Discovery Weekends: Celebrating 12 years with my Hubby at Sasa

My husband and I recently celebrated our 12^th anniversary dinner. We usually either go out of town or select a good restaurant to enjoy an evening out. This year, we opted to do the latter. We revisited one of our favorite restaurants: Sasa in Walnut Creek, California.

We’ve probably have been to Sasa numerous times.  We love the classy Asian-inspired decor.  We were there on a Monday, so a lot of people were taking advantage of their extended Happy Hour, Getsuyobi Monday’s. I found the happy hour name somewhat funny since "Getsuyobi" literally is Monday (so it’s Monday Monday’s). A lot of people were taking advantage of the $5 and $10 sushi rolls and special priced appetizers. Sasa also offers an extensive sake menu and a good selection of wine and cocktails, which makes it a great happy hour choice.

We never had a bad experience at Sasa. This evening was no different. We arrived a bit early, so we sat at the bar while we waited for our table.  The bartender was very attentive, in spite of the crowd that evening. I tried one of their non-alcoholic pomegranate mojito since I was designated driver (actually refreshing and hydrating especially in a hot summer day), and we shared an order of root chips and aioli. We’re not sure what roots were included, but it was delicious. The chips were very savory, and not too salty. To be honest, it was quite addicting.

Sasa specializes on small plates: Asian tapas-style. For dinner, instead of our usual share an appetizer, entree, and dessert strategy, we decided to share a few small plates... and dessert, of course.

The pork belly skewers were a good start. It reminded me of a Filipino Lechon Kawali (Deep Fried Pork Belly) on a stick. The only thing missing was the crispy skin (and lechon sauce) – the way it is traditionally served. Maybe if it was served the Filipino way, it will exceed the cholesterol limits of the dish. This went way too fast to photograph (My fault, lechon kawali is one of my favorites).

My duck confit on steamed buns had more a Chinese inspiration – like a duck confit bao. It reminded me of dimsum lunches, but elevated to a different level. Using a duck confit gave a good crispiness and the hoisin sauce and plum wine vinaigrette reminded me of its Asian roots.

The roasted spiced lamb chops was equally delicious. It was perfectly cooked and spiced and quite succulent.  The green pistachio sauce on it was different than what we expected, but had a refreshing twist.

We ended dinner with a Banana and Macadamia Cream Tart. I usually end an evening like this with a light sorbet, but I am a bit sorbet-ed out. The tart had the right combination of creaminess yet freshness. It was the perfect way to end the meal.

The food was plated and presented beautifully, it was inviting and you just want to dive into it. We had excellent service all through the evening. We’ve been there for lunch on a weekend and had the same experience. We love Sasa and will most likely return... soon. Hope you will also enjoy this Walnut Creek find.

Mad Gourmet's Chicken Adobo Recipe

Being Filipino, I recently had a craving for chicken adobo. I thought that instead of buying it from our nearby Filipino eateries, I would be adventurous and cook it myself.

First Attempt was not bad: Love the seared chicken skin

I’ve never cooked adobo at all. When my mom used to cook it all the time and we have a good number of Filipino eateries around us. Why mess with a good thing if it is available. However, most of these eateries probably do not use the best ingredients (I doubt that they use EVOO – I can just hear “my husband say what is that?”)

So for a change, I did not consult Google first. I have a wealth of sources for adobo, so I asked to my friends on how to make it. All of them gave me great tips: use peppercorns, use sugar instead of honey, some vinegars are stronger than others so more sugar may be added. So now I have an idea on how to do this.

The one thing that my sources did not give me was proportion: they just said soy, vinegar, sugar but not how much. I found this chicken adobo recipe in allrecipes.com, so I used it as a base for measurements.

Second attempt: Trying to elevate the plating a bit

On the choice of vinegar, I remember that we only had one or two choices for vinegar in the Philippines. My mom mostly used coconut vinegar. I had a lot of vinegar at home, but not this. I opted to use my mildest vinegar – Japanese rice vinegar. Perhaps, my next trip to the Filipino grocery store, I will pick up a bottle.

For my first batch, I used boned skinned chicken thighs. This worked really well, but it took a lot longer to cook. After the thighs were simmered, I put the thighs back in oil to get a good sear.

For my second batch, I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. This was a healthier option and much easier to cook. We were both hungry, so we did not opt for a sear this time.

Enjoy!!!

Mad Gourmet’s Chicken Adobo

Recipe makes about 3 servings

• 6 Chicken Thighs
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, unsweetened (see note below)*
• 1 tablespoon of sugar (see note below)*
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• Garlic Powder, to taste
• Black Peppercorns (start with about 1 tsp and see if you want more)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 bay leaves

* If you can only find sweetened rice wine vinegar, you can omit the sugar.

Directions

1. Place chicken pieces in a large bowl. Pour vinegar and soy sauce over chicken, and season with ground black pepper and garlic powder to taste. Toss to coat. (If you can, marinate for at least 3 hours)
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and sweat the garlic.
3. Place marinated chicken pieces in hot oil. Add bay leaves and peppercorns. Cook chicken pieces until they are no longer pink and juices run clear. Some of the marinade will come from the chicken, and I found that this was enough for our dish.
4. (Optional step) Heat oil in a separate skillet and put the chicken thighs a few minutes. Cook just enough to add a good sear to the chicken.
5. Serve with rice and veggies.

Verdict:

Overall, this was a pretty good chicken adobo. Even my hubby gave it a thumbs up. I wanted to elevate the plating and make it a bit healthier, so I served it with brown rice (I would serve it with brown rice-quinoa blend, but I ran out of quinoa). I added a side of seasonal veggies to make it a more balanced meal. I only put pepper on the veggies, because I figured that the soy sauce would be salty enough.

I also was hoping that when the marinade reduces, I could get a good sear on the chicken pieces. Unfortunately, this did not happen. So, I had to cheat and put them in a separate pan. I may also half the marinade next time.

I found this recipe after I made my second batch from panlasangpinoy.com (translate “Filipino taste”). This site provides great information on what adobo is to Filipinos. I may incorporate components of this recipe in my next batch.

Mad about minis: (Relatively) Guilt-free Chocolate-Strawberry Lava Cake

I had a craving for cake, but it was about 9 pm and don’t feel like going out. Browsing through the Food and Drink area on Pinterest, I found this easy but tempting recipe. The great thing is I have most of the ingredients at hand. I also recently bought some almond flour and have been experimenting with whole-wheat flour, so I thought this small serving would be a great opportunity to try these out.

Single-serve Guilt-free Chocolate-Strawberry Lava Cake

Adapted from Girl Who Bakes’ Guilt-free Lava Cake for One

Yields 1 cake

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon almond flour*
• 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour*
• 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour*
• 3/4 tablespoons light brown sugar**
• 1/2 tablespoon agave nectar**
• 1 heaping tablespoon cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli’s)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons almond milk
• 1 tablespoon non-fat strawberry-flavored Greek yogurt***
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

* You can use 2 1/2 tablespoon of flour (any combination).

** You can use 1 1/4 tablespoon of sugar, any combination – I just like brown sugar and agave.

*** Actually, any flavor yogurt will do, but anything that blends well with chocolate will be best. In my case, this would be berry, banana, or vanilla-flavored. I used Dannon Oikos Strawberry (Fruit in the bottom, but mixed).

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.     Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

3.     Mix milk, yogurt, and vanilla in separate bowl.

4.     Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients and stir until combined.

5.     Grease a 7 ounce ramekin with cooking spray. Pour batter into ramekin and bake for 12-16 minutes or until edges and top of cake are set.

6.     Let cake cool for 1 minute then invert onto larger plate or bowl.

Verdict:

This is an awesome dessert and relatively guilt-free (the original recipe is only 171 calories, not sure what mine is with all the substitutions). It really looks quite decadent especially when you serve it with whipped cream and berries. Personally, I would have preferred to serve it with strawberries, but I only had blackberries.

I will try this again. Maybe use honey instead of agave. I think you still need to use a bit of sugar though for moisture.

And when you invert the ramekin and a cake pops out, wow!  Girl who bakes is right! You will feel like a professional. Not sure about looking like one though, especially if you are baking these in your jammies.

Mad Gourmet's Lamb Burgers ala Plaka

Gyros on a bun! (I need a better camera.)

Whoa! This is just too good not to share.

My husband had a craving for lamb burgers. Normally, he would be in charge of the kitchen in the evening, but we both were feeling a bit tired. So, I volunteered to cook while he gets the groceries.

Normally we would just have lettuce, tomatoes, Heinz 57 ketchup, and mustard (Gee, that sounds like a Jimmy Buffet song), but I thought I’d try something different. I thought a tsatziki sauce (Greek Yogurt Sauce) would be a sauce for lamb, so from memory, I asked my hubby to buy yogurt, cucumbers, lemon, and Italian parsley. He bought cilantro, though – he often gets those two mixed up. And obviously, I got it wrong (it should be mint).

I started looking through Google for a tzatziki sauce recipe, but I remembered that we bought a Greek recipe book years ago from our favorite Greek Festival in Oakland, CA. This was an awesome festival with great food made by Greek mothers and yiayias (grandmothers). It saved my iPod from being my recipe book, at least for tonight.

For some reason, I started looking through it and found the recipe for a Gyro Sandwich, Of course, I do not have oregano and thyme, but I think my Italian Seasoning has these and more. I know, I know… Greece and Italy are two different countries, but I got to make do with what I have. I think this would be a good blend to spice up the lamb.

Regarding the ingredients for the burgers, my apologies for it not being precise. I was winging it this time and was not measuring. I’ll measure it next time we make it and update this recipe.

Mad Gourmet’s Lamb Burgers ala Plaka

Adapted From “Kali Orexi! A Collection of Recipes by the Philoptochos Society of the Ascension Cathedral” (Oakland, CA)

Ingredients:

Tsatziki sauce:

• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 6 oz container of plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 2 T of chopped cilantro (I did not have mint)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Burgers:

• Ground lamb
• Italian seasoning, to taste (use sparingly, these herbs can be potent)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Garlic powder, to taste (bring it on, just kidding)

Condiments:

• Tomatoes
• Red Onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

Preparing the sauce:

1. With a sharp knife, peel cucumbers, cut into small dice.
2. Place in colander, sprinkle with salt. Let drain for an hour (I did not have time to do this).
3. Pat cucumber dry with paper towels (ergo, I did not need to do this, either).
4. Mix together garlic, cilantro, and yogurt, Season with pepper.
5. Stir in diced cucumber.
6. Chill while burgers are cooking.

Prepping the lamb patties:

1. Mix lamb and seasoning together. Note: Ideally, you should “marinate” the meat for an hour or two, but we did not plan ahead.
2. Make the patties and cook them in a hot pan (in olive oil) to our liking.
3. Split the hamburger buns and toast lightly on one side.
4. Spread tsatziki sauce on the buns.
5. Add lamb patties, tomatoes, and red onions.

Verdict:

These lamb burgers are awesome! It reminded my husband and I of the gyros we enjoyed in numerous Greek festivals or even in Greece! The only thing missing is a cold bottle of Mythos beer and you’re back in Old Town Plaka in Athens. Opa!

Hanging out at Monterey Bay

My husband and I enjoyed a couple of days off last weekend (Hence, the absent posting). We enjoyed a couple of days around the Monterey Coast and enjoyed some dining and R&R: a great way to spend a weekend away from our home kitchen.

View from Schooner's... aaah!

Dining around Monterey is always an excellent adventure. We have been there many-many times and, have rarely had a poor dining experience. Here’s a sampling from most recent visit.

Monterey Cookhouse (on North Fremont Street). Great Sandwiches. Good Service. We had Pulled Pork Sliders, Onion Rings, and fries for dinner on Friday and shared a Grilled Chicken Sandwich for lunch on Saturday. The fries were excellent – crispy and lightly salted. The pizzas look pretty good too: must try for next time. Although we're not big beer drinkers, they have really good beer on tap and local root beer (Sparky's from Pacific Grove). We plan to return, even though it’s not really in the touristy part of town (It’s still pretty safe though). I suspect this is a local‘s hang-out.

Pulled Pork Sliders, Fries, and Onion Rings from the Cookhouse

Monterey Crepe Company (on Alvarado Street). Great crepes. Huge portions. I had the honey, banana, and almond with extra strawberries, and it was yummy. Last time, I had nutella and bananas (unbeatable combo). Service was a bit slow in the morning, so do not go there at that time if you are in a hurry.  (Note: When checking out their website, turn the audio on mute. The background music sounds classical, like a ‘French Opera’ – not a good match for crepes.).

Honey Crepes! Amazing!

Rosine’s (on Alvarado Street). Speaking of portions, Rosine’s may top the list. It was our first time there. The lettuce wedge is actually half a lettuce head, topped with a generous helping of bacon, tomatoes, and blue cheese dressing. Our shared calamari steak was enough for two people and a kid. And the ‘award-winning’ desserts… they are huge! For a modest dessert portion, I just had the cookies and cream brownie (it lasted two days). Only downside is that they only had two or three seafood items on the menu. I do wish they had more options, since we’re on the seacoast.

Rosine's Desserts: Objects may be larger than it seems.

Bagel Bakery (on Alvarado Street). Maybe the only ‘bagel place’ in town. Fortunately, the bagels and flavored cheeses are good and tasty. They have a good croissant, espresso, or latte. Nice and quick breakfast place, but service can be a little ‘iffy.’

Schooner's New Menu. Seabass BLT is back!!!!

Schooner’s Coastal Kitchen and Bar (at Cannery Row).  Schooner’s is probably our favorite place in Monterey: great food, great drinks, and truly excellent views. They have revamped the formal dining room – which was the Duck Club for a more casual yet classy dining area. We prefer to sit in the bar/patio area though. It’s a bit more festive.

It can be a bit pricey, but you just have to be selective. Cocktails are great, even the non-alcoholic ones (I had the Pomegranate Virgin Mojito). The tacos look really good (I think I had them last time). And for the piece de resistance, they brought back MY Seabass BLT! It was gone for about a year (our server said that it was the first week back after six months. I think it was longer). I love that Seabass BLT! I dream and talk about it all the while our driving down from San Francisco. My only issue is I think the “T” is gone in the sandwich, unless they made the “T” to be tartar sauce.

Overall, it was a great weekend. We enjoyed a short walk at Lover’s Point and a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (awesome place and they also recently remodeled their restaurant). Unfortunately, we did not make it to Asilomar (my favorite beach), the Spanish Bay at Pebble Beach (should be my favorite beach), and Carmel-by-the Sea this trip, nor take a bunch of food pictures, since we quite subconsciously unplugged. No worries, I am confident that we will be back soon again

Quinoa, Kale, and Tofu Patties

Open-faced served with Massaged Kale salad

I saw a recipe for Spinach Burgers and I thought that’s a great idea. Unfortunately, I am allergic to spinach (go figure) so here I am again looking for substitutes. 

I do have some left-over kale and I thought, hmmm… that should work well. I searched and Googled and found this recipe from treehugger.com. This looked like a great option and will prevent me from experimenting… too much.

Fortunately, I also have (re-)discovered the bulk foods aisle at Whole Foods, so I managed to get some more quinoa. I bought just enough to make this recipe. As a side note, that aisle is wonderful – one can get just the right amount of oats, spelt flour, almond butter, almond flour, and experiment. I actually think I bought a bit too much grain.

Back to the task at hand…

Beautiful greens in this batter!

The original recipe calls for 1 cup of uncooked quinoa that yields about 2 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa. That’s a lot of quinoa especially for just two people. I usually keep a batch precooked (I cook about a cup at a time). So, it’s a bit easier to adjust the proportions. It’s probably more energy efficient anyway. Check out the advice from lunchboxbunch.com on how to make fluffy quinoa; it helped me prepare the perfect quinoa.

The original recipe also called for steamed kale. However, after a recent experience of sautéing kale, I prefer massaged kale. I also think that massaging provides better texture. I also have some tofu left, so I figured I should add it to the mix to add a bit more protein. If you don’t like tofu, you can omit it.

The initial recipe that I used is below.  As always, it will most likely change a bit. But overall it’s a delicious alternative to a garden burger. Even my husband agrees. For future variations, I may use feta cheese for a bit of a Mediterranean flavor.

Quinoa, Kale & Tofu Patties

Based on the Savory bite-sized Quinoa and Kale Patties by treehugger.com

Makes about 4 burger-sized patties or 8 slider-sized patties

Ingredients:

• 5/8 cup of cooked quinoa (3/4 cup would probably work too)
• 1 egg, whisked
• 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup spring onions (about 1), sliced thin
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup massaged kale, chopped (with olive oil and salt)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup tofu, mashed with a fork

Preparation:

1. The recipe calls for about 5/8 cups of cooked quinoa (I quartered the recipe). If you don't have any precooked, rinse 1 cup of quinoa thoroughly and place the grains in a medium sauce pan with 1 1/2 cups of water. Allow quinoa to soak for 15 minutes. Then, with the lid on the pan, bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until quinoa is tender and has absorbed the liquid - about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
2. In large serving bowl, add the kale, a drizzle of oil and a little salt. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.

Almost there...

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together cooked quinoa, eggs, cheeses, spring onions, garlic, salt, kale, and breadcrumbs. Let everything sit for a few minutes to absorb the liquid. You want the batter to be moist, but not runny.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Make a patty with about a half-cup of the mixture. Cover the pan and let the patties cook for 7-10 minutes until they are a deep rich brown.
3. Flip and cook the other side for another 7-10 minutes until both sides are nice and brown. Let patties rest on a cooling rack while you finish the next batch.

Sopa de Quinua y Pollo (Quinoa & Chicken Soup)

My quinoa was almost gone. So far, I have made quinoa pancakes, quinoa apple muffins, cheesy quinoa bites, and also as a side dish for pork chops – all of them were delicious. I think now that it’s almost gone: it’s time to make quinoa soup.

Quinoa soup simmering

We spent about 12 days in Peru and had an amazing time. Because the evenings were cool, we often enjoyed a hearty bowl of soup as an appetizer. On our first evening with our guide, we enjoyed a restaurant that specialized in soup. I am trying to remember what flavors were in that; all I remember is garlic, quinoa, and a reddish broth. Not sure how they achieved the reddish broth.

I found a recipe for Peruvian-style quinoa soup. However, the recipes called for beef, and we do not eat a lot of beef. I decided to use chicken instead. As a result, I had to adjust the cooking method a bit. I originally wanted to use chicken thighs to get a bit of that chicken fat goodness, but our local grocery store ran out, so I opted for legs instead. If you prefer white meat, you can use chicken breasts.

My initial recipe is below. It may still evolve, but this is something that we can put in our regular rotation.

Sopa de Quinua y Pollo (Quinoa & Chicken Soup)

Based on the Sopa de Quinoa recipe from Provecho Peru

Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken legs
• 3 cups of chicken broth, low sodium
• 1/4 medium onion, diced (about ½ c)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 3 pieces of garlic
• 1/3 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1/2 cup of white potato*
• 1/2 cup of red potato*
• 1/2 cup of carrots*
• 1/2 cup leek greens, finely chopped
• Salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1 lime, optional

* Note, this does not have to be exact. As long as you have about a cup and a half of potatoes and carrots, you should be okay.

Preparation:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot and fry the garlic until it softens. Add the onions and let it soften (approximately for 6-8 minutes)
2. Combine chicken and let it cook until the fat, if any renders out. Skim out the excess fat.
3. Add the chicken broth in the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 30 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken and cut in bite size pieces. Return the chicken to the pot and add the quinoa. Continue to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add the carrots, potatoes, and garlic to the pot. Continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
6. Add the leeks and continue to simmer. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt, Cook for about 5 more minutes, then remove from heat.
7. Serve with the fresh parsley and cilantro. Add some lime juice, if preferred.

Verdict:

• This was an excellent soup, and it really brings memories of our trip to Peru. When you taste along the way, it may seem a bit bland. Since we prefer low sodium meals, I resisted adding salt. At the end, it all comes together and is very tasty. My husband thorughly enjoyed it.
• Serving the herbs fresh gave the dish a touch of welcome freshness. So did adding the lime. The original recipe called for adding them while cooking and that may add another levels of flavor to the soup.
• As with any good soup, don’t forget to serve this with canchita (Peruvian “popcorn” – it is more like roasted corn) and aji (Peruvian hot sauce). Maybe next time I would not be lazy and drive to the Peruvian grocery.