Oreo + Onion Dip

Rating: 9/10

Oreo cookies dipped in caramelized onion dip. I'm generally not a huge fan of plain Oreos (but love them as ice cream or fried), so when I was given a whole bag of them I was chomping at the bit to taste smash them with something more interesting. And I just got this new onion dip I wanted to try out, so two birds one stone. Somehow the crunchy, sugary, chocolatey Oreo just fits with the creamy, chunky, oniony dip. Way more delectable than I could've expected. Win!

Nutrition:

• 3 Oreo Cookies = 160 Calories, 14g sugar, 1g fiber, 10% of daily Iron
• Trader Joe's Caramelized Onion Dip (2 spoonfuls) = 70 Calories, 230mg Sodium

Total Calories = 230
Fairly insignificant in terms of nutritional pros and cons, so why not?

Truffles + Macadamias + Dates

Rating: 10/10

Snack mix of chocolate truffles, macadamia nuts, and deglet noor dates. My three favorite tiny round foods eaten together = perfect combo. Like a super awesome bag of trail mix to carry around and snack on throughout the day. Got to fight the urge to down it all in one sitting though. Really, what's not to love? The sweet, rich, melty chocolate. The crunchy, smooth and salty macadamia. The chewy, caramel sweet dates (from Tunisia apparently, makes me want to go there next).

Nutrition:

• 5 Truffettes de France Truffles = 250 Calories, 2g fiber, 8g sugar, 10% of daily Iron
• Savanna Orchards Gourmet Dry Roasted Macadamias (1/4 cup) = 210 Calories, 2g fiber, 115mg Sodium
• Made in Nature Delectable Deglet Noor Dates (1/4 cup) = 120 Calories, 3g fiber, 28g sugar

Total Calories = 580
A bunch of fiber here. Quite substantial snack, keeps you full for awhile.

Cocoa Cookie Butter + Crumpet + Fried Egg

Rating: 8.5/10

Chocolate plus cookie butter in a spread! This needs to be on everything. Why not add it to a traditional English breakfast of crumpets and eggs? Kind of turns it into a chocolate chip cookie version of Eggs Benedict minus the bacon. Just spread the awesomeness on top a toasted crumpet and slap on a fried egg sunny side up seasoned with salt and pepper. Hearty and delicious for those with a sweet tooth.

Nutrition:

• Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie & Cocoa Swirl (2 spoonfuls) = 180 Calories, 12g sugar
• Trader Joe's British Style Crumpet = 110 Calories, 170mg Sodium, 2g fiber
• fried egg = 95 Calories, 15% of daily Iron

Total Calories = 385
Not much caloric value, but got in some Iron and sugar for energy.

Pear + Pistachios

Rating: 7.5/10

Green pear eaten with pistachios. Both green colored foods. As good a reason to combine them as any. Plus they both start with the letter "P." Meant to be, I say. The crispy, juicy, sweet, grainy pear is a fine counterpoint to the crunchy, salty little pistachios. More play dates for these two!

Nutrition:

• green pear = 102 Calories, 206mg Potassium, 6g fiber, 12% of daily Vitamin C
• Kirkland Signature Salt & Pepper Everybody's Nuts! Pistachios (cup) = 320 Calories, 6g fiber, 660mg Sodium, 560mg Potassium, 40% of daily Vitamin B6, 30% of daily Thiamin, 12% of daily Iron

Total Calories = 422
Chock full of fiber and Potassium with some sprinklings of vitamins and minerals. Not bad.

Chocolate Truffles + Egg Scallion Pancake

Rating: 8/10

Chocolate hazelnut truffles eaten with a fried multi-layered scallion pancake. Can't go wrong with either here. Awesome contrast of taste and texture. Crispy, chewy, savory pancake with sweet, creamy truffles. And just the way the chocolate melts in the mouth as I'm biting off the pancake, rocks my mouth world.

Nutrition:

• 5 Maitre Truffout Fancy Hazelnut Flavor Truffles = 250 Calories, 14g sugar, 2g fiber, 30% of daily Iron
• whole egg scallion pancake = 850 Calories, 4g fiber, 1240mg Sodium, 60% of daily Iron, 32% of daily Vitamin A, 10% of daily Vitamin B-12

Total Calories = 1090
No one said this was gonna be a light breakfast. Couldn't find nutrition info on egg scallion pancake, so just added nutrition for regular scallion pancake plus one egg.

Cookie Dough Blizzard + Club Sandwich

Rating: 7/10

Nothing like Dairy Queen to finish off a road trip. And can't stop at DQ without getting a ice cream Blizzard, cookie dough all the way. The crispy hot sandwich with all its melted chewy savoriness gives stark contract to the cold, creamy, sweet Blizzard. Really brings out the best in each other. Although the cookie dough of the Blizzard became a bit overpowering and tiring after awhile. So really half a Blizzard plus a whole club sandwich would be the perfect portion.

Nutrition:

• Dairy Queen Small Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard = 710 Calories, 75g sugar, 1g fiber, 35% of daily Calcium, 25% of daily Vitamin A, 15% of daily Iron
• Dairy Queen Iron Grilled Classic Club Sandwich = 560 Calories, 1790mg Sodium, 2g fiber, 15% of daily Calcium, 15% of daily Vitamin A, 15% of daily Iron

Total Calories = 1270
Typical fast food. Chock-full of Calories, sugar and Sodium. Still, got in some vitamin and minerals along with all the junk. That's something.

Mango + Scallion Pancake

Rating: 9/10

Fried scallion pancake eaten with fresh mango. I have like a whole box of mango I need to finish \]before it goes bad, so trying to eat it with everything these days. Amazing how many things go well with mango. It's been at least two weeks and I'm still not sick of it. Here, the sweet, sour, smooth mango is a fun counterpoint to the salty, savory, chewy, crispy pancake. Each adding what the other lacks and never even thought to find. Personifying my food a bit but whatever I'm sleepy.

Nutrition:

• Ataulfo mango = 107 Calories, 3g fiber, 76% of daily Vitamin C, 25% of daily Vitamin A
• whole Chinese scallion pancake = 840 Calories, 4g fiber, 1240mg Sodium, 60% of daily Iron, 32% of daily Vitamin A

Total Calories = 947
Yeah heavy on the Calories that scallion pancake, but got in some fiber, vitamins, and minerals from it too. Plus, the mango is all about vitamins and fiber.

Pizza + Peach

Rating: 7/10

Slice of cold supreme pizza eaten with a fresh white peach. Trying to make a meal out of leftovers from earlier in the day. Normally pizza's like a 5/10 for me, so I'm always looking for something to make it a better eating experience. Well, adding the lightly sweet, juicy, crunchy peach to the chewy umami of the pizza did the job. My taste buds are satisfied. Odd since I'm not a fan of pineapple on pizza and generally don't like fruits mixed with meals. But I guess peach isn't as strong a flavor as pineapples and it just worked. The peach also sort of quenched my thirst that usually follow eating pizza while I was still eating, so two birds one stone.

Nutrition:

• slice of Pizza Hut Supreme Pizza = 280 Calories, 2g fiber, 650mg Sodium
• peach = 59 Calories, 2.2g fiber, 285mg Potassium, 16% of daily Vitamin C

Total Calories = 339

Watermelon Juice + Macadamia Nuts

Rating: 9/10

Drinking fresh watermelon juice while eating macadamia nuts. Unexpectedly tasty combo. A bit tropical I guess. The lightly sweet, icy, chunky watermelon juice just does something to the flavor of the smooth, crunchy, salted macadamia that makes it amazing. Maybe it enhances an aspect of the nut otherwise muted or maybe the contrast of the two gives the nut an extra kick. Whatever, it works!

Nutrition:

• cup of watermelon juice = 76 Calories, 267mg Potassium, 1g fiber, 38% of daily Vitamin C
• Savanna Orchards Gourmet Dry Roasted Macadamias (1/4 cup) = 210 Calories, 2g fiber, 115mg Sodium

Total Calories = 286
Decent dose of Vitamin C but otherwise trifles.

Jam + Skillet Potato

Rating: 8.5/10

Strawberry jam spread on breakfast skillet potatoes. The sweet, fruity jelliness only completes the warm, salty, herby, chewy, crispy potatoes. The jam practically melts in like butter on toast. I love combining flavor opposites. Each adds what the other lacks.

Nutrition:

• 2 spoonfuls of strawberry jam = 100 Calories, 24g sugar
• side of breakfast skillet potatoes = 260 Calories, 3g fiber, 437mg Sodium, 30% of daily Vitamin C, 16% of daily Calcium, 8% of daily Iron

Total Calories = 360
Lighter than I thought. And a lot of nutrients in those potatoes.

Fried Egg + Super Chop Salad

Rating: 10/10

Fried egg dripping in yolk tossed over a salad of baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, avocado, basil, mozzarella, garlic croutons, dried cranberries, almonds, pistachios, sunflower seeds, sautéed tofu, and thousand island dressing. Been totally obsessed with salad creations lately. Funny I've never been much into salads until I realized I can add anything I want into it and still call it a salad as long as it has some basic raw vegetables in the mix. So began my awesome salad journeys. First up, topping a super-salad with a crispy, yolky sunny-side up egg. So much taste and chew in this masterpiece. The key to deliciousness is really to chop it all up with a giant knife while in a giant bowl to get all the flavors mixing before tossing it with the dressing. Can't wait to try more new salad combos!


Nutrition:

• 2 cups of Earthbound Farm Organic Baby Spinach = 14 Calories, 2g fiber, 112% of daily Vitamin A, 28% of daily Vitamin C, 10% of daily Iron
• cup of Nature Sweet Cherry Tomatoes = 27 Calories, 2g fiber, 25% of daily Vitamin A, 32% of daily Vitamin C
• 1/2 Calavo Avocado =  140 Calories, 5g fiber, 15% of daily Folate, 13% of daily Vitamin C, 10% of daily Vitamin B6, 10% of daily Riboflavin
• sprig of Lucinda's Specialty Produce Basil = 1 Calorie
• thick slice of Formaggio Fresh Mozzarella = 160 Calories, 300mg Sodium, 30% of daily Calcium
• cup of Fresh Gourmet Seasoned Organic Croutons = 280 Calories, 560mg Sodium, 16% of daily Iron
• 3 spoonfuls of Kirkland Signature Fruit & Nuts = 150 Calories, 2g fiber, 11g sugar
• 2 spoonfuls of America's Choice Roasted Salted Sunflower Seeds = 170 Calories, 115mg Sodium, 3g fiber
• 1/2 block of Soonyeowon Soft Tofu sautéed = 270 Calories, 2g fiber, 32% of daily Iron, 20% of daily Calcium
• 6 spoonfuls of Walden Farms Thousand Island Dressing = 0 Calories, 870mg Sodium, 30% of daily Vitamin B12, 30% of daily Vitamin E
• fried egg = 95 Calories, 15% of daily Iron

Total Calories = 1,307
Not skimping on the Calories here. But totally worth it. Super nutritious and kept me full for half the day. A lot of Sodium though, no wonder I was so thirsty afterwards.

Pumpkin Butter + Mini Fried Dumplings

Rating: 8/10

Mini dumplings fried pot-sticker style dipped in pumpkin butter. These tiny little fried things filled with chives, pork, and cabbage are just precious. The savory, salty, chivey crispy, chewy flavor is totally complemented by the pumpkin butter's sweet, jamy, pumpkiny zest. It's like one supplies the taste the other is missing, and together they complete each other to make for happy mouth.

Nutrition:

• spoonful of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter = 40 Calories, 9g sugar, 10% of daily Vitamin A
• 15 CJ Pork & Vegetable Dumplings = 360 Calories, 2g fiber, 10% of daily Vitamin C, 10% of daily Iron

Total Calories = 400
Some sprinklings of vitamins, fiber, and Iron but nothing to write home about. 

Oreo Gelato + Deep Fried Wonton

Rating: 7/10

If I can't get fried ice cream I'll settle for fried stuff dipped in ice cream. Hence the deep fried wonton with Oreo gelato. Okay combination. Neither did much for the other, but both still delicious. The gelato with its sweet, chewy, chunky creaminess. And the wonton with its crispy shell and salty, sour cream cheese filling. Really can't go wrong taste-wise with deep fried stuff and ice cream. Dependably good every time.

Tiramisu + Kimchi Fried Rice

Rating: 8/10

Tiramisu eaten with kimchi fried rice. Such an abundance of distinct flavors here. The salty, savory, sour, mildly spicy, chewy rice. The sweet, coffee, creamy, moist, cakey, cool tiramisu. So much going, mouth thoroughly stimulated. I'm not much a coffee or kimchi fan (one's too bitter and the other too sour for my taste), but in these particular incarnations and eaten together I could happily overindulge.

French Roll + Japanese Sausages + Swedish Lingonberry

Rating: 8.5/10

It's like an international festival here. Not really, but that was fun to say. Basically a sandwich of little Japanese sausages and Lingonberry jam in a half-baked french roll. I basically just saw some random leftover pieces of meals throughout the day lying around on the counter and decided to turn it into dinner. The salty, herby, teriyaki-sweet sausages plus the sweet and sour lingonberry jam on soft, fluffy, chewy french roll is a pretty delicious fluke I must say, and easy. Just heated up the sausages and bread and spread on some jam.

Nutrition:

• 2 Berkshire Japanese Sausages = 170 Calories, 480mg Sodium, 8% of daily Iron
• Trader Joe's Half Baked Idea French Roll = 130 Calories, 300mg Sodium, 10% of daily Iron
• 2 spoonfuls of Ikea Food Sylt Lingon = 70 Calories, 7g sugar

Total Calories = 370
Some Iron, some Sodium. Not much of value or interest here.

Linzer Tart + Italian Wedding Soup

Rating: 7/10

Great way to start a day in Sleepy Hollow. Italian Wedding soup eaten with a Linzer Tart in lieu of bread or crackers. I'm no fan of crackers unless it graham and bread is boring, so cookie to the rescue. Not a bad mix these two with the Tart's sweet, tarty, crunchy, powdery consistency and the soup's salty, chunky, chewy, smooth consistency.

Fennel Arugula Salad + Rice Krispies Treat

Rating: 8/10

Fennel arugula salad eaten with Rice Krispies Treat. I haven't had Rice Krispies in maybe a decade now. But somehow it found itself on my counter top when I was stir frying the fennel, so I figure why not combine. The sweet, chewy, crunchy treat just adds another layer to the already tasteful, leafy salad. Taste buds a-tingle!

French Toast + Udon Noodles

Rating: 8/10

French toast eaten with udon noodle bowl. So many things go well with udon it's hard to pick. But the sweet, crunchy toast offers a lovely counterbalance to the salty, slippery soft noodles and soup. Perfect example of two things that are good separately also being good together. Not always the case. So cheers to this!

Mint Chocolate + Spicy Crab Risotto

Rating: 9/10

Dark chocolate mint pieces eaten with some spicy crab risotto. This turned out unexpectedly good. And I don't even like mint. Just thought what the heck it was in front of me so I might as well combine it with other foods. Such a pleasant surprise that the sweet, chocolatey mint chunks actually worked with the salty, spicy, soft rice dish. In a way, the spicy and minty sort of canceled each other out yet still leaving some semblance of the two characteristics in my mouth. It was a bit surreal and kind of awesome. Yay another one of those happy accidents in life. More please! And the chocolates are shaped like little Santas, which adds to the creepy-cool factor depending on which end of the spectrum you fall.

Cinnabon Pancakes + Sandwich Melt + Potato Soup

Rating: 9/10

What's a road trip without a stop at IHOP? The Cinn-A-Stack pancakes, Pot Roast Melt sandwich, and Potato Bacon soup eaten together is such a killer trifecta. Ah, the beauty of breakfast and lunch for dinner. Soup and sandwich is a pretty common combo, but add in some Cinnabon-style pancakes and you got a party in your mouth. The sweet, soft, Cinnabon-filled pancakes. The savory, chewy, toasted sandwich melt. The hot, creamy, chunky soup. There is no separation when eating the three, they are one.

Nutrition:

• 2 IHOP Cinn-A-Stack Pancakes =  445 Calories, 29g sugar, 6g fiber
• 1/2 IHOP Pot Roast Melt Sandwich = 530 Calories, 1580mg Sodium, 3g fiber
• bowl of IHOP Loaded Potato and Bacon Soup = 430 Calories, 1310mg Sodium, 1g fiber

Total Calories = 1,405
Rich meal but yum. And filling.