Category Archives: California

Morning Glory Muffins

Back when I lived in LA I used to treat myself to a Morning Glory muffin and a latte from Mani’s Bakery nearly every weekend. The Morning Glory muffin was always my favorite, and I would be disappointed if I didn’t get there in time and Mani’s was sold out. Mani’s Bakery has unfortunately closed since then, but I always told myself one of these days I would attempt to recreate those delicious muffins.

After browsing a few blogs and cooking websites, I decided to come up with a Morning Glory combining elements from a few different recipes. These muffins are hearty, delicious, and full of good things (carrot! almond flour! applesauce!) and make your house smell amazing. Seriously, my mouth was watering so much as these baked that I had to distract myself by watching old episodes of The Hills and painting my nails. But once I bit into one of these muffins, I knew it was worth the wait.

Morning Glory Muffins (inspired from this recipe and this recipe)

*makes approx. 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats
1 cup almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup shredded carrot
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped dates

Directions:

Mix almond flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla together in a large bowl.

Shred your carrot and put in a separate bowl and add applesauce and egg. Mix well and fold wet ingredients into larger bowl with dry ingredients. Stir in coconut and dates.

Pour mixture into either paper muffin cups or a muffin tin sprayed with cooking oil. Place in oven and bake 25-30 minutes, depending on how fast your oven cooks.

Once muffins are done baking, leave them in their tins for an additional 20 minutes while they cool, then dig in and enjoy!

A couple notes:

- These muffins don’t have any added sugar so if you want something a little more sweet, I recommend adding in some honey, maple syrup or brown sugar.

- Definitely watch your baking time – these bad boys cook up quickly!

- These muffins are delicious with some jam. Raspberry jam to be exact.

Looking Forward to Fall

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It’s hard to believe that the end of August is here and September is just around the corner. This year, summer literally just flew by. While I love summer, I’m also looking forward to fall this year for a variety of reasons:

1. Football Season – I do love me some football season, and with my uncle coaching with the Chargers this year, you can bet I’ll be making my way to San Diego for a few games.

2. Pumpkin – It’s true, I love all things pumpkin including pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin candles, pumpkin bread, pumpkin oatmeal, and these decadent looking vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls I found on pinterest.

3. Fall Clothes – Boots, jackets, sweaters, colored jeans, etc. I am determined to get a new pair of black boots this year and could use a few more pairs of colored denim, even though I have been wearing my red denim jeans to death this summer.

4. Wedding Planning – After becoming engaged in July, the rest of the summer was a bit of a whirlwind with a very busy schedule at work and fun travel to Colorado. Things will hopefully slow down a bit in the fall which will give me a chance to finally focus on some wedding things, like finding a wedding photo booth because that was way too much fun at the wedding last week.

5. Trip to the bay area/Napa Valley – This may or may not have to do with wedding planning…

6. Other fall travel – I’m hoping to take a few road trips this fall and possibly a trip out to Vegas if the mood so strikes. Last time I went was when I won money on the slots, so clearly this must be repeated.

7. Comfort Food – I do love the food that comes with fall – warm soups, casseroles and other hearty fare. Perhaps I can convince the Englishman to make his chicken, eggplant and pork paella again.

8. Moving – Can’t say too much on this one yet, but if all goes to plan, the Englishman and I will be moving this fall (fingers crossed).

What are you looking forward to this fall?

Wine Tasting in Temecula with a Sparkly Ending

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Since I’ve been all about the wine recently, I thought I’d recap the wine tasting extravaganza that the Englishman and I had this past weekend in Temecula. We have been wine tasting in Santa Barbara and Napa (we love Napa) and decided to give Temecula a shot after finding a sweet Living Social deal at a local B&B.

One of the wineries I really wanted to visit was Wilson Creek because of their delicious almond champagne. While the champagne was just as delicious at the winery, I was surprised at how corporate everything felt. Busloads of people were dropped off at the winery, and the people who were doing the pours weren’t the friendliest and didn’t take the time to explain each wine. At least the almond champagne was still good (and loads cheaper at the grocery store).

Determined to find a nice hole in the wall winery with that “Napa” feel to it, we made our way to Falkner Winery. The winery was located at the top of a huge hill with a beautiful view of the Temecula valley.

After picking up a bottle of Rose from Falkner, we made our way to Mount Palomar Winery which was the definite highlight of the day. While the outside of the winery looked like a Greco-Roman playground, the tasting room had a nice, intimate feel to it.

We decided to just stick to tasting white wines and were pleasantly surprised by all of them. The Brut sparkling wine was nice and dry with the perfect amount of bubbly and the dry Riesling had a nice citrus taste to it without being too sweet. The Rose was also top-notch and I even found the Chardonnay to be palatable and I normally hate Chardonnay. I liked all the wines so much I even put stars next to all of them.

The service at Mount Palomar was amazing and everyone was so knowledgeable and attentive. We ended up buying a bottle of Brut at the winery and were pleased that we found a great winery during our tasting adventure.

While I thought that Mount Palomar was the high note of the trip it was quickly upstaged by something else.

Yep, the Englishman and I are engaged!

New Intermediate Wine Education Sessions at Il Fornaio in Irvine

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Ever since I studied abroad in Italy in 2005, I have been a big fan of wine. Pinot Grigio has always been my first love, but I have since expanded my palate to appreciate bold reds, dry whites, and of course anything of the sparkling variety. While I don’t consider myself a wine expert by any means, over the past few years I have taken an interest into learning more about wine and how different varietals contribute to the wine’s flavor.

This past spring Il Fornaio in Irvine offered wine education classes and because they were so popular, the restaurant is offering an intermediate series starting Saturday, July 21st at 2pm.

This three-part series will offer an intermediate class in July, August and September and will explore different types of Italian wines (which are my favorite along with California wines). Each session is $29.99 and includes wine and appetizers. The sessions will be taught by Certified Wine Educator Tracy Cervellone from Wilson Daniels. If you want to expand your wine knowledge or are just a wine enthusiast in general, I highly recommend attending these sessions!

Here is a quick rundown of each session:

July 21st: Italian Regions

The first wine education session will focus on the differences between Tuscan wines and Wines from the Piemonte region. I have had many Tuscan wines but not really any from the Piemonte area so it will be interesting to see how the two compare.

August 11th: Prosecco!

Prosecco happens to be my favorite Italian sparkling wine and this session will focus on the best foods to pair Prosecco with. There will also be a Prosecco flight that compares taste and against price. I think it’s safe to say I’m pretty excited for this session.

September 22nd: Pinot Noir

The final session will focus on Pinot Noir and how to find the best pinots to complement various Italian dishes. The session will also focus on the differences between old world and new world pinot styles. I’m not the most well versed in pinot noir, so I am looking forward to learning more in this session.

If you are interested in participating in any of the Wine Education Sessions, make your reservation today by calling Il Fornaio 949-261-1444. If you want to attend all 3 sessions, you can purchase all 3 at once for a discounted price of $75 total. All sessions take place at Il Fornaio in Irvine.

An Afternoon Picnic

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We have been having fabulous weather the past couple of weeks in So. Cal – June gloom is slowly starting to disappear, the temps are in the high 70s (unless you are inland – is 90 there!) and there’s a light breeze in the air. It’s safe to say that summer is officially live and well here.

Since the weather has been so nice, it only seemed fitting to have a summer picnic, so the Englishman and I packed up some food and walked over to a local park not too far from our apartment to enjoy our spread in the grass.

And what a spread it was! We had salami and cheese sandwiches made with homemade rosemary bread (recipe coming soon). Not going to lie, this bread is pretty fantastic.

Since CA Grown produce is pretty amazing right now we had some delicious grapes, watermelon and tomatoes, all grown right here in the golden state. Quick Tip to OC Residents: go to Grower’s Direct in Costa Mesa for your produce. The quality there is pretty impressive and it’s definitely affordable!

Of course no picnic is complete without a bit of bubbly, so some prosecco from Trader Joe’s was enjoyed as well.

It was so nice to dine al fresco, away from any distractions (TV/phone/internet) and to just enjoy each other’s company.

Cheers to more summer picnics!

California Grown Wants to Hear From You

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Remember a few weeks ago when I made that delicious Cherry and Blueberry Clafouti made from CA Grown produce?

As you know, I am a huge fan of eating locally grown food whenever possible, and am always on the lookout for produce with the blue CA Grown sticker on it at the grocery store. And after attending the Farm to Table dinner at the Taste of OC, I am even more convinced than ever to buy produce from in-state as much as possible and support California Farmers.

The lovely people at CA Grown want to know what YOU think when it comes to CA Grown produce and if it impacts your any of your purchasing decisions at all.

So if you could pretty please with some fresh CA Grown cherries on top, take the survey below to help our CA Grown team out it would be much appreciated. The survey does NOT gather any personal information and it’s super short and sweet. You can access the survey here, or just click the link below:

http://californiagrown.polldaddy.com/s/survey-on-california-grown-blog

Thanks so much for helping out!

Taste of Orange County Part II – The Great Farm to Table Dinner

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To read Taste of Orange County Part I, click here.

After some wandering around and enjoying our drinks, it was time for the Great Farm to Table Dinner. The dinner was initially supposed to be on the stage of the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, but at the last-minute the event organizers decided to have it on the lawn area outside the stage instead. At first I was disappointed we wouldn’t be eating on stage, but the lawn turned out to be quite lovely.

The Great Farm to Table Dinner was an additional cost to the regular entrance ($150) and all proceeds helped to benefit the Culinary Liberation Front, which was one of the main contributors to the dinner. Before the meal started, we enjoyed passed appetizers from the participating chefs and Francis Ford Copolla Sauvignon Blanc.

All the appetizers were fun, delicious, and the perfect amuse bouche. One of my favorites ironically enough was the beet and goat cheese skewer, and I’m usually not a fan of beets.

Other highlights included the nut-encrusted goat cheese with a fruit infusion, sun-dried tomato tapenade on baked crostini, and the fresh oysters with a green salsa on top.

After the appetizer hour, we were seated at two long tables and the participating chefs came out to speak about how important it is to use locally grown ingredients whenever possible and how they incorporated sustainable food into our meal this evening. Chef Patrick Glennon from the Culinary Liberation Front came out and gave the crowd a bit of background regarding his organization. Then it was time for the feast!

The meal started out with a salad course courtesy of Chef Paul Hancock from Avalon Grill and freshly baked bread from Dean Kim of OC Baking Co. The salad was made with a variety of mixed greens and garnished with a light vinaigrette.

The bread from OC Baking Co. ranged from lavosh to sun-dried tomato and a baguette. This course was nice and light, which was the perfect segue into the seafood courses.

Chef Patrick Glennon presented the crowd with fresh mussels prepared with almond milk, which literally made the mussels melt in your mouth. I had never tried mussels prior to this evening, and I have to say I loved them.

Chef Craig Connole from K’ya Bistro and House of Big Fish created a beautiful sea bass dish that came with a lovely citrus marinade that included small white strawberries and Chef Ryan Adams of Three Seventy Common served yellowtail that was seared to perfection.

Steve Escobar from Dory Fleet came up during the meal and spoke to the crowd about how he catches all of his fish off the coast of California and then sells it at the Newport Beach Fish Market every Saturday. It doesn’t get much fresher than that.

The meat course followed next, and Chef Rob Wilson from the Montage Laguna Beach served his unique take on short ribs by having them glazed with a blackberry reduction. Chef Greg Daniels of Haven Gastropub and Taco Asylum also took a more unique approach to preparing his meat, and had his pork shoulder slow-cooked in cola. I honestly couldn’t get enough of the short ribs and found myself coming back for seconds of that dish.

But the real star of the show was the roasted vegetables (from LBC Urban Farm) that was prepared by Chef Paul Buchanan of Primal Alchemy Catering. The vegetables tasted about as fresh as you could get and had amazing flavor. I wish they had presented these earlier in the evening because people were barely touching them because they were so stuffed from the other courses.

Chef Justin Monson of Vine & St. Roy Chef’s Pub ended the evening on a high note with his Meyer lemon tart topped with lavender cream and garnished with fresh strawberries and blueberries. The Englishman and I were pretty full at this point so we only had a few bites, but it was quite good. I pretty much love anything Meyer lemon, so I knew it would be delicious.

Overall the dinner was a success – the food was prepared nicely and everyone seemed to have a great time. I wish the chefs would’ve come out more often and talked to the crowd because I definitely had a lot of questions for them about how they got their inspiration for their dishes.

Thanks OC Menus and the Taste of Orange County for the experience!

California Grown Cherry and Blueberry Clafouti

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Thank you to California Grown for connecting me with California growers and encouraging California consumers to “Choose California Grown” when they can.

If you have been reading Sweet Potato Bites for a while, you know that I am a huge fan of locally grown produce. My favorite restaurants such as True Food Kitchen, Season’s 52 and Paul Martin’s American Grill incorporate locally grown produce into many of their dishes, and you’ll often find me shopping for fruits and vegetables at Grower’s Direct in Costa Mesa, which offers tons of California grown produce at very affordable prices.

Obviously one of the main reasons I try to buy California Grown produce is because I believe in supporting our farmers and helping the state’s economy, but another main reason is because frankly, the produce just tastes better. The fruit and vegetables are fresher, they last longer when you take them home, and you are eating food in season, which means the quality is top-notch. Admit it, fresh berries taste much better when you buy them locally and in season, rather in the dead of winter when they are shipped across country.

And if you think California Grown produce means more $$, think again! Many local farmers markets and grocery stores offer California Grown produce at very reasonable prices (like Grower’s Direct). Just be sure to look for the official CA Grown label.

Recently, California Grown sent me a giant box of delicious red cherries from Dean Devine, a cherry grower who has 175 acres of cherries in the Lodi and Modesto area. Dean is a fourth generation cherry grower who employs up to 150 seasonal workers to ensure consumers get the sweetest cherries from his farm. Dean credits the mineral rich water and perfect climate for producing cherries that are sweeter than from other states (another reason to buy from California farms!). To learn more about Dean, how he maintains his cherry farms and the importance of buying produce from California, be sure to check out his video here.

The cherries were delicious! They were nice and juicy and not tart at all. I could tell these cherries had been freshly picked since they were not mushy and still kept their firm shape.

After making my way through a few handfuls of cherries, I knew I need to incorporate them into some sort of delicious summer dessert. And what better dessert than a Cherry Clafouti a la Julia Child? (since Julia Child can do no wrong in my eyes).

I followed the recipe almost exactly, with the exception of a few modifications (I used non-dairy milk so a lactose intolerant friend could enjoy it) and added some blueberries in. The dessert ended up being light and flavorful, and the cherries definitely shined through. Even the Englishman, who claimed to dislike cherries, gobbled it right down.

Cherry and Blueberry Clafouti (adapted from Julia Child’s recipe)

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (regular milk works too)

2/3 cup brown sugar, divided

3 egg whites

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 cups cherries (use CA grown if possible!)

1 cup blueberries

Powdered sugar for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

While your oven is heating, slice and pit your cherries. I have yet to master the art of this but you should make sure there are no pits remaining when the cherries go into your dessert.

Using a blender, food processor or immersion blender, combine almond milk, 1/3 cup brown sugar, egg whites and egg, vanilla, salt and flour and blend well.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray (I used a glass loaf pan) and pour about a ¼ inch layer of your batter into the dish. Place dish in the oven for 7-10 minutes until the batter begins to set in the pan but is not baked through. Remove from oven.

Add in your pitted cherries and blueberries and sprinkle with 1/3 cup brown sugar.

Pour the remaining batter on top of the cherries and blueberries.

Bake in oven for 60 minutes until the clafouti is nicely puffed and golden brown. Baking time might be slightly longer or shorter depending on how warm your oven runs.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you so desire, and serve warm with your favorite ice cream!

Thank you again to California Grown for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about all of California Grown growers. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own. #CleverCAGrown #spon