Blue Lunchbox

If you like  spinach you will definitely like kale and if you don’t, give it a try! Kale is from the cabbage family and it’s high in anti-oxidants,  Calcium and Vitamin C.

A great way to cook kale is to saute with garlic, olive oil and white wine vinegar. Make sure your kale is completely dry  otherwise it will come out wilted and watery.

Swordfish is a bit different than other types of fish I’ve  tried. The texture of this fish is a lot firmer and it takes longer to cook, this makes this fish perfect for grilling because it won’t fall apart.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt and  black pepper
• 4 (5 to 6-ounces each) swordfish steaks
• 10 Yellow squash
• 10 Brussels Sprouts

Directions

I felt fuzzy and warm walking in there on a rainy  night. This place has an Eastern-Indian feel to it  with a lot of different decorative items such as colored pillows and lamps. The orange walls make the place even warmer. Even the rest room is decorated with orange fabrics on the ceiling. There’s also a charming outside patio.

My boyfriend is not a vegetarian and he really loved this place. If you want to have good quality and healthy food this place is a great choice. Everything is made from scratch everyday except the burger buns and the tortilla.  This restaurant also  offers a great variety of  vegan dishes.

We ordered the Hot Cinnamon Apple Cider which was absolutely delicious. It was like drinking apple pie tasting the warm cinnamon and apples.

The Italian vegetable soup was delicious which came  with a savory wheat bread, one of the best breads I’ve ever had.

Our main course was the Tostaditas, Two organic baked corn tortillas topped with organic black turtle beans, organic lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and soy or white cheddar cheese, served with a side of organic brown rice with organic tofu sauce. The brown rice was so creamy with a tofu sauce and so good. That was my favorite part of the dish and so out of this world. I loved it! The rest were simple and good, the best part is you know you’re eating good quality food.

We had the Blueberry Cheesecake which was the lightest and best cheesecake I’ve ever had. I actually felt good and not heavy after eating it. It was very soft and creamy made with real cheese.

If you’re in the area you should definitely check out this place or just make a trip there and go to Hermosa beach after for a nice walk on the beach .

The Green Temple is located at 1700 S. Catalina Ave in Redondo Beach, CA.

If you’re tired of going to the same restaurants, eating the same food in the same kind of atmosphere then go to Moun of Tunis to have a different dining experience.

When you walk inside the restaurant you feel you just stepped in a restaurant in Morocco with bright colored walls. The tables and chairs aren’t the typical tables and chairs you find in a restaurant. There are benches with a lot of pillows, a round table with a steel top and rugs on the walls giving an Arabic feel to the place. They play Arabic music and have belly dancers.    An authentic Tunisian and Moroccan experience. The restaurant seems to show such a strong dedication to authenticity, that at one point a very long time ago, guests would be seated on the ground around the table. Now, due to laws and regulations, this is no longer the case, but you can have the closest thing available by asking for a pillow to sit on.

Here’s one interesting thing about this place. Your hands are your utensils! Yes it is fun and it is different.  Remember to go hungry because you’ll have  a feast!

Our waiter dressed in traditional cloths greeted us. He brought  a big Arabic style tea pot and a bowl and we rinsed our hands in it.

We chose the Moroccan feast. We started with Harira (Lentil soup) which was very tasty, specially with a bit of lemon juice. We sipped the soup from the bowl, no spoons. Then we had grilled shrimp with grilled onions and grilled pepper skewers. The shrimp were very meaty and delicious. We also had a plate with four different items in it. Cucumber and tomato salad, also the same salad but grilled. Two kinds of carrots, aged in vinegar and shredded carrots with a sweet taste.
After that we had the Bstilla which looks like a big puff pastry cake topped with powder sugar and cinnamon.  It’s a meat pie with a  mixture of herbs, eggs, potatoes and chicken in it (it can be made with no chicken if you’re a vegetarian). This dish by itself is a  feast because it’s heavy and huge.

By the time the main course arrived we were already very full. The main course was couscous and vegetables with salmon. Moroccan food is more on the sweet side with milder taste with spices like cinnamon and saffron.

Most popular Moroccan drink is green tea with mint. If you love tea you  will love this drink! It was so good I couldn’t stop drinking. The tea came in a tea pot with almond cake on the side. It was very heavy but had a good taste with almond syrup in it. The tea has fresh green leaves and fresh mint  and sugar in it.

We talked to owner,  a  very nice and polite man, who told us a little about Morocco and Tunis.

It was a different experience and we really enjoyed it.

Moun of Tunis is located at 7445 1/2 Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, CA.

The decor of this place catches the eye. There’s a big Rose attached to the building in the outside patio.  The color scheme is red, brown and black/brown They have an indoor sitting area as well as a big , charming outside patio. You can also lounge by fire pits and have drinks.  This is a perfect spot for a date!

My boyfriend and I went here on a Saturday with a big group. They had live jazz music inside which added a nice element to our experience.

We started with a Cesar Salad with a creamy , delicious dressing. We also had tomato soup which was very tasty. It was sweet and satisfying and it came in a big triangle plate.

For entree we got the Cappellini which is angel hair pasta with tomato basil sauce.  I personally LOVE garlic. You can definitely taste the garlic in this dish, the sauce was very good and the Parmesan cheese on top adds a salty bite to it.

Everyone’s plate was a beautiful work of art, making the dishes very appetizing.

Desert Rose Restaurant is located at 1700 N. Hillhurst Avenue in Los Angeles, CA.

Lala’s Argentine Grill is located at 7229 Melrose Avenue in  Los Angeles, CA.  I went here with my boyfriend. We sat  at the patio, it felt cozy with dimmed lights and orange light structures on the walls. It’s a good place if you want to hang out and have conversations with friends because it’s not loud and they don’t play music.

I ordered  Arroz Del Campo with sautéed green and red bell pepper, garlic, onions and mushroom tossed with yellow rice in a creamy tomato sauce; topped with feta cheese.  The rice was very creamy, vegetables weren’t over cooked. The feta cheese adds great flavor to this dish, without the cheese I think the dish would be dull.

My boyfriend had Milanesa Napolitana which is a thinly cut steak, breaded and lightly fried, topped with a basil tomato sauce and melted cheese, served with mashed potatoes

The steak was a very big piece of meat compared to what you get at other restaurants. The mashed potato was very creamy and wasn’t over seasoned.

For dessert we ordered Flan con dulce de leche which is baked custard topped with caramel and served chilled.  This was very delicious.  A very creamy flan that melts in your mouth.

The restaurant has a valet parking which you need to pay for and parking is a little difficult since you need permit to park around the place. We parked a couple of blocks from the restaurant at a spot that didn’t require permit

Fresh mango is a very rich source of potassium which is an  important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Mango can be a  great addition to yogurt or milkshakes  for breakfast.

Eating out could be an opportunity for trying something new or eating a healthy meal. Here are some entree tips:

• Grilled, baked, or broiled white meat poultry, fish, and shellfish because they are low in fat.
• Choose tomato-based pasta sauces rather than cheese or meat sauce.
• Select barbecue sauce, salsa, lemon or lime juice and mustard, instead of mayonnaise or sour cream.

Cinnamon reduces blood glucose and cholesterol.  One of my favorite ways to use this great aromatic spice is by adding a couple of cinnamon sticks to black tea while it’s boiling.

For a while I was looking for a good pizza place and finally I found it. My  boyfriend and I were passing by Salvemini’s located at 15030 Ventura Blvd Ste 2, Sherman Oaks, California. when we saw the owner giving out free samples of pizza.  We didn’t say no to the steamy and inviting slice of pizza on a rainy day. It was amazing so we decided to go in. We ordered a large pizza with a crunchy, organic wheat crust, half Meat Lovers with pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage and meatballs for him and half vegetarian for me. I loved it! The vegetarian had roasted eggplants, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers. All my favorite toppings on one pizza. The crust wasn’t too thick or too thin, it wasn’t oily and it had the perfect amount of cheese and sauce on it. The eggplants were roasted and seasoned perfectly.  When you take a bit of that veggie slice you taste everything together, the tangyness of the sun dried tomatoes, sweetness of the roasted red pepper, saltiness of the cheese and those perfect roasted eggplants.

The service was very good, with a friendly staff. This place is located inside a shopping center so parking is not a problem. If you’re ever in the area and are craving a delicious and satisfying pizza make sure to pay a visit to this great pizza place.