Pomegranate Grilled Turkey Tenderloin Salad

Yum

We're loving the sunshine!

Too hot to cook inside, and a nice light meal is in order.

Let's fire up the grill and throw on something you don't typically see...turkey tenderloins!  That's right, turkey, it's not just for Thanksgiving!  Last summer I made a wonder Thanksgiving-esque dish.  The Grilled Turkey with Balsamic BBQ sauce and Tomato Dressing was just fabulous, you should absolutely try making this dish.  Look how pretty this one is...




So I thought that I'd bring back turkey again this summer, grilled and the topper to a great farmer's market salad!  This turkey is special.  It's marinaded in a wonderful pomegranate sauce.  The flavors are a little tart but also have depth from the soy and ginger.  The perfect combination to flavor up this turkey.  

To keep this meal light we made a fresh salad using farmer's market ingredients and topped it with the grilled turkey for a nice entree.  Add a little bread and some iced tea and you are set!  Summer sunshine for dinner! 

So, fire up your grill and get yourself some turkey for a change.  It's oh soooo good!

Enjoy!

Pomegranate Grilled Turkey Tenderloin Salad

serves 4

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 turkey tenderloins
1 head Green leaf lettuce
½ c shredded carrots
1 cucumber peeled and sliced
2 tomatoes seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper seeded and chopped
1/3 mild feta cheese crumbled
Oil and Vinegar vinaigrette

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add turkey and seal and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Heat grill to medium high heat. Remove turkey from the marinade and place on the grill. Discard remaining marinade. Cook 6-7 minutes per side or until meat has reached 160 degrees.

Meanwhile tear lettuce and place on a platter. Add carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, and bell pepper to the platter. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Drizzle with vinaigrette to taste.
 
Remove meat from grill to a cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes. Slice meat into long strips at an angle. Place slice on top of the salad and serve.

Tropical Crescent Ring

During the summer I love to sit outside in the morning on the weekends and enjoy a nice cup of hot tea and something delicious for breakfast.  A great way to start the day off, in the quiet...before the world gets busy and hectic.  

So this morning that's exactly what MGG and I did.  Spend a few quite moments talking and eating breakfast outside...before the day gets started..and around here, before the scorching heat is upon us.  It's been humid, oh sooo humid, and around 100 degrees all week.  This weekend promises the same.

I do have a confession to make though, before telling you about this dish.  I tend to read a lot of recipes, blogs, cookbooks etc...Then I go out an buy ingredients to make that special something, and a week goes by and I read some more, and I forget what that special something was!  So then I have some great ingredients lying around and don't know what I intended them for...C'est la vie!  It's a bad habit of mine.  

The reason I'm telling you this it this ties to my creation of this mornings breakfast.  I wanted to make something like a pastry.  I knew, looking around I found some dried pineapple and some macadamia nuts but to be honest I don't remember what they were for...possibly oatmeal granola bars?  Anyway they gave me the idea to make a this Tropical Crescent Ring.  Now to find some shredded coconut, which I located in the freezer, and some type of dough (not wanting to make this from scratch today) so I found a can of Crescent Rolls in the frig.  Voila, I had my inspiration.  (Think I'm picking up the French language from a book I'm reading right now...but I digress)

This is a wonderful pastry to make.  Easy to put together, and similar to cinnamon rolls.  It takes about 35-40 min from start to finish, and the smell when it's baking...heaven!  Nothing too complicate here but oh so tasty!  It's really a semi-homemade version you can whip up easily and everyone will enjoy.

Kitchen Tip:  when working with this crescent dough, try to work quickly so the dough doesn't heat up.  If it does it makes the dough too pliable and it will be hard to roll and keep roll nice and intact.  (Not that I know this from experience of anything!)

So make this wonderful breakfast for you and your family...enjoy the moment, and the day ahead!

Tropical Crescent Ring
serves 4-6
time: 40 min

1 8 oz can crescent dinner rolls 
2 T butter softened or melted
2 T brown sugar 
1/4 c chopped dried pineapple
2 T sweetened shredded coconut
1/3 c chopped macadamia nuts

Glaze:
1/3 c powdered sugar
2 t milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place a piece of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet.  Unroll dough on the parchment paper in a rectangle and press all seams together.  

In a bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, pineapple, and coconut. Spread mixture over dough to within 1/2 inch from the edges.  Sprinkle nuts over the top. 

Starting with long side of rectangle, roll up the pastry into a long roll.  Pinch the the seam into the dough to seal when you've finished rolling.  Using a knife, cut the dough into 12 equal slices. Arrange the slices on the parchment paper almost cut side up, overlapping the pieces slightly so they touch, in a circle.  

Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from pan to a cooling rack and cool completely.  If desired, make a glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl, making sure you add enough milk for a thin drizzle.  Drizzle over crescent ring and serve. 

La Costa Resort and Spa

With all that is going on in life you need to make some time for even a quick getaway.

That's just what we did, heading down to beautiful Carlsbad, CA to the La Costa Resort and Spa.  Noted as California's destination for Mind, Body + Sport.  A huge 400 acre resort with a golf course, tennis courts, multiple pools (as in 6), lush gardens, which all surround the Spanish Colonial styled resort.  Something to behold for sure!

We were so ready for some time away to refresh the mind.  Walking the grounds we found quite spots with hammocks to curl up in, small courtyards where you could sit and relax, and even an outdoor shopping area to buy to your hearts content.  

Being brilliant and in a rush to leave and relax....(I know, huh?) I didn't charge my camera, nor did I bring the charger.  And do you think my cell phone battery was charged by the time we got there?  Of course not...not my wonderful smartphone!  So needless to say the pics are far and few between.  But I got enough for memories, and to give you a flavor of the place.

The views were just beautiful. 

After exploring the resort we decided to unwind and have a nice lunch.  The restaurant, Bistro 65, overlooked the golf course.  A very serene experience.  

See the chef in the top window? 

The food while priced on the expensive side was wonderful.  The chef uses local, sustainable ingredients and seasons from the restaurants’ own herb garden wall.  A typical bistro menu included sandwiches, soups, salads, appetizers, and several nice entrees including some local fish to choose from.   We got a couple of sandwiches and some salad and fruit.  Nice, light, and refreshing!  Sorry, didn't get to snap a shot of the food.

After we walked around exploring the different sections.  Here is a wonderful fountain we found on the way to play tennis.  There were outdoor fire pits and fireplaces everywhere so you could sit in the evening and relax.

 
The rooms were very elegantly furnished.  There are quite of few buildings that have different housing.  Ours overlooked the lush gardens.  Oh, and don't forget about the enormous bathroom with the tub to die for!  Don't get me started on that tub!  It's gigantic, and there's heaven in that tub!

 Sorry, I had just bounced on the bed before I took this picture...do you do that?

On the way to dinner and some little nightlife that evening I spotted several bunny rabbits out in the garden.  Adorable!

We had a wonderful time there.  So much to do.  They have a Chopra Center where you can soothe your mind as well.  Several programs for kids, and all types of activities such as smore's nights around the fire pits and movies on the weekend under the stars.  

We were sad to go home.  We got to relax, but never enough right?   On the way home we went looking for a place for breakfast.  Found something online that had good rating and set off to find it.  Let me tell you, this was something out of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  A small side of a country type road diner....loaded with people!  

What a pleasant surprise Bobby's Hideaway Cafe was.  We had picked a winner!  Full of people, the diner was tidy, and had an array of breakfast items to choose from.  We both picked a egg/potato/toast plate.  Great tasting food, I must say.  I chose a biscuit with mine that was so light and fluffy, I could have eaten just biscuits!  

We will definitely be back to La Costa Resort and Spa and to Bobby's Hideaway Cafe for more....relaxation and good food.  What more could you ask for?