A Soup in Review

As you may or may not have realized, I’m a creature of habit. I definitely like to try new things, but have my “regular” breakfasts that I make as well as regular meals I order when I go out.

Panera is one of those places that I stick to my regulars. I usually go for one of their Signature Salads, but every now and then I get a little crazy and get a “You Pick Two.” A chilly night calls for a bowl of soup and the Low-Fat Vegetarian Garden Vegetable Soup with Pesto was calling my name!

A low-fat vegetarian soup with diced tomatoes, sliced zucchini, yellow beans, fresh Swiss chard, cauliflower, bell peppers and pearled barley in a tomato broth. Garnished with a dollop of nut-free basil pesto.

Of course, I also went with one of my staples on the side; Thai Chopped Chicken salad, and I was glad that I did. While the soup was good, the taste didn’t quite live up to the description. It was a decent vegetable soup, but I definitely felt like it was missing something. I’m not sure I would really recommend this soup to anyone, unless they were looking for something light with not a ton of flavor.

Looking back, it was definitely missing something.. see that dollop of nut-free basil pesto? Yea. Me neither.

I’ve enjoyed the soups at Panera before, so I wouldn’t simply pass judgement on all of the soups on the menu from this one experience. And even though it was a bit disappointing, I think I would go back and give this soup a try again. With the pesto!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Foodbuzz. I was provided a gift certificate and compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

What I Ate Wednesday #12 – Baltimore Restaurant Week

Baltimore Restaurant Week is one of my favorite weeks of summer. I guess winter too, but someone summer just seems better!

I absolutely love trying new restaurants and this is the time to do it. You get to taste 3 courses for $30, and if you choose the right place, you’re really getting a steal! Often, the restaurants on the list serve entrees ranging from $20-$40, so to add an appetizer and dessert to that makes it all worth it.

This time around, we decided to check out Salt. It’s a trendy little restaurant that we’ve been to before, but it’s been years. And while we usually use restaurant week as an excuse to try something new, we just couldn’t pass up the incredible menu.

Being that we went out on a Friday, the first part of my day is uber normal. Aka not so exciting. Except for this awesome pancake!

[Breakfast]

Chocolate coconut protein pancake topped with Earth Balance Coconut Peanut Spread, coconut, and cinnamon plus Bombshell Spell with ZICO. I’m absolutely obsessed with the coconut peanut spread. It’s like a little taste of heaven melted over chocolatey goodness!

[Snack]

(not pictured)
Apple

[Lunch]

(not pictured)
Mixed green salad with cucumber, tomatoes, onions, green bell pepper, carrots, zucchini, diced avocado, & chili sesame tofu. This tofu recipe is divine and so simple. I’ll be sharing it soon!

[Snack]

(not pictured)
thinkThin Creamy Peanut Butter Blizzard + a few pieces Almond Maple Pecan Snackle Mouth. The blizzard was a fun way to mix up my usual protein bar and the little chunks at the very bottom were so tasty! And the Snackle Mouth is really something special.. I was lucky enough to win a couple boxes and I hope to be featuring these (or some new products soon to launch!) in a giveaway very soon!

[Dinner]

The most exciting part of the day. Everything on the menu sounded absolutely phenomenal and we couldn’t make any decisions without asking for recommendations (of course!)

Primaterra Pinot Noir • Roasted Red Pepper Tapinade with freshly baked bread

Cool Vichyssoise Soup
Dungeness crab, pommes frites, chive oil

Country Pork Terrine (not pictured)
Pistachios, figs, dijon mustard

I went for the soup, Nathan for the terrine. We were both equally pleased with our choices and it was something new for each of us to try.

Grilled Swordfish with Charred Gazpacho Vegetables
Lemon and olive quinoa, avocado puree

Crispy Creek Stone Farms Beef Belly Confit
Ginger glaze, white kimchi with asian pears, spicy sriracha creamed corn

The swordfish had been recommended to me by a friend and the side dishes sold me. It was delicious and I savored every last bite. But Nathan totally won. The beef belly confit was rich and savory with a slight sweetness from the creamed corn, which wasn’t all mush, as some would assume. If I went back the next day, I’d get the beef belly confit, hands down!

Key Lime Tart
Coconut meringue, blue berry coulis

Goat Cheese Donuts
Lavender honey, vanilla sea salt, coffee ice cream

Finally, the best way to end a wonderful meal; with an even more wonderful dessert. I opted for the tart while Nathan chose the donuts. Really, he’d choose anything fried, but drizzled with honey and ice cream on the side? He couldn’t say no! They were fantastic, but I definitely preferred my key lime tart. It was light, sweet, and tart, and just the perfect ending to the meal.

[Summer Staples]
Fresh fruits and veggies. Not a day goes by that I don’t get my fill of all of the freshness that summer has to offer and Salt definitely feels the same way. All of my favorite restaurants are those that take advantage of the freshest ingredients available and plan their menus around that. Why offer farm-raised tilapia when rockfish are jumping?

Speak Up!

What would you have ordered? Are you a meat-and-potatoes kinda person or a sea-foodie?

Tilapia Stir-Fry with Chili Peanut Sauce

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks over here.. planning a wedding is tough! I’ve been busy with caterer appointments, researching bands, and an engagement party (that wasway too much fun!) Not to mention 4th of July fell in there too, so when I finally had time to cook this past weekend, I was thrilled! I grabbed all of the random veggies left in my fridge and got to work.

Serves 2

Ingredients

Stir-Fry
2 4oz. tilapia filets
1 1/2 cups napa cabbage, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 medium zucchini
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 cup snow peas
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 radishes, sliced
1 large scallion, chopped
2 tbsp sliced almonds
2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tbsp coconut oil for vegetables, 1/2 tbsp coconut oil for tilapia
Salt
Black pepper
Garlic powder

Sauce
1/4 cup PB2 or peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut water
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp spicy chili sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Black pepper

Directions
Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and warm in the microwave about 30 seconds.

Heat a pan over medium high heat with 1 tbsp coconut oil. Once preheated, toss in your cabbage and carrots. Saute for about 5 minutes.

At this time, in a separate pan, toast the almonds and coconut over medium low heat until a little brown and put it off to the side.

While the almonds and coconut are toasting, add the bell pepper and zucchini to the cabbage and carrot mixture. Saute another 10 minutes and finally add the snow peas and garlic. Saute until

Preheat a pan over medium high heat and add 1/2 tbsp coconut oil. Season your tilapia with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Once the pan is preheated, add the tilapia. Saute about 5 minutes, then flip and saute another 5-7 minutes until the fish is completely cooked through.

Add some of the sauteed vegetables into a bowl and top with some sliced radishes. Place a piece of tilapia on top and sprinkle the coconut almond mixture, as well as the chopped green onion. Drizzle some chili peanut sauce on top and enjoy!

Speak Up!

What is your favorite way to use PB2?

What I Ate Wednesday #6 – Heavy Seas Ale House

I love nothing more than trying new things.. especially when it comes to food! I’ve been mixing up my meals a bit this week and trying new easy recipes. I also got to try a new restaurant in Baltimore; Heavy Seas Ale House. The food was delicious and the drinks were even better! So let’s get to it, shall we?!

Breakfast

Perfect morning quinoa with blueberries & almonds and a Bombshell Spell. All directly from the lovely Tone It Up Nutrition Plan!

Sensible Snack #1

1/2 grapefruit sprinkled with stevia. Alright, so not everything is getting mixed up this week, but what can I say? I’m a fan of the grapefruit!

Lunch

Summer shrimp salad.. another one from the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan. This is such a great meal for warm days! It’s so light and delicious and frankly, I’m a fan of topping anything with avocado!

Sensible Snack #2

GT’s Guava Goddess Kombucha is one of my absolute favorite drinks lately! If you have never heard of or tried Kombucha, get on it! And I would highly recommend the Guava Goddess, Gingerade, and Gingerberry flavors.

I was also so excited to try The Good Bean Chocolate Berry bar. These bars are full of fruit and no nuts! Typically I love almonds and cashews and other nuts in my bars, but this one replaces that crunchy texture with chick peas. So delicious and you really don’t miss the nut! (And how can you top dark chocolate and berries?!)

Dinner

We celebrated my parents’ 35th wedding anniversary at Heavy Seas Ale House. Nathan and I had only been there once before for drinks, but had been wanting to return and try the food; we’d heard so many good reviews!

Heavy Seas has become known for their beer cocktails. The first time we went there, I got the Gold Ale Cucumber Margarita. Holy yum!

“Heavy Seas Gold Ale”, resposado tequila, fresh lime juice, cucumber and house made golden ale syrup with a salted rim.

This time I had to try something new.. here we haveAny Port in the Storm. Again, holy yum!

Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, house made ginger syrup, lime juice, and “Heavy Seas Gold Ale”

We started out with 1/2 dozen raw Washington oysters. I’m not a big oyster fan, but I always try one when we get them. My parents loved them! I much preferred the Spicy Beer Nuts. I would definitely recommend them, but watch out.. they’re addicting and the spice builds!

Pecans tossed with sweet spices and “Marzen”

My mom and I both got the Crispy Rockfish Special over mussels and cockles, topped with zucchini, roasted corn, & bacon in a tomato broth. Delicious! I was happy to learn that crispy didn’t mean fried. It was cooked in a pan, skin on, so the skin was nice and crispy, but the fish was not at all oily.

We finished off with a lovely Flourless Chocolate Cake with bay leaf chantilly creme on a beautifully (and deliciously!) decorated plate. And to our surprise, every table gets to end their meal with these wonderful homemade mini chocolate chip cookies with a touch of spice! I have to say, I think I preferred the cookie to the cake!

I will definitely be returning to Heavy Seas to try some more delicious food! I hear the burgers and oyster po boy sandwiches are out of this world, so I think next time we’ll be trying out their lunch dishes. Can’t wait to report in on that!

Speak Up!

What’s the best dish you’ve had a restaurant recently?