Kasi's Birthday Dinner: Grass Fed Beef Hamburger with Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries, and Avocado Banana (Non Dairy) Ice Cream.

Happy Birthday, Kasi!

Today is the love of my life's, BIRTHDAY!  So, in order to celebrate it, she picked out a meal she wanted, and I get to make it happen.  She also got, as a present, the bowl she will be served in (actually it's a matching pair.  I'll eat out of the other one.), and a new set of lovely chopsticks (see the picture below).

Kotobuki Dragonfly Soup Bowl

I had planned to make her a nice grass fed beef burger (our first red meat, let alone a burger, in weeks), and had already purchased the meat, but then she asked for her dinner to be a Black Pepper Salmon Soba Salad with a Wasabi Ginger-Peanut Dressing (see recipe below).  So I went out and bought the bowls and chopsticks to match the meal, as a present.  


Of course, she came home from work last night and saw the burger meat, and changed her mind, but now I have to insist on making this meal because of the presents I bought.  Things got a little tense, but, because she loves me, she listened when I insisted that she, "TRUST ME!"  :)


Well, now I have entered the Black Pepper Salmon Soba Salad with a Wasabi Ginger-Peanut Dressing meal into the MyFitnessPal.com's recipe program, and realized it would be 887 calories, each, for that meal.  After speaking with Kasi, she decided that was more calories than she wants to afford today (her meal plan puts her at 1210 calories a day).


So, while I will leave this recipe here as a bonus, be warned.  As tasty as it is, and with healthy ingredients, it does pack a caloric punch.


Now, for Kasi's Birthday dinner, I have a Gourmet Grass Fed Beef Hamburger, with a side of Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries (see recipes below).  Frankly, there are not many fewer calories in these recipes, than the other recipe, but they are comfort foods for her birthday.  I think that's fair.


Anyway, despite our eating healthy, I had to make a dessert.  Heck, it's a birthday!  How do you have a birthday, without a dessert?  It just isn't done,  So, I made a Avocado Banana (Non Dairy) Ice Cream (this recipe is also below).  We each had a half a serving.  Yum!  


All is right in the world again!


These are all delicious, relatively healthy, and pretty easy to make, recipes.  I hope you like them as much as we did.


Now, let's celebrate!



Gourmet Grass Fed Burger with Wasabi Aioli (773 calories per burger)

2 x 1/3 lb    Grass Fed Beef Patties

To Taste     Salt & Pepper

1 Slice          Cheddar, or American, Cheese

A selection of sliced tomatoes, red onions, and pickles, with lettuce.

Start grill (I prefer charcoal) and bring it up to temperature.  Salt and pepper both sides of the meat, liberally.  Place on oiled grill, and let cook for 3 minutes.  After 3 minutes, turn, without flipping, the burger, 90 degrees and cook for 3 more minutes.

Flip burger and repeat.  When done, move burger to a cooler spot of the grill, place cheese on top, and cover the grill for 1 minute or so - until the cheese melts.

Remove burgers to a plate and let rest. Toast buns.

Wasabi Aioli (3 servings of 2 Tbs, 172 calories each)

1 tsp            Wasabi Paste

1/2 tsp        Garlic Powder

1/3 Cup      Real Mayonnaise

To Taste     Lime Juice

While the burgers rest, combine the mayo, wasabi, garlic powder, and any lime juice you want, in a bowl, and mix well.

Assemble the burgers as you like.  I like the aioli on the top and bottom bun, cheeseburger, lettuce, tomato slices, a pickle, and red onion slices.

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries (4 servings, 159 calories each)

2-3        Medium Sweet Potatoes

2 Tbs    Cornstarch

2 Tbs    Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbs    Garlic Salt

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into medium size fries.  Place fries in a bowl full of water, and soak for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Drain fries.  Place cornstarch in a large zip lock bag.  Add fries to the bag and seal, leaving plenty of air in the bag, and shake the bag to coat the fries.

Place the olive oil in a bowl, and dump the fries into the bowl.  Using your hands, make sure that all the fries get coated with oil.  Add oil if needed.

Dump fries on a cookie sheet, and spread to a single layer with room between the fries.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Turn fries with a spatula, and bake for 5 more minutes.

Remove fries from the oven, and return them to the bowl.  Sprinkle with garlic salt, and/or any other seasoning you desire, toss, and serve hot.

Avocado Banana Ice Cream (Non-Dairy) (4 servings, 222 calories each)

1          Frozen Banana, cut into chunks
1          Avocado
1 tsp    Vanilla
.5 cup  Nut milk, or vanilla flavored nut milk
.5 cup  Sugar
.5 cup  Ice cubes

Blend everything in a blender until smooth.

Place in the freezer in a sealed container.  The ice cream will freeze solid.  To serve, let the ice cream thaw for 5 minutes on the counter, and scoop.

Black Pepper Scallops & Salmon Soba Salad with a Wasabi/Ginger/Peanut Dressing (887 calories per serving)

(Makes 2 meal-sized portions)

For the fish:

1 skinless     Salmon fillet (about 7 oz)

4                    Sea Scallops

1 Tbs            Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbs            Soy Sauce

1 tsp             Sesame Seeds

To Taste      Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1 tsp             Toasted Sesame Oil

For the salad:

4 oz               Dried Soba Noodles

½                 Red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1                   Medium Carrot, julienned

2.5 oz           Broccoli florets

2 handfuls   Bean sprouts, thoroughly washed

2                   Green onions, thinly sliced

2 Tbs           Chopped Peanuts

1 Tbs           Sesame seeds

To Taste     Fresh Coriander, chopped

For the dressing:

6 Tbs            Soy Sauce

3 Tbs            Rice wine vinegar

2 Tbs            Peanut oil

1 Tbs            Toasted sesame oil

1.5 Tbs         Creamy peanut butter

1 small          Garlic clove, minced

1 Tbs            Fresh Ginger, grated or finely minced

1 tsp             Wasabi Paste

.5 tsp            Red Pepper flakes

1 tsp             Sugar

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook soba noodles according to package instructions, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick. Drain and rinse well under cold water.

While you are waiting for the water to boil, mix together Olive Oil and Soy Sauce, in a small bowl. Pour over salmon & scallops, making sure they all are coated. Allow them to sit in the sauce and marinate for 5-10 minutes.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and grind black pepper on top.

Make the dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until dressing is smooth.


Heat a skillet over medium high heat, and coat with the sesame oil,  Place scallops and salmon onto the skillet, pour excess sauce on top and sear scallops for 1-2 minutes on each side, and the salmon, 3 minutes a side.  Remove from the pan and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

In a large bowl, toss the noodles with the bell pepper, carrot, broccoli florets, bean sprouts, scallions and dressing to taste. Add half the peanuts and sesame seeds and toss well. 


Serve in large bowls.  Break the salmon fillet in half and add it, and two scallops, to each of the bowls.  Finally, sprinkle each bowl with fresh coriander and the remaining peanuts and sesame seeds.


Enjoy!