Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Recipe Redux: Asparagus Sandwich Vienna Style

The theme for this month's Recipe Redux is "most memorable vacation meal". We were to take an unforgettable meal that we had on a vacation or trip somewhere and re-create it, but with an added healthy twist.

I recently was able to go back to Vienna. The night before we left to return back home, I had my favorite dinner from that entire trip. I was in heaven with a sandwich that looked incomplete to me. It only had one slice of bread, but I realized I didn't miss the other slice. The flavor of the "salad" on top of the sandwich intertwined with the delicious, mouthwatering taste of the grilled white asparagus wrapped with an omelet on top of a tasty slice of bread. I could not stop commenting on how scrumptious it was while eating...neither could be my friend who had the same thing. Unfortunately, I did not write down the name of this wonderful entree, BUT...I did take a picture of the meal I had. Now, I also had a side salad and topped the meal with...oh yes...sacher torte!  Can't leave Vienna without having that amazing dessert.  However, for now, I will focus on the asparagus sandwich I absolutely delighted my taste buds in.

This is the actual sandwich I had in Vienna with white asparagus.


The changes I made were in the eggs and bread.  I used an egg substitute, which allowed for decreasing the saturated fat content, to make the omelet. Then I made sure the ingredient list of the bread I bought started off with 100% whole wheat flour to bump up the fiber content.

Ingredients:

4 spears of regular size asparagus or about 8-10 spears of small asparagus
1/2 cup of egg substitute
1 Tbsp chopped white onions
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1/4 cup of spring mix lettuce leaves
3 tsp of Annie's Roasted Garlic dressing (or dressing of your choice)
Just enough olive oil to drizzle on asparagus
1/2 Tbsp of Canola Oil
Pinch of salt and black pepper
Green onions and cherry tomatoes for garnish

Directions:
Grill the asparagus for a few minutes.  (I used my panini maker and grilled it on there.  I laid down the asparagus in a row, drizzled olived oil on top of the asparagus and put a slight pinch of salt and black on top).

On a frying pan or skillet, pour the canola oil and pour the egg substitute. Sprinkle the white onions and garlic on top of the egg substitute.  Add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook egg on one side for a few minutes.  Flip over and cook other side for a few minutes.

In a small bowl, place spring lettuce in a bowl and saturate with dressing.

Bread may be toasted ahead of time if desired.  However, place bread on plate. Then place omelet on top of bread and insert asparagus inside and fold over omelet.  On top of omelet, place lettuce. Garnish plate with green onions and cherry tomatoes.


I couldn't find white asparagus, but this certainly did the job for me!



Hope you enjoy this dish! Please take a look at the other wonderful recipes by fellow Recipe Reduxers.

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If you have ever been to Vienna, what was your favorite food item over there?

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Friday, August 10, 2012

Beautiful Ketchum & Mountain Biking

Last week-end, Tom and I went to Idaho to visit his family. We went up to Ketchum where Sun Valley Ski Resort is located. The scenery there was absolutely breathtaking with perfect weather during this time of year. Since Tom's 75-year-old father was with us and since we didn't think he was an avid cycler, we rented a hybrid bike for him, while the two of us rented mountain bikes. Our initial plan was just to toodle around town...no major plans for any major biking. While "toodling", one path led to another ending up at the actual ski resort. We couldn't help ourselves and thought...why not?  We're here...we must as well get on the ski lift and enjoy the ride. Needless to say, Tom's father promised to never ride with us again...especially after falling off his hybrid bike twice and never ever mountain biking in his life. Yes, we found that part out after our "adventure".:-D

We chose to ride on the Warm Springs trail. Although the majority of this trail was downhill, there was still some uphill climbing, which really wasn't bad at all (which I love!). There were some switchbacks to deal with, but again...not bad. The trail was rocky, so I had wished I had my own bike since I have dual suspension. The surrounding was definitely beautiful all around which lasted for about 12 miles...that is...twelve mountain biking miles. There were many other trails to choose from there. 

Beautiful Sun Valley Ski Resort in Ketchum, Idaho
I tried for the first time a 29er.
Getting off the lift and ready to ride!


Unfortunately, since we did not plan to do a mountain biking ride...and because we weren't told how long the trail is, we didn't bring enough water, so that part was a little scary. I always bring food with me, so that wasn't a problem. The Trader Joe's pre-portioned trail mix is great to take along anytime and anywhere.  However, not having enough water can definitely make any ride miserable, but thank God we were okay and our ride still memorable and fun!

The town of Ketchum also has many wonderful restaurants with outdoor patios.  I absolutely loved sitting outside having our meals and looking around at the gorgeous mountainous, green surroundings. Ketchum is like Amerca's best kept little secret.  If you love to mountain bike, Sun Valley is a must to enjoy this wonderful sport at.

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Where is your favorite place to mountain bike?