Tag Archives: New Zealand

“Now, those are some sexy crab cakes!”

Posted on February 10, 2011 | 30 Comments

I have been missing New Zealand lately; the fresh seafood, the ocean, the warm weather, the people, everything! So to transport myself back there, I decided to make crab cakes for lunch today. Unlike in New Zealand, the crab came from a can, but that didn’t stop these crab cakes from rocking my pants off. These were seriously so, so good.

The outside was perfectly crisp and the inside was packed with buttery crab meat. When my house mate walked into the kitchen, she made a beeline for the crab cakes, stopped, stared, and yelled “D*AMN, those are some sexy crab cakes!” And she’s right. Albeit, she does call everything sexy, including her dog. To top ‘em off, I made a light lemony aioli that contrasted perfectly with the savory cakes.

Buttery Spiced Crab Cakes

Recipe: Makes 3 crab cakes, serves 1

1 can crab meat (½ cup, drained)

1 organic egg

½ tbsp onion, diced

½ tsp dijon mustard

½ tbsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1 heaping tbsp whole wheat panko bread crumbs

big pinch of paprika

pinch cayenne pepper

fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 tsp ApresVin garlic infused grape seed oil (to fry in)

Directions –  Drain the crab very well. Mix all of the ingredients, except the oil, in a bowl. Place a pan on the stove on medium heat and add the oil. Divide the crab mixture into three round patties and place in the pan. Let them cook until the bottom is medium brown, then flip. Make sure that there is some oil on the pan when you flip them. They are down when they are medium brown on both sides! Serve with lemon aioli.

Light Lemony Aioli

½ tbsp mayo

1 tbsp sour cream

½ tbsp greek yogurt

1 tsp lemon juice

garlic salt

pinch salt

Directions – Mix all together in a small dish.

Benefits:

Crab meat * extremely high in protein and low in fat and carbohydrates. The fat that crab does contain is largely omega 3 unsaturated, which helps prevent heart disease. Also contains high amounts of selenium which is anti-carcinogenic and chromium which helps regulate blood sugar.

Paprika * contains the antioxidants flavonoids, carotenoids, and capsicum, which aid in circulatory system health (thus preventing heart disease). Capsicum also raises the metabolism temporarily. Also used as a digestive aid.

Cayenne pepper * high in antioxidants and temporarily raises the metabolism!

Eggs * the yolk is where all the nutrients are! It contains tryptophan, selenium, iodine, B vitamins, and phosphorous, many of which are necessary for optimal metabolism. The egg white has 6 grams of complete protein!

Question: What are some of your favorite breakfasts and lunches? I need some inspiration over here!

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New Zealand wrap up

Posted on January 2, 2011 | 17 Comments

After 12 days in lovely New Zealand, I am home! Getting back was a bit more difficult than I had anticipated. After a three hour flight from the South island to the North island and a 12 hour flight to the US of A, I arrived at LAX. I figured I could just take Amtrak to Davis, so I hopped on the Flyaway bus. Once at the Amtrak station (after being propositioned to be “taken out to hollywood tonight” and then “driven up the beautiful PCH to Davis” by a total stranger), I learned that there isn’t actually a train to where I live. So I took a 3 hour bus ride to get to a 5 hour train ride and then topped it off with another hour and half bus ride. It was just so much fun. During the third bus ride I realized that I didn’t have a key and my housemates weren’t home yet. Oops. It’s all good, though!

I didn’t take pictures every day but I will post some of the best that I have to sum up the remainder of my trip…

My step sista Brittany’s house, see all the Tibetan flags and things?!

Her driveway and horse

New Zealand has the coolest yogurt flavors.

Unfortunately their greek yogurt has the same nutritional profile as regular yogurt..?

Pastoral

Farariki beach, which my mom just called “Freaky Beach”

And the best meal I had on my trip..

Zucchini bruschetta with goat cheese and mint

Amazing goat cheese salad with fresh pears, walnuts, endive, and croutons

BBQ scallops with chili, lemon, olive oil, and wild rocket

Beef carpaccio with gorgonzola Dulce, lemon, chili, rocket, and grilled baguette

Pan fried snapper with tomatoes, red onion, basil pesto, and lemon

Clearly, we feasted.

Although the trip was truly great, I am excited to be back home and get back into the swing of things. This includes cooking and blogging new recipes! The discovery that I enjoy some cheeses has opened up a whole new world to me…

Happy 2011 everyone!

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Bird poop in New Zealand is clear, but in the States it is white….

Posted on December 25, 2010 | 14 Comments

I am not sure if the title of this post means anything, but I feel that it is worth noting.

Day 3:

Madre and I woke up and had breakfast at the hotel and then set out for what is said to be the prettiest section of the Queen Charlotte trek. Unfortunately for us, it began to rain pretty hard about an hour in. I did manage to capture a pretty photo between the bursts of rain.

After the 4 hour hike, we decided to drive all the way across the country horizontally to Westport to go on one of the most beautiful treks in the country, the Heaphy.

The drive was gorgeous. We passed through so many different terrains, including pastoral scenes of sheepies, jungle, thick wooded forests, and vineyards!

God?

We arrived in Westport late on Christmas Eve and Madre almost had a panic attack because no hotels were open. Eventually, we found a gem of a motel and crashed there. As I cozied into bed after a long day, I smelled this really strong odor of garlic-butter-onion-aioli. Is it me? I smelled myself and it definitely wasn’t me. I tossed and turned, each motion granting me a fresh whiff of garlic butter, and eventually fell asleep. The following morning is when I learned that you are always supposed to pull back the top blanket on a motel bed. The rich buttery scent was eminating from my blanket, which I had previously been so cozily curled up in. To be honest, the stench would have actually been half way appealing if I hadn’t been sleeping with it.

Day 4:

We woke up early and went to the lobby for the free continental breakfast and were met with fruit from a can floating in a vat of syrup, stale toast, sugar saturated yogurt, and fake eggs with canned mushrooms. Mmm.

Grossed out but full, we hopped into the car and drove to the portion of the famous Heaphy trek that we intended on hiking. It was gorgeous.

About 2 or so hours in, I started getting pretty loopy. My feet were heavy as stones and instead of focusing on the gorgeous scenes around me, I was looking at the ground. The sounds of nature were drowned out by my pounding heart and inner monologue “IM HUNNGRRYYYY!”

Just another hour… keep on walkin’. Ordinarily, I am against listening to music while hiking, especially in a foreign country. One should focus on taking in all the details of their surroundings and ingraining the beauty in their memory. You never know if you will be back there again, or if it will even exist. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I pulled out my ipod and started my favorite dance/workout playlist. It was like someone had injected me with adrenaline and seratonin. My pace quickened… I felt great. My favorite song came on and suddenly I could breathe, I could run, the trees parted for me and I was so free. It dawned on me…

I AM IN NEW ZEALAND! THIS IS AMAZINGGG!

With my mom’s back to me, I broke out in dance. Yeeee!

Finally, we reached our lunch destination on the beach. I devoured my canned chicken, crackers, nuts, goat’s feta, and apple. I layed out and napped while mom explored and then we headed back the way we came.

I spotted a creek of what looked like blood..

After seeing that, I quickened my pace a bit. I kept looking over my shoulder for a swarm of mosquitos, or towards the water for a stampede of frogs…

5 hours after we began, we arrived back at the car. We drove to Nelson and arrived at about 10pm last night. This morning we had a nice breakfast at the hotel (not really photo worthy though..) and are going to go pick up my step paps from the air port.

I miss reading all of your blogs! My reader has 78 unread! :(

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Greetings from New Zealand!

Posted on December 23, 2010 | 14 Comments

Hello! I am currently in Portage, New Zealand! I left on Saturday around noon and arrived in New Zealand almost exactly 24 hours later. The 12 hour flight from LA to Auckland was actually perfectly comfortable. Being in coach on New Zealand Air (or pretty much any other country…) is like being in business on an American air carrier. Sad, but true.

I am meeting up with my mother and step family to spend Christmas with everyone at my step sister’s home! I am so glad to spend time with them;  it is a rare occasion that we are all together!

Day 1:

Land in Auckland and take a short flight to Nelson on the South island. Get a rental car and eat lunch.

Pan seared fish atop roasted asparagus and potatoes with sun dried tomatoes and buerre blanc

Explore the cute little town of Nelson and nap. Eat dinner. Pass out.

Interesante

Pan seared blue maki with pumpkin risotto, steamed asparagus, salt and pepper fried calamari with a balsamic reduction and a sweet red pepper sauce

Day 2:

Drive 2 hours to Portage. Go on a gorgeous 4 hour hike.

Slightly lost en route, but thats okay.

Mama’s behind.

I brought goodies to make lunch on the trek. Look at the cool stuff I found in the supermarket!

Whole grain crackers topped with goat’s milk feta, pumpkin-kumara hummus, and caramelized onion spread. A few with chicken as well.

Hello gorgeous.

After the hike, we cozied into the Portage Hotel and lazed by the pool. Then, we cleaned up for dinner and passed out once again.

SWEET JESUS. Caramelized pear, onion, and blue cheese tart with candied walnuts and vincotto.

Seared groper with caramelized fennel, puy lentils, and citrus Sambayan butter

The internet is being sketchy, so I must go!

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