Cafe Iberico Chicago

Tonight I went to my favorite tapas place in Chicago, Cafe Iberico. I went with three girlfriends who had never been before so it was the perfect opportunity to try a bunch of different things. For a Tuesday night, the restaurant was packed. The only table left available was ours, which we had luckily reserved. We started with both white and red sangria - both were delicious. The bread is usually cold, but tonight it came out hot and crispy. For tapas we ordered the following:

Patatas Bravas (spicy potatoes in tomato sauce) - these weren't my favorite, but my vegetarian friend seemed to like these. The sauce was very good. In fact, I ate the sauce with the fresh bread and sort of pushed the potatoes to the side.

Queso de Cabra (baked goat cheese with fresh tomato basil sauce) - this is SO GOOD. This hot dip is served with pieces of bread spread with pesto. If you like goat cheese, order this.

Croquetas de Pollo (chicken and ham puffs) - these were delicious. The ham and chicken were blended with the rice so there weren't any distinct pieces of meat or flavos which at first seemed weird, but they were quite good. It came with a mayo based sauce (alioli) which I didn't particularly care for (it was far too rich even for me), but I'll definitely order these again.

Jamon Iberico (Spanish style cured ham with manchego cheese and tomato bread) - hands down my favorite. The Spanish ham (reminds me of prosciutto) was layered on the bottom, followed by bread, manchego cheese, crushed tomatoes with garlic, and olive oil. I think everyone realized how much I loved this dish because they offered me the extras and any ham or cheese they didn't want :)

Pincho de Pollo (chicken brochette with caramelized onions and rice) - this was good, but nothing show stopping. It was basically a chicken skewer, with caramelized onions and rice as the sides. It seemed more of an entree then a tapas because of the set up, but it was good. There are better things on the menu though.

I have been to this restaurant several times and plan on returning. It has a great energy and the portions are HUGE. The staff is really friendly and the food comes out in minutes. For four people, including our two half pitchers of sangria, we each paid $18 each (after tax and tip)!! I hope to be returning soon. Next time I'll try the paella.

http://www.cafeiberico.com/

Low Carb Turkey Taco Salad

Coming off a week of nonstop holiday eating, I wanted to make something for dinner that didn't include bulky carbs. Tonight I made a low carb turkey taco salad (a favorite of ours when we're trying to eat light without sacrificing flavor).

1 package of lean ground turkey
2 Tbs of Taco Seasoning
1 tsp of Garlic Powder
3 Tbs of Louisiana Hot Sauce
1 Head Romain Lettuce, chopped
2 Green Onions, chopped
1/4 Cup of Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream
Fresh Salsa (not the jarred kind!)

Cook the turkey over medium high heat. Once turkey is almost all the way cooked through, add taco seasoning and garlic powder. Finish cooked turkey with Louisiana Hot Sauce (any hot sauce will do, but this one is my favorite). While still hot, toss ground turkey with lettuce, green onion, and cheddar cheese. (I had a little turkey left over. You don't have to use all of it depending on what ratio of salad to turkey you want). Because the turkey and seasonings blend together with the lettuce you don't need any dressing besides a small dollop of sour cream and some fresh salsa!

Depending on how healthy I'm trying to eat, I sometimes top this with crushed Frito's or tortilla chips. YUM!