Friday 1 June 2018

Pretty Simple Cooking Reviews & Virtual Dinner Party!

A Couple Cooks
Pretty Simple Cooking Reviews & Virtual Dinner Party!

Pretty Simple Cooking | A Couple Cooks

Order the book!

It’s been nearly 4 months since our Pretty Simple Cooking cookbook was born! In that time, our world has been rocked. We’ve cooked live on the TODAY Show! The cookbook was named as one of Epicurious’s top vegetarian cookbooks. We were featured everywhere from Bon Appetit to Oprah.com (Oprah!). Alex, Larson and I traveled to SEVEN cities on book tour and met some of you along the way. You joined us for an epic worldwide virtual dinner party. There are almost 100 Amazon reviews for the book (if you’ve left a review, THANK YOU!).

Also BIG NEWS: we’ve had so much positive feedback, we’re having another virtual dinner party! We’d like to personally invite you to our virtual Pretty Simple Dinner Party, Summer Edition on August 18–scroll down for details!

Pretty Simple Cooking–your reviews!

The absolute best part of Pretty Simple Cooking is not the press mentions–it’s hearing from YOU! We wrote this book for you, and hearing that you are making and loving the recipes makes us jump for joy (literally). Here are some comments we’ve been receiving from you: real people who are making real recipes:

“This book is a love letter to food if I’ve ever read one.” –Reba

“I got my book yesterday and made the Smoky Lentil Stew. AMAZING. The book is fantastic and one of the best vegetarian cookbooks I have to date.” –Mollie

“I love Pretty Simple Cooking! I’ve made 11 recipes so far from it and all have been huge hits…especially the vegetarian nut loaf which I’m not going to lie, I was a little skeptical it was going to be as good as you claimed but we are 100% obsessed with it!!” –Connie

“I saw you and Alex on the Today Show—I ordered the book right away, and have been cooking my way through it. We bought a second copy for our daughter. I’m thrilled to say that she and her roomies are finally cooking instead of ordering pizza because your book is so user-friendly. Thank you for writing this book. It’s perfect.” –Meg

“I’ve fallen in love with your blog and recently your cookbook. My husband and I are newly married and value eating healthy, but it’s easy to feel like we have to fall into extremes (paleo, gluten free, etc.) in order to be truly healthy. Your recipes and writing are such a refreshing perspective on wholesome living. You value the process of food and cooking – which makes it all so fun!” –Abby

“My husband, ever the hummus and chickpea skeptic, said ‘Holy shit this is good!’ on the first bite of the Chickpea Shawarma Pita!” –Jane

“I made the portobello fajitas twice in the last few weeks and am obsessed. I’m 33 weeks pregnant and now this is what I crave for dinner!” –Katie

“After the first bite of The Best Veggie Lasagna, my daughter Ruby crawled on my husband’s lap and kept shoveling it in her mouth. It’s THAT good. Seriously, the best lasagna I’ve had! We made it for some friends we had over and they raved about it. I’m Italian and I’ve made a ton of different lasagnas, but this is hands down, by far, our favorite ever!” –Jess

“Made the green beans tonight. WOW!! Unedited quotes: “Mmmm.” “Can I have more?” “Was this in your Alex and Sonja book?” “Think I’ll save these for last.” (My son likes to save his fave food to eat last.) Of course there were none left because we all loved them so much. I’ll never make green beans the old way again! These recipes are seriously changing the way we eat!” –Adrienne

Pretty Simple Cooking | A Couple Cooks

Will you join our virtual worldwide dinner party?

Do you remember our first virtual worldwide dinner party, the Pretty Simple Dinner Party? It was a dinner party with 350 hosts all over the world who ate dinner “together” virtually on the same night in February. Each of us made at least one recipe from Pretty Simple Cooking and shared it with at least one other person. We used a hashtag (#PrettySimpleDinnerParty) so we could see what parties all around the world were making. The energy was palpable! In the words of one dinner party host: “I’m obsessed with your cookbook. The recipes and pics are fab but even take a backseat to the beautiful message behind the words you’ve put to page. Can we please do the Pretty Simple Dinner Party again?” 

So…we’re doing it again! Mark your calendars: the Pretty Simple Dinner Party, Summer Edition is August 18! It gives us an excuse to eat the summer recipes from Pretty Simple Cooking and enjoy the beautiful produce in August. Do you want to host? Just email me at sonja@acouplecooks.com — details on what you need to do are below!

What is the Pretty Simple Dinner Party? The Pretty Simple Dinner Party is a national dinner party to celebrate good food and good people. In a time where we need unity and community, let’s celebrate coming together around the table!

What does a host do? To be a host, just cook dinner for at least one other person on Saturday, August 18 and make at least one recipe from Pretty Simple Cooking! You can eat dinner with your immediate family in your sweats, or dress up and invite a few friends! For summer, we’re seeing twinkle lights on the patio and frosé — am I right? Our goal is to make it fit into your lifestyle: it’s nothing more than eating delicious food with people you enjoy. Sharing on social media is optional, but last time we all shared our meals using the hashtag #PrettySimpleDinnerParty so we could see the parties all over the world! Alex and I will make live appearances that evening on social media so we can say hi to all of you joining us around the table! At our last party, some people got out their china and made a several course meal; others had a cozy brinner with their toddlers! Here’s what our Pretty Simple Dinner Party in February looked like.

How many parties are signed up? We currently have 56 dinner party hosts in 20 states in America and 7 different countries! See the map below! Our goal is at least one party in each of the 50 states, and 20 countries! 

How can I sign up to be a host? Email sonja@acouplecooks.com and say you’re interested in being a dinner party host.


A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

A Sweet Pea Chef
Steak Cobb Salad With Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing
Steak Cobb Salad With Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing

Enjoy this delicious, easy, and healthy Steak Cobb Salad with homemade avocado cilantro lime salad dressing. So fresh and so easy!

Steak Cobb Salad | Enjoy this delicious, easy, and healthy steak cobb salad with homemade avocado cilantro lime salad dressing. So fresh and so easy! | A Sweet Pea Chef

Are you trying to eat healthy and possibly even follow a mostly clean lifestyle?

Tired of eating salads that aren’t filling?

Want some tasty, healthy salad goodness?

Before and after shot of avocado cilantro and lime dressing, pulsed in a food processor for steak Cobb salad All the ingredients placed in a bowl, which are used to make a steak Cobb salad, including crumbled gorgonzola, hard boiled eggs, bacon, garbanzo beans, mixed baby greens, tomatoes, and avocado

If you said, “Yes!” to any or all of the above questions, I have the solution for you.  Try this healthy steak Cobb salad with (the most deliciously scrumptious ever) creamy avocado cilantro lime salad dressing.

What is a Cobb Salad?

Ready for a history lesson on Cobb salad?  Awesome.  The Cobb salad was first created in the 1920s at the Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood. Since then, the Cobb salad has become a classic American staple, loved for its great texture and glorious flavors: crisp greens, tender chicken breast, eggs, bacon strips, avocado, tomato, and blue cheese. Heaven on a plate!

However, if you said, “No,” or salads aren’t your “thing,” I still think you’ll love this steak Cobb salad and let me tell you why…

Close up of steak Cobb salad loaded with hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, avocado, bacon strips, and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

One. This steak Cobb salad is vibrant and fresh.

Two. This steak Cobb salad is actually filling – which is a major complaint I have with eating a salad for a meal. I need meat (read: lean protein) and lots of goodies in my salad. I want variance and textures and flavors, people.

Three. This steak Cobb salad is pretty friggin’ delicious. So even if you don’t much care for “healthy” food, you’ll still love every single minute of this meal.

Four Through Seven. Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing. In other words: Yaaaas.

High angle photo of steak Cobb salad together with creamy avocado cilantro lime dressing

Is a Cobb Salad Healthy?

This steak Cobb salad makes a great lunch or healthy weeknight dinner. For realz.

This recipe is a fresh take on the original, containing all the good stuff like protein, eggs, bacon, and avocado. But I cut the saturated fat in half by reducing the amount of cheese and bacon typically used in a Cobb salad, while doubling the amount of healthy fat by choosing avocado and plain Greek yogurt in the avocado cilantro lime dressing. This yummy dressing gives the Cobb salad that signature tanginess and creaminess, while still being nutritious.

I also like using New York strip steak because it’s leaner than ribeye, but still flavorful, though any steak will do.  Heck even chicken would work.  The major idea here is to include a lean protein to fill you up, nourish your body, and make your tastebuds (and waistline!) healthy.

Hard not to love that!

Steak Cobb Salad

Steak Cobb Salad With Creamy Avocado Cilantro Dressing

Delicious, easy, and healthy steak cobb salad with homemade avocado cilantro lime salad dressing. So fresh and so easy!

For the Steak Cobb Salad: 2 slices bacon 1 New York strip steak 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper 1 tbsp olive oil 8 cups mixed baby greens, (slightly packed) 1 avocado, (pitted and diced) 1 vine-ripened tomato, (diced) 1/3 cup garbanzo beans, (drained) 2 tbsp gorgonzola crumbles 2 hard boiled eggs For the Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing: 1 avocado, (pitted and peeled) 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt 1 cup plain almond milk 1 cilantro bunch, (leaves only) 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1 tbsp lime juice
To make the salad dressing, combine the avocado, plain greek yogurt, fresh cilantro leaves, garlic powder, sea salt, lime juice, and almond milk either in a food processor or a blender. Blend together until smooth. If the consistency is not pourable, add a touch more almond milk. Okay set the dressing aside while we prepare the rest of the salad. In a skillet, cook 2-3 slices of bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Once it’s nice and crispy, remove from pan cooled. Then, break it into crumbles and set aside. To hard-boil the eggs, place 1-2 eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil, then cover, remove from the heat and set aside 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, cool in ice water and peel. Season the steak with the kosher salt and pepper and cook in the olive oil over medium-high heat until well-browned on both sides, about 6-8 minutes per side, or the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Once cooked, remove from heat, allow to rest a few minutes, and then slice. To assemble the salad, start by filling your salad bowl with mixed baby greens and then adding the bacon crumbles, some diced avocado, fresh tomato, the hardboiled egg, garbanzo beans, the steak and gorgonzola crumbles in separate, small piles on top.

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