O A K S T E A K H O U S E C H A R L E S T O N , S C
Have you been to Oak Steakhouse in Charleston, SC? I have not, but I can smell the wonderful aromas billowing out of the building. It makes me hungry! Ha ha… It’s definitely on our ever growing list of restaurants in Charleston to try! Have you been?
Oak Steakhouse is located on Broad Street. There are many wonderful galleries to check out on your way to dinner! Be sure to check them out!
Here’s a link to Oak’s menu… everything sounds fabulous!!
Owieee, I’m hooked on arugula right now. Ever since I heard on the Dr. Oz show how healthy arugula is for you, I tried it… I put it on sandwiches, on top of pasta, in omelets… baby arugula is the best (I buy Earthbound Farms brand). This omelet (or scrambled eggs if that’s easier) is quick and easy:
Omelet with Feta, Arugula and Tomatoes
2 eggs beaten
Baby Arugula
Tomato, chopped
Feta, crumbled
Can add anything your heart desires, onion, leftover chicken Italian sausage, more veggies…
Heat a 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil in a non-stick pan (or more if using a regular pan). Add the eggs, then add the toppings, pepper… (feta has enough sodium, don’t need salt)
Can either make an omelet with it or scrambled eggs.
Oooooh, and this will keep you going for a while! You might want to have 1/2 banana for dessert… read on…
Everyone knows that leafy greens are good for you. And arugula is one of the better choices for health. It contains two cancer fighters called kaempferol and quercetin. Researchers have shown that diets containing arugula can reduce the risk of lung cancer. Arugula is great to use in a salad, or even mixed into hot pasta coming off the boil. You can also arrange it as a bed of tasty greens on which to put other cooked or raw foods. t’s beautiful and healthy.
Tip: Look for baby arugula. The young leaves are sweet and nutty tasting. When the plant gets bigger, the leaves can have a slightly bitter taste.
Fresh fruits are an obvious healthy choice, but did you know that bananas contain cancer fighters? They are called catechins and delphinidin, and studies have shown diets rich in bananas and other fruits can reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Tip: Have half a banana a day with breakfast. It’s an easy way to sneak a cancer fighter into your diet, right at the start of each day.
I’ve come up with a few new sandwich ideas that are over the top good… I needed something different. Something healthy, but super duper tasty… My new thing here… BROCCOLI SPROUTS, I heard on Doctor Oz how they’re so good for you, throw them on all your sandwiches (well, PB&J? I think not) they’re scrumptious little buggers… Above… I have an open face sandwich.
Veggie Cream Cheese (Philadelphia Brand) – spread on the toast… YUM!
Hefty dose of broccoli sprouts on top of cream cheese
Cucumbers, thinly sliced on top… we LOVED this! Also tried it with 1/2 slice of Havarti cheese… GET OUTTA HERE!
This will become the new love of your life!
When you feel an open faced sandwich just won’t cut it, here’s another version… sprouted 7 grain bread, veggie cream cheese, 4 thin slices of cucumber, slice of Havarti cheese, 4 more thin slices of cucumber, and a big handful of that oh so healthy arugula (or broccoli sprouts!), top with another slice of sprouted 7 grain bread toasted. Yipeeee!
Healthy cole slaw? Usually it’s loaded with mayonnaise and sugar… which is what makes it so good right? Wrong! I bought some shredded cole slaw mix at our local healthy grocery store, Earth Fare (love that place), and I wanted to try something different. I know we both like the mayo based cole slaw recipes, but would we like a vinegar based recipe? Hmmmm, it was time to give it a whirl. I found this recipe on the Food Network (Rachel Ray!) and it couldn’t be easier!
I had originally posted this with a rather sad image… because I kept forgetting to take a photo, ha ha… FINALLY have a photo that looks like the coleslaw before its three days old, sigh…
I was skeptical, but this recipe is delicious!
The only thing I changed below is that I reduced the sugar (original recipe calls for 2 T sugar), I used olive oil (instead of peanut or vegetable oil), I used only 1/2 tsp celery salt. More or less to taste… you can’t go wrong with this recipe!
Click HERE to print the original recipe from FoodNetwork.com!
1 sack, 16 ounces, shredded cabbage mix for slaw salads
1/2 teaspoon salt (or celery salt) (or 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon celery seed)
Pepper
Directions
Mix vinegar and sugar. Add oil. Add cabbage to dressing and season with salt and pepper. Toss with fingers to combine. Adjust seasoning. Let stand 20 minutes. Re-toss and serve.
Lasts a few days… Day 3 pictured above, looks tired, but tasted great!
The restaurant was packed and I couldn’t find my way to a menu (well, at least not where I would have enough room to set it down to photograph), so I settled for the sign… It gives you all the information you need!
See yesterdays post to see what the fried shrimp looks like… oooooh, too good!!
THIS my friends is the 1/4# (small) shrimp dinner at Bowens Island Restaurant. The fresh, local shrimp in their delicate coating fried to perfection. This isn’t the thick batter that’s fried deep brown, this is succulent and out of this world good… so is the cole slaw… and the hush puppies… french fries are good too (and I’m not a french fry gal). I do wish you had a healthier option to go with the fried shrimp, but if you only go every once in a while its a splurge worth waiting for!
Bowens Island Restaurant is close to Folly Beach in Charleston, SC… check them out! (More details on the post from tomorrow)…
I meant to post this prior to May 4… I hate that I missed this! Darn, darn, darn… Too many sticky notes everywhere with ideas… it’s dreadful when some of the ideas have time limits, ugh!
BUT, we can all wish them a “Happy Birthday” and stop by for something fabulous! What a cool place, it’s where you see many locals as well as people visiting. It’s very cool how you sit with others if you don’t have a large party. Let me tell you, almost every time we go we meet someone so interesting. That makes this place so much fun!
Gaulart & Maliclet (also known as G&M or FAST & FRENCH) has great specials, and if I remember right fondue night is on Thursday! We usually make it there for lunch, the cold cucumber soup is to die for AND healthy… for real!
Check out their MENU, it will blow you away! Too good for words! Check it out if you get a chance!
View from Bowens Island Restaurant, Charleston, SC
Beauty as far as the eye can see… Bowens Island Restaurant… located in Charleston, South Carolina near Folly Beach (about 5 minutes away!) is one restaurant you need to check out next time you’re in Charleston. It’s, well… eclectic? The food is fresh and so tasty, I always get the fried shrimp, (my one splurge) and this is the place to get it!
They’re open from 5-10PM Tuesday – Saturday (CLOSED ON SUNDAY & MONDAY)… we usually get there early and there is a line, but just look at the view (above)… bring your camera, especially if you go near sunset… gorgeous!
Bowens Island Restaurant
This may not be a fancy restaurant, but LOOK AT THAT VIEW! I have gotten many gorgeous photos from this location! I have their updated menu set to post May 18 so check back then… but see the previous menu HERE, not much has changed!
Fred and I missed the Farmers Market in Charleston this past Saturday, so we swung by the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market on Tuesday… Oooowie! We bought some tasty veggies… as you’ll see below! As well as the best brie I’ve ever had! Made for a wonderful dinner!
We were there right when they opened (you have to wait until the bell rings at 3:30PM, vendors are not allowed to sell anything prior to that time because they are located on school property). By the time we left it was really filling with people! So good to see! All good food, what a treat!
Dinner was too good for words… brown rice, butter peas, radishes, corn on the cob (all from the farmer’s market)… and a few slices of baguette from the bakery near us (Normandy Farms) with some brie from the farmers market.
YUM!
It just can’t get better than this! It felt so good to eat fresh healthy local food! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Ahhh, I ran across a fantastic recipe in Bon Appetit. It turned typically dry boneless skinless grilled chicken breasts into something absolutely heavenly! The secret? Yogurt! I made very few variations. Instead of regular yogurt I used Greek Yogurt and I did not use Cilantro. Pretty much everything else was the same.
This is what I did… click HERE for the link to Bon Appetit to see the original recipe! This will change the way you think about boneless/skinless chicken… I PROMISE!
Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken on the Grill…
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (pound between wax paper to make an even thickness, so you don’t end up with shoe leather on one end and not quite done in the thicker areas).
In a bowl, mix together:
1 cup Greek Yogurt (plain, not flavored!)
1/2 cup chopped Onion
1/4 cup Olive Oil(or a wee bit less, use some to coat the grill good)
2-3 Garlic cloves, minced (or use the microplane, that’s even better)
1/2 Tablespoon Lime juice
1/2 Tablespoon Garam Masala (spice) – if you aren’t a fan of Indian cuisine, you may want to go lightly on this spice.
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt and 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1″ ginger, peeled and microplaned (or minced)
Stir ingredients together and put in a zip top storage bag.
Add the chicken and squish it around until its coated. Place it in a dish and let it soak in all the heavenly flavors for at least 3 hours (or overnight).
Heat the grill (coat the grill with oil).
The recipe says to wipe off the marinade, before putting on the grill which is good, and looks prettiest. The first time we did it, we didn’t see this step, and put it on the grill with the marinade. It was far tastier BUT it was white with grill marks… the flavor was overwhelming! It will transform what you think about grilled chicken. Cook until chicken is done!
I serve with cucumbers sliced, in a mixture of Greek yogurt and a splash of vinegar with some dill… It’s a nice combination!
Fred and I had the best lunch the other day… we had worked hard (our study has been painted, woohoo Fred!) it was getting late and we were starving! We headed to Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, in Mount Pleasant, SC. Usually we split a pizza, they aren’t big, but just enough for us… except for that day… this turned into a lunch/dinner situation… we ordered our typical Margherita Pizza… it’s so fresh tasting with a light crust, very fresh (house made) mozzarella, fresh roma tomatoes and luscious basil… a tasty treat… but we saw that someone had ordered a pizza with some lots of “green” (it was a ways away), we asked what it was. It was the Wild Mushroom Pizza with fresh arugula. So we ordered one of those as well! (Oink! Oink!) Oh. My. Gosh. We were in Heaven… the arugula was so fresh a tender, the PERFECT addition to this pizza. The Margherita Pizza was delicious, as it always is! Their iced tea is pretty spectacular as well… always fresh, and if you’re an iced tea connoisseur like we are (unsweet please) this is the place to go!
Wild Mushroom Pizza with Arugula
Can I tell you how difficult it was to wait to snap this photo? I was getting the evil eye from Fred. HURRY UP! ha ha… Heaven, I’m tellin’ ya! If you get a chance, head on over there… Here’s their website with menu! Or if you prefer to jump right to the PIZZA MENU just click the link! Enjoy and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!
There is nothing better fresh local strawberries. To make a quick stop at the Farmers Market is soooo worth it! These strawberries are nothing like the ones you get in the grocery store, they are juicy and sweet and a true delight!
I have a few favorite cooking magazines. In general, I tend to gravitate to those types of magazines… I. Love. Food. I try to shy away from the super unhealthy recipes, and try my best to stay on a healthier kick…
Cooking Light – I have been getting this magazine for at least 15 years. There are always recipes I can find in each and every issue. Great selection, variation… easy and fast recipes as well as time consuming ones. All are healthy without tasting like cardboard!
I still make recipes from 15 years ago… they’re fabulous! In addition to recipes, there is health info, exercises and general info to keep you healthy. I find myself sharing this info perhaps a bit too much!
I bought my mom a cookbook of a compilation of their recipes, and i think she’s made every single recipe and has enjoyed each and every one. Now THAT’S a cookbook!
I want to start by saying… I am a healthy eater. I read labels. I don’t buy anything with corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, fillers that are bad, milk from cows treated with rBST, etc. etc.)… now with that said, when I’m sick and absolutely nothing sounds good for days and days I have to go with what my tastebuds want.
I went to the grocery store, which I didn’t think I would live through… I wandered around and picked up a few things that sounded good… fresh ginger, lemon/ginger tea, and… this… I didn’t read the ingredients until after I ate it. It was just as good as I remember 40 years ago, ha ha… I did it, and I’m over it. It got me through a day, ha ha… thanks Captain!
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