I drove down from Santa Barbara, California to Orange County for a premiere party for the 2nd Great Food Truck Race that is airing Sunday nights at 9/8c on the Food Network. This second season has special meaning to me because my little sister Nicole is on the Seabirds Food Truck from Costa Mesa, California. They are an all girl vegan food truck serving up delicious organic vegan food and lots of girl power! The team is made up of Seabirds owner/chef Stephanie Morgan, raw vegan chef Raya Belna and my sister Nicole.

The Seabirds Food Truck women (L to R, owner Stephanie Morgan, Caroline, Raya Belna, my sister Nicole Daddona) and I (Cynthia Daddona, last on right) at the CA Premiere of the Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race." The men of The Lime Truck are (L to R) Jason Quinn, Jesse Brockman and owner Daniel Shemtob.

Cynthia Daddona (right) with sister Nicole Daddona (member of The Seabirds Food Truck) pose with the truck at the Premiere Party for the Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race."

The premiere party took place at the So Cal eco-mall and was hosted by The Lime Truck – another popular California food truck on the series that is from Irvine, California. The Lime Truck’s team is owner Daniel Shemtob, along with Jason Quinn and Jesse Brockman who are known for serving up tasty gourmet food.

Food montage featuring delicious dishes from the Seabirds Food Truck and the Lime Food Truck (both participants in the Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race.")

At the premiere we enjoyed sampling the food from the two trucks. From the Seabird Food Truck we had the delicious and organic tomato/watermelon salad with almond feta (dairy free), a vegan quesadilla, grilled asparagus and a vegan and raw food chocolate cupcake that was also gluten-free. It was a decadent delight! My husband also ordered the Lime Truck’s gourmet cuisine, namely, its popular Yum, Yum lamb – ground lamb and 10-hour cooked pork served with guacamole, Cotija cheese and fries that were also quite good.

It was a fun time had by everyone who enjoyed eating the delectables from the two food trucks, meeting the personalities and watching the show together while cheering whenever the Orange County trucks appeared on Great Food Truck Race.

Sisters Cynthia Daddona (RomancingTheTable.com) & illustrator/artist Nicole Daddona (member of the Seabirds Food Truck) pose on the red carpet at the Premiere Party for the Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race."

Eating healthy and delicious food is a joyful topic between my sis and I that comes from growing up in an ethnic family who loves to eat! So when Nicole comes to visit us in Santa Barbara it is great fun for me to create recipes with options – that includes Mediterranean for my husband and I and vegan for Nicole. When I returned from my visit to the Mediterranean where they love to savor times at the table, I was inspired to create RomancingTheTable.com which celebrates life, love, food, travel, wisdom and romance. I’m also married to an American-Greek who loves to eat and lucky for him I love cooking and creating happy, delicious and healthy times at the table. Best of all I love having Nicole assist me in the kitchen while we chat about life and celebrate our culinary sister connection. I was so glad to be with her on her special night.

The Great Food Truck Race is an entertaining and fun foodie series that will leave you hungering for more episodes each week. The series began last week and will continue until a winner is selected from the 8 trucks that compete against each other in different cities. The truck with the lowest amount of food sales is eliminated each week and the grand prize winner receives $100,000. The trucks competing this year are The Seabirds Food Truck, The Lime Truck, Café Con Leche, Hodge Podge, Korilla, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Devilicious and Sky’s Gourmet Tacos. You can read more about the trucks on the Food Network website.

So tune in to the Food Network on Sunday nights at 9/8c.

During the course of one’s lifetime we will all have eaten many meals whether alone or with others. Some which are ordinary and others quite special. The mere scent and taste of a certain food or even a photo can transport us back to a wonderful food memory which includes the people, the food and the location.

A Greek salad or horiatiki (villager salad) is what I love to make at home as often as possible. Its gorgeous colors and shapes of ripe tomatoes, green or red peppers, Kalamata olives, cucumber slices sprinkled with Greek oregano and lemon juice and completed with a glisten of olive oil and creamy feta cheese (made from goat and or sheep’s milk) are a feast for the senses. It is also take me back to my wedding and honeymoon on the Greek islands of Santorini and Crete and our recent trip to Naxos and Mykonos.

Watch the video below and join me as we enjoy a Greek salad by the Mediterranean sea at a Greek taverna, Alexandros, located in the Little Venice section of Mykonos:

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Our Greek village salad in Mykonos is another precious deposit into to our romantic culinary food memory bank.

Remember you can create or recreate your own wonderful food memory at home or while traveling as well.

– I want to share with you a simple and easy recipe to make your own Greek salad which I now call:

"A Grecian Goddess Greek Salad."

- Go to the recipe section of this website to view this and all the delicious recipes.

- You can also watch clips of another culinary travel memory we had in “A Greek Islands Destination Cooking Class” DVD which was filmed in romantic Santorini, Greece and chosen the #1 NY Times About.com culinary travel gift.

If you any questions or a culinary food memory you would like to share email me at cynthia@moderndaygoddess.com

Greek Salad

Here is the recipe for a quick and delicious Greek Village Salad. It is one of the staples of a healthy Mediterranean Greek diet, which research has shown contributes to living a healthier and longer life. I just love the sweet crunch of the red peppers, the refreshing cucumbers, the succulent vine ripe tomatoes, the creamy, crumbly feta cheese and the Mediterranean sun-kissed Kalamata olives. For dressing I use lemon, extra virgin olive oil, oregano and garlic salt to taste. If available, I prefer to use sheep’s milk feta which is softer. If not, then try goat milk feta. In Greece, most feta is a combination of sheep and goats’s milk. The growing popularity of Greek Salads in US restaurants is actually an American variation which includes lettuce. This recipe is for a traditional “Horiatiki Salata” (Village Salad), most common in Greece, which does not include lettuce.

For a total mini Greek vacation play Greek music from “Zorba” and dance your way to the table. Greek music just seems to make mealtime more lively! As you eat your Grecian Goddess Village Salad visualize yourself feeling like a goddess and sitting in a taverna (restaurant) on a beautiful Greek island overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. You can also watch the video I hosted in beautiful Santorini, Greece called A Greek Island’s Destination Cooking Class. It was chosen as #1 NY Times about.com culinary gift.
Go here to order the DVD or watch some clips.     OPA!

A Grecian Goddess Greek Village Salad

Ingredients:

3-4 tomatoes quarted
6 oz feta cheese in cubes 1 medium sized cucumber sliced and quartered
1 sliced red onion (optional)
2 medium sized red peppers sliced
1/2 cup-1 cup Kalamata olives
3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
sprinkle of dried, ground oregano,
squeeze of 1/2 lemon
garlic salt to taste

Method:

Mix bite size sliced ingredients, olives and toss with olive oil, oregano, lemon and garlic salt to taste. Add feta cheese on top and serve.

Please credit this recipe to its creator – Cynthia Daddona:

Cynthia is the author Diary of A Modern Day Goddess® – a guide to creating a life that nurtures your body, mind and soul. She also hosts Romancing the Table® website/vblog which celebrates life, love and food. For recipes, photos, podcasts and videos go to her Romancing the Table.com. To see a clip or order A Greek Island Destination Cooking Class (DVD/video) that Cynthia hosted in Santorini, Greece go to www.RomancingTheTable.com or www.CelebrateGreece.com   If you have any questions or culinary food memories she can be contacted via cynthia@moderndaygoddess.com

Romance, Relaxation & Gourmet Dining.

My husband James and I were delighted with our experience at Secrets Capri Riveria Cancun, an all-inclusive ultra luxurious resort located on the Mayan Riviera on 71 oceanfront acres. This adults-only resort is a romantic, relaxing, first-class getaway.
The cuisine was delicious, gourmet, healthy and well presented. The overall resort service was top notch. The Mexican Mediterranean architecture surrounds a scenic pool and a white sand beach offers thatched umbrellas and couches to lounge on by the sea,

When we mentioned prior to our arrival that we were recent newlyweds and that it was also my husband’s birthday, we were greeted with a honeymooners banner on the door and balloons in the room on the day of his birthday. Our room had a fabulous view of the ocean, the resort and the pool. We had a four-poster bed and a full Italian marble bathroom.

The resort activities where the staff “shares a secret” included everything from how to sculpt towels into love swans, to cooking classes to couples massage to dancing. The activities were low key so you could still relax by the pool and beach if you weren’t participating in an activity. The resort also has a variety of beach, land and water activities including complimentary golf at Cancun Golf Club.

One of the highlights is the resorts lovely spa – where you can experience a romantic couples massage side by side under an atrium directly on the beach. It was a wonderful feeling knowing my love and I were receiving massages at the same time.

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The other highlight of our stay was Secrets’ all inclusive dining which included five gourmet a la carte restaurants with menus offering Seafood, Mediterranean-Italian, Pan-Asian and Mexican cuisine plus a sumptuous buffet and 24 hour room service. Our two favorites were Oceana and Portofino. At Oceana, we celebrated my husband Jim’s birthday with a romantic table for two on a private balcony overlooking the pool. At Portofino we enjoyed Italian cuisine and experienced a private romantic dinner for two with a menu designed by the talented chef in Portofino’s wine cellar (available for an extra charge.) Overall, I enjoyed presentations and flavors of the Mediterranean Mexican dishes that utilized an abundance of fish, seafood and fresh produce. One of my favorite desserts was the flan. For variety, there was an outdoor dining event held on the beach for the guests complete with a live show of talented dancers. There was also a Mexican buffet by the pool that was a colorful feast.

Secrets Capri Riveria was exactly what we were looking for – a resort that offered first class amenities such as romantic and delicious dining options, couples massage and a tranquil environment. This allowed my husband James and I relax together, spend time on the beach, in the pool, dining, reading and just enjoying being together. What a lovely trip first class Mexico offers for couples wanting romance, relaxation and gourmet dining.

To get there:
From Los Angeles we took a Mexicana Airlines flight direct from Los Angeles to Cancun. (4.5 hours) Then secured a driver we arranged ahead of time with the resort to drive us to the resort which was 35 minutes south of Cancun Airport and 15 minutes from Playa del Carmen. We visited the resort in December and enjoyed the sunny and warm weather. For more information go to www.secretsresorts.com