Saha

My work-husband (Scott A.) took me out to dinner for my birthday last night. My birthday was actually about a month ago but I quickly forgot that when he suggested taking me to Saha to celebrate the big 3-4. Saha is one of Scott's favorite restaurants in the bay area and whenever the topic of Middle Eastern food (or women) comes up, the conversation almost always turns to Saha.

Saha is self described as Arabic Fusion Cuisine http://www.sahasf.com/. You won't find hookah pipes, belly dancers, or suicide bombers at this lovely restaurant situated on the ground floor of the Carlton Hotel (a certified green hotel) but you will find yourself at an intimate place to dine with dim lighting, gorgeous servers, and plenty of animal free options on the menu to choose from.

Since last night was all about moi-I took great pleasure in ordering the sampler appetizer. This included fouel (pureed fava beans-tasted almost like refried beans), hummus, tahini sauce (mixed with herbs-the best I've ever had), mixed olives, tabbouleh, a kind of salsa, and my personal favorite-smoked eggplant with tomatoes. Serviced with plenty of pita Scott and I tried numerous combinations and were practically licking the adorable little dishes they were served in.




I ordered the stuffed avocado as a salad all for myself. The outside was coated in knaffe, lightly fried, and served warm. Stuffed with tabbouleh made of cous cous, served on a raspberry reduction accompanied by two chunks of marinated tofu-I was in avocado heaven.

Below you see Scott's entree. Because he is the best work-husband a lady could ask for, he ordered a vegan dish so I could take a bite if I was so inclined. I was. The Maklouba isn't the prettiest of dishes to look as, probably because it's topped with a slice of cooked eggplant, but the layers of rice seasoned with allspice, pine nuts, and cinnamon then topped with the eggplant, tofu, and caramelized onions, were a wonderful combination.

I savored every last bite of my entree-Spinach and Tofu. The terra cotta bowl was filled with spinach, garbanzo beans, organic tofu, Yemini Hawag (don't ask), olive oil, topped with Yemeni noodles and tomato vinaigrette. Not over seasoned, this dish allowed me to appreciate the taste of every single ingredient.

Our adorable server (because she was from Australia) recommended the vegan version of their house speciality, "Slap Ya Mama (roasted fruit, date & almond marzipan, and chocolate wrapped in phyllo, baked, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and drizzled with raspberry sauce)." She later explained that the chef tried this combination out on a friend who promptly responded, "that's slap ya mama good!"

Included below is Scott's choice-the Chocopear. A splendid presentation of layered chocolate and pear mousse topped with think slices of pears.

The couple sitting across from us insisted on taking our picture before we dug into our desserts.

Once again Scott has impeccable taste when it comes to quality food and I left Saha full and more than satisfied. If I were his real wife he would have received the BJ of his life. But like I said, I was full from dinner so I did the next best thing a committed work-wife could do-we closed down Annie's Social Club in SOMA singing karaoke.

Happy Birthday to Me...

I spent my 34th birthday relaxing in Del Mar with my good friend and fellow vegan, Lauren, visiting her parents. Celebrating your birthday with the Morellis is good times people, good times...

Mrs. Morelli took us to Whole Foods and let us go crazy while she secretly picked up sinful vegan chocolate cake for me. The following was my dream menu:

Baked tofu marinated in Annie's Spicy Ginger marinade

Lauren made this healthy green salad with mixed veggies and chickpeas

Israeli cous cous, currents, artichoke hearts, and fresh basil in a lemon vinaigrette dressing

Sauteed kale

and this is how it all came together.

Dessert was pretty amazing. Because Lauren and I were not aware that her mom bought the vegan chocolate cake at Whole Foods, we made dark chocolate vegan mousse. However, the desserts were so delicious, they disappeared before I could take pictures. So I leave you with a picture of me and Lauren on the beach in Del Mar.

Cheeseburgers - "Where's the Beef"

1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Monterey Jack cheese

Gently combine all ingredients and shape into patties. Grill patties over direct heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.

The Anti-Quiche

I am not actually a huge quiche fan, so this recipe incorporates elements of quiche without being a soggy, eggy mess.

Saute 2 cups of sliced white mushrooms and one small shallot in olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and dried thyme. In a separate skillet pan fry pancetta until crispy. Chop the pancetta and add to the mushroom mixture. Thaw 2 sheets of puff pastry and unfold on 2 separate cookie sheets. Spoon half the mushroom mixture on each pastry. Grate approximately 1 cup of swiss cheese over each mushroom mixture (thick grate is better). In a separate bowl combine 2 eggs, 1 cup of creme fraiche (could also use sour cream), a pinch of nutmeg and salt and pepper. Divide the egg mixture evenly between the pastries, being careful not to let it run to the edges. Bake at 400 degrees until the pastry is puffed and golden brown and the egg is set (my oven runs very hot, but it only took about 12 minutes).

Recipe: Vegan Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients:

1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of brown rice syrup
1 cup of natural peanut butter
7 cups puffed brown rice cereal

Combine sugar and brown rice syrup in saucepan and bring to a near boil while stirring. Continue stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.

Add peanut butter and mix well. And puffed rice and mix well. Press the mixture into a greased pan and put in the fridge for several hours to cool. If you want it to harden faster, stick in the freezer for about an hour. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Recipe: Tiramisu

Espresso Drizzle:
1/2 cup of water
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. instant espresso granules
2 Tbsp. Kahlua

Filling:
1 (8 oz.) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 (3.5 oz.) carton mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Kahlua

Remaining Ingredients:
24 cakelike lady fingers (Two 3 oz. packages)
1 1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa
1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, grated

To prepare espresso drizzle, combine first three ingredients in a small saucepan over medium high heat; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in 2 Tbsp. Kahlua. Cool completely.

For filling, combine cheeses in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and 2 Tbsp. Kahlua; beat at medium speed until well blended.

Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise (**I found this rather difficult since they kept breaking, so I just used whole ladyfingers). Arrange about 24 ladyfingers, cut side up, in the bottome of an 8-inch square baking dish. Drizzle half of espresso mixture over ladyfinger halves. Spread half of filling over the ladyfingers, and repeat procedure with remaining ladyfingers, espresso mixture and filling. Combine cocoa and grated chocolate; sprinkle evenly over top of filling. Cover and chill for 2 hours.

Note: Place toothpicks in the cent and in each corner of the dish to prevent plastic wrap from sticking to the tiramisu as it chills.

March 2009: The 80's!

Cooking club went back to the 80's for a totally rad party at Angela's! Everyone brought dishes that reminded them of the 80's and oh yes, we dressed the part!

Everyone received goody bags with jelly bracelets, sunglasses and fun 80's candy like nerds.
We took some fun pictures and walked like Egyptians!
Look at those earrings!
We started with a wonderful quiche prepared by Janet in Honor of the famous 80's book Real Men Don't Eat Quiche.
Ashley prepared a beautiful Egyptian dish of couscous and shrimp on a bed of fresh spinach. This dish if you can guess is in honor of the song Walk Like Egyptians from the Bangles.
Heidi prepared a delightful cold tomato and basil soup inspired by the song All Cried Out Over You.
Bonnie prepared a chilled eggplant salad from Sierra Leone. A We Our the World inspiration.
"Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti..."
Angela made mini hamburgers inspired by the famous commercial "Where's the Beef"!
And Christina made a yummy tiramisu, apparently very popular in the 80's. She also made some awesome vegan rice crispy treats!
All during CC we recalled our favorite music, movies and other pop culture of the 80's. It was all great fun! We took some more pictures in our shades and some of us called it a night! Others went out to the Congo lounge for 80's nights, where Ashley won BEST dressed! Go Ashley!
Annmarie even made a appearance and joined in on the fun.