Ojai Wrap

This weekend we had the pleasure of staying at the gorgeous Ojai Valley Inn & Spa in Ojai, CA.  I loved everything about this resort, aside from the lack of air conditioning (or not understanding how to work the room's thermostat?). 

We had a great lunch post-massage, pre-pool that was both light and filling.  We dined al fresco on a pergola covered terrace, overlooking 200 year old oak trees and the golf course.  I ordered a wrap filled with grilled chicken, arugula, shaved fennel, parmesan, lemon and roasted garlic aioli.  The wrap was very visually pleasing and also a trick on the eye.  While rolled up, the wrap seemed average size. But when one of the wraps fell apart, my entire plate was filled with a giant salad.  Kind of glad I didn't eat all three portions of the roll!  Plus, I had to eat most of the fries.  So good.

The kicker to the meal was my iced tea.  It came with mint infused simple syrup.  I always add sweetener to my tea (I'm a die hard southern sweet tea lover), and the subtle hint of mint was a perfect addition.

Below is my take on my yummy lunch...

Jodi's Grilled Chicken Ojai Wrap

1 large chicken breast, grilled and sliced very thin

4-5 handfuls of arugula

1 small tomato, diced

1/2 c. shaved fennel

Shaved parmesan

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp champagne vinegar

2 large tortillas or wraps

Mix together the lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and vinegar (red wine vinegar would be okay to use too).  Season with salt and pepper.  Add more lemon juice or vinegar depending on your taste (it should have a nice lemon tang to it).

In a bowl, mix together the sliced chicken, arugula, tomato and fennel.  Add the lemon garlic dressing and toss.  Divide the mixture among two large wraps and sprinkle with the parmesan.  Roll up tightly and cut in half on an angle (makes your easy to make wrap look a bit fancier).  Serve with a side seasoned french fries or a bowl of seasonal fruit.

Now imagine you're sitting in 80 degree weather, overlooking beautiful mountains and a golf course. I sat inside looking out my window at the rain as I ate this today...  Ojai, oh how I miss you!

*I used a large flour tortilla, but you could use whole wheat or flavored wraps, pita bread, etc.

Picnic on the Boat

Today we took a boat ride around the Sound for Father's Day.  I packed Tony a special lunch for our family that we enjoyed.  Try these for your next picnic or meal at home.

Southwest Chicken Wraps with Tabbouleh salad (made yesterday), sliced apples, chocolate chip cookies, pies in a jar and margaritas in jars for drinks (see below). 

The chicken wrap was very quick and had a nice flavor.  Picnic food can seem pretty boring, so it was nice eating something on the go that was both healthy and tasty. (Recipe below)  The Tabbouleh was made yesterday and was easy to pack along in a container.  You could also pack in individual serving sized containers to avoid needing plates.

I made the margaritas last night and poured in to the jars to let them chill overnight.  When we were ready to drink, I added ice cubes, screwed the lids back on and shook for a few seconds.  Presto!  Marg in a jar!  My new fave.  Plus, enviromentally friendly in reusable jars.

And to carry on the jar theme I made little pies in mini jars for dessert.  Just add your favorite pie filling to the jar, top with pie dough and bake on a cookie sheet for 20-40 minutes or until lightly browned.  Once cooled, screw lid on and you've got dessert to go! (Also a preview of whats to come at a baby shower I'm hosting this week...)

Southwestern Chicken Wraps, adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 Tbsp chopped pickled jalapenos (I skipped this since kids were involved)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 - 10" tortillas, (I used sun-dried tomato flavor)
3 cups baby spinach or baby greens
3 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey (I used sliced chicken breast that I bbq'd yesterday)
1 can (15 ounces) drained and rinsed black beans
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 avocado, thinly sliced

In a bowl, whisk together sour cream, jalapenos, and lime juice; season with salt and pepper.

Spread sandwich wraps with sour-cream sauce, leaving a 2-inch border. In center of wraps, layer equal amounts of baby spinach, shredded chicken, black beans, tomato, onion, and avocado. For each wrap, fold two sides of wrap over filling, then roll tightly, ending seam side down.