super summer sandwich.

love it!
somehow (through whole wheat bread) i have managed to update my cucumber and onion cold salad into some type of ridiculously delicious sandwich!
i love it!
as you know, i was off the bread situation for a while. that was all sorts of well and good. but then it got hot out, and for as hungry as i'd ever get, i never wanted to cook anything.
i toasted two pieces of one point wheat bread, covered them in slices from half an avocado, and topped it to the brim with cold cucumber and onion salad.
quick, easy, & light dinner...
for those long, hot summer days.

the oxford!

bitches!
i absolutely LOVE this place.
i'm pretty sure the oxford is one of my favourite places in raleigh. (no need to worry, flying saucer. i'll never cheat on you... xoxo)

there are a ridiculous amount of fabulous things on their menu. too many too even discuss!
but i will say that i've had enough food and beer off their menu to dub them... amazing!

this evening i had panko covered avocado fries. yeah, you heard me right, bitches. avocado fries. deliciously creamy slices of avocado, covered in panko, deep fried, and served with chipotle cream sauce. honestly, this is the first place i ever had these deliciously golden brown pieces of heaven, and they're outstanding.
additionally, i had a greek salad. boring, i know.
then, the royal oscar chicken. what royal and oscar have to do with a chicken dinner is beside me. i do know that this plate of meat, potatoes, and veggies was out of this world. some ashley farms chicken (organic and locally grown... woot!) with asparagus and a lobster/crab mash... this dish was... regal. it was rich and delicious, the chicken had a crispy seasoned skin with flavourful mash and the asparagus gave me a little... summer. my only complaint was how salty the dish was. in the defense of the nearly-untouchable oxford, i don't eat salt often. i rarely cook with it (after the brontosaurus diet) and i infrequently add it to anything. i feel that i'm hypersensitive to salt, so i'm sure my complaint is my personal downfall. other than that... bring on the food & beer!

located in downtown raleigh, across from the wake county court house, the oxford is an amazing place to hang out, drink, eat appetizers, dinner, or late night snacks. (i've been there for all...) the atmosphere is one you would want in your house, and the food is original & gratifying.

get your ass on a plane, and get down here.
...maybe i'll even buy you dinner.

holy crap it's may!

it's time for some light, fresh food!
tuna ceviche and tuna sushi roll... or something that resembles a sushi roll. a poor excuse for a sushi roll. none the less, delicious!
i wasn't quite sure how i felt about the tuna ceviche. don't get me wrong... i love ceviche but, the tuna hadn't quite "cooked" in the lime juice when i ate it.
sushi grade tuna, chopped tomato, mango, serrano pepper, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice.
it was perfect.
the mango, tomato, & avocado were fresh and complimented the fish super well. the serrano pepper gave the ceviche an unexpected and much needed kick.
i saved some until the following day, the acidity changes the texture of the fish over time, and i wanted to experience some of that on monday.
it was best on sunday.

i used the extra tuna to make some sushi rolls.
cucumber, avocado, mango, tuna, brown rice.
yum.
they looked a bit horrid, but they tasted delicious!

*powdered wasabi = surprisingly strong.
highly recommended.

lunch was always my favorite period...

This is unheard of!
sound the horns!
not only did my sister make something, but it was so delicious that it's worthy of being displayed to the internet!
*applause*
so here it is, alfalfa sprouts, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots and.... the sauce, the sauce! she processed cashews, chicken broth, garlic, and cayenne pepper. that sauce was so absolutely delicious, i've been begging her to bring me leftovers all week. eating a plateful of this a day, would be ideal.
taking matters into my own hands, i'd like to make a play on the sauce. right now, i have some jalapeno peanuts in my cabinet. how could that not be delicious? that's it! it's official! next week, there will be bowls of shredded cabbage & shredded carrots and that delicious sauce!

nom nom nom.

now, for something i have been enjoying at work the past couple days...return of the cucumber and red onion salad! yum!
this is where i get my serving of whole grains for the day. mini whole wheat pitas stuffed with avocado, cucumbers, & onions make this sandwich delicious and filling.

don't lie.
i know you're drooling.

scallop salad saturday.

brontosaurus diet says that you're allowed fish (and eggbeaters... just not necessarily together) one to two times a week, if you have to.
after six days on, i had a piece of tilapia. i made it with just a bit of garlic in the pan, pressed half a lemon, and some basil. considering i had eaten only fruits, veggies, & beans all week, my taste buds couldn't have been more thrilled with my dinner choice that saturday. like i had said earlier, with limiting myself to natural foods, it has really retrained me and my palate to enjoy what i'm eating, instead of just mindlessly eating whatever i can get my hands on.
eating this piece of lightly prepared tilapia, was fantastic!

my saturday fantasy dinner started tuesday, when morales let me try the salad she made the night before. hardly seared bay scallops, mixed spring greens, avacado, goat cheese, and a bit of balsamic. i was sold when she told me that between the salad and her burger, she couldn't decide which perfect bite she wanted to end her meal with.
i was sold!
so, this week, i treated myself to scallops. while i don't exactly recall shellfish being on the brontosaurus plan, nutritionally scallops aren't too bad. according to thedailyplate.com,
bay scallops - raw / 100 calories / 1g fat / 35g cholesterol / 18g protein
so i seared me some scallops, threw them on a mix of spring greens and iceberg, added an ounce of goat cheese (yeah, i cheated there too, and it was so worth it) and some avacado. i drizzled a little balsamic on the top, which was gratuitous at that point. i had cut my avocados friday night and let them sit in lemon juice (so they didn't brown) and cilantro. they were a little too acidy in the salad, and so i left the job to plain avocados for sunday.

the best salads are the ones that don't even need dressing.
and this one did not.