Lotta Apricotta Bar

My office catered lunch for a long meeting we had scheduled last week. Part of the lunch buffet were these organic granola bars, "Lotta Apricotta" by Nature's Path. I snagged one to keep at my desk, just in case I ever find myself hungry and tempted to go to a vending machine.

I just ate the whole thing and it was really good! Sweet but fairly low in sugar (compared to most granola bars) at only 12 grams for the whole bar. It still contains a lot of ingredients that I can't find in a typical grocery store (which I try not to consume food that has ingredients like that) but in a pinch, this would be a tasty and fairly healthy treat.

Bucatini with Green Peas and Pancetta

Cooking Light recipes are the bomb! Last night I cooked up this recipe, featured in their May magazine: Bucatini with Green Peas and Pancetta. It was surprisingly simple (especially if you prep your food before you start cooking) and holy cow was it flavorful! The carmalized shallots and salty pancetta were delicious! It was a perfect summer meal, light and fresh but packed full of flavor.
Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/2 cup chopped pancetta (about 2 ounces)
* 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
* 1 1/4 cups shelled green peas (about 1 1/2 pounds unshelled)
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1/4 cup dry white wine
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
* 1/2 pound uncooked bucatini pasta
* 1 tablespoon kosher salt
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

* 1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add pancetta; cook for 10 minutes or until browned and crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove pancetta from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan; set pancetta aside. Add shallots; cook for 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add peas and garlic; cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add wine and thyme. Increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid reduces to 2 tablespoons (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat.
* 2. Cook pasta in boiling water with 1 tablespoon kosher salt according to package directions, omitting additional fat. Drain the pasta in a colander over a bowl, and reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Add pasta, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to pea mixture; toss well. Stir in reserved cooking liquid. Place about 1 1/4 cups pasta mixture in each of 4 shallow bowls; top each serving evenly with grated cheese and pancetta.

Sauteed Pork Chops with Peach Sauce

For Christmas I was given the gift of a subscription to Cooking Light Magazine. I love this magazine because it has really interesting articles, tips on how to prepare exotic vegetables (like artichokes or leeks), and healthy recipes that are fairly easy (and quick!) to make.
Since we got some pork chops from our farm CSA this week, I cooked up CLM's recipe for Sauteed Pork Chops with Peace Sauce. It was DIVINE! And at only 235 calories per serving, it's quite healthy too!



4 (4 oz) center-cut boneless pork loin chops, trimmed
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp thinly sliced shallots
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 peaches, each cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. light butter

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan and swirl to coat. Sprinkle chops evenly with salt and pepper. Add chops to pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chops from pan, and keep warm.

Add shallots, thyme, and peaches to pain and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 2 minutes). Stir in broth and honey and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in butter. Spoon sauce over chops and serve.

Geronimo

Another restaurant we dined at, while in Santa Fe, was the highly acclaimed Geronimo. I had read up on this restaurant, prior to our trip, and knew that the food was top notch and I had better bring my appetite because I was going to want to sample almost everything on the menu.
We started off with green chili bread, which was a little more heat than I'm used to so I accompanied this with about 2 glasses of water. I then had an order of the Maryland Blue Crab Cakes (TO DIE FOR) which left just enough room for a good sized main course.
My friend, Roberto, who got married in Santa Fe has been talking my ear off about this restaurant for the weeks leading up to the trip. He's a foodie, like myself, and was raving about this menu. He first suggesting the mushroom sampling, but since I don't like mushrooms, his second choice was the peppered Elk.

Now I love food. And I'll try most things at least once but Elk worried me. I didn't want to drop $45 on my entree and not like it. What if Elk was too gamey? Or the texture was too gross? But Roberto swore up and down, and earlier in the day I tried Duck and liked it...so I took a leap of faith and ordered the Peppered Elk.

Much to my surprise, I really liked it! It's not gamey at all and it was cooked perfectly. Like a good steak it was full of flavor and juice but not overly chewy. It was wrapped in applewood smoked bacon, which gave it a nice salty taste. The sides to the elk were garlic roasted mashed potatoes, sugar snap peas, and brandied mushroom sauce. And even though I don't like mushrooms, that sauce was delicious! The waitress suggested I pair all this with a glass of Cabernet, which was a great suggestion as the wine complimented the peppery coating on the elk.

The one downside was I had no room left dessert. Which says A LOT because I almost always have room for dessert!

By far the biggest surprise of Santa Fe was the excellent cuisine.

Memorial Day Weekend

Chris and I spent Memorial Day weekend at the townhouse down in Myrtle Beach. I strongly believe life is better on the ocean. When you start your day by listening to the waves crash on to the beach and end each night watching the sun set on the marsh, life just seems more peaceful.
We also saw dolphins swimming in the water and lots of wildlife such as loons, an alligator, and a baby shark (about a foot long, at best).

And we drank Landshark beer all weekend long, which is the best beach beer in my opinion. It's light and refreshing and I highly recommend it on a sunny day.