More of the Oregon Coast-Good Times-Good Food

 83 degree weather makes you want to jump in the ocean !

I feel so blessed on this vacation-beautiful weather is following us.  And if you can believe it, the beach is pretty much deserted-only about 1/2 dozen people out walking.  The water is a little chilly yet but who cares,it feels so good to walk barefoot in the sand again. And I can't say enough about the quality of Oregon Parks-how can they get it so right and others can't ?  Clean,reasonably priced $25 a night during peak and $20 during non peak.  Free solar showers that are incredibly wonderful and clean restrooms !  There are 2 campground hosts and they are very helpful.  I could live here if there wasn't a limit on the time you stay.

 Oregon Tuna Melt-perfect lunch for our last day at Beachside

I didn't purposely plan on making an Oregon Tuna Melt and I have no idea what makes it an Oregon Tuna Melt-but it's a delicious sandwich and Jim wants it added to my permanent cooking repertoire.Albacore tuna,red onions,pickles, Swiss cheese-oh so good and not difficult to make. The recipe makes 4 grilled sandwiches-so we had 2 for lunch and had the leftovers while on the road to Bend,Oregon. This sandwich is made with balsamic vinegar instead of mayonnaise why didn't I think of that ?  Thank you Huffington Post Taste section for the recipe.

Oregon Tuna Melt

2 6-ounce cans albacore tuna 

1/4 cup(s) finely diced red onion 

1/4 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil 

1 tablespoon(s) balsamic vinegar 

1 tablespoon(s) minced basil 

1/2 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper 

Salt and freshly ground pepper 

4 ciabatta rolls, split

Dijon mustard and mayonnaise, for spreading

8 1/4-inch-thick slices of Swiss or cheddar cheese, 6 ounces 

Sixteen 1/8-inch-thick lengthwise slices of kosher dill pickle 

2 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, softened 

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the tuna with the onion, olive oil, vinegar, basil and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper. 2. Heat a panini press or griddle. Spread the cut sides of the rolls with mustard and mayonnaise and top each roll half with a slice of cheese. Spread the tuna salad on the bottoms and cover with the pickles. Close the sandwiches and spread the outsides of the rolls with the butter. 3. Add the sandwiches to the press and cook over moderate heat until the cheese is melted, about 6 minutes. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve.

 Slathered with SPF30 !

 Travis and LaDonna, a lovely Roadtreker couple from Durango,CO

Travis and LaDonna were making their maiden voyage in the Roadtrek and had lots of questions for us-and we are still babes in the woods when in comes to some things.  We gave them information on all the sites we go to when we have questions ! They had come up the coast and were on their way back to Durango, CO.  Just really nice , sweet people.

Ahh another beautiful end of day at the beach

I don't want this trip to end-Jim is going to have to forcibly remove both Hailey and me from the beach-my feet are firmly planted in the sand. After this time at the beach we are both of the mindset that when we do settle down it's probably going to be on a beach somewhere.

Healthy and spicy-our last dinner at the beach-Mojo Chicken

Jim and I both are trying to be healthier so I was very careful in looking for tasty but not fat busting recipes !  I'm struggling to lose the weight I gained when my life came to a halt with Lyme Disease-so exercise and eating right are my new best friends. Don't be frightened by this recipe-it has quite a few ingredients but it is oh so good.  We had tacos with the leftovers ! I found this recipe on the Whole Foods web site.

Mojo Chicken

1 tablespoon cumin seeds 

1/2 cup chopped cilantro 

2 tablespoons chopped garlic 

1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño 

Salt, to taste

 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

2 tablespoons orange juice, strained 

2 tablespoons lime juice, strained 

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 

Avocado Mango Salsa 

1/2 cup orange juice, strained 

1/4 cup lime juice, strained 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

2 tablespoons chopped garlic 

1 tablespoon orange zest 1 tablespoon honey 

1 tablespoon soy sauce 

Salt, to taste 

1 cup diced avocado 

1 cup diced mango

 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

6 cups bite-size pieces lettuce (romaine, butter, red leaf or a combination) 

1/2 cup toasted, salted cashews

Method: For the Mojo Chicken, heat a medium skillet over medium high heat, add cumin seeds and toast, stirring constantly, until fragrant and slightly darker in color, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the cilantro, jalapenos and salt. Mash the mixture with the back of fork to form a coarse paste. Set aside.

In the same skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until very hot, but not smoking, about 3 minutes. Carefully pour hot oil over garlic-cilantro paste. (Be careful because the oil will sizzle and may splatter.) Whisk to blend and let rest for 10 minutes, or until cool.

When garlic-cilantro oil is at room temperature, whisk in orange and lime juices to make a marinade. Pour the marinade into a wide, shallow dish, add the chicken, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours. 

For the avocado mango salsa, whisk orange juice, lime juice, oil, garlic, zest, honey, soy sauce, and salt together to make a dressing. Transfer 6 tablespoons of the dressing to a bowl and toss together gently with the avocado and mango to make a salsa. Set salsa and remaining dressing aside.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and drain. Add chicken to skillet and cook until browned and cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to a platter, let rest for 5 minutes then cut each chicken breast horizontally into 1/3-inch thick slices. 

To serve, toss remaining dressing with the lettuce and mound onto 4 plates. Arrange chicken atop the greens and spoon the mango and avocado salsa over the chicken. Sprinkle with cashews and serve.

Ruby's all packed and ready to go-Tuesday,May 2

Our  favorite beach town along the Oregon Coast-Yachats-would love to live here !

It so reminds me of Mendocino 

 Home of incredibly delicious cinnamon croissants  

 We took Hwy 126 and pretty much followed the beautiful McKenzie River for about 130 miles

 Our little lunch spot along the river

Breathtaking Mount Washington just outside Sisters Oregon

I'm playing blog catch up and we are now at Crane Prairie RV Resort just south of Bend, OR.  The trip over from the coast was just breathtaking.  Sunny blue skies, the river alongside us and the mountain forests all around us.  We drove longer that we usually do since we decided not to make an overnight stop along the way-we were destination bound !  Happy to say we arrived at Crane Prairie on Tuesday and will be there until Friday.  Then we are heading into downtown Bend to check out the town-another possible place to settle down-I know NO OCEAN-but it has the Deschutes River and gorgeous mountains.  We shall see. Happy Trails-safe journeys to all of you.

Yachats on Dwellable