Mango & Tomato

2/15/17

Green Mango Smoothie Recipe

Want something quick and easy for breakfast that you can take on the go, and yet is satisfying, filling, and nutritious? Make my Green Mango Smoothie!

You know my love for mangoes! I typically prefer fresh ones, but picked up a bag of frozen mango cubes at a grocery store over the weekend. I also picked up a bag of baby spinach. While wondering around the grocery store picking up random ingredients, I remembered I had a lone banana in the fridge: SMOOTHIE, I thought.

I grabbed a container of almond milk and made Green Mango Smoothie the following day. The green comes from spinach, but you seriously can't even taste it!

Green Mango Smoothie

Makes 2

Ingredients

2 cups frozen mango chunks

1 cup baby spinach leaves

2 cups almond milk

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 ripe banana

Directions

Pure all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

This smoothie was so good! I had it for breakfast on Monday and Tuesday and it kept me pretty full until lunch time (there was also a large mug of coffee). The smoothie mixture did not separate as it sat in the fridge, and the texture remained smooth and silky.

Cheers!

2/13/17

Meatless Monday: Beet, Blood Orange & Avocado Winter Salad

Ready for a gorgeous winter salad full of color, flavor and texture? Then you must make my Beet, Blood Orange & Avocado Winter Salad pronto. This salad will be perfect for Valentine's Day dinner at home, or Meatless Monday dinner, or a random I ate too much last night so need a lighter lunch meal, which was the case for me yesterday.

I love the combination of roasted beets, citrus and cheese. This time I opted for golden beets, blood oranges and goat cheese. This is a layered salad but you can mix it if you want. I happen to find this presentation elegant and perfect for one or a party.

Beet, Blood Orange & Avocado Winter Salad
Ingredients
baby spinach leaves
butter lettuce, torn into pieces
golden beets, roasted, peeled, sliced
avocado, sliced
blood oranges, segmented {reserve the juice for the dressing}
goat cheese, crumbled
toasted hazelnuts, chopped
whole grain mustard
olive oil
salt

Directions
1. Arrange all ingredients other than mustard, olive oil and salt on a large platter.
2. Whisk together blood orange juice, whole grain mustard and olive oil. Season with salt. Use whichever proportion you like.
3. Drizzle the dressing on top of a salad.
4. Dig in.

Yes, I ate the entire platter: it was so satisfying. I loved the creaminess of the avocado and goat cheese contrasted with the toasted hazelnuts.

There are so many variations to this salad:
1) use arugula instead of spinach and butter lettuce
2) if you can't find blood oranges, use grapefruit or regular oranges or tangerines
3) try blue cheese instead of goat cheese, or shave Parmesan on top of the salad
4) pistachios or pecans would be a great substitutes to the hazelnuts

What are YOUR favorite winter salads?

2/10/17

Weekend: Flower Power

2/9/17

TBT: Jose Andres' Minibar In Washington DC

If you live in Washington DC or follow its food scene, you have without a doubt heard of Minibar, one of Jose Andres restaurants that focuses on creativity, ambiance, experience and avant-garde cooking.

This is not the type of restaurant you walk casually into on a random Wednesday night. You need to plan ahead, make reservations, and make sure you have $275 in savings. I've never dined at Minibar even though I've lived in DC for 15 years.

All that changed when my friend Emily was visiting from Chicago and asked if I'd join her for dinner at Minibar to celebrate her big birthday.

I said yes. I was a little apprehensive. Will the meal be impressive? Will I still be hungry after? Will it be worth the splurge? Will we be well taken care of?

I'm happy to report that from start to finish we had an unforgettable meal. The service, the food, the atmosphere {they had orchids everywhere!}, and the theatrical way the food was plated were truly superb.

Some of my favorite bites included gnocchi, ceviche, caviar and broiled cabbage! There were more than a few instances when I definitely would have taken a second helping, such as in the case of a fried doughnut stuffed with ice cream, but alas this was not that type of a restaurant.

As the meal was coming to an end, we tried what is called a dragon bite. See for yourself ;)

A video posted by Olga Berman (@mangotomato) on Jan 27, 2017 at 5:40pm PST

If you have am opportunity to splurge and treat yourself, or are lucky to have someone else treat you, definitely go!

2/7/17

Comfort Food: Hummus With Ground Lamb, Feta & Pistachios

Comfort food doesn't have to mean low and slow, fattening, braised, or warm. It can be something that takes you less than 15 minutes to make, still has a lot of color and texture, and that doesn't leave you wanting to unbutton your jeans ;) This is exactly the case with my Hummus With Ground Lamb, Feta & Pistachios.

This year I'm continuing my friendship with Superior Farms because we have the mutual love of lamb. They sent me a gift card to cover the cost of groceries and asked me to come up with a cold weather/comfort food dish.

This dish is inspired by the hummus plate I had at Shaya in New Orleans last month.

Hummus With Ground Lamb, Feta & Pistachios

1. Brown ground lamb in olive oil and season with salt and green za'atar. Make sure to drain any excess fat.

2. Spread a thin layer of hummus on a dish.

3. Top hummus with browned ground lamb, chopped pistachios, cubed feta, chopped fresh cherries. {Note: I originally wanted to use pomegranate seeds, but my grocery store was out of pomegranates. Cherries were a great substitute. You can also drizzle pomegranate molasses.}

4. Drizzle the dish with chili oil and add a sprinkle of salt and za'atar.

5. Serve with pita chips.

What would you make with ground lamb?

2/3/17

Weekend Inspiration: Find Beauty In All Things

1/30/17

Real Simple Meatless Monday: Green Curry Butternut Squash Soup With Tofu Croutons

If you have half an hour, you can have a vegan Meatless Monday lunch or dinner: Green Curry Butternut Squash Soup With Tofu Croutons.

I think we are all turning to comfort food these days to temporarily get away from the reality and to sooth ourselves. Comfort food doesn't have to be bad for you: you can have a steaming bowl of vegan soup that tastes smooth, creamy, rich and decadent without piling on pounds.

Over the weekend I finally made Real Simple's Red Curry Squash Soup With Tofu Croutons that I've been meaning to make for weeks.

The soup starts with butternut squash, which I already had on hand. I also happened to have firm tofu and limes. Quick trip to the store to pick up red curry paste turned out slightly problematic: my store did not have red curry paste. They only had green curry. Fine, I thought. Luckily, the taste of the soup was still great, and the color did not turn green ;)

Butternut squash chunks get cooked in vegetable stock and curry paste until tender, then get pureed with coconut milk.

There are two toppings for this soup: one is fresh raw bok choy mixed with fresh lime juice and sliced chile. The other is tofu croutons. If you are making the soup to have as leftovers, only make the amount of toppings you'll be able to eat immediately.

I had a tiny bit of coconut milk left in the measuring cup, so decided to drizzle it on top of the soup, which you can see in the first photo.

Because of the complexity of flavors in the curry paste, you really don't need any other spices. A bit of salt and the acid from the lime juice bring out the natural sweetness of the butternut squash, and the added heat from the chile lingers a while.

I was really happy with this recipe, and actually had leftovers (just the soup part) for breakfast today.

1/27/17

New Orleans Picture Travel Guide: Where To Eat & What To Do

Last week I whisked myself to New Orleans for a mini vacation. I wanted to get out of DC: the tickets to New Orleans were dirt cheap and I found a great deal on a hotel through Priceline! All I had to do was pack my bag and decide how entertain myself. I knew that would not be an issue in the city full of great food, nice people and fun things to do.

Below are instagram photos of some of my favorite bites of food and a few nonfood related activities. By the way, shockingly I managed not to gain any weight while in New Orleans...must have been all the walking around.

Willa Jean: open space, high ceilings, waiters in checkered shirts and jeans, and AMAZING food! I came first for brunch and sat at the bar sipping on a Bloody Mary and digging into shrimp and grits. I enjoyed this restaurant so much, I came back for my last lunch in New Orleans and ordered a fried chicken sandwich. Divine!

I had by far the best chocolate almond croissant at La Boulangerie: warm, soft on the inside with a hard sugary exterior, and plenty of almonds! They also had satsuma juice instead of orange juice: a great splurge! Start your day with this breakfast and then walk off the calories by doing some shopping on Magazine Street.

Shaya: make sure to make reservations and come with a group of people so that you can share plates of hummus (the one topped with lamb and fried chickpeas was great), freshly made hot pita, and lamb. Leave space for dessert!

The minute I bit into the hot fried dough, I was transported back to my first time in New Orleans. I did not care I had to stand in line, Cafe Du Monde is a must. Make sure to bring cash: they are old school and don't take credit cards. Also, don't wear black clothes because without a doubt you'll be covered in powdered sugar.

I told you there was a lot of great food! Make sure to check out my instagram account and #NewOrleansJan2017 for more of the things I ate!

For something different, I took a ferry to Algiers Island {Thanks Naomi for the recommendation!}. It was a quick ride and only $2 each way: bring exact change!

The Island is pretty sleepy, but I did enjoy walking around and taking photographs of all the colorful houses!

After booking my trip, I contacted New Orleans CVB and they graciously sent me a VIP pass that I used to get tickets to a few attractions.

First up, The National WWII Museum. My favorite part of the museum was The Victory Garden. Of course I had to take a photo under the tomato poster. For those who are into history, you can spend hours in the museum and even experience a submarine simulation!

Even though I wasn't in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, it was fun visiting the Mardi Gras World and seeing where the props for the floats are made!

My favorite museum by far was Ogden Museum of Southern Art. If you happen to be in New Orleans on a Thursday, as I was, make sure to check out this museum for the after hours program: this time there was live music and a lovely stranger bought me a glass of wine! The fact that their stickers are my first initial was a bonus.

I also checked out the Audubon Aquarium and was quite mesmerized.

A video posted by Olga Berman (@mangotomato) on Jan 20, 2017 at 10:54am PST

If you don't want to pay for a museum, just walk around! Take a street car to The Garden District and check out old gorgeous houses. You'll definitely spot a few or more beads hanging on the gates.

I'll end this post on a sweet note: this is a chocolate chip cookie with sea salt I brought back from Willa Jean. It helped me ease back into the work week.

Have a great weekend!

1/22/17

Meatless Monday: Vegan Beets, Sweet Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts Lunch

While I've been eating everything in sight in New Orleans these past four days, I know that once I'm back to DC, my diet and exercise routine will come back to a more balanced picture.

In fact, before I whisked myself to the city of beignets, Bourbon Street, and really friendly people, I made it a point to eat better and exercise daily (well...other than the day I went shopping and spent over an hour trying on clothes. But that's basically cardio, right?).

Below is a vegan lunch I made before my vacation that required very little preparation or cooking time. It's also a great way to clean out your fridge before vacation.

Vegan Beets, Sweet Potatoes And Brussels Sprouts

Here's what you do:

1. Cube beets, dice sweet potatoes, halve Brussel sprouts.
2. In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add beets and saute for 5 minutes.
3. Add sweet potatoes and saute for additional 5 minutes.
4. Add Brussels sprouts, season with salt and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender.
5. Serve the vegetables topped with olives, smoked almonds and sliced avocado.

This is a great filling lunch!

1/20/17

Breath In. Breath Out.

For all of my friends marching on Saturday, be safe! This is a video I took at the aquarium in New Orleans. Let's all remember the beauty that surrounds us.