dinner Archives - Page 3 of 5

Soba Noodles with Spicy Almond Butter Sauce {& a Giveaway!}

September 22, 2014 by Cate 26 Comments

Soba noodles are mixed with fresh vegetables and tossed in a sweet and spicy Asian almond butter sauce. So easy to prepare and so full of flavor!

Good morning! Did you have a nice weekend? I was in town for the first time in 4 weekends, and it was so nice to just relax with TheBetterHalf. And cook – I made 6 recipes for the blog! Including this soba noodle salad!

Today I have two ways to make your Monday better…a quick, easy and delicious dinner idea, and a GIVEAWAY!

These Soba Noodles with Spicy Almond Butter Sauce are so simple to prepare and sweet/spicy/savory Asian inspired sauce tastes incredible. The recipe comes from an amazing cookbook, Almonds: Recipes, History, Culture, and you can win a copy! In fact I have three copies to give away today. Scroll to the bottom of the post and enter to win!

…

Kale Salad with Toasted Breadcrumbs

September 17, 2014 by Cate 12 Comments

Kale is tossed in a light lemon vinaigrette and topped with cheese and toasted breadcrumbs, which are the star of the show! This kale salad is simple and delicious!

Ok I know, this seems like the most boring post ever. It’s a kale salad. There are a million recipes out there for kale salads, and you see them on every menu these days. BUT do you know why this is not just any old kale salad??

The

Toasted

BREADCRUMBS.
…

La Mar by Gastón Acurio – Miami

September 8, 2014 by TheBetterHalf 4 Comments

La Mar by Gastón Acurio is an incredible Peruvian fusion restaurant specializing in fresh seafood and grilled meats, located in a beautiful waterfront setting in the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Miami.

On our most recent trip to Miami we had a great dinner at La Mar – the new flagship restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Miami. La Mar, which specializes in Peruvian Fusion, is part of the Gastón Acurio restaurant group that includes Astrid & Gastón in Lima, Peru; the 18th best restaurant in the world per the World’s Best list. From the quality of the food, to the excellent cocktail menu, to the first-class service, La Mar is far better than the typical ‘hotel restaurant’ and is a must-visit for Miami travelers and fans of Latin American cuisine. That is, unless you’re planning to strut your stuff on South Beach the next day…

The Mandarin Oriental is located on Brickell Key (a small manmade island right off downtown Miami) and La Mar has a beautiful setting right on the water. In the cooler months, we suggest sitting outside and enjoying a lovely view of the city skyline. However, in the summer, when Miami has the humidity of a rainforest, it’s probably best to sit inside.

Also noteworthy was the excellent service at La Mar. Our waiter, Nicholas, was very helpful guiding us through the menu and made some great recommendations.
…

Orzo and Snap Pea Salad

September 4, 2014 by Cate 16 Comments

This quick and easy orzo salad is packed with healthy veggies and tossed in a delicious olive oil and lemon dressing. An amazing one-pot dish from Yahoo! Food.

Were you expecting a pumpkin recipe today? Not so fast. This week has been one of the hottest we’ve had all summer in NYC, so pumpkin needs to wait a few weeks! I’m still cooking summery dishes and loving it! Like this Orzo and Snap Pea Salad, with yellow squash and zucchini. This is an easy one-pot meal that is the perfect light dinner!

This recipe comes from Yahoo! Food, which is one of my new favorite sites for all things food. There are so many awesome recipes, interesting articles, and handy tips – I could spend hours browsing their website!

…

Farro Salad

July 29, 2014 by Cate 16 Comments

Arugula, cherry tomatoes, and fresh herbs are mixed with farro and tossed in a lemon vinaigrette. Shaved parmesan and roasted pistachios finish off this amazing farro salad!

Do you ever have an amazing dish at a restaurant that you wish you could recreate at home? I had the most incredible farro salad at one of our favorite restaurants in NYC, Charlie Bird. I know it doesn’t sound that exciting – I mean it is salad after all. But I promise you, this salad is memorable. And when I got home from dinner and googled it, I found a recipe in the New York Times for the farro salad! Lucky me!

Sidenote – Charlie Bird is delicious. If you live here and haven’t tried it yet, you really should! Their chicken is outstanding! Also when we were eating there once with TheBetterHalf’s parents, we saw Jerry Seinfeld and his family. One of our best celeb sightings!

…

Connect

Suggested Reading