Category Archives: Gluten-Free

Zipangu

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Zipangu is an Asian Fusion restaurant located in The LAB in Costa Mesa.  I’ve seen it a number of times but never went in to check it out.  Finally after a recent shipping trip to South Coast Plaza, the Englishman and I decided to pop into Zipangu and see what it was all about.

We happened to come during happy hour (3-7 every day!), so we decided to take advantage and ordered some drinks and garlic fries.  Yes, garlic fries.

zipangu friesI have never had garlic fries at a sushi restaurant before, but these were delicious!  They weren’t super garlicky, but they were nice and crisp and were perfectly salted.  I may have to come back to Zipangu for the fries alone.

We were both in the mood for some sushi so we ordered some yellowtail, mackerel, and shrimp to share.  I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical since this restaurant has an item on the menu called the Kobayashi which is American Hot Dog Rolled Up with Rice & Soy Paper and Deep Fried, but I decided to give it a shot.

zipangu sushiI’m glad I gave the sushi a shot because it was delicious!  I don’t think it’s quite as good as Shunka or Kitayama, but definitely decent.  I also had a veggie roll, because why not?

zipangu veggie rollThe veggie roll was good, but nothing amazing.  Just your standard vegetable roll fare.

For the grand finale, the Englishman ordered the Chicken Kara-age, which is Japanese style deep-fried chicken.

zipangu fried chickenThe chicken came with a side of chipotle mayo and some peppers.  I only had a taste of the chicken but it was pretty good!

Not going to lie, I’ve never had fries, chicken and sushi rolls all in one sitting before, but somehow it worked.  Zipangu has a lot of other interesting Asian Fusion dishes I wouldn’t mind coming back and trying as well.  Plus, this place has a happy hour on the weekend, so that makes it an instant win.

Homemade Granola

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I love making homemade granola.  There’s something very therapeutic about mixing oats and nuts together and then roasting them in the oven while a delicious aroma wafts through your house.  One of my all-time favorite ways to enjoy granola is in yogurt parfait form, so when the package below arrived on my doorstep, I knew it was a sign that I needed to have some more homemade granola in my life.

The lovely folks at Chobani were kind enough to send me some of their yogurt, and what better way to enjoy delicious Chobani than with some homemade granola sprinkled on top?  I decided to deviate from my usual granola recipe, and came up with a new mixture that includes goji berries, coconut and almonds.

This granola is loaded with antioxidants (goji berries), healthy fats (almonds) and is gluten-free.  It’s not very sweet, but you can add some extra maple syrup or chocolate chips for a little more sweetness.

I personally love this yogurt with some delicious vanilla Chobani, but it’s also a great acai bowl topping or good with some almond milk!  However you decide to enjoy this granola, you are bound to love it!

homemadegranolaHomemade Granola

Ingredients:

1 cup certified gluten-free oats
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup silvered almonds
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup goji berries

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 250F.  In a large mixing bowl add your oats, quinoa, almonds, salt, cinnamon, vanilla and coconut flakes.  Mix well and add in maple syrup.  You can either add the goji berries at this time (note: they roast really fast), or add them in later.

granolaroastingSpread granola mixture on a large baking sheet and place in the oven.  Roast for 50-60 minutes and remove from oven to cool.  If you have not added the goji berries, add them at this point.

gojiberrygranolaOnce granola has cooled enjoy!  Store in a tupperware container and use within a week.

 

 

 

Weekend Snapshots

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Is anyone else having a hard time believing we are over halfway through summer?  I mean, August starts this week!  I still have a lot of summer-y things to do including have a bonfire at the beach, make sangria, go bike riding either to or along the ocean, and figure out how to make corn syrup-free marshmallows so I can enjoy some smores.  Thankfully summer seems to last into September in Southern California, so I suppose I have a little extra time.

This past weekend was filled with good eats, good friends, and scoring a good deal on a dress to wear to a wedding I am attending in Colorado next month.  All in all, not too shabby of a weekend.  Instead of a play-by-play, let’s let the pictures speak for themselves.

Saturday brunch at one of my favorites, True Food Kitchen:

A visit from one of my besties:

The Olympics (yeah swimming!) with a side of green juice:

New summer reading:

Fresh fish for dinner with honey roasted carrots and potatoes:

And watermelon, obviously:

Will Run for Brunch (and Champagne)

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A couple of months ago my mom asked the Englishman and I if we would be interested in running a 5k in Costa Mesa that was a fundraiser for all the schools in the district she teaches in .  The Englishman and I were game, and after a few weeks of training (this was his first 5k ever) we knocked it out in just over 30 minutes even though the course was long and had major steep hills!  My mom wasn’t far behind, clocking in at just over 40 minutes, so it was a successful day for all parties involved.

One of my favorite things about running is having a nice brunch after.  There’s nothing more rewarding than sitting down to a nice plate of pancakes, eggs and a cup of tea after you have completed your workout for the day.  So naturally after our successful 5k, the Englishman, my mom and I headed to Plums Cafe for a post-race brunch.

Since we were all in a celebratory mood, we decided to order the special “brunch option,” which meant for an additional $8 we got coffee or tea and a glass of champagne with our brunch.  The tea arrived in cute little teapots (similar to the ones at Nick’s) and made me question once again why I don’t have these in my own house.

And then the champagne came out.  A perfect treat after a hilly run.

Once we were nice and hydrated from tea and champagne it was time to dig into the food.  I kept it simple with the scrambled eggs, peppered bacon, toast and fruit.

I’m not always the biggest bacon fan, but there’s something about this peppered bacon at Plums that is just so good.  I pretty much devoured the bacon before moving on to the eggs and toast, which were also quite tasty.

The Englishman went a similar route and ordered poached eggs, potatoes, bacon and toast.

My mom got the blueberry pancakes with blueberry compote.  Pancakes are one of the #1 things Plums is known for, so I knew these would be good.

And good they were!  I managed to steal a few (maybe more than a few) bites before my mom kindly asked me that I not eat her entire meal.

It had been awhile since I had been to Plums, but after this brunch I know my visits will definitely be more frequent.  Everything tasted delicious and the service was spot on.  Other restaurants could definitely learn a thing or two from Plums.  Three cheers for the perfect post-race brunch!

Plums Cafe

369 East 17th Street

Costa Mesa, CA 92627