Flavor of the week

I wasn't aware of it until sitting down to write this post, but I was on bit of a pineapple kick this week.  In addition to the meals pictured here, I also enjoyed the "The Pina Loco Margarita: Sauza Conmemorativo Tequila, Grilled Pineapple. Grilled Jalapenos & Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice"  at Mono Loco on Thursday night.  

My first pineapple dish was Asian Style Fried Rice with Beans for dinner on Wednesday.  After a few days of leftovers, I was pretty proud of myself for cooking--on a weeknight no less!  I had made this recipe once before, and was a bit disappointed in the the results.  This time, I started by browning the pineapple, removed it, and then thought better of it, and threw it back in the pan with the vegetables in the hopes of imparting more flavor.  I also used only about 1/3 to 1/2 of the soy sauce called for in the recipe, which made it taste much better (as in, taste like something other than soy sauce.)

With the chickpeas, this recipe could be a one-pot meal, but since I went for a run after work and it was nearing 8 o'clock by the time I ate, I added a fried egg and a 1/4 of an avocado on top.  Something was still missing, so I added a few dashes of Tapatio hot sauce.  I am glad I tried this recipe again; it's quick and easy and much more appealing with less soy sauce.

Pineapple meal number two was one of my breakfast smoothies.  This not only fit this week's unofficial theme, but was the first smoothie I have ever made that is worth sharing the "recipe" for!  It was tropical and delicious.

Put the following ingredients in the blender, add the lid and blend away!

• 1 banana
• 1/4 c frozen pineapple chunks (Trader Joe's)
• 1/4 c frozen mango chunks (Trader Joe's)
• 1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c oatmeal
• 8 oz orange juice
• 1-2 dashes of cinnamon

This week was also the first time I tried adding raw oats to my smoothies.  They blended well, and weren't too noticeable aside from making the smoothie a bit thicker.  I am looking forward to replicating this again next week!

Perhaps inspired by that yummy smoothie, I picked up a mango today at the store.  I think my taste buds are telling me it's time for a beach vacation somewhere...