It's my birthday and I can go to the beach, ride an abra, and dine in the tallest building in the world if I want to

Well this post is a bit late, but mainly because our internet is awful!  So here is how I spent my birthday abroad:

Birthday Breakfast

First Ben made a delicious breakfast of a variety of cheeses, fruits, and freshly baked bread.  We had brie, goat, feta, and cream cheese.  We also had strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and apple slices.  Since we can't get Champagne (but we did pick up raspberry vodka from the airport duty free) we ended up making breakfast screwdrivers instead of mimosas.  It was delicious!

Enjoying the weather and the view at Umm Sequim Beach

We then headed to Umm Sequim beach.  The weather was perfect!  It was sunny and just a little below 80*.  We also had a great view of Burj Al Arab.  The water was most certainly too cold to get in, but was beautiful to gaze at.

The Arabian restaurant on Dubai Creek

Arabian food

Fruit and ice cream. yum!

We then went to Dubai Creek for lunch.  We went to an Arabian restaurant and order some eggplant dip, bread, and kebabs.  It was very good.  It was nice to sit outside and watch the boats go by on the creek.

Abras on the Dubai Creek

One of many golden window displays

While buying a silk scarf, the guy somehow got Ben into this for a picture!

After that, we road on an abra, which was a crazy experience.  It was chaotic to the point of boats running into each other because they were either in a hurry or trying to be the next in line to seat customers.  We hung out at the gold souk for a while, tried on a couple things but did not buy anything yet.  We also visited a nice silk store.

We are standing close to the very bottom of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world

The Foie Gras

Next we needed to head to the apartment to freshen up and get ready for dinner.  We had reservations at the At.mosphere Lounge in Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.  We drank and ate on the 122nd floor!! They had very interesting cocktails and appetizers.  I had a balsamic strawberry martini and a honey apple with basil martini.  Odd, but tasty.  For an appetizer we decided to be adventurous and get the foie gras.  It was interesting... but I probably won't be ordering that dish again. anywhere.

The fountain from 122 floors up in the sky

Watching the fountain at ground level this time

The next amazing part of my birthday was watching the fountain outside of Burj Khalifa!  We got to watch it from the 122nd floor and then again on the ground right next to it.  It was so beautiful!

second dinner

We went to have drinks and light fare at a restaurant in a building that you can't even get to unless you have a reservation or live there.  We ordered artistic drinks and food.  But yet, we were still hungry afterward.  So what did we do?  We went to the food court at the Mall of the Emirates, which is connected to Burj Khalifa, and we got a BBQ pizza and fries.  Even funnier- our table/order number was 25! 


It was a fabulous birthday though I missed everyone back in the states!

Dates

Dates are a very popular fruit in Dubai and many other areas of the Middle East.  Dates are very sweet and have a high sugar content, but also contain many essential vitamins and minerals.  Plus they are a good source of antioxidants and phytonutrients.

When picking out dates at the grocery store, look for those that are fresh, unwrinkled, single-colored (caramel hue).   Older dates may be drier, have wrinkled skin, and may have some paler areas on the skin. These are still ok to eat, but will not be as juicy, and will have a chewier texture.  You may need to chop off the very dry, pale areas for better overall taste and texture.

To eat, be sure to remove the elongated oval-shaped pit on the inside.  The rest is edible.  Dates can be used in baked goods: cookies, muffins, breads; salads; covered in chocolate; added to fruit salad; and used in many savory dishes.

I decided to make a chicken and date salad.  This had a good combination of sweet and savory.  Many chicken salads get their sweetness from added sugars.  In this recipe,  I only used dates and yogurt to add sweetness.  Many recipes also often use full fat mayonnaise and/or sour cream to add creaminess.  However, plain fat-free Greek yogurt is a good, nutritious substitute.  See recipe below.

What you'll need:
- 1 chicken breast
- 6 dates, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

What to do:
1.  Fill a medium sauce pan with water about 3 inches deep.  Heat water over high heat on the stove and let come to a boil.  Add the chicken breast and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover pot.  Cook about 8-10 minutes until done.  Check for doneness by cutting the chicken in half crosswise.  If there is any pink- it is NOT done and will need to cook for longer.  If the chicken is cooked, place on a plate or drying rack to cool.

2.  While the chicken is cooking and cooling, combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.

3.  When the chicken has cooled, pull the chicken apart with your hands and/or a fork. Pull apart to create small strings of chicken.  When done, add chicken to the yogurt mixture.  Serve cold.  You can wrap in a leaf of lettuce or top on some delicious bread.   Recipe makes 3 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
63 calories, 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 16g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 6g protein

Some variations:
- use fewer dates to make it less sweet
- add celery to add some crunch and some bitter flavor
- add slivered almonds for crunch and a bit of nutty flavor
- use less vinegar and lemon juice to decrease acidity and tartness