The Green Room

I wanted to share one of the local, organic restaurants with you. The Green Room is located in downtown Carlisle. My husband and I visited for my birthday dinner date. Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures, but theWasabi Dusted Diver Scallop Salad with Orange-Bee Pollen Viaigrette is currently shown on their homepage as one of the specials. The dressing was very light and gave a nice zing to the salad. The scallops were phenomenal and very large (but not chewy). We also ordered a local cheese plate as an appetizer that came with whole wheat pita triangles. My husband ordered a grass-fed local beef burger on a delicious looking whole wheat bun with seeds and restaurant-made potato chips.

My favorite surprise for the night though was the flowering tea. You can see a sample here. Instead of the tea seeping in a bag, the leaves are bundled into a tight bud that slowly opens as the hot water penetrates the bud in the teapot. The result is a blooming flower (although it reminded me more of a sea anemone) and is just plain fun to watch!

For desserts, they are all freshly made sorbets, ice creams and pastries. I decided to try a toasted almond sorbet which was delicious, and full of chopped almonds! My husband ordered mint chocolate chip ice cream which was just as good.

The restaurant was very full and we were glad to have made reservations ahead of time, which can be done online or by phone. The chef came and checked in with each table throughout the night as well. I definitely plan to repeat this restaurant. Next on the list to try is The Cellar in Camp Hill.

Happy Birthday to Me!

A big "Thank you!" to my friend, Susan, for providing me with a healthy, organic carrot cake recipe just in time for my birthday! I was only a week overdue in having the time to make it, but very glad I did! The new ingredients for me were coconut oil (replaces shortening) and apple juice concentrate. No sugar at all in this recipe! Well, except for the icing made w/ organic cream cheese, organic powdered sugar and some vanilla (didn't have organic on hand yet). I have to say I wasn't wowed when I tried it right after eating it, but today it was delicious- much better once it had time to get nice and cold! Definitely a recipe to repeat, although shredding the carrots is time-consuming!
Here are some pics of the finished product: