Grilled Chicken, Peach and Walnut Salad

Fruits and vegetables are good for you and they are even better married in  a salad. The combination of sweet, savory and crunchy makes this peach chicken salad perfection. This is easy to prepare and perfect for those warm spring and summer days when you want something satisfying and refreshing.

Peaches are the star in this recipe, so only use the freshest, ripest, juiciest ones you can find

Use a mix of fresh salad greens.

Red onion adds a nice pungent dimension to the salad

Walnuts or pecans add a nice crunch. I love to use glazed walnuts because it adds something special

 The  flavors in this salad are bright and refreshing and perfect for spring and summer when its warm and you don't feel like cooking

Ingredients

2 large peaches

2 grilled chicken breasts (roasted works well too)

1/2 cup red onion

1/2 cup salad dressing (recipe below)

6 cups spring salad mix

6 cups spring salad mix or your own blend of chopped salad greens

Citrus Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

1 small shallot chopped

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup Braggs organic apple cider vinegar 

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions:

Peel peach and slice into long sections, slice red onion, and slice your chicken into small pieces and put in large bowl. Add salad greens and peaches and toss with Citrus Vinaigrette dressing or store bought poppy seed dressing

For the salad dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together in a nonreactive bowl until thoroughly combined.

 

 Bon Appetit!

Blackalicious

Hey Loves! Hope life is treating you well. Happy Spring! I had quite a weekend and now I am excited about my sons upcoming birthday. I always get so excited to celebrate with him and cherish these moments because kids grow up so fast. I am looking forward to wearing spring and summer dresses and enjoying all those activities that I enjoy so much in the spring like going to the races, enjoying spring tea and lots of time at the beach.

 Today I am wearing black on black and I find that wearing black from head to toe is always a stylish and classic look. I found my motorcycle jacket hiding in the back of the closet and got a chance to wear it because it has been a little cool and breezy lately. Are you a fan of black on black?

I believe in getting as much mileage out of my wardrobe as possible and am known to be a repeat offender by wearing the  items in my closet in different ways. Most of my clothes are very classic so it is easy to mix and match to get completely different looks with the same items depending on how I style them. I am definitely not a person who won't wear something more than once. I use trends very sparingly because I believe true style is not based upon being trendy, but how you put things together , regardless of whether or not everybody is wearing it.

The photo on the left is from a few years ago and is similar with different accessories. I think the look on the left is softer and the motorcycle jacket and different style of booties gives the outfit an edgier look.

 I love the zipper detail on these and they are really comfortable

Take some time to kick your feet up and enjoy the beautiful spring weather.

Have an amazing day!

China Grill Contemporary Bistro

Sometimes, great discoveries happen completely by accident. Quite some time ago, a friend of mine and I were hanging out in Manhattan Beach and discovered this great Chinese Bistro and on a whim decided to try it. 

He treated me to an amazing lunch here and of course I have been back numerous times since that initial discovery and the food here never disappoints. I went here with one of my sister friends and we had an amazing feast of delights from the menu on a beautiful sunny day and enjoyed our meal Al Fresco. The vibe here is very casual and perfect for dropping in after a day of shopping or hanging at the beach.

We started with the delicious complimentary crunchy won tons and sweet and sour dipping sauce

 Al Fresco dining is perfect on the sunny bright and airy patio

The passion fruit lemonade was a great complement to the sweet, salty and spicy flavor notes in the different dishes we had

This hot and filling won ton soup could have been

 a meal all on its own

The Chopped Garden Salad was full of fresh vegetables and had a great flavor.The grilled Tofu, Kale, Broccoli Florets, cranberries, cashews, organic greens, green apple and Miso Vinaigrette was a definite flavor explosion

Orange chicken is one of my favorite dishes to order and this was one of the most flavorful I have had outside of the restaurants I frequent in China Town. It was sweet, tangy and had just the right amount of spice and heat.

The Mongolian Beef was spicy, tender and full of flavor. 

I don't think any meal at a Chinese restaurant is complete without fried rice or Chow Mein and usually I have both, but we chose to just go with rice and it was perfect with the two meat dishes and the salad

The China Grill Contemporary Bistro is great for a casual lunch or dinner and in close proximity to the beach for a nice stroll to enjoy the ocean breezes after your meal. The vibe is causal and you can always get a table right away, which is always a plus in my book. The prices are very economical and you get a great value for what you pay.

China Grill Contemporary Bistro

3282 North Sepulveda Blvd

Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

310-546-7284

North on South Street

Hey Loves! Spring is upon us. It's a new season. With new seasons come growth and with growth comes change. If something isn't growing, it's dying. Growth is not always an easy thing, but it is always the best thing. The final destination in our journeys are very rarely a straight path. 

 

There are unexpected curves, peaks and valley's and time in the desert. Sometimes the journey takes us in strange directions and no map can guide you because there are some places we arrive at only by the grace of God. The lesson is usually in the journey and what you learn along the way. Experience is a great teacher, especially when you are a willing student.

 

Red Blazer: Metrostyle, Taupe Bag: See by Chloe, Booties: Urban Original, Taupe Pants: Private Boutique

Enjoy the journey

Delicious and Healthy Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I have this love affair with food, but I have known for quite some time, that I will have to reform some of my foodie ways and start making healthier versions of the things I love. I am getting older and I certainly don't want to grow horizontally.  I decided to try making a cauliflower crust pizza to satisfy my hankering for ooey gooey cheesy pizza. It was a great success.

Well.

Almost.

It was tasty, and filling and cheesy and saucy and all the great things a pizza should be, so I thought I could make this pizza and trick my son into eating more vegetables by not telling him the crust was made with cauliflower.

 I made two pizzas. A supreme pizza loaded with veggies, sweet Italian Turkey Sausage and Pepperoni for me and a plain Pepperoni for him. I tried very hard to pass this vegetable crust pizza off as the real thing. Let me tell ya, it was an epic FAIL. My son is quite the pizza connoisseur because I have taken him to some of the best pizzerias in Los Angeles and his nine year old taste buds are pretty refined when it comes to pizza, so passing off a pepperoni pizza on cauliflower crust didn't quite fly. Our conversation went like this:

Me: "I have got a surprise for you!"

Little Man: "What is it mom?"

"Me: "PIZZA!!!"

Little Man: "YAY !"

My son was really excited. Very excited.

Until he put the pizza in his mouth...

Little Man: "What did you make this with, it tastes like dead vegetables mixed with garlic. I need to help you next time mom, so I can see what you put in this stuff" "Stick with your original pizza recipe mom"

Okay, so for him, no es bueno, but I LOVED IT! Now, don't get it twisted, it does not taste 100% like the real thing, but it is pretty close and very very tasty and the cherry on top is that its healthy and low carb. This is a great way to eat healthy and still enjoy some of the bad stuff we aren't supposed to have. I really like stuff I'm not supposed to have, so finding ways to make things that are bad for me, good for me is a win win in my book. Are you ready to try some healthy pizza?

You will need one head of fresh cauliflower. Put it in a food processor or use a cheese grater until it looks like snow. Microwave it for 5 minutes and then dump all of it in a towel and squeeze all of the water out of it. You must get as much of the water and moisture out of it as possible for your crust to turn out good.

 Add all of the spices and an egg and mix it together

Use parchment paper (not wax paper) and shape dough with your hands and bake in oven until golden brown

Your crust should be a nice golden brown in 15-20 minutes.

It is very important to precook the crust so that it can withstand the toppings without getting soggy

Add your pizza sauce and spread all over the crust

Ready to go into the oven

The finished product

The pepperoni pizza ready to bake

The finished product was pretty delicious. I made two pizzas and customized the toppings, but you can also make one large pizza, just adjust the toppings if you choose to make one big pizza.

Ingredients

For the Crust

1 large head of cauliflower cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup freshly shredded mozzarella cheese

2 eggs 

Toppings

Approximately 1 cup pizza sauce

1 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/2 green bell pepper

1/4 cup sliced red onion

1/2 cup pepperoni

1/4 cup sweet Italian turkey sausage 

1/4 cup sliced black olives

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450

Put your cauliflower in a food processor and blend until it is the consistency of snow. (You can try using a cheese grater if you do not have a food processor). Put your cauliflower in a bowl and microwave for 5 minutes. Let it cool and wrap all of the cauliflower in a towel and squeeze all the water out of it. Once you have removed all the water from the cauliflower, put it in a dry bowl and mix in the spices, cheese and egg. You will end up with a cauliflower dough.

Use a sheet of parchment paper and shape your dough into a round pizza, no bigger than your pan or pizza stone. Put parchment paper with the dough on it, onto the pan and bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Spread your pizza sauce on the crust, sprinkle the cheese and your other toppings and bake for 15-20 minutes.

I love to have salad with pizza, so I made a chopped salad and garnished with fresh avocado. Perfect healthy and satisfying dinner.

Bon Appetit!

Neutral

Hey Loves! Life is pretty hectic these days. Having a career and being a sports mom takes a lot of time, but in between all of that I have been having fun experimenting with healthy recipes and trying to get back to doing my community service volunteer work, but there just aren't enough hours in the day.

Sometimes when life gets overwhelming, it is best to shift into neutral for a minute.There is nothing wrong with taking a moment to relax, relate and release. In the midst of my busy life, I am definitely having fun trying out and creating healthy recipes. Stay tuned for some great ones! 

I am wearing a palette of neutrals and a pattern mix of stripes and a hint of contrast with leopard pumps. Although I am known for wearing bold bright colors, I am a very big fan of neutrals too. Do you like neutral palettes and pattern mixing?

I love vintage pieces and this is a close up shot of my vintage Ralph Lauren bag. It is a shoulder bag, but I often carry it under my arm like a clutch

Striped Shirt: H&M, Vest: F-21, Purse: Ralph Lauren, Pants: Michael Kors, Shoes: BCBG Paris, Photography: Stacey Gutierrez

I thought the split back detail on the vest was unique

I love a great piece of jewelry and this neutral amber tone is a great accent to this ensemble

 

Have an amazing day!