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Beef Marinade: Guaranteed Deliciousness
The perfect beef marinade can really change your dinner game. With our busy and stressful schedules, the last thing we need to add on our plates – pun intended =P – is to worry about “what’s for dinner?” This beef marinade requires little prep, cooks in 10 minutes, pairs wonderfully with practically anything, and provides guaranteed deliciousness. What you’ll need for this Beef Marinade This beef marinade requires few ingredients. Most of these are staple items and should already be either in your fridge or your pantry. It requires fresh cilantro, green onions, limes, garlic, sesame seeds, brown sugar, olive oil, low-sodium soy sauce, and sesame oil. If…
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Kato: Simple Elevated
The 10-course tasting menu at Kato is chef’s Jon Yao’s interpretation of Asian American on a plate. His constantly rotating menu inspired by seasonal flavours is a nod to Los Angeles, Taiwanese, and Japanese fare. Food and Wine Magazine awarded Chef Jon Yao the Best New Chef in 2018. He also received a nomination for a Rising Star from the James Beard Foundation. Chef Yao and thus Kato’s popularity is inevitable. Get in before the rush hits. Their simple elevated plates will guarantee to stir your taste buds and evoke discussion. @Kato, Los Angeles: First Impressions Kato is tucked in a corner of a random mini-mall. The sign is subtle,…
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Uncle John’s Cafe: The Ultimate Diner
When it comes to Uncle John’s Cafe, we’re always down. Uncle John’s Cafe is an iconic DTLA diner since 1968 serving up incredible American-Chinese fare. With reasonable prices, laid-back vibes, delicious food, and quick service, you literally can’t go wrong with this place. From experience, as repeat offenders at Uncle John’s, it has always delivered. Busy but Chill Diner Vibes We usually hit up Uncle John’s Cafe on Saturdays around brunchtime, and it’s usually bumping. Despite it being busy, I’ve never had to wait for more than 10 minutes for a table. The servers are quick, the food comes out fast, and peeps get in to dine and they’re…
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ixlb Dimsum Eats: Quick, Yummy, and Cheap Dim Sum Takeout
It’ll be difficult to miss ixlb Dimsum Eats with the massive xiao long bao cartoon mural on Sunset and Bronson. If you’re looking for a quick, yummy, and cheap dim sum takeout, you definitely got to hit up this spot. With their modern delivery on classic dim sum staples, ixlb Dimsum Eats introduces an interesting concept of dim sum takeout. ixlb Dimsum Eats – Menu Items for $4.25 or $4.55 First off, ALL the items at ixlb Dimsum Eats are priced either at $4.25 or $4.55. Cheap and great eats? I’m totes in! The menu at ixlb Dimsum Eats offers an array of classic staple dim sum items. From steamed dishes like har…
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Niya Sushi: Sushi Roll Heaven
The hour-plus drive from Santa Monica to Huntington Beach was soon forgotten after my first bite at Niya Sushi. This unassuming Japanese joint located in the middle of a random mall complex in Huntington Beach leads to sushi roll heaven. Its great atmosphere, friendly and smiley staff, quick service, well-priced menu, fresh sushi, quality food, and incredible sushi rolls made that long-ass drive more than worth it. Appies @Niya Every Japanese restaurant has edamame. But only Niya Sushi offers this amazing sweet and spicy garlic edamame. It is delicious, it is sweet and spicy, it is garlicky, and it is absolutely addicting. Great way to open up the meal and…
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Majordomo LA: Ugly Delicious or Nah?
Majordomo is David Chang’s newest restaurant in LA. As a huge fan of David Chang, the culinary gangster of Netflix, tasting “Ugly Delicious” was a must! First Impressions Nestled within an industrialized jungle of rundown buildings and warehouses, Majordomo shines bright like a diamond. The crowd’s humming vibe alongside the facade’s nod to LA’s graffiti street art and industrialized motif perfectly set the ambiance. We were quite pleased to be seated on the patio. Elements of the natural wood and lush greenery contrasted perfectly against the industrialized feel of the cement. I couldn’t help but smile when I looked at the lights adorning the pergola. Majordomo, feed…
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Baked Salmon: Honey Garlic and Mustard
Salmon is at its best during summer time. Baked salmon is one of the easiest, quickest, and delicious way to enjoy it. In under 30-minutes, this Baked Salmon: Honey Garlic and Mustard dish will be ready to impress. The flavors of honey, garlic, dijon mustard, spices, and herbs are a perfect combination. Its bright flavors enhance and highlight the freshness of the salmon. Salmon’s Benefits While salmon is delicious, it also has a lot of health benefits that should be noted. Rich in omega-3 fatty acids Excellent protein source High in B-vitamins Good source of potassium May reduce the risk of heart disease Aid in weight loss/weight control Boosts…
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Poke Bowls: The Quick, Cheap, and Lazy Way
Poke bowls are one of the most versatile and flexible meals out there. Easily customizable to anyone’s dietary needs or according to one’s desires of that day, you simply can’t go wrong. With the thousands of different combinations, you can literally create a unique meal every time. As much as I love poke bowls, each meal can get quite pricey. A bowl (although super delicious) with its hidden add-ons of avocado, additional cost for the tuna option, etc. can easily rack up the bill real quick. Naturally, I figured that I can make my own poke bowls from scratch. However, the grocery list was massive, preparing all the sides were time-consuming, and it actually…
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Chocolate Muffins: 10-Ingredients in under 100 Calories
Growing up, I’ve always leaned towards salty snacks. It was all about the chips all day, every day. However, as of late, my sweet tooth cravings have increased exponentially. Thus, I needed to figure out a way to curb these sweet cravings without completely breaking the scales. These 10-ingredient chocolate muffins under 100 calories are the perfect answer. Only 10-Ingredients! Super Simple Recipe! I honestly love recipes that don’t need too many ingredients. These chocolate muffins only call for: apple cider vinegar skim milk (or non-dairy milk) all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour) baking soda baking powder unsweetened cocoa powder unsweetened applesauce vanilla extract light brown sugar…
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Corn Chowder a la Panera Bread
One of the things I love about spring and summer-time is corn season!!! You can easily get corn anywhere and they are super sweet at this time of the year. Although it’s starting to get warm, one of my boyfriend’s favorite thing to eat at this time is corn chowder. He absolutely loves this soup. When he first moved down to Santa Monica, he literally had corn chowder 3-4 times a week at Panera Bread. And when I would come to visit him, it became our go-to quick meal since Panera Bread was a minute away and this soup was deliciously addicting. What’s so great about Corn…
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Central Texas-Style Barbecue: Lockhart’s
Experiencing the barbecue scene in Dallas, Texas was truly exciting and one that I have never experienced before. Before I jetted off to Dallas, I thought it would be a good idea to educate myself on some Texas barbecue facts. Within 30 minutes, I soon realized that it was way bigger and more complex than I thought. I also came to the conclusion that I knew absolutely nothing about it. So, I figured, I’ll start small and focus on a style, rather than tackling the impossible task of cramming Texas barbecue in a single blog post. Central Texas-Style Barbecue Barbeque just like many cuisines isn’t homogenous. There are plenty…
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Sweet and Spicy Ground Beef Recipe
Everyone has that patented go-to quick and easy recipe for when they’re tight on time for dinner. And this one is mine! My Sweet and Spicy Ground Beef recipe has never failed me. It always manages to deliver an amazing meal every time. Its simplicity makes it very versatile. It can be paired with so many different vegetables, sides, white rice, brown rice, quinoa, tortilla, or pita bread. Honestly, it can go with anything. Choosing a Leaner Blend for this Ground Beef Recipe The base of this recipe is ground beef. Ground beef isn’t necessarily the healthiest. However, picking a leaner blend can totally improve its nutritional…
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Sweet Plantain Hash
I woke up this morning thinking I’d have a simple toast for breakfast. As I was grabbing the bread, I noticed a lone sweet plantain sticking out of my fruit basket. In 2 seconds flat, I grabbed a gala apple right beside it and a piece of chicken sausage from the fridge. I quickly shifted gears and off I went to make a sweet plantain, apple, and chicken sausage hash for breakfast. Plantain – quite different from a banana While they look like bananas, plantains are actually quite different. While you would normally just eat a banana as is, plantains usually require cooking before they can be eaten. …
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Greek Yogurt Fruit Bark a Healthy Snack
Trust me but this healthy Greek yogurt fruit bark will definitely become a part of your healthy snack rotation. It’s super easy to make, needs few ingredients, healthy and most importantly amazingly delicious. Lovin’ me some Greek Yogurt Benefits There are so many different types of yogurts these days. With so many kinds to choose from, my go-to favorite is always Greek yogurt. I love it’s thicker, creamier texture. It is delicious by itself or it can be used as an alternative ingredient for a number of recipes. The versatility of Greek yogurt makes it one of the best dairy products. Greek yogurt is an excellent source of…
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Pesto Veggie Pasta Salad
My pesto veggie pasta salad is veggies first and packed with great pesto flavor. If you’re watching your weight like me and trying to limit “bad” carbs but sometimes still craving it, this recipe is perfect! With only under 250 calories per serving, you can satisfy your “bad” carbs cravings while loading up with great fresh veggies. The key to this recipe is portions, portions, portions. More than just a Pesto Veggie Pasta Salad I was driving home from the gym and I needed to run into the grocery store real quick to grab some things. Since I’ve been trying to shed some pounds, I’ve been very cautious of walking through the…