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.

Sabra-Flame Roasted Eggplant

I want to start out my second post with a little explanation of why I started this blog. I am a busy person. Between work, music, and sleep, I barely have time to grocery shop or eat. Often breakfast is substituted with coffee, lunch consists of a Luna bar, and dinner can be non-existent or a simple sandwich (which totally can be made gourmet!). I find that a lot of my friends have trouble fitting any meals into their work day. But, I love food. I dream about it, watch it on tv, read about, and of course eat it! I discovered quickly after starting my first full-time job that I needed to fit some sort of special or gourmet food into every day in order to stay sane. Maybe, you will not consider some of the items I will be posting about "gourmet," but they are to me.



I should warn you that besides sweets, I love anything Sabra and anything eggplant. So, expect to see a lot of both in this blog. I always have one or two Sabra items in my refrigerator because they often add gourmet to my day. Sabra is sometimes hard to locate and hard to find a wide selection. I usually get my Sabra items from Zabars or Morten Williams. Today, I will be discussing their Flame Roasted Eggplant. It is absolutely delicious. It has the texture of a chunky salsa. It is pretty with the eggplant being a tan color and the red dots of the sweet red peppers. The immediate flavors that are in the first bite are garlic, salt, a little acid, and of course eggplant. It is light, but not overly mushy. Also, it is sweet! I can see this as a perfect summer side at your picnic in Central Park. I ate it with some tortilla chips; but, it would also be great in a salad, omelet, or sandwich. It costs approximately $3.49 for a 7oz container.



I am a loyal patron of Sabra, but I have one complaint that you may have experienced. Their lids don't stay on! Maybe I drop things more often then other people, but if the lid sealed, it wouldn't make a mess. The other day I had the unfortunate experience of dropping my hummus, as I tried to catch it oil from the hummus flew up into my eye! Luckily, it was not supremely spicy hummus or that would have really hurt. If anyone from Sabra is reading this post, maybe you could consider fixing the lids. Readers: if you ever get oil in your eye, water isn't just going to do it. Go to the nearest pharmacy and get some eye wash!

ps. sorry my camera is not the best quality.

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.