Gardenburger And Spinach With An Asian Twist

Sorry for not posting this yesterday. I did get gourmet into my day, but not until late at night after band practice. I got home exhausted and all I had in my refrigerator was lots of condiments, eggs, bread, and hummus. In the freezer I had gardenburgers and spinach. I decided to make spinach and a gardenburger. I turned on my George Forman Grill, which has been my kitchen staple for the last several years. I boiled some water for the spinach and placed the spinach in for 4 minutes. Then I made a wasabi vinaigrette. My recipe that I use for a wasabi vinaigrette is my own creation. I eyeball everything, but about two tbs. of soy sauce, 2 tbs. of rice vinegar, 1 tbs. of evoo, and 1 tbs. of wasabi mayonnaise (you can substitute regular mayonnaise as long as you put a little bit of wasabi paste in it.) Once the gardenburger is done I spread a little of the wasabi mayo on it, which you can find at Trader Joes or gourmet shops. I mix the wasabi vinaigrette with the cooked spinach and place that on top of the gardenburger. It tastes delicious, especially if you like wasabi, and is really healthy. If you do not like wasabi you could substitute a general tsao's sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or a peanut sauce.

Bouchon Bakery-Peaches and Cream Macaron

Despite the cold and the wind, I decided to head over to Bouchon Bakery for my once a day gourmet experience.

I have frequented Bouchon Bakery several times, eating at both the restaurant and the bakery. I have never been disappointed in the food. At the restaurant there is often a wait and it is a little pricey, but it is still worth going to at least once. I go to the bakery, probably once a month and grab something that looks delicious.

But, this time I went with the mission of trying a macaron. I had always wondered about these expensive colored cookies in the glass window, and have seen many people order them. Today, I took the plunge. They had about five different options. Usually, when I am trying something for the first time I tend to order the most traditional; but, I went with the seasonal option of Peaches and Cream. One reason for picking the seasonal flavor was this beautiful pinky peach color, but I believe it must have been my subconscious remembering the Ben and Jerry's new peach cobbler ice cream I had the pleasure of enjoying last weekend.



Before I've taken a bite, I am wondering if this little thing will be worth $2.75? Well, let me quickly tell you it is worth every penny! This tiny macaron was five minutes of heaven. It was sweet and peachy, but not overwhelmingly so. It had a unique texture, which was soft and a little chewy. There were continuous bursts of peach and the cream center was light and flavorful. Biting into it, the texture reminded me of a soft cookie and a marshmallow. Needless to say, I tried to savor every bite; but, it quickly disappeared from my napkin. I guess I will have to go back and try all of the flavors! If you have any flavor recommendations or other venues at which to get delicious macarons please leave a comment.