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Musings on Momentum

design a life you love

Invigorating Grapefruit Feta Salad

October 13, 2015

I am not generally a huge lover of citrus but for whatever reason I ADORE the refreshing taste of it during fall and winter.  A tart orange or grapefruit feels like a surprisingly fresh jolt of flavor to be experiencing during colder months.  Living in Los Angeles I’m able to get my hands on citrus year round, however growing up in a colder, wetter climate it was harder to come by.  For that reason it still feels like a bit of a special treat to me to be eating it as we move towards winter.

I came up with this simple grapefruit feta salad to compliment the crab stuffed portobello mushrooms that I shared with you last week.  I knew the portobello mushrooms were going to have a smokier taste and therefore wanted to prepare a salad that would offset that and shock the taste buds.  This salad did just that!

Grapefruit feta salad

This grapefruit feta salad is comprised of just a few simple ingredients – most of which you probably have on hand – and produces a truly unique flavor.  The tang of grapefruit combined with the bite of feta and the richness of walnuts thrills the taste buds and perfectly compliments a winter meal.

Grapefruit Feta Salad
grapefruit feta salad
Invigorating Grapefruit Feta Salad
Print Recipe
Stimulating grapefruit combines with the bite of feta and richness of walnuts in this uniquely refreshing grapefruit feta salad!
  • CourseSide Dish
Servings Prep Time
4 people (as a side) 10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people (as a side) 10 minutes
grapefruit feta salad
Invigorating Grapefruit Feta Salad
Print Recipe
Stimulating grapefruit combines with the bite of feta and richness of walnuts in this uniquely refreshing grapefruit feta salad!
  • CourseSide Dish
Servings Prep Time
4 people (as a side) 10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people (as a side) 10 minutes
Ingredients
  • 1 grapefruit small
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 4 cups butter lettuce
  • 4 tbsp feta cheese
  • 4 tbsp toasted walnuts
Servings: people (as a side)
Instructions
  1. Peel and section grapefruit over a bowl, squeezing membranes for juice as you go so that you are left with 3 tbsp of grapefruit juice.
  2. Combine reserved grapefruit juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and sugar.
  3. Wash lettuce and separate into servings, sprinkling feta cheese and walnuts over them.
  4. Divide grapefruit equally between servings and drizzle each with dressing.
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CATEGORIES // Food & Drink TAGGED: grapefruit feta salad, grapefruit salad recipe, salad, salad recipe

Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

October 6, 2015

To properly celebrate moving into our beautiful new home I wanted to prepare a dinner for us that was a departure from what I normally cook.   In my mind our splendid new home ought to equal a proportionately exquisite feast (at least for one night).  After putting some thought into it (and scouring Pinterest for ideas) I settled on attempting to make crab stuffed portobello mushrooms.

I selected a crab-based recipe because my fiance and I adore seafood.  My love is deep rooted and comes from growing up in Seattle tasting the freshest of the fresh catches available.  This recipe ended up feeling very Pacific Northwest…the rich, almost smoky taste of the portobellos combined with the texture of the crab and fresh organic vegetables lends itself to a quintessential PNW taste.  Eating it even made me, dare I say it, a little homesick.

I took inspiration from several recipes but ultimately created my own based on what I felt would best suit our taste buds.  The end result was a mouthwatering treat of a meal that I immediately wanted to share with all of you!

Crab stuffed portobello mushrooms

The beautiful end result.

portobello mushroom

An elegant portobello

vegetable stuffing

Cooking vegetables for the stuffing

crab stuffed portobello mushrooms

Stuffed portobello mushrooms ready to be topped in parmesan and paprika.

Pushing myself to experiment with textures and flavors was an incredibly rewarding experience.  While I will not be making these crab stuffed portobello mushrooms on a regular basis I am thrilled to have this beautiful, delicious recipe in my arsenal and ready to pull out on special occasions.  Please let me know if you give these a try!

Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
crab stuffed portobello mushrooms
Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Print Recipe
These delicious crab stuffed portobello mushrooms are sure to be a hit as an impressive, flavorful appetizer or as a savory main course!
  • CourseMain Dish, Side Dish
Servings Prep Time
4 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
crab stuffed portobello mushrooms
Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Print Recipe
These delicious crab stuffed portobello mushrooms are sure to be a hit as an impressive, flavorful appetizer or as a savory main course!
  • CourseMain Dish, Side Dish
Servings Prep Time
4 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Ingredients
  • 4 portobello mushrooms large
  • 16 oz crab meat
  • 1/2 cup green onions
  • 1 stick celery
  • 1 orange pepper
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 2 tbsp shredded parmasean cheese
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees.
  2. Wipe mushrooms clean, cut off stems, and scoop out gills (set aside stems and gills for later).
  3. Chop orange pepper, celery, green onions, and mushroom stems and gills into small pieces. Chop parsley.
  4. Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan adding in onions and celery. Saute for 3-4 minutes until celery starts to soften.
  5. Add mushroom bits to the pan and heat for another minute. Remove pan from stovetop.
  6. Shred crab meat and mix with thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
  7. Add in sauteed onions, celery, and mushroom along with remaining olive oil, lemon juice, and parsley. Mix well.
  8. Brush stuffed portobello mushrooms in oil.
  9. Place mushrooms in baking dish.
  10. Fill each portobello with 1/4 of mixture.
  11. Top stuffed portobellos with shredded parmasean and a sprinkle of paprika.
  12. Bake for 15 minutes (or until tender and tops have browned)
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CATEGORIES // Food & Drink TAGGED: crab, stuffed portobello mushroom

Beautiful Blushing Mimosas

September 22, 2015

Can I just state that I do not recommend moving within six weeks of your wedding?  The combination of stress involved with receiving an eviction letter, a fight to the death with other evicted residents for the one newly renovated unit in the building, the six week waiting period to find out definitively that the apartment was ours, and the subsequent unplanned move ON TOP of ironing out final wedding details was just a little too much for me.  Needless to say, in the midst of the never ending insanity we took some well-deserved time out to toast the beginning of the next chapter of our lives with these gorgeous mimosas.

This recipe was exceedingly easy to prepare and was a welcome change from the classic orange juice mimosas that we normally drink.  The addition of just two ingredients, pineapple juice and grenadine, created the perfect pop of tartness and burst of the most beautiful blushing color.  I’m not certain we will ever go back to plain mimosas!

blushing mimosas

I am looking forward to making these for many future celebrations and brunches to come and, you know, the odd Tuesday because as F. Scott Fitzgerald said…

F. Scott Fitzgerald Quote

Cheers to surviving that fun little test of willpower that life decided to administer, cheers to new beginnings and cheers to champagne!

Beautiful Blushing Mimosas
mimosa recipe
Beautiful Blushing Mimosas
Print Recipe
Spice up your traditional mimosas with a few simple additions. These Beautiful Blushing Mimosas are simple to whip up and are certain crowd pleasers!
  • CourseBeverage
Servings Prep Time
6 2
Servings Prep Time
6 2
mimosa recipe
Beautiful Blushing Mimosas
Print Recipe
Spice up your traditional mimosas with a few simple additions. These Beautiful Blushing Mimosas are simple to whip up and are certain crowd pleasers!
  • CourseBeverage
Servings Prep Time
6 2
Servings Prep Time
6 2
Ingredients
  • 750 ml champagne
  • 2 cups orange juice not from concentrate
  • 1 cup pineapple juice chilled
  • 2 tsbs grenadine
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Pour all ingredients into a pitcher and stir.
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CATEGORIES // Food & Drink TAGGED: celebration, mimosa, mimosa variation

Vegan Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

September 8, 2015

One of the things I miss the most about not being able to eat dairy is that I no longer get to indulge in ice cream on a hot summer day.  I have tried just about every dairy-free alternative on the market and, while some are absolutely delicious, they can be a bit pricey when you purchase them on a regular basis.  I have been wanting to find a budget friendly option, preferably one that I can prepare myself, for quite a while.  This vegan chocolate banana ice cream definitely fits the bill and makes for a refreshing and (relatively) healthy treat!

Vegan Banana Chocolate Ice Cream

There are a lot of banana ice cream recipes available online and I started my experientation with the most basic of the basic out there, one that requires only two ingredients – bananas and cocoa powder!

Vegan chocolate banana ice cream

I ultimately added in vanilla extract to cancel out a bit of the banana taste as well as vanilla coconut milk to make for a creamier consistency and was happy with both additions.  They both gave the ice cream a more authentic and dairy-like taste and consistency.  In the future I will always include the extra hits of vanilla.  If you enjoy the taste of banana and are looking for a healthy alternative to ice cream I definitely recommend giving this a try!

Disclaimer: I feel like I need to include a note about this, and any, banana ice cream recipe.  I read a lot of complaints on message boards about banana ice cream tasting too much like banana.  It is impossible to completely cover up the taste of the banana and you should not expect to do so.

 

Vegan Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
Vegan Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
Print Recipe
  • CourseDessert
Servings Prep Time
4 people 10 minutes
Passive Time
4 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 people 10 minutes
Passive Time
4 hours
Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
Vegan Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
Print Recipe
  • CourseDessert
Servings Prep Time
4 people 10 minutes
Passive Time
4 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 people 10 minutes
Passive Time
4 hours
Ingredients
  • 4 bananas very ripe!
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanille extract optional
  • 1 splash vanilla coconut milk optional
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Peel and slice bananas, place slices in the freezer in an air-tight container or zip-lock.
  2. Freeze for a minimum of two hours.
  3. Place frozen bananas, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and coconut milk in a blender (or food processor) and blend until creamy.
  4. Scoop into a bowl, top to your preference and serve!
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CATEGORIES // Food & Drink TAGGED: banana ice cream, banana recipe, chocolate ice cream, vegan ice cream

Strawberry Prosecco Granita

August 25, 2015

As we look ahead towards our upcoming move, we have started making plans to do a lot more entertaining at home.  As a result, I have been on the hunt for delicious, beautiful and easy(ish) recipes to offer future guests.  This strawberry prosecco granita will be a perfect dessert to serve friends on warm evenings at home.  After all, how could you go wrong when you’re combining prosecco and strawberries?!

Strawberry Prosecco Granita

 

The recipe itself was exceedingly easy to prepare.  The only trick is that you have to continue scraping the prosecco granita with a fork every hour or so as it freezes to break it up and give it that yummy crushed ice consistency.  Therefore this is definitely a dish you want to make on a day when you’ll be home for a few hours.  Perhaps on a day when you will be preparing for a dinner party?

strawberry prosecco granita

Juicy strawberries

strawberry prosecco granita

Prosecco and strawberries

strawberry prosecco granita

Puggle Chef is eager to help

This delicious recipe made enough to cool us down and satisfy our taste buds for several days in a row.  I have already been getting requests to make it again so it seems that it will be a staple in our household.  We both highly recommend giving it a try.

Do you have any favorite recipes you serve when entertaining that you might share with me?  I’m doing my best to get some recipes and hostessing skills under my belt but I know I have a long way to go.  Tips and tricks are always appreciated!

Strawberry prosecco granita
Strawberry Prosecco Granita
Print Recipe
  • CourseDessert
Servings Prep Time
6 people 5 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
2 minutes 5 hours
Servings Prep Time
6 people 5 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
2 minutes 5 hours
Strawberry prosecco granita
Strawberry Prosecco Granita
Print Recipe
  • CourseDessert
Servings Prep Time
6 people 5 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
2 minutes 5 hours
Servings Prep Time
6 people 5 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
2 minutes 5 hours
Ingredients
  • 16 oz strawberries hulled and pureed in a blender or food processor
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 sprig of leaves mint
  • 1/2 lemon squeezed
  • 2 cups prosecco
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Combine water, sugar and mint leaves in a small sauce pan to make simple syrup. Stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let sit for 20 minutes.
  2. Puree strawberries, blending in lemon juice and mint from simple syrup.
  3. Combine pureed strawberry mixture, prosecco and simple syrup in a glass baking dish (I used an 8x8). Place in freezer for 4-5 hours scraping the mixture with a fork every hour to break it into pieces.
  4. Serve with a sprig of mint and enjoy!
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CATEGORIES // Food & Drink TAGGED: dessert, prosecco granita, strawberries

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