July 4th is around the corner. Instead of the usual BBQ, why not try something different? During my recent gastronomy adventures in Los Angeles with food blogger, sssourabh, we discovered an off the beaten hotel for brunch in Santa Monica.

Their outdoor swimming pool/patio/restaurant area smelled diving with BBQ meat. However what I found surprising was their entrees of well-executed meals, including a healthy chicken salad topped with sunny side eggs, kale salad with poached eggs and simmered tomatoes called shakshouka- it was my first time hearing about this Israeli Tunisian dish so googling it was called for. The shakshouka tasted similar to the sauce of 777 tomato canned sardines I grew up on, but it is obviously made out of fresh ingredients, such as onions, eggs and chilies. I was thrilled to learn about a recipe that I can actually replicate at home. So during this coming Independence Day, why not opt for a new dish that impresses your loved ones?

To die for shakshouka

Uber healthy chicken salad

Another uber healthy kale, quinoa, poached egg salad