Must Have | Black Truffle Salt

A nice little indulgent savory salt to have! I tasted it for the first time at the farmer's market and was so amazed by the earthy flavor and aroma. It's considered a "finishing salt" rather than a "cooking salt". Add a sprinkle onto eggs, top off some pasta or a baked potato.

I plan on adding this to steamed veggies for lunches and snacks during the work week in hopes to get me to eat more!

I purchased a 3oz jar for $10 (shelf life 5-6 months), but another brand can also be purchased from Williams-Sonoma.

Restaurant Review | Pita Bar and Grill

Restaurant | Pita Bar and Grill
Location | 519 N Fairfax Ave Los Angeles, CA 90036 

This place has a delicious falafel sandwich! Many times in LA, I found falafel sandwiches served with cold, soggy falafel, iceberg lettuce, a little hummus and a stale piece of pita bread. For me, its about all the unique ingredients that go into this sandwich, that make is so good. I've had a difficult time finding anything close to that sandwich until I came across Pita Bar and Grill. The falafel in the sandwich is served hot and crunchy, with creamy hummus, pickled veggies, on a thicker than average pita bread. SO GOOD!

Product Review | Kombucha Drink

A friend of mine was talking about Kombucha. She mentioned how one of her clients gave her a bottle, and that she has felt a difference in her digestion and "system" after a few bottles.  A year or two ago, it was the hip trendy drink in Los Angeles.

Resturant Review | Milk

Restaurant | MILK
Location | 7290 Beverly Blvd  Los Angeles, CA 90036

Ok, this review is for a dessert shop in Los Angeles. I plan on reviewing this place a few times because there are so many things I have to try. The reason I came here was rumors they had a Thai Iced Tea Macaroon ice cream sandwich. Yep, you read that right.

Restaurant Replica | Zuppa Tocano

Dish | Zuppa Tocano

Restaurant | The Olive Garden

Just went to The Olive Garden for the first time in many many years, and had the most delicious soup. Zuppa Tocano... potatoes, bacon, spicy sausage, kale and a touch of cream. 

For my version, I used some spinach and left out the bacon. I thought about using milk instead of cream, but nah...

Recipe | Chipotle Marinade

This marinade is smokey, sweet and spicy. I found this recipe on So Delushious. This is the perfect marinade to keep in your freezer, its great meat, seafood and veggies! Its a simple marinade, in which you may already have most of the ingredients at home: brown sugar, vodka, ketchup, olive oil, garlic, cilantro and canned chipotle peppers.

Restaurant Review | Curry House CoCo Ichibanya

 Location | 2455 Sepulveda Blvd  Torrance, CA 90501

CoCo Ichibanya is a popular Curry house chain in Asia. They have a location in Torrance, that is about a year old. Here you can customize your curry, you pick the spiciness level of the curry, and all the toppings you want.   The more toppings you add, the more expensive your meal is. 

Tips & Tricks | Raw Onions

Adding raw onions to salads adds a nice flavor and texture. However, I am not a fan of super strong onions and onion breath!

To mellow out the onion flavor, place the chopped onions into a bowl of room-cold temp water. After a minute or two, drain and the onion is ready to go. The texture and flavor of the onion is perfect for salads, especially pasta, chicken, tuna and quinoa! You'll definitely notice the milder flavor.

I learned this tip from Sandra Lee on her Food Network Show "Semi-Homemade."

Recipe | Sweet Potato & Quinoa Salad

This is my first time cooking with quinoa, and this recipe turned out fantastic!

I came across this recipe just the other day, and since I had already had most of the ingredients at home, I decided to try it out.

Restaurant Replica | Breakfast Bars

Dish | Breakfast bars
Restaurant | Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

If I could, I would have a delicious pastry with coffee every morning. Once a week I usually hit up Whole Foods or Coffee Bean for a latte and a sweet treat. On other days of the week I either have a bowl of cereal, or a smoothie when I have time. Coffee Bean had a "wholesome" breakfast bar which was pretty tasty, I'm sure it was healthier than a blueberry scone or piece of pound cake. It had some oats, cranberries and granola in it, it was moist and not hard like a granola bar. So, I decided to look up some recipes online for some "healthy" breakfast bars. I came across two recipes which I decided to experiment on to make them a bit more substantial for my morning meal.

Recipe | Joce's Green Juice

I try to add more greens into my diet. Juicing in one of my favorite ways of doing so. I made a large serving of this super green juice. The taste is mildly sweet and fresh. I try to juice 2-3x a week (the worst part of juicing is the machine clean up).

Food Trend & Review | Coconut Water

Coconut water hype?  Coconut water is known to be super nutrient rich and a good source of hydration. Coconut water is the liquid found inside a young coconut before it matures. As the coconut matures, the water turns into the solid white flesh found inside.

Trippin | Hawaiian Cuisine

Just got back a few weeks from my first trip to Hawaii. We flew to Oahu, and stayed in Waikiki.

I was hoping for lots of fresh seafood and Hawaiian cuisine. What I got was pancakes and processed meat for days. Ham, bacon, Portuguese sausage, spam... with eggs and rice, or even better all together in fried rice.  Many of the tourists flocked to Egg 'N things for large portions and macadamia nut pancakes, or to Duke's for some "Hawaiian" inspired food. From what I noticed, locals did eat a lot of Poke, which was always fresh and pretty good. We also had shrimp scampi and shaved ice at the popular spots in North Shore, still a bit underwhelming considering all the hype. Pictured above is a plate from a Hawaiian Luau dinner show; fried chicken thighs, Mahi-Mahi in cream sauce, sweet bread, salad, mac salad, pasta salad, rice, kalua pork and poi.

Product Review | Sambazon Smoothie Pack

Have you tried an Açaí bowl or smoothie yet?  I like to make smoothies for breakfast a few times a week, and recently bought the Sambazon Smoothie Packs. You can find it in the freezer section. It comes with 4 packs of açaí puree for around $6.