Staying in town this weekend and still looking for plans? Kick off the “summer” at American Q on May 24 with their Memorial Weekend Sunday BBQ! The event will be family-friendly, free and open to the public, with a live Rockabilly performance by the Oak Hill Drifters.  There will also be food and drink concessions featuring some of the restaurant’s best bites!

Click here for more on our dining experience at this fabulous BBQ joint. Happy summer!

I’m so glad hummus is a “thing” now, appetizers and parties are so much better than hummus’ predecessor – ranch dip. I love some Hidden Valley and then, but it does get old after awhile. With endless flavors of hummus, there’s always something new to enjoy with veggies and crackers. So naturally, it’s only fitting to celebrate this fine spread and alas Friday is National Hummus Day. So whether your enjoy the Publix brand or whipping up a batch on your own, here’s to enjoying some glorious smashed up chickpeas.

Feel like making your own hummus this week? Taverna Opa has shared a simple recipe with us! Try it out or visit Pointe Orlando to try their dish firsthand.

Opa’s Hummus Recipe

• 1 Cup Chickpeas
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Garlic to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Combine all ingredients in mortar and ground to your desired consistency.

Photo Credit: Taverna Opa

The average American eats five restaurant meals a week which equates to 260 restaurant meals a year! And there’s a million articles and resources dedicated to helping you eat healthy while dining out – it’s overwhelming and difficult to discern the truth sometimes!

We recently came across Hope Warshaw’s book named Eat Out, Eat Well which outlines how to make every restaurant meal healthy and satisfying. Warshaw offers practical advice for eating out including:

• Pitfalls of restaurant eating
• Skills and strategies for healthier restaurant eating
• How to eat gluten-free restaurant meals
• Healthier meal samplers for types of restaurants
• Menu lingo for ethnic cuisines
• Healthy options for all fare ranging from pizza to fast food and fine dining

Whether you’re eating in a restaurant or ordering takeout, the strategies and practical advice found in Eat Out, Eat Well helps turn restaurant meals from explosive calories to doable within any diet.

It’s no secret that we love dining out, so we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite dishes to enjoy locally without busting your diet!

Duffy’s Sports Grill:

• When ordered with a green side salad, each option below is less than 580 calories.
• Sesame-Crusted Ahi Tuna: Seasoned, coated with sesame seeds and seared in sesame oil; served with cucumber salad and Soba noodles with Asian dressing.
• Korean Beef Tenderloin Mini-Tacos: Cilantro-onion relish and a spicy chili garlic sauce.

Chipotle:

• Burrito Bowl – Skip the tortilla and guacamole for an (almost) equally tasty bowl! A sofritas bowl with black beans, fajita vegetables, three salsas and lettuce comes in around 360 calories. Talk about a calorie bargain.

Cocina 214:

• Don Carlos Tacos – Blackened fish tacos, coastal slaw and citrus dressing. Ask for extra lime for a quick burst of flavor sans calories!

Yard House:

• Skinny Margarita – 1800 silver tequila, fresh lime, made with their house citrus agave blend, all for under 200 calories. Best skinny marg we’ve ever tasted! Ask for salt if you want it rimmed, this drink typically comes without the salty goodness.

Hawkers Asian Street Fare:

• A restaurant full of shareable small plates, there’s plenty of options for a smaller, yet satisfying meal.
• Lettuce Wraps – Stir-fried shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, carrots, bean curd, garlic and ginger with your choice of protein.
• Grilled Hawker Skewers – Authentic and delicious, the skewers are cooked over real wood charcoal to give them a true smoky flavor that can’t come from a gas grill.

Photo Credits: Hawker’s, all other images taken by Spork.

Disclosure: Spork received a complimentary Eat Out, Eat Well book

Chef Kevin Fonzo, owner of the award-winning K Restaurant in College Park, will prepare dinner at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s Community Kitchen as part of the Catering for Good program. Guests will enjoy a four-course dinner featuring a farm to table menu, with fresh vegetables harvested from K Restaurant’s garden. Chef’s Night brings local top chefs into Second Harvest’s Community Kitchen to celebrate delicious food and raise money for a good cause.

 All proceeds benefit Second Harvest’s Culinary Training Program, which provides students with the culinary skills and inspiration they need to obtain an entry-level position in a food service establishment. For more on our last Chef’s Night experience with John Rivers, click here!

Chef’s Night Menu:

• Passed Appetizer: Tostones with curried Cape Canaveral shrimp salad, braised pig cheek croquette and local oysters with classic mignonette
• First Course: Southern “Minestrone” with assorted Florida seafood, local beans, lemon verbena pasta, Jim’s pork belly, braised local greens and bacon broth
• Second Course: Roast Tomazin Farms beets, whipped Turtle Creek Farms goat cheese, pistachio brittle, toasted cumin and orange
• Third Course: Wagyu tri-tip, charred onion-potato puree, pickled celery and micro herb
• Dessert: French toast bread pudding with vanilla anglaise and maple cream

Event Details: 

• When: Wednesday, May 20, 2015, 6-9 p.m.
• Where: Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
• Cost: $75 per person
• For Tickets: Purchase tickets at www.foodbankcentralflorida.org or call 407-514-1048 for more information.