Pea Shoot and Walnut Salad with Homemade Dressing

 You guys didn't know I could make a bomb-ass dressing, did you? Well, I can! This dinner is super yummy! The dressing is thick and goes a long way. It reminds me of pesto at first, but the shallots and the lemon really stand out. It's amazing. If anything, make some and just use it throughout the week as your salad dressing.

Ingredients for salad:

1. 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3. 6 medium basil leaves
4. 1 small shallot, coarsely chopped
5. 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves 
6. 1 c arugula, rinsed
7. 1/4 c baby spinach leaves, rinsed 
8. 1/2 c shelled edamame  
9. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
10. 3 1/2 ounces pea shoots, trimmed
11. 1/4 cup roasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

In a blender, blend the oil, lemon juice, basil, shallot and 1/2 cup of the parsley. 

 

Steam the pea shoots for about 5 minutes and set aside. Toast the walnuts in oven at 300 for about 8 minutes. Combine pea shoots, edamame, spinach and the arugula. Toss with dressing (use amount to your preference) and season with salt and pepper. Add the walnuts. Serve immediately with steak, chicken or whatever you prefer.

Eggs Baked in Roasted Tomato Sauce

According to F and W magazine, studies show that people who eat eggs for breakfast tend to lose weight. Pshhhh. I'm having eggs errday then! :) This recipe is super simple. I doctored the original one from Food and Wine just a bit (I added goat cheese instead of Parmesan). Enjoy!

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2. 2 garlic cloves, smashed
3. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
5. 1 teaspoon chopped oregano
6. 8 large eggs
7. 2 tablespoons goat cheese 

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a roasting pan, toss the tomatoes and garlic with the oil and season with salt and pepper. I looove garlic so I used a bit more than what the recipe called for. Arrange the tomatoes cut side up and roast for 15 minutes; turn and roast until soft, 20 minutes. Let cool, then scrape the mixture into a blender and puree. Add the oregano. 

 

 Set 4 shallow ovenproof bowls on a baking sheet. (See my note) Strain the pureed sauce into the bowls, pressing on the solids. Crack 2 eggs into each bowl and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the cheese over the eggs and bake the eggs for about 15 minutes, until the whites are just set. Serve hot with toast. If you want to be fancy, use ciabatta bread.

 

Note: I have microwave and dishwasher safe bowls but I spent some time on the interwebs and I wasn't convinced I could put those in my oven, so I just used the same roasting pan and then carefully scooped out my tomato mixture and my egg. I also only baked 4 eggs instead of 8 (which the recipe called for), so I think I should've reduced the cooking time on my eggs. The yolks weren't runny for me - bummer, BUT - it was still delicious!

Diet Cream Cake

I know this stuff has been out for awhile now, but I finally got around to purchasing some. It's cake flavored vodka. That's right. CAKE! I mix mine with diet ginger-ale and a splash of soda water. It tastes like a creamy slice of birthday cake. HEAVEN! This brand is from Three Olives. Smirnoff sells two similar versions: whipped cream and fluffed marshmallow. But buy the cake if you can find it; it's not that sweet either. Oh, do you like my Elvis glasses? (Thanks mom!)

Guacamole - Curtis Style

That's my little tortilla chip drowning in a huge bowl of my sous chef's guacamole. Man, is it good. Want to know how to make it? It's pretty traditional with only 2 secret ingredients that I shall now expose to you:

You need:
2 Avocados, pitted and smashed
1 small red onion finely diced
1 plum tomato finely diced
1 jalepano, deseeded and finely diced
1/4 c cilantro, say it with me - finely diced
1 tbsp brown sugar (secret!)
1 tbsp hot chili oil (secret!)
Tortilla chips (any kind)

You do:
Do a sweet mashup of all the ingredients (I mean, except the chips). Let it chill for about 30 minutes before serving if you can. It tastes better that way IMO.

Tofu Udon

 It was 80 degrees last week and today it's 47. Last night it got down to 29. What the heck? This must be why my throat is sore today. I wanted something hearty and healthy today and found this gem. This is an old Food and Wine recipe from Takashi Yagihashi but I doctored my recipe by adding yummy gummy udon noodles and removing the shitake mushrooms. Fungus. *shudders*. It's super delicious. A MUST try. Plus, a pot can go a long way. I'm going to be eating this for lunch tomorrow for sure.

Ingredients

1. 4 tablespoons dashi miso paste
2. 4 cups water
3. 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
4. 1/2 cup shelled edamame (3 ounces)
5. One 14-ounce package firm silken tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
6. 8 water chestnuts, thinly sliced
7. One 5-ounce bag baby spinach
8. 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
9. 2 tablespoons mirin
10. 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
11. 1 scallion, thinly sliced 
12. One package cooked Udon 
13. 4 teaspoons bonito flakes, optional (see Note)
    

In a large saucepan, bring the dashi and water to a simmer. Add the grated ginger, sliced shiitake, edamame, tofu, udon and water chestnuts and simmer over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Add the spinach, soy sauce, mirin, and lemon juice and stir just until the spinach is wilted. Serve in bowls with the scallion and bonito. Note: Bonito (dried tuna flakes) can be found in the Asian section of supermarkets.

Leek Salad with Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Chicken

OMG! OMG! OMG! Leeks - why have I never cooked you before? You need to make this now. This "salad" is like an adult sundae. The leeks are so yummy and these toppings make it so fun to eat - every bite makes you crave more. Sometimes you get a mouthful of creamy goat cheese and leeks, sometimes you get the warm grilled chicken with the crunchy toasted walnuts, sometimes you get the leeks and the tangy red wine vinegar dressing. Ugh. I want it every day now.

Ingredients

1. 4 medium leeks, halved lengthwise
2. 1 cup walnuts
3. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4. 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
5. Salt and freshly ground pepper
6. 3 tablespoons chopped scallion
7. 3 tablespoons goat cheese
8. 6 oz chicken breast 

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a grill pan, place chicken breast and grill on each side about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the leek halves and simmer over moderately high heat until tender, 10 minutes. Drain the leeks and pat dry. Spread the walnuts in a pie plate and bake for about 8 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool and coarsely chop.

 

Watch those nuts people! Especially in a toaster oven! In a small bowl, mix the olive oil with the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the leeks on a platter, cut sides up. Cut the chicken breast and place on top. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and garnish with the walnuts, scallions and cheese. Serve.

Grilled Scallops with Honeydew-Avocado Salsa

I learned something yesterday. Actually, I learned two things. One: avocado is a fruit. What the? Two: I'm not really a fan of deep sea scallops. Hmm. I had no idea. I got this from F&W ages ago and finally came around to making it. I was super bummed that I wasn't having a symphony in my mouth but I think it was just too much scallop for me. You scallop lovers must think I'm crazy, right? Well, tell ya what - on the next warm day make this for dinner and you'll be singing my praises. The salsa is unusual - it's sweet from the melon and buttery from the avocado and tart from the lime. I really wished I had some tortilla chips to scoop it up with! haha

Ingredients
Finely grated lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 1/2 pounds honeydew melon, rind removed and melon cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 1/2 cups)
1 Hass avocado, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds large sea scallops
Light a grill. In a large bowl, combine the lime zest and juice with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the diced honeydew melon and avocado. Season the salsa with salt and black pepper.
Drizzle the scallops with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Grill over moderately high heat, turning once, until nicely charred and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the scallops to plates, spoon the salsa alongside and serve.

Finest Deli in the East Village

Well, not really. They just happened to be named that. I'm talking about the Deli on B and 4th. Guess what they have? A juice bar. Crazy, right? Well, not really. I'm finding tons of places in my 'hood that make fresh made juice. Holla! This red beauty is carrot, beet and apple. I hate beets (they taste like dirt to me), but I don't mind beet juice. Question is - should I just invest in a juicer? Does anyone own one? Which one should I get? Oh - I have NO space so one that is tiny would be prefered.

Cooks Illustrated

So a co-worker told me about this magazine and I looked it up on their website where you can also get a free trial issue. Awesome. I sure did get mine in the mail today. Took awhile, but it's here. According to Wikipedia, Cook's Illustrated is an American cooking magazine published by America's Test Kitchen in Brookline, Massachusetts, every two months. It accepts no advertising and is characterized by extensive recipe testing and detailed instructions; the magazine also conducts thorough evaluations of kitchen equipment and branded foods and ingredients.

I'm a fan. I love that they've tested everything and it's super informative. Plus, the recipes look great! I'm totally signing up! Go get your free trial issue and check it out for yourself!

Yasmin's Steamed Buns

 We headed uptown to hang out with some dear friends the other night and boy did we make out - not only did we have fun playing board games and catching up - they cooked for us! These are two steamed buns - one chicken, one steak. Boy, they were good.

 The toppings were intense - shallots and garlic, mushroom with lemon and olive oil, braised brussel sprouts with dill and mustard seed and chopped carrots.

 I was so impressed that they made steamed buns. I asked Yasmin how she pulled it off and she presented to me the Momofuku Cookbook. Damn. I didn't know Momofuku had a cookbook! Wish list NOW oh husband of mine. Anyways, you can find the recipe for the Momofuku steamed buns online here too.

As much as I enjoyed the steamed buns, I enjoyed these gems much more. They are called Pao de Queijo - which means Brazilian Cheese Puffs. These things are SO good. They are made with tapioca flour which gives them a unique chewy texture - kind of like rice cakes. I found a recipe online here. You can use any kind of cheese you want. This recipe had 75% reduced fat cheddar and Parmesan.

Healthy Fried Rice

 Sometimes you want to order in Chinese food. You know you shouldn't because it's loaded in sodium and oil but it tastes so good! Well, know you can have fried rice - guilt free! Follow me please...

Make about 2 cups of brown rice (I used instant). Also, chop up about 1/2 yellow onion and about 1/2 cup green cabbage. Saute that in 2 tbsp sesame oil and also add 1 tbsp chopped garlic.

 

My pan doesn't look too appetizing but whateves. Cook the cabbage and onion down about 5 min or so then add one egg. Scramble it.

 

 Add about 1/8 c light soy sauce and a few dashes ponzu sauce. Add sliced cherry tomato at very end before serving. I don't know, maybe I was starving - but this tasted sooo good. Plus it's mad cheap to make and very healthy for you too.

Red Potato Home Fries

Nothing like an apt on Sunday morning that smells like fried potatoes! These were topped with ham and over easy eggs but you can serve anyway you like including by themselves!

2 red potatoes, diced (the smaller the dice, the faster they cook)
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 c vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Rinse potato cubes with cold water, and drain well. Add oil to large skillet or pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic into skillet and cook for 1 minute. Place potatoes in the skillet, and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, and cook for another 10 minutes, turning frequently until brown and crisp on all sides.

Edible Image Cupcakes!

Ok, if you need to plan anything fun for a family member, friend or co-worker - buy an edible image and put it on a cupcake or cookie or cake. It's such a fun way to make something special.

I ordered 24 images for cupcakes from gogocakes and they were delivered to me promptly and they looked AMAZING! The images were also super easy to peel off - just freeze for 30 seconds and they pop right off!

 I would highly recommend them. Gogocakes can deliver to most states across the US.

Caruso's

We ordered Caruso's for lunch today. It came as a recommendation from a co-worker. It was really yummy. The crust was thin and the cheese was salty. Not too greasy. I tried to be good and just eat one slice, but I had two. The second slice was cold when I ate it and it wasn't as good as the first (obvi). I would recommend for a quick bite if you happen to be in the downtown area. They are located right off Fulton St.

The salad was ehh. It fooled us into thinking we were eating healthy but we all knew the truth.

Pasta Cook Off

So I wanted to share a fun idea that we did at work the other day. We had a "Pasta Cook Off". Everyone that chose to compete for a day off had to bring in their best pasta dish. We had a variety of delicious things from 4 Cheese Mac 'n Cheese with Bacon to Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi. It was a lot of fun and it was a great way to engage everyone. Those that didn't want to bring pasta could bring anything else (like a potluck) - they just weren't eligible to compete for the day off. Anyways - I would highly recommend this to anyone that's looking for an inexpensive way to do something fun in the office.

Black Bean Mango Salsa

 Today was pot luck day at work. I was requested to make my famous salsa. Now you can make it too...DOUG! LOL!

What you need:

• 2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled pitted mangoes
• 1 15- to 16-ounce can black beans, drained, rinsed
• 3/4 cup fresh white corn kernels
• 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon chili oil*
• 1 teaspoon sugar

What to do:

Place ingredients in large bowl. Toss to combine. Season salsa with salt and pepper. Cover; let stand 1 hour.  Eat it.

Roasted Chick Peas

 

What a perfect snack and super healthy for you too!

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt (optional)
• garlic salt (optional)
• cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Blot chickpeas with a paper towel to dry them. In a bowl, toss chickpeas with olive oil, and season to taste with salt, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper, if using. Spread on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until browned and crunchy. Watch carefully the last few minutes to avoid burning. 

TIP: If storing in Tupperware, let them cool before putting a lid on. If not they will produce condensation  and become soggy.

Esperanto

Headed to my fave spot for brunch the other day with a small group of friends. We showed up at 2 pm at the height of service with a party of 5 and were told it would be an hour wait. It only took 30 minutes. YAY! I love this place because the food is good and cheap and you get one drink with your brunch for $10.95. What a bargain! I had the vegetable omelet (watercress, goat cheese and roasted red peppers) with home fries. 

Tompkins Square Bagels

This place opened up in my hood a few weeks ago and I finally got to check it out yesterday. The line, while long, went fast. I ordered the everything bagel with the homemade light scallion cream cheese. It was very delish. My cousin ordered a whole wheat bagel with lox and cream cheese. She also said it was amazing. The guy in line behind us ordered sausage and egg on a french toast bagel - genius! Another funny story about this place - while we were eating, we glanced up and noticed some books on a shelf that were all about bagels. One in particular was called, "Where in the world is my bagel?" and it's written by a Korean writer who is from the same village that my cousin lives in (close to the border of North Korea). She had JUST read the book to her class too. Pretty strange, right?

Veniero's

I have a bad habit lately of snapping photos of half eaten food. My bad ya'll. These mini pastries were scooped up from Veniero's in the East Village. This place has been since 1894 and it's a legit Italian bakery. I scooped up some mini cannolis - one chocolate and one vanilla. And a mini cheesecake, which my sous chef had devoured half off before the photo. The cheesecake is super delicious - really dense and not whipped up like other mini cheesecakes. One pound is about $14 which is about 10 to 13 pieces of mini pastries. Not too bad! And the selection? AMAZING. They have everything!

Fonda

 We went to Fonda last night to celebrate my sous chef's birthday. The place had some high notes and some low notes. First high note: I started my meal with an Oro Margarita. This is the Cadillac Margarita made with a cazadores reposado tequila & grand marnier.

 Second high note: Guacamole for the table. Guacamole made to order, served with hand pressed tortillas, chips and pasilla de Oaxaca salsa.

 Curtis got the special and he really loved it. It was chicken enchiladas with a mole sauce. So - another high note. (I'm glad the birthday boy liked his dinner). 

 Now for the low note: I ordered FLAUTAS DE POLLO: Two crispy tortillas filled with shredded chicken, topped with salsa verde, pasilla de Oaxaca salsa, queso fresco and crema. They were good, but I was expecting them to be stacked - not rolled and fried. They were more like taquitos then flautas. Also - the red one was so extremely spicy, my mouth was on fire. Plus, the edges of it were burnt. FAIL. But worse than that was the JICAMA BOTANA: Jicama, cucumber, carrots and orange with lime juice and chile de arbol. This dish was so stupid. You can see it in my photo to the far left. It was literally giant cuts of raw carrot, jicama and cucumber. Then some orange segments on the side. I was beyond confused since I was expecting a salad! I combined everything into the tiny bowl and asked the server if this was how it was meant to be eaten. She said yes. I can't believe I paid $7 for this poorly executed plate of nonsense.

My cousin ordered MELTED CHEESE WITH GRILLED CHORIZO: Mexican chorizo with Oaxaca and Chihuahua cheeses, fresh tomatillo-serrano salsa and soft corn tortillas. This dish wasn't bad - but it wasn't great either. My issue with the dish is that the skillet didn't keep the cheese warm. After a few minutes, the cheese was cold and basically stuck to the skillet. You couldn't even scoop it out. FAIL. She paired hers with the FONDA SALAD: Romaine lettuce, baby spinach, water cress, jicama and cucumber strips, shredded carrots and passion fruit. Well, it's good to know they can get one salad right. Maybe next time I'll get that one...wait, next time? Mmm....no thanks. I'll stick to Mexican Radio - where they NEVER disappoint.

Westville

 My cousin was in town and we decided to go out for a nice healthy lunch at Westville in the East Village. She got a Greek Salad with grilled salmon. The dressing on the side was some kind of balsamic dressing. 

 Grilled corn with cotija cheese and lime. Yum.

I had the market special of 3 sides: roasted brussel sprouts with dijon, lemon grilled asparagus and Parmesan roasted artichoke hearts. Super healthy and satisfying!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole - Round 2

So, I made it again (with a different recipe of course). Thank you Kay! This time it came out much better! :)

2-3 boneless chicken breasts
chopped green chili, to taste (My friend started out using 2 small cans, but she's up to 4 cans now and think it's perfect. I used 3 cans)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8-oz. sour cream
1 cup chicken stock (I used low sodium)
½ large onion, chopped
1 pkg. large corn tortillas
1 16-oz. bag shredded cheddar cheese (I used reduced fat)


Boil chicken for 1 hour. Drain water, carefully remove chicken and let it cool just enough to handle.

Shred chicken by hand and mix with next 5 ingredients.


Layer in greased baking dish as follows:

½ tortillas
½ chicken mixture
½ cheese
Repeat layers.


Recipe calls to bake at 350° until bubbly about 20-25 minutes but I could have gone a wee bit longer.


NOTES:

I make each tortilla layer just one tortilla thick, overlapping at edges. If you can't find large tortillas, use small ones. You can make this ahead of time, then keep it in the refrigerator (overnight if needed) until time to bake. It might take a few extra minutes in the oven, but it still comes out.

South Street Seaport Bubble Tea

In the Food Court at the South Street Seaport you have a few selections for bubble tea. I drank about half of mine before it dawned on me to take a photo. This is an iced coffee bubble tea - and it's perfect to sit outside on the deck and drink it while staring out at the river.

Pho Grand

So I know I've posted about pho a few times before...but, I haven't so far this year, so HA! My sous chef and I walked home from work the other night and we cut through China town. We walked past a place on Grand St called Pho Grand and I knew we were stopping for dinner. It was delicious as always. I love a good pho - the tender meat that cooks in the bowl, the crispy bean sprouts and the broth of course! YUMMY!

Max

 Holy meatballs, Batman! We treated our friend that was visiting from out of town to dinner last night and I am STILL full from the meal. We went to Max's in the East Village. This place is straight up legit - 100% authentic. We started with the softest meatballs I have ever eaten in my life. (I devoured half of them before it dawned on me to take a photo).

 Again - I started eating before I snapped a photo. Oops. This was homemade fettuccine with duck ragu. I couldn't finish it. By this point I was already beyond full and the food coma was beginning to settle in. 

 My sous chef opted for the lasagna. In comes in it's own vessel, which keeps it piping hot, but the real magic of the dish is the noodles. They aren't the same texture of noodles that you get here in typical restaurants. I've only had the texture of this noodle in one other place in the world and it was under a bridge at a restaurant in Venice. It's really hard for me to articulate - but it's a softer texture and thicker too. Kind of like a noodle made out of mashed potatoes. I know - sounds crazy. 

 Dessert just sent me right over the edge. This was creme brulee and it was amazing. It was kind of warm still (which is my favorite way to have it).

This in front of me was chocolate souffle and behind that is a tiramisu. Oh good gracious - I only took like 2 bites. I needed to be carried home after this, but that didn't happen. I did; however, lay in bed at 9 pm and fall asleep for the entire evening. Sleep or food coma? You decide...