Beating the Meatless Mundane: Spinach, Feta, & Mushroom Pockets

Whewww! Mardi Gras '12, another down for the books. You were so good!

Now, 'tis time to repent and make the ultimate sacrifice(s). Yes, folks, it's Lenten Season. And we all know what that means. In addition to giving up something we truly enjoy, us, Catholic folks, also know Fridays are filled with meatless meals & seafood-everything as our protein substitutes.

But, who wants to eat the same fried + high in fat seafood I'm pretty sure every restaurant in the city has wafted through their open doors?? Not I.

Remember? It's time to repent & start trying to get back on track as we've all managed to fall of the wagon resolutions, already.

Below I've managed to put together a healthy alternative that takes less than 45 mins to prep & cook.

Simple. Guiltless. Protein-packed. Low in fat.

PROMISE

      Prep time: 10 mins, Cook time: 30 mins.

      Recipe yields 12-16 servings

• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 8 oz. baby bella or button mushrooms
• 1/4 cup any type of feta cheese
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 shallot bulb
• 1 brown egg white
• 8 oz. pkg of thawed phyllo dough
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• dash of black pepper (salt optional. feta cheese is already sodium-packed component 
• 4 tbsp of olive oil (2 tbsp for sauteing fresh ingrediwnts, 2 tbsp set to reserve to coat phyllo) 

             

• Wash & prep all veggies. Mince garlic. Finely chop the shallots. Slice mushroom caps horizontally.

**Helpful Hint: Never submerge mushrooms under water when cleaning. They are porous veggies and can soak up the water like sponges. No bueno. If you don't have a veggie scrubber, prior to trimming stems dampen a paper towel and wipe off excess brine & dirt.

• Heat skillet or frying pan with olive oil until hot. Add garlic & sweat shallots until translucent. Continue to add mushrooms and saute all three ingredients for 2 mins. Then, add spinach until wilted and turns dark green in color.
• Also, preheat oven to  375 degrees F & prepare nonstick baking pan
• Add red pepper flakes and black pepper to season. Remove from pan & pour contents into a mixing bowl.

• Let contents cool after adding in the feta.
• Roll out phyllo dough in increments of 3 layer sheets.
•  Grab a pizza cutter and cut the triangular sheets into three square columns.
• Spoon in a teaspoon full of filling. Brush the outer corners with the white egg wash.
• Proceed to fold. Seal.Repeat. Coat exterior of phyllo triangles with olive oil.
• Pop in oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before transporting to serving dish or plate.

Presto! No time & filling can be made ahead of time. Just make sure it's cooled to room temperature before popping into the fridge.

These also make for great, inexpensive party fare.  Feel free to add crawfish tails or shrimp for seafood lovers. Sweet red bell peppers also make for a Meditteranean kick.

Now that's a hot pocket!

Bon appetit!!

Curbside Cravings: Street Fare Derby

This way..that way..

Favorite shade of Fall: mustard (I purposely wore the loose chiffon garment for the obvious reasons)

(dress + belt + feather necklace: F21, cross-body bag: boutique, cat-eye sunnies: vintage, thread bracelets: Costa Rica street market, Express)

A self- proclaimed reveler in the local food scene, the anticipation for an event such as this literally had my tummy doing cartwheels. Back flips if that counts.

Finally! Other people get it. We all know New Orleans is most definitely on the forefront in the culinary world, but needless to say, trends do take awhile to catch on down here. The waves of curiosity & attempts to launch a successful yet legal mobile food service in the Big Easy has been quite a challenge. ***Trust me I know first hand,as I diligently prepare my proposals + business plan to soon get mine up and operating.

In an effort to raise awareness, advocacy along with exploration to present to the locals; event creator NOLAFoodtrucks.com hit it right on the money as they formed a partnership with Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots to bring foodies and nay-sayers alike to enjoy what we love to do. Behold, the Street Fare Derby. A little slice of food truck + pop up restaurant heaven all within the same vicinity.

As I park to the first available spot, containing my excitement was too much of a task at hand. Then, walking through the seemingly endless gates to get to the track is another untold story. Strolling out beneath the crisp white tents there they were; all aligned in some sort of maze-like formation. In synchronization as the chrome headlights greet you, the air reeked with sin. Truffle oil, garlic, parmesan and unnamed decadence. Holy moly! I had my expectations but this was beyond mind boggling. "Where do I get in line and what should I eat first?" were the only tunes playing in my head.

There were the favored usual special events' participants and expected menu with their awaiting lines of customers to coordinate. The front runners evidently made for serpent like winding formations amidst the sea of people.  Averaging a 10 minute wait to receive your food was acceptable. Hoping to try some form of nostalgia and being made aware they were "restocking" or "sold out for the day" at 2 o'clock in the afternoon was such bittersweet feeling.

--All in all, the day was a success for the vendors and patrons.

--The fare options/ variety were great.

--Event needs a larger location to accommodate the masses.

From my palate, I share with you in what I hope would be a movement towards street fare into a legal affair. Follow me as I trek my way through the masses to fulfill my curbside cravings. What were yours?

Kermit Ruffins on brass and doing his thing

Garlic, sage & manchego w/ roasted red pepper ketchup and portable spiked adult-size juice pouches

 Look out for the Fry Bar's fancy, custom cart on the streets of NOLA

In awe of his conductor-esue ensemble

"Most Adorable Food Truck Award" goes to: Meltdown & Peace, Love + Sno-balls

Little fluffs of vegetarian goodness in the making.

He said he's glad to support my research. I told him I'll pay in food. Good deal.

                "Back in 5" is sure to be a good sign for business; my fulfillment for their frozen treats, not so much.

Busted Betty! Never knew roasted corn tasted so delicious when paired with the perfect condiments.

Sauced out.

Sunshine

It seems as if I've fallen off the blogosphere, but trust It's not my intention. What can I say? Summer has been really good to me.

 Summer months down here in New Orleans are always bananas. And I'm not talking about the usual calendar full of events. I'm talking beyond hot, sticky humidity that makes you want to take a shower as soon as you step foot outside. On top of that, you get scorching sunny days with thunderstorms at any given moment due to what we call "Hurricane Season".

On this particular Saturday evening on what was supposed to be a joyous occasion, dark clouds filled the skies and the heavy rains decided to grace us with their presence. No worries. I've been accustomed to many days and won't let it put a damper on my plans. Pardon the pun.

As I prepare to dress, blaring on my iPod are the smooth doo wop tunes of classic Motown hits.

*I live for little moments such as these that put the biggest Goofy grin on my face.

Please enjoy this quickie little post.

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day...

(dress+ turquoise earrings: local boutique, belt + ring + bracelet: F21, shoes: Aldo)

I'm gathering all of those moment-worthy captures and will soon be sharing with you all.

Slow Southern Style: Festival Season In Louisiana

It's always a great feeling to interact with those that share your same interests and really understand where you're coming from.

PASSION IS INFECTIOUS.



Check out my featured article on fellow fashion maven, Slow Southern Style 's site. It's an ode to two of my passions: fashion & festival season in the Big Easy.

And please do check out the other contents. It's so refreshing to live through a local's perspective.

Life Lately. Chronicles of the Month: April.

I always try my hardest to keep up with posts. But, living down here you hardly get any down time. There's always something going on. Don't believe me? Images speak for themselves. I shall do an outfit post soon.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Laughter. The cure to all.

Life abloom.

Monster Ball.

Mama Monster Aprroved.

Workin' It.

'nuff said.

French Quarter Fest 2011.

The festival season always brings out the best in people.

Rooftop maxin' and relaxin'.

PURA VIDA.

My fave sandwich shop! Behold, the crawfish roll. Yumm-ooo.



Flower Power. My creation for one of my bff's b-day.



I mean, everyone should own one right??

In Memoriam

Those whom are close to me cannot believe how I was not Japanese in my former life. In fact, they've often joked with me about it. "Are you sure you're not Japanese?" or "Wow you're more Japanese than I am!" It's no secret that I've always had such adoration for this beautiful culture. Yes, of course the food has alot to with it. Okay and most importantly the fashion. There's a purity about their culture that I've always admired from afar. The rest of the world seems to think so, too. Needless to say, they did start our love affair with sushi + sake + late nite karaeoke. I, myself,  planned a trip to Japan in the upcoming months for research + pleasure. Sad to say, it might not even happen anymore.

(Putting in some time at a local festival this past weekend for our restaurant. Not bad, ehhh? Keep rollin'..rollin'...

Got sushi?!)

It's hard to believe that it's been exactly one month to this day that Japan was hit with one of history's worst natural disasters. The destruction of the earthquake, tsunami, multiple aftershocks, and radiation exposure is still mind boggling to everyone how much damage has occured. As many as 25,000 lives lost and the death toll still may be on the rise. It's going to take years for Japan to rebuild the empire that was once there. But, being technologically advanced and a structured government to oversee the rebuilding, we all have faith that they will be able to do so. As a matter of fact, most likely better than ever.

(Hong Kong's old world taxi)

Personally experiencing firsthand the destruction of what Mother Nature is capable of, ala Hurricane Katrina; there's only one thing that will get you through it all. Hope. The will to keep on going.

Join the relief efforts if you have not. Check into your local community and see how you can help. Every little bit counts. Here are a couple of sites you can donate to:

Donate here

 Purchase here and proceeds go towards the relief efforts 

Please let us all take a moment to reflect and remember. Send out your heart + thoughts.

What once was....

Images are courtesy of  a friend's recent trip to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka right before the tsunami and earthquake hit.

Thank you, Jimmy for these.

(Osaka Castle)

(Jimmy, Chiharu & company)

(Gold Temple. Yes it is really made of gold.)

(Mt. Fuji)

(My friend, Chiharu. They said she was praying for a husband.)

(The oldest temple in Japan.)

(Street filled with Harajukus)

(Why can't we have this in America??)

(Part of the Big Easy making it all the way to Japan!)

(My kind of breakfast.)



(Look at how cute she is!!)

(Now that's some fancy panties. I want.)

(Hong Kong skyline)

(Full on fab!)

(Tokyo)

日本のために祈る

Pray for Japan

Anata wa dōmo arigatō