Jujubes (Not the Candy)

One of my favorite things about the Little Italy farmer’s market is that I’m always finding new fruits and veggies I’ve never made myself, eaten before, or even ever heard of. Almost every time I go, I come home with something new to try.

Last weekend, I came across a stand that had fruit called jujubes. No, I’m not talking about the artificial candy.

Also known as the red/Chinese/Korean/Indian date, the dried fruit first caught my eye because of its dark red color. After reading the chart above them that listed all their nutritional benefits, I was curious to try one. High in antioxidants and various vitamins, including vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin B2, jujubes aren’t as sweet and sticky as the typical date. The inside of the fruit is sort of spongy.

Today I sliced some jujubes up and combined them with fennel, an apple, and toasted sliced almonds, for a super healthy salad:

When I took my fennel bulbs out of the fridge, Harley was freaking out trying to eat the wild leafy parts to them. Here’s the best shot I got of her nuttiness:

She cracks me up. Last night when I brought my surprise flowers inside and put them on my kitchen table, she kept sitting near the table, staring at them and whining. She thinks everything is for her (to eat)!

At the farmer’s market, I also got another new fruit I’d never heard of before that was heart-shaped and green:

Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of it. The inside is white with a ton of black seeds, and it tastes really sugary like a mango, but with a uniqueness to it that I can’t really describe:

Anyone know the name of it?? This kind of stuff drives me nuts, so please share if you do!

My Top Picks of Eats & Drinks in Thailand

Hello from San Diego!

I got back home late last night and picked up Harley earlier today from the pet resort. She was a ball of energy until a few moments ago, when I sat down on my couch and put up my foot rest, her favorite napping spot. She promptly curled up on my legs and passed out.

As I’m in a food coma from all the eating and drinking I did this vacation, I thought it’d be fun to highlight my favorites:

Food

Fresh fruit – I ate a ton of fruit in Thailand. Half the time I wasn’t even sure what exotic fruit it was that I was eating. The pineapple and watermelon were especially delish and refreshing in the 95 degree, super humid weather! Street vendors and the Thais at the food huts on the beach will cut up and slice the fruit for you so you can enjoy it right then and there.

Vegetable Pad Thai – Holy yum, need I say more?

Crepes – As I’ve talked about in previous posts, I adore crepes. Street vendors in Phuket make em delicious (and greasy)!

Sticky Rice – I finally got to try this on my last day in Thailand, and wasn’t really sure what to expect. Sweet rice for dessert? Hmmm. Well, let me tell you, when paired with ripe mango, ice cream, and chocolate syrup, it is to die for!

Vegetable Spring Rolls – I love these in the U.S. and jumped at the chance to try them while in Asia. We liked them so much, we wound up ordering them at the same restaurant 2 days in a row.

Fettuccine Pomodoro – Fresh tomato sauce is one of my favorite things to eat, ever. Probably because it’s a touristy area, Phuket wasn’t all about just Thai food. It was also ripe with tasty food from around the world, and this pasta dish is a good example:

Drinks

I usually tend to stay away from sugar laden drinks, but this vacation, they were plentiful. The thought of drinking my usual alcoholic choices of wine or vodka & diet soda in that heat and humidity was so unappealing. Frozen fruity drinks instead? Yes please!

Strawberry Daquiri – I had many $2 frozen daquiris at what became our favorite little restaurant during our vacay. Classic and refreshing!

Fresh Fruit Shakes – The smoothies I had last week are something I’ll definitely be attempting to recreate at home. They tasted like just fresh fruit combined with ice and little else. My favorite was watermelon, but the pineapple one was pretty good as well.

Expresso Dessert Drink – I’d be lying if I said I knew exactly what was in this (Ha, this was after a few Whiskey Sours!), but Adam and I shared one of these for dessert one night. It had expresso, Kahlua coffee liquer, a scoop of ice cream, and I think some kind of vodka:

Mai Tai in a Pineapple – I had to try this for the sheer fact that it was in a pineapple. I’m surprised I didn’t turn into a pineapple on this trip! I know I know, way to go hydrating at the beach with rum!

Strawberry Mojito – Muddled strawberries and mint leaves, sugar, lime, rum, & club soda  = one refreshing summery drink.

There you have it, those are my picks!

I’ll be spending the rest of my day recuperating from my travels, as I’m feeling pretty tired today. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!