Chinese style sauteed snap peas

Here is a very quick Chinese style sauteed snap peas.  I picked up a package of these from an Asian store and all I had to do was give them a quick rinse, string them and break up the larger pieces in half.


I first blanched them for 2 minutes in boiling water and then rinsed them in cold water to preserve the springy green color.

Drain them in a colander, add a tablespoon of olive oil, add some chopped garlic, ginger, crushed red chili flakes and a slug of tamari or soy sauce and a few drops of toasted sesame oil.  Before you get ready to serve, add a splash of rice wine vinegar.   Serve this hot with rice or noodles as soon as it is prepared.  It doesn't really do well re-warmed.

El Camino Real

We went to grab a quick lunch at El Camino Real.  It was in this little strip shopping center so I wasn't really expecting anything grand or formal.  When I tell you the food was superb, it was just that!  I ordered the Chile Poblano and a Pina Colada.  I normally don't drink rum, but hey, they had a $2.99 special on them so I had to give it a go!

french toast pudla

You all know how much I love pudla and how much I love breakfast.  One, because it's delicious and healthy, but secondly, it's low in carbs!   I love the idea of French Toast, so I thought why not use pudla batter in its place?  So much for the carbs lol.

The end result was so good!  I used a 7 Grain bread and dipped it in the pudla batter and then pan fried it on medium-low for about 4 minutes on each side.  The bread stayed quite crispy.  It was so comforting and filling.   I'll be making this all the time now!

Basic pudla batter used here:

• 1 cup besan (AKA gram flour/chickpea flour found at any Indian store)
• Add 3 spoons of plain yogurt and enough water to make a pancake batter consistency
• Add salt, pepper, 1/2 tspn of turmeric and chili powder
• Optional - Add a teaspoon of ajwain (carom seeds)
• Optional - Add in a diced tomato, onion, serrano and 1-2 cloves of garlic

Asian Market shopping trip

I recently discovered a new Asian market nearby and found some interesting things. 







Remember this old scool brand??!!



Lavender Pear Martini

Look at the before and after shots of this lavender-pear martini.  Initially it is just a sandy pear color until the tea bag of lavender soaks in and delicately releases the psychedelic purple hue.