or rice vinegar), 2 minced or pressed garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper pureed, about 1 tablespoon honey (or more for added sweetness), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup salad oil (I used sunflower oil), and 1 bunch chopped cilantro.



I cut corners and bought some chiptotle pepper salsa. It was made of the same ingredients as the chiptotle peppers but it was already pureed and in a smaller can. If you use chiptotle peppers, puree it in a mini food processor. Then combine all the ingredient minus the cilantro.



Mix well. Refrigerate until you're ready to use it.



Before serving, mix in the cilantro. It's best used within a day as the cilantro will change over time.



The salad accompanied a very delicious roasted chicken with potatoes. I found the chicken and potatoes on Gwyneth Paltrow's website- GOOP. I'm a email subscriber of her new posts and when I saw the recipe and the video that went with it, I could tell it was a winner. I think I'll be making this regularly. Thanks, Gwyneth!




Thursday, July 9, 2009

enjoying sangria

Oops... I didn't realize I let a week pass by without a post. So sorry!

Last week, my friend Laura and I met up for happy hour at Sangria Tapas y Bar. What are they known for? As you've already guess... Spanish tapas and sangria. Sangria is a great place for happy hour with a variety of sangria for you to enjoy. My favorite is sparkling sangria. They've also got a decent menu for happy hour tapas, too. Though Spanish tapas are not my favorite, I always enjoy the opportunity to try out a bunch of little things.



Spanish flat bread

patatas bravas (YUM!!!)

calamari (With such small portions, we had a hers and hers.)

mushroom croquettes

pan con tomate

Chef Mariano's paella del dia