Paris Fridays: Rue de Montorguiel

The Husband and I were lucky enough to travel to Paris recently for over a week, which resulted in almost 3000 pictures of the gorgeous city. In order to fully document the trip, I'll decided to start Paris Fridays to share the tastes (of course!) and sights of our trip over several weeks. 

We stayed in the 1st arrondissement, which is right in the heart of Paris. This location meant that we were walking distance to the Lourve, Marais, and the Latin Quarter, which was a huge plus. A 1 minute walk on our first day led us to Rue de Montorguiel, which is home of one of Paris's permanent markets selling everything from fresh flowers, meats, cheese, pastries, to SEAFOOD.

Every few stalls would boast large selections of oysters, which I learned is because France is the 4th largest producer of oysters in the world. In addition to oysters, there were so many varieties of fresh fish and seafood. We really wished we had a larger kitchen at our place to enjoy these delicacies. 

not sure what these are called - special clams

oysters

lobsters

sea urchin

massive crab legs

prawns

whole crabs

beautiful scallops

We couldn't help gushing over the marché de poissons (fish markets). The colors, shapes, and varieties were visually intoxicating. If we ever return to Paris, we are definitely renting a place with a hardcore kitchen. 

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!  

Easiest Chicken Enchiladas

I have always felt somewhat ambivalent about enchiladas. In my mind they felt like tacos smothered in sauce and cheese, which felt undeniably "tex-mexy." Since Tex-Mex is not really one of my favorites, I had little motivation to make enchiladas. However, The Husband occasionally bought frozen enchiladas from Trader Joe's for easy lunches and I often thought to myself, "I can totally make that." 

So then I did. And he liked them. And so did I! 

This recipe is adapted from this one from Serious Eats. However, I only followed the recipe for the sauce, which is the only part I've include here. 

Chicken Enchiladas

4-6 servings

Ingredients for Sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons chili powder

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons sugar

2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

Remaining Ingredients

12 corn tortillas

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 can black beans

Shredded cheese of your choice

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, garlic, cumin, and sugar. Cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Cook chicken as you like it. I seasoned the chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper and grilled on my George Foreman grill. Chop into bite sized pieces when cooled. Mix with black beans and 2 handfuls of cheese. 

3. Pour some sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish.  

4. Heat/microwave tortillas until soft and pliable. Fill with chicken, beans, and cheese mixture. Roll tortillas and arrange in casserole dish. 

5. Pour remaining sauce all over enchiladas and cover with cheese. 

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes until cheese is browned and gooey. 

You can serve with lime wedges, sour cream, etc if you'd like. We like it as is. These are particularly good reheated later in the week for lunch and can be easily frozen for later. 

Have a eventful Wednesday! 

Dining In: Durham, NC - Daisy Cakes

I can't believe it is almost the end of January. January has been a particularly cold month, which always makes me crave sweets and warm drinks. A friend suggested that we head to Daisy Cakes for an afternoon tea and cupcakes, which I'm always up for. 

Daisy Cakes is located on Foster St. right next to the Durham Farmer's Market. The shop appears to have only been open for a few months, but I recall seeing their cupcake truck, "Sugar,"  making rounds at the Farmer's Market. Unfortunately every time I attempted to get to them early enough on Saturdays, they were always sold out of cupcakes. 

The cafe itself is extremely clean and modern feeling with white on brick. Several choices of cupcakes were offered as well as cookies, marcarons, and a decent savory menu for lunch. 

coconut cupcake with passion fruit frosting

might leaf chamomile and citrus tea

I loved the dishes and mugs used here. They were clean, modern, and adorable. The cupcake itself was somewhat dry although the frosting was interesting and creamy. I think next time I'll try a more classic cupcake like chocolate or vanilla next time to see if it has more moisture. I'd probably also throw in a chocolate chip cookie for kicks. 

Even if you aren't a big fan of sweets, this place is worth checking out for a quiet, casual afternoon of tea and treats with friends. Great atmosphere, drinks, and service! 

Have a great Monday! 

Green Smoothies 2012

Happy New Year everyone! There is something that I've been meaning to share, but haven't yet had time to do. In November 2011, The Sister shared with me the concept of green smoothies and sent me several books including The Green Smoothie Revolution and Green for Life. 

We obviously all know about the health benefits of eating leafy green vegetables as part of a healthy diet. However, how many of us can actually achieve this efficiently and deliciously? I've had many a night when I've chosen starch or carb over a veggie-filled dinner. Well Green Smoothies are amazingly easy and simple and can help you get more vegetables in your life. 

The concept is water + leafy green vegetables + fruit. That is it. Try to use the freshest and least pesticide-filled ingredients because you are drinking these ingredients uncooked. 

Here are a few rules I've adhered to in the past few months: 

1. Rotate your greens - weekly or daily to prevent build up of alkaloids in your body. 

2. Bananas - make anything green taste infinitely better.

3. Keep it simple - no more than 2-3 leafy greens in each smoothie. 

4. Start slow - give your body and taste buds time to adjust by starting with more fruits than greens.

5. Start with 12 oz a day - your body will likely crave more as you go on. (The eventual goal is 32 oz a day if possible, but remember start slow). 

collard greens + mustard greens + water

blend

kiwi + blueberries + strawberries

blend again

refreshing + tasty

You'll be amazed how tolerable and quite tasty these green smoothies can be when you keep it simple with 1, 2, or 3 kinds of leafy greens (not things like broccoli, cauliflower, beans, etc). Combining the greens with a variety of fruits results in a delicious drink that can be supplemented to meals or substituted for a light breakfast or snack. The book recommends drinking the smoothie 45 minutes before or after you've had food to maximize absorption of nutrients. I just do what feels right. 

My New Year's resolution is to drink a smoothie 5-7 days out of the week for the entire year. I'm excited for a year of more energy, better skin, and improved health! 

Hope you'll join me and let me know what your recipes include! 

Below are some of my most common combinations: 

bokchoy + kiwi + banana + water

baby spinach + strawberries + blueberries + banana + water

collard greens + kiwi + strawberries + blueberries + water

kale + banana + OJ + strawberries 

Have a healthful Tuesday!