Will work for food

A couple of weeks ago I went to the lovely city of Boston for work. Besides my Dunkin' Donuts ice coffee (and sometimes a doughnut) every single day, I have to say I had some pretty amazing food while I was there. It helps a lot to have friends that love to eat, and I can say i'm lucky to have plenty of those :)

As soon as I got there — starving from the long flight with NO food — my friend Lynne had me over for dinner and made this amazing pork loin with mashed sweet potatoes and apple compote. It totally hit the spot and was perfect with a glass of red wine and some VMAs for entertainment.

One night, Lynne took me and the girls from the office to this great Italian restaurant called ERBALUCE. I can't describe how amazing the food was. We all ordered something different and the chef (Charles Draghi) was nice enough to send us a few little extra things. You can check out some of his videos here, specially the Chocolate & Caramelized Orange Tarts, I had it and it tastes as good as it looks!

Beautiful Summer Soup with edible flowers

Jessie's Crab Risotto on the shell | shrimps w/corn salsa

raviolis w/something delicious inside (can't remember what)

Lynne's bunny—I mean rabbit—with strawberries

Dreamy chocolate & caramelized orange tart

Other good spots I went to this time around:

SONSIE on Newbury street, great for drinks and people watching.

OLECITO on Inman Square, great fish taco & chips & salsa for lunch.

CENTRAL KITCHEN on central sq, always amazing. Everything is good.

STEPHANIES on Newubury, a bit pricey but the salads are really great.

JP LICKS, one of my fav ice cream places — had the oreo cake batter! dayum!

PHO PASTEUR on Chinatown, great soups after a shopping spree downtown.

Meal at SONSIE with Suru: Gnocci w/ tomato sauce | Butternut Squash & Sage pizza

Amazing beef soup from Pho Pasteur

Overall I had the best time in Boston, tons of work but tons of play as well. Thanks to all the friends who shared meals with me. Oh, and I also shot a cooking video which I will post soon!

Stuffed Grape Leaves

A couple of weeks ago — after fun times at happy hour with some friends — I happened to walk by a greek specialty store. I walked in pretty excited... I've been wanting to make stuffed grape leaves for a while and I knew I'd find them there. I left the store with a small jar of leaves, some amazingly fresh feta cheese, and a big smile.

The next day, recipe in hand, I got to work. I decided to try this vegetarian recipe, but instead of white rice i used brown rice (healthier and tasted the same). I recommend watching the video as well.

Though they required some patience to make (specially during the assembly) they where pretty easy. Cut up all the filling ingredients, wash up leaves, stuff, cook and eat! I served them with a quick yogurt sauce for dipping and they where delish (yogurt, lime juice, parsley, salt & pepper). The recipe makes a lot, so you'll have plenty of leftovers.

Banana bread

My hubby LOVES bananas, he eats one pretty much every day. But he likes them only when they are still greenish. I like them when they are all nice yellow. We both hate them extra ripe, so when we have a few I always try to make something good out of them — like muffins or banana bread. This time I made banana bread and added some coconut for extra texture and flavor... and also just because i can! I found this recipe online, changed a few things and wrote it down on a piece of paper. Today i can't find the original, so here is my version. I really think is one of the best ones i've made, it's SUPER moist and easy. With a nice cup of coffee is heaven.

INGREDIENTS::

_ 1 2/3 cup of flour (I used 1 whole wheat and 2/3 regular)

_ 1 tsp baking soda

_ 1/4 tsp cinnamon

_ 1/4 tsp salt

_ 2/3 cup sugar

_ 2 eggs

_ 1/2 cup melted butter

_ 3 bananas (smashed)

_ 2 tbsp yogurt

_ 1 tsp vanilla extract

_ 1/2 cup walnuts

_ 1/2 cup coconut (optional)

DIRECTIONS::

_ Preheat oven to 350º

_ Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt. Set aside.

_ Beat sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. About 8 minutes. Add the butter and mix.

_ Add the bananas, the yogurt and the vanilla.

_ Fold dry ingredients. Add the nuts and coconut if using (you can also add some chocolate chips!)

_ Cook for 45 to 1hr

After you make this you'll repeat after me: "I'll NEVER throw away bananas ever again" :)

Grilled Omega-3's

It's been so HOT lately it's really hard to get motivated and cook inside, so we've been trying to grill as much as possible. Last night we made some amazing Salmon on the grill, it came out super delicious and I love the smoky flavor. This marinade is super easy and it's a mix of salty and sweet, the sugar makes an amazing crust on the salmon and the red pepper flakes gives it a little kick. Hope you like it as much as we do!

INGREDIENTS::

_ Salmon

_ 2 tbsp brown sugar

_ 2 tbsp soy sauce

_ 1 tbsp sesame oil

_spices: red pepper flakes, ground ginger, salt & pepper

Mix all the ingredients and marinate your salmon for about 30 min. We start to cooking the salmon on the flesh side for about 5 min, then flip and cook until desired doneness.

SIDES::

_ garlic

_ brown rice

_ kale

The Kale is super easy and SO good for you: Add some olive oil to a deep pan on medium heat. Add some garlic and cook until almost done, add the washed and cut up kale and stir. Add about 1/2 cup of water and put the lid on. It'll take about 5 min to cook, uncover and add salt & pepper to taste.

For the brow rice I just followed the package instructions, but lately I've been making it with chicken stock instead of water, it really adds a lot of flavor. For the plating I did a very "latin" thing, which is taking a small bowl, adding the rice and flipping it so it looks all cute :) it's great for portion control!

Duh-licious Tomato Salad

Yey tomatoes are in season! If you've been going to your local farmer's market you've probably noticed some beautiful tomatoes in shades of red, green and yellow. They all taste like a good old tomato, but some are slightly sweeter and some a bit tarter. Next time you see them, get a few (i like one in each color!) and make this salad I've been making, my hubby and I just can't get enough of it!

When you read the recipe you're gonna go "duh!" because it's so simple, it's almost silly. But here it is anyway, it's super healthy, quick and duh-licious :)

Ingredients::

_ tomatoes

_ fresh Basil leaves

_ balsamic vinegar (the thicker the better)

_ olive oil

_ pepper & SEA salt (if you don't have some it's ok, but I recommend having some at home)

Directions:

_ Cut your tomatoes any shape you like (I quarter them and slice them up) and arrange them on a plate.

_ Drizzle with olive oil and a good balsamic vinegar

_ Tear up some basil leaves and sprinkle all over.

_ Top with sea salt and corse black pepper.

Enjoy!