Finally! I’ve been dying to try the MIHO Gastrotruck since we moved to San Diego. Last Friday afternoon my friend and I tracked them down in our old ‘72 VW Superbeetle in hopes of having a super yummy lunch.

We saw the line for food before we saw the truck! Hopes are rising high. Can’t wait to try the Fig & Goat Cheese Tart. Mmm… My mouth is watering.

What’s this? Already sold out only an hour into service!? My heart sinks. Thankfully, there were plenty of other things on the menu I wanted to try. And all proved to be quite tasty and worth the 20 minute drive to find these guys.

First we had a Fried Okra Salad. Local okra, local arugula, local tomato, red onion, house pickled local green beans, buttermilk dressing. Full $6.95 Half $3.95.

Then we dove into the Oaxacan Quesadilla. Local flour tortilla, queso Oaxaca, grilled local peppers, roasted local tomato salsa. $6.25

Last, we thoroughly enjoyed the Tacos de Pescado. Local rock cod, local cabbage, crema fresca, pico de gallo and local corn tortilla. $6.75

All of our dishes were very fresh tasting and definitely worth coming back for more. I felt the prices were quite fair for being so fresh, homemade and local. Their menu changes weekly based on what’s available at the markets. How cool is that? You never know what you’ll be able to try the next week!

One of the owners told us that soon there will be a permanent weekly location in the East Village in downtown San Diego… only a handful of blocks from where I live! I could not be happier about this little bit of information.

If you are anywhere near the MIHO Gastrotruck you must try it, and if you want to find out where they are just follow them on Facebook or Twitter. I am officially a HOMI! YAY!

This past Saturday, I made it out to the Little Italy Mercato here in San Diego. I scored big time with cipollini onions, heirloom tomatoes, swiss chard, fresh french baguette, goat’s milk feta… and the list goes on!

I’ve never tried cipollini onions before, but I’ve been dying to since I read how tasty they were after roasting them. But what recipe should I try?? Hm. This was tough, but when I came across Smitten Kitchen’s Roasted Tomatoes and Cipollinis I was hooked!

Wow! Really. WOW! I would like to eat this every night. I didn’t add white beans to mine, nor did I used the chopped basil. (It was in fact chopped and sitting on my cutting board, oops.) It was still so tasty!

Can’t wait to make this again… with the basil.

To accompany my roasted delights, I made my first batch of swiss chard. I used the Lemony Swiss Chard recipe from Martha. This was also quite good, and a lovely addition of color to the plate. It was different than I’d expected, but in a good way.

I could have photographed this swiss chard all day. It’s so lovely. So vibrant. So fresh. Straight from the farm.

If you haven’t found a local Farmers’ Market in your area yet, then get out and find one! It’s totally worth it.

I love cabbage. It’s cheap. It’s healthy. It’s versatile.

I’ve been making this recipe for months now. It’s so quick and easy. This has become one of my favorite ways to eat cabbage! Thanks, Martha Stewart Living Magazine, January 2010.

It’s such an elegant way to serve cabbage. Slice a few lemon wedges for guests to squeeze over the finished dish. Would be fabulous served with a whole roasted chicken. Maybe add another veggie side or a fresh spring salad. Yum!

You can find the recipe for Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Olive Oil and Lemon here.

The only addition I made to mine was to use McCormick’s Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder. It’s the perfect combination of seasonings for this lovely, mild vegetable.

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How will you be spending your holiday weekend? Are you making yummy food?

I’ll be spending the weekend with my family and trying out these recipes for Sunday Breakfast. Updates to follow!

Sticky Lemon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

Zucchini and Green Chili Breakfast Casserole

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Happy Easter Easter/Passover Everyone! Have a great weekend…

First off, let me apologize for disappearing for two weeks! Between visiting family and a quick trip to NYC last week, life got crazy. Ok, now back to the cauliflower!

This is a great, filling and healthy way to prepare cauliflower. My husband’s favorite!

Simply rinse and chop one head of cauliflower into bite size florets. Toss in a bit of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and your favorite herbs/sprices. I use McCormick’s Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder. Season liberally. Roast in 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until tender. You can shake the pan halfway through, but it’s not necessary.

One tasty variation is to add a jar of peeled whole garlic cloves. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Toss onto pan with prepared cauliflower. So yummy! I use 1 7.75 ounce jar of Bellino Garlic Cloves from my local grocery store.

Who else is THRILLED that Spring is finally here?!?!?

I have really been craving soup these past couple weeks. Maybe it’s all the snow we’ve been getting and chilly temperatures! I happen to love butternut squash. What better to use it for than a soup?

I found this recipe from Bon Apetit, but realized I didn’t have all the ingredients, nor did I want to use heavy cream or milk. I did however have similar ingredients (i.e. sub parsnips for carrots, celery root for celery). While I was unsure of how this would turn out with the substitutions and my own spin, I decided to press on. Boy, am I glad I did. This soup turned out to be amazing!

Butternut Squash & Roasted Garlic Soup

WHAT I USED:

2 heads of garlic, tops removed
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 cups chopped onions
3/4 cup peeled, chopped parsnips
1/2 cup peeled, chopped celery root
4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

light sour cream for garnish

WHAT I DID:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place each head of garlic on it’s own foil sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap tightly. Bake about 40 minutes, or until tender. Cool in foil.

2. Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, parsnips and celery. Cook until onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir mixture so it does not brown. Add squash, broth and 2 tablespoons sage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 25 minutes or until squash is tender.

3. While soup is simmering, unwrap peeled garlic. Squeeze into a small bowl, discarding papery skins. Mash garlic with a fork into a smooth paste.

4. Stir garlic into soup. Using a hand blender, puree soup until smooth. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.

5. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with a dollop of light sour cream, remaining sage ( if desired ) and a little kosher salt and black pepper.

** Soup can be frozen ( without sour cream ) up to 4 weeks. Freeze in individual portions for quick meals. Thaw in refrigerator. Reheat on the stove over medium low heat.

This is a fabulous soup perfect for a simple meal at home or a night of entertaining. A perfect first course! Serve with bruscetta for dipping or your favorite yummy bread. Garnish with a dollop of light sour cream to counter the sweetness of the squash. Yum!!

I’ve never used celery root before, but it worked very nicely with the meal. It seemed to be milder than celery to me. Maybe it just married perfectly with the flavors so I didn’t notice. It was easy to work with and a nice substitution. Don’t be afraid to try new ingredients. You might be surprised!

Helpful Link:
How To Roast Garlic

Although for the past week, The Hubs and I have really fallen off the “Eating Healthy” wagon…today has been a good day. Back to the task at hand, creating a healthier lifestyle for ourselves. Today I tried another recipe from this book. It’s Gluten-Free Squash Bread. It turned out pretty nice although it is a funny yellowy color. I wonder what other squashes I could use. This called for butternut squash. I also added fresh rosemary. I think next time I’ll add more and maybe some other fresh herbs.

I smeared some baked sweet potato over it which complimented the drier bread taste. It was super easy so I’m sure I’ll be making it again with different variations. You could also smear some mashed avocado on top. That might be yummy.

Alright, this is supposed to be a place I share my creative side, but I’m on a cooking high right now so bear with me. Here’s the latest recipe I made today, Adzuki Bean Bake. It’s definitely one of my favorites now!! As you can see, I couldn’t wait to try some of it, which is why it’s cropped! <wink, wink> Don’t be afraid to try your hand at a new recipe today, you could be pleasantly surprised. Enjoy! 

*Recipe from the book Slim for Life, by Dr. Gillian McKeith of You Are What You Eat. 

OK, I just had to share. The hubs and I became a bit addicted to this show, “You Are What You Eat” on BBC America a month or so ago. We decided to make a bit lifestyle change with our eating habits to get healthier. Anyway, I made one of the soups from The Plan this morning and I just love, LOVE… LOVE IT! It’s too bad you can’t lick the screen to get a taste.