Grilled Salmon with Berry and Grape Salad inspired by the Beverly Wilshire Hotel

Hi my lovely readers, I just got back from a trip to L.A. and Las Vegas and found some really delicious foods and inspiration for healthy recipes! I ate out everyday and (most of the time) managed to find healthy options in keeping with my dietary rules. One lunch I particularly enjoyed was this gorgeous grilled salmon with a berry salad, arranged on a bed of mesculin lettuce and filled with blackberries, red grapes, pomegranate seeds, sliced strawberries, finely diced celery and shredded basil. (I didn't partake in the creamy balsamic dressing....)

Apart from all the fabulous shopping to do in both locations, I was determined to check out Whole Foods as I had a feeling I might fall in love; and I was right. Whole Foods is a health nut's heaven. Often frequented by celebrities, Whole Foods has a fantastic range of gluten-free and vegan goodies, with a much wider range of foods to choose from then I have available to me here in Australia. I sampled some delicious healthy treats like crunchy kale chips coated in crushed seeds, raw date and coconut energy bars, sesame tofu and chickpea kale salad, and chocolate almond milk smoothies. I will definitely have to recreate these dishes at home until my prayers are answered and Whole Foods comes to Aus! See a few of my purchases and other meal choices in my travel pics below.

Room Service at Beverly Hills; Egg white omelette with grilled vegetables, salsa and a side of fresh berries

Clean Eating mag, fruit and kale sale with chickpeas

Kale Kruch chips coated in crushed seeds

Breakfast at the Pool Lounge at the Peninsula, Beverly Hills

Golden Beet and Walnut Salad at Geoffrey's, Malibu Beach

Fruit Plate at the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas; Thailand fruits, berries, sliced melons and wheatgrass shot

Stunning Lobster Salad from the Venetian Restaurant 'AquaKnox'

My trip to Korea

At Gyeongbokgung Palace

I embarked on an impromptu trip to Seoul a few weeks ago to explore Korean culture and enjoy the stunning Grand Hyatt Hotel. Staying on one of the club executive floors, I was treated to canapes each evening and enjoyed the fantastic lobby lounge entertainment each night.

To combat my indulgent eating, I worked out diligently in the gym heaven of 'Club Olympus' each morning and treated myself to a manicure or massage for recovery. All in all, I was in heaven! Not to mention the exciting and different sights of Korea, leading me to explore ancient palaces and ruins, to wandering through markets to collect cute trinkets. 

Trivial to some but worthy to others, I stocked up on make up everywhere I went, finding fake eyelashes and lip glosses for next to nothing.

I also love flying business class - it is such a treat! Sometimes almost as exciting as the holiday itself... (I did actually hear an Olympian comment that the best part about winning her Gold Medal was getting to fly home business class!). 

Enjoying the club lounge

Seoul - in the middle of rainy season

Margaritas at Club JJ's

Eclairs in the club lounge

The decadent spread at the club lounge afternoon tea - the pink macarons were the best!

Korean food is spicy and fresh, and they serve most dishes with their beloved Kimchee, which is fermented cabbage (an acquired taste I think but renowned for its health benefits). I must admit, the Grand Hyatt was serving such stunning foods each day, it was hard to find time to indulge in the local cuisine. However, when I was in the markets, I caught a store making spun rice sweets in a really fascinating process someone captured on you tube. I chose a date and chocolate filling and they were delicious.

My favourite traditional Korea meal is bibimbap, which is a rice bowl full of vegetables, meat and egg. To eat you simply stir all the ingredients together. See below for the recipe. So healthy and fresh, I liked you could customise your dish to your liking.

Korean Bibimbap 

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 700g beef fillet, thinly sliced diagonally
• 2 brown onions, halved, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 tbs light soy sauce
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 325g (1 1/2 cups) sushi rice
• 1 tbs sesame seeds
• 2 tbs peanut oil
• 120g baby spinach leaves
• 4 eggs
• 2 carrots, peeled, cut into matchsticks
• 1 large Lebanese cucumber, cut into matchsticks
• Sauce
  
• 80ml (1/3 cup) hot chilli sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. To make the sauce, combine the chilli sauce, sugar and sesame oil in a bowl.
2. Combine the beef, onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil in a bowl. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinate.
3. Meanwhile, place the mushrooms in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain. Remove the stems and thinly slice.
4. Cook the rice following packet directions. Place the sesame seeds in a frying pan over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until lightly toasted.
5. Preheat a barbecue flat plate on high. Brush with peanut oil. Cook the beef mixture, turning once, for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cover with foil. Add 1 tablespoon of remaining oil to the flat plate. Cook the spinach until spinach just wilts. Transfer to the plate. Add remaining oil to to the flat plate. Crack the eggs onto the flat plate. Cook, spooning over the oil, for 2 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
6. Divide the rice among serving dishes. Top with the beef, mushroom, spinach, carrot and cucumber. Top with sesame seeds and egg. Serve with the sauce.

Kit-Kat flavours: 'Cause you're big in Japan!

Now I know I am a skinny cook, but confectionery is of such interest to me. The packaging, creative flavours and pure diversity is just so darn enticing! Damn those clever marketers! I am still coming to grips with the fact that while chocolate and candy should comprise a tiny part of our diet, it takes up half our grocery stores. While I resist the urge to buy chocolate most of the time, one chocolate bar that has sparked my interest is the humble Kit-Kat. While it may not have an illustrious career in Australia, the Kit-Kat is Japan's most beloved snack. And conquering the competitive snack food market in Japan is no small feat. Visiting a convenience store in Japan is a breath-taking experience, with glittering packaging, inventive and umimaginable foods, and endless choices. For someone like me, who would admittedly buy anything in pink or glitter, I would find an excuse to pop in just to gawk.

Now while I think chocolate dominates our grocery stores enough, in Japan, Nestle's faithful chocolate bar the Kit-Kat has its own dedicated aisle. Visitors to this aisle will find Kit-Kats in a stunning array of flavours, from soy sauce or sweet corn, to salty caramel or blood-orange. Kit-Kat has something for everyone.... I'm sure there is someone out there who just has to have that soy sauce Kit-Kat!

Over a decade, Nestle has produced more than 200 Kit-Kat flavours to suprise and delight. So famed, one advertisement depicted a student taking a rhinestone emblazed Kit-Kat to an exam as a good luck omen and now one quarter of Japanese students do the same! Some flavours are traditionally inspired, such as pickled plum, mashed edmame or red azuki bean. Others capitalise on particular seasons in Japan, such as the cherry blossom Kit-Kat, only sold in Spring. Some Kit-Kats are sold in specific regions, the potato Kit-Kat is sold in Hokkaido, which is famous for producing spuds.

While it is impossible to list all the Kit-Kat flavours, let your tastebuds imagine these: pineapple, green tea, chestnut, caramel macchiato, apple, espresso, pumpkin, muscat grape, watermelon, vegetables galore, sweet vinegar and beef! Beef?! Have you tried any of these? I think I need to do further investigation... think of the cupcake possibilities!

My Sydney trip

View from the Park Hyatt

I spent the last weekend in Sydney and despite the atrocious weather, I had a fabulous time. The highlight of the brief trip was going to the Park Hyatt on Friday evening for dinner, sitting harbourside with a view of The Opera House. The food was heavenly and gorgeously presented. We indulged in a sumptuous dessert tasting plate and my favourite was a melt-in-your-mouth summer pudding. I've never had a summer pudding like this one; it was rich and decadent but still had the refreshing coolness of berries.

Staying at the Four Seasons, we felt absolutely pampered and enjoyed divine spa treatments, buffet breakfasts and room service. I could almost say my favourite part of the whole hotel experience was the luxurious king size bed and steam shower! Yes I have fantasies of living in a hotel.

Enjoying dinner at Park Hyatt

My cauliflower and fontina croquettes

Fabulous Billie-Cart Salmon Rose

Halfway through our delicious dessert plate

Loving the beautiful giraffes at the zoo

Braving the rain to see the Sydney Harbour Bridge

My Four Seasons Spa manicure

One of my shopping purchases - love anything leopard!