Health Matters: Say No to Artificial Sweeteners

Reason #298723 to cut back on - or better yet, cut out - artificial sweeteners.Three words about artificial sweeteners:    Not. Worth. It.Another study has just been published linking daily diet soft drink (e.g., any soda containing artificial sweeteners) consumption with health consequences including Type 2 diabetes, risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke. The research just keeps rolling in... 

Recipe(s): Putting Vanilla Balsamic Vinegar to Delicious Use

So far, we've used the vanilla balsamic vinegar we purchased from Olive Creations in two dishes - one sweet, one savory (both vegan!) - and both were delicious. The first:Brussels Sprouts with Beans & GrainsThis was one of those on-the-spot, use-what's-in-the-fridge/cupboards meals that was simple and super healthy. It's a combination of some of my favorite foods, and the vanilla vinegar added a special touch (though regular balsamic vinegar would be more than fine as well!)What You Need:- 20 (approx.) brussels sprouts, halved- 1/2 package Trader Joes Harvest Grains blend- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed- Virgin/unrefined coconut oil (a couple of tbsp, to taste)- Sea and/or truffle salt and ground pepper, to taste- Garlic powder, to taste- Vanilla balsamic vinegar, to tasteWhat You Do:- THE BRUSSELS SPROUTS: Heat a (preferably nonstick) cast-iron griddle pan on the stovetop over low-medium heat. Melt about 1 tbsp of coconut oil (add or reduce the amount of oil based on your preference and the pan you're using) on heated pan. Place brussels sprouts flat side down on the pan and season with salt (consider using truffle salt if you have it!) and pepper; cook until they are lightly browned and begin to soften, and then flip and continue cooking to desired doneness. When finished, place in a bowl and toss with approx. 1 tbsp of the vinegar.- THE GRAINS: Cook on stovetop according to directions on the package. I used coconut oil in place of butter or olive oil, and once the grains were finished cooking I added approx. another 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil. Then, season to taste with ground pepper and garlic powder. Keeping the flame beneath the pot on the lowest setting, add the kidney beans and stir; wait until they are warmed through.- SERVE: Combine all in a bowl and enjoy! (Side note: I love the vanilla vinegar so much I also added a bit to the grains in my bowl)Coconut Milk Ice Cream with Vanilla Balsamic VinegarWhat You Need:- Coconut-milk vanilla ice cream- Vegan chocolate chip cookies, or whatever you have handy (I will be posting my recipe this week!)- Vanilla balsamic vinegarWhat You Do:Kind of a no-brainer here - just combine all of the ingredients together in whatever amounts you prefer in a bowl! For three small scoops of ice cream totaling about 3/4 cups, about 1 tsp of vinegar was added on top. You may be surprised at just how tasty the vinegar is with the ice cream! And I'd bet regular aged balsamic vinegar would do just fine as well. 

Food Shopping: Olive Creations

After dinner at Pita Jungle in Phoenix, we were about to hit the road and continue on our way home to Prescott when we noticed Olive Creations amidst the Norterra shops and decided to park and take a look inside - a decision that proved to be well worth while!The walls of this shop are lined with vats of extra virgin olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars infused with an inventive array of flavor combinations. Some other products are sold as well - like pastas, sea salt, salsas - but the oils and vinegars are the main attraction. Everything sounded so good, so we made our way around the store, tasting small drops of most options so we could narrow down our favorites and make a purchase decision - sampling everything from wild mushroom & sage, harissa, and organic herbs de provence extra virgin olive oils; and dark chocolate, black cherry, and cinnamon pear balsamic vinegars. As tempting as it was to go home with a variety of oils and vinegars, we decided to stick with one of each for now and bought a bottle each of the blood orange olive oil and vanilla balsamic vinegar.I loved the blood orange oil because you could still taste the olive essence, and that was so nicely complemented by the citrus of the blood orange. I imagine it will work really well on salads and fish. As for the vinegar we purchased, the vanilla is not overpowering; it's mostly noticed as a gentle aftertaste on your palate. We thought it would pair well with a wide range of both sweet and savory foods - and so far we've been proven right. Here are the two dishes in which we've used the vinegar so far - one of which may be a little unexpected!It's also worth adding that one of the owners was manning the store the night we went in, and she was very friendly, helpful and patient. I couldn't recommend this place more if you're in the area.I've been a big fan of The Filling Station in Chelsea Market, nearly around the corner from where I currently live in Manhattan, and noticed they have many of the same infusions as Olive Creations - so I wonder if both stores might work with the same distributor. Olive Creations' prices are better though - plus it's in Arizona, which I will be calling home as of this spring so I'm excited to still have a store like this in my vicinity even after making a cross-country move. If I could ask one thing of Olive Creations though, it would be for them to stock up on and start selling black truffle salt (like The Filling Station)!

Restaurant Review: Pita Jungle

Restaurants like [insert any of the following: TGIFridays, Chilis, Applebees, etc.] on the surface are very well-intended - casual family-friendly restaurants that don't kill your wallet - but at the cost of waist-expanding/insulin-raising, artery-clogging, mass-produced food, it's hard to really applaud this restaurant model, or at least it's execution. Most if not all of them have started offering calorie-conscious menu options in the last couple of years, but I've never been impressed with the vegetables I've had at these places and generally don't expect to be served a particularly nutritious or wholesome meal there. And it's really a shame, because if only the offerings at such restaurants were healthier and cleaner all around, it would be a tough deal to beat.Enter Pita Jungle, which appears to be a restaurant model that others should take a few cues from. We went to the newest Phoenix location at Norterra, and I was pretty impressed. It's a casual, family-friendly eatery with a modern and minimalistic decor/layout. It also includes a full bar with a decent beer selection. The menu offers a wide variety of fantastic choices - pretty much all of which are healthy, so you can feel pretty good about whatever you order - and based on what we ate (and glances at neighboring tables), everything looks and tastes as good as it sounds. Also impressive are the prices!We ordered dinner just before the cut-off for the restaurant's happy hour tapas special, so we were able to take advantage and opted for mixed marinated olives, vegetarian dolmades (particularly delicious), and tzatziki (which I could tell was made with low- or non-fat yogurt) for $2 each:The veggie wrap was full of greatness: mixed whole beans, brown rice, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, eggplant, tomatoes, and carrots, and seasoned with ginger, basil and garlic. It was served hot and was extremely flavorful - a testament to the freshness of the vegetables. It was a huge portion and cost $7.99. I'd be tempted to get this for dinner on the go on a regular basis if it was closer by!The falafel platter was part of the starter menu, and was also a huge portion - more than enough to be a main dish. The falafel texture was right on - just crispy enough on the outside, light and moist inside - and 5 were served over a salad of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and pickles with a drizzle of tahini. For $7.59, this was yet another great value.It wasn't all perfect, but my criticisms are pretty inconsequential. The tinfoil on my veggie wrap was folded too thoroughly and tightly around the actual food, so to prevent myself from eating the foil I had to open the wrap up, remove the foil and eat everything with a fork and knife (like I said, not that big of a deal at all - but easily preventable, as I don't think they intended that to happen). I also think there should be a choice of whole grain pita bread and wraps (or just have that be the standard, vs the white they serve).For a quick, inexpensive, healthy and tasty meal at a sit-down restaurant, Pita Jungle is a really fantastic option to have available. As far as chains go, this is one that should go national if they can do so without compromising their impressive qualities!

Recipe: Whole Wheat (insert berry here) Muffins

Whole wheat pastry flour is a fool-proof way to bake muffins, batter breads and cookies with whole wheat and without the risk of a dense, dry or gummy final product. When using other whole wheat or whole grain flours, the ingredient ratio/balance can be a little trickier to finesse in order to end up with a desirable texture, but whole wheat pastry flour makes it easy - no modifications necessary (the vast, vast majority of the time) if you're swapping it for all-purpose unbleached white flour - delicious and nutritious!

WHOLE WHEAT RASPBERRY MUFFINS

2011-12-27_11-52-09_977

2011-12-27_11-52-09_977

WHAT YOU NEEDFor the muffins:

  • 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

  • 1/2 cup turbinado sugar

  • 2 tsp baking powder

  • 3/4 tsp salt

  • 1 large egg*

  • 1/2 cup coconut milk**

  • 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

  • 5 tbsp coconut oil, melted*** - plus more (not melted) for greasing

  • 1 1/2 cups berries (I went with fresh raspberries this time)

NOTES:*If halving the recipe, whisk 1 large egg in a small bowl and spoon or pour out half of it for use in the recipe**For best results, use the full-fat canned version (Thai Kitchen brand is great)***Use unrefined virgin coconut oil

For the topping:

  • 3/4 tsp turbinado sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

WHAT YOU DO

  • Preheat oven with middle rack to 375°F

  • Grease 12-muffin tray with unmelted coconut oil

  • Whisk flour, turbinado, baking powder and salt in a large bowl

  • Whisk egg in a separate medium bowl, and then whisk in coconut milk, oil and vanilla

  • Add the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring and folding with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined (the batter will be thick and dense

  • Fold in berries

  • Fill each muffin cup equally with the batter

  • Stir together the additional turbinado and cinnamon in a small dish until combined, and sprinkle over the top of each muffin

  • Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

  • Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then unmold onto a cooling rack.

  • Enjoy!

Adapted from Gourmet

Breakfast from NYC to AZ

December was a wonderful month and also tends to be pretty synonymous with good food - and 2011 was no exception. In particular were a series of delicious breakfasts, and I wish I'd captured more of them on camera - but here are the ones for which I do have photo evidence, in chronological order:

NYC: Huevos al horno (baked eggs, garbanzo stew, mustard greens, hazelnut romesco) at Tertulia. This was the first time I had garbanzos, one of my absolute favorite foods, in an egg dish - leaving me to wonder what took me so long?!

NYC: "The Farmstand" (poached eggs, pesto, grape tomatoes, brussel sprouts, peas, breadcrumbs, arugula, toast) at Tipsy Parson. Farm-fresh veggies with perfectly poached eggs - this was a simple yet extremely flavorful plate that immediately became a top all-time favorite. Need to recreate at home!

AZ: Homemade whole wheat (and dairy-free) pancakes (I stand by my belief that homemade anything is always the best - especially when it's made for you while you're working from home!). With real maple syrup and a cup of hot vanilla-fennel tea on the side, what better way could there be to start the day!

AZ: And finally, homemade whole wheat raspberry muffins (see next post for recipe!)

 

"25 Foods You'll Never Eat Again" (via Buzzfeed)

Check out "25 Foods You'll Never Eat Again" (via Buzzfeed) - a list of 25 uber-junk foods that are no longer on store shelves... and, pretty much across the board, for good reason that needs no added explanation.It's worth the read for the nostalgia factor. I'd forgotten about many of these products... from wtf-was-Heinz-thinking purple ketchup to Orbitz soda (looked awesome, tasted terrible). I'll admit though, my sweet tooth and I wouldn't mind seeing crispy m&ms reappear... hey, the UK still has them!

A Fantastic Farewell Lunch at Grey Dog

Yesterday, I had a belated "goodbye" lunch with my awesome colleagues from the job I recently left. They are a wonderful group of extremely smart and hilarious, fun women that I am lucky to have worked with and hope to in some capacity again in the future.And, on to the food (of course) - we went to The Grey Dog, a great little cafe in Chelsea that's perfect for lunch (check out their menu). I've walked by this place a million times, but never went in - and am very happy to have finally been introduced to it (awesome recommendation, Dre!).Among the 6 of us, we ordered:

Seared Tuna & Avocado Taco (x2)

BLT

Veggie Press (spinach, roasted artichokes, roasted peppers and herbed goat cheese) (x2) - I had mine on olive bread, which was delicious

Root Vegetable Soup (that clearly included beets - look at that color!

The food was all-around solid. I love the bread choices for sandwiches - olive is a favorite of mine and while I see it at bakeries quite often, it isn't as common as an option in an eatery. The only thing I'd do differently next time is ask if I could have one of their "cute salads" (Grey Dog's words, not mine) on the side of a sandwich vs. chips - I didn't realize that's what came on the side, and could have done without.Great lunch, great group, great way to start off the week yesterday! Thanks so much again Dre/Steph/Lora/Liz/Jodie :) 

Cake to Go

 How great of an idea is this?! At a beautiful wedding in Palm Springs, CA last Friday, the bride and groom opted to have a small regular cake that they could cut during the reception in keeping with tradition, but guests wishing to indulge were offered these containers instead.Genius! It seems so often that when cake is served at a wedding, everyone is so caught up in dancing (rightfully so, of course... and maybe, just maybe, a few cocktails deep) that it goes largely untouched and/or under appreciated. I've seen cupcakes used in place of a traditional wedding cake, which I also think is a fun idea - especially if little to-go boxes could be offered, so people could grab one to take home or back to their hotel room. But this cake in a container concept really takes the... cake? (Couldn't resist). It's convenient, portable, adorable and personalized - and also allows for variety (at this particular wedding, there were 3 options to choose from). And it was delicious. Love it. 

Red Farm

Last month, I had a fabulous dinner with two former managerscolleagues who are extremely special to me. Even though we haven’t worked together for some time now, we developed a unique connection and friendship, and every couple of months we get together for a catch-up over a great meal. Not surprisingly in the least, food is one of our shared passions that we always bond over.A., who I swear knows about new and noteworthy restaurants even before the Times restaurant critic, the writers at Grub Street, or anyone else for that matter, recommended we try the recently opened Red Farm for our last get together.Let me digress quickly by noting that I love love love Asian cuisine, but while I enjoy Chinese food I wouldn’t classify it as my favorite (I’d put Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean ahead of it). I realize this may be in large part due to the Americanization of Chinese food… while there are certain dishes I think are fantastic (hello dumplings and moo shu!), in general I’ve had too many overly oily meals, and more often than not it ends up being the kind of experience that you know going in you aren’t going to feel great after.  Not so desirable.Red Farm, however, offers a simplistic, fresh and modern twist on Chinese cuisine. We opted to share some dim sum and one main dish. The main – grilled and sauteed short ribs with broccoli and cauliflower – was very good, though not particularly wowing. Everything else, however, was.First, “pac man” shrimp dumplings:I'm not usually that impressed with gimmicky foods, particularly regarding presentation. It seems that more often than not, when too much emphasis is put on entertaining plating, it’s often done at least partially at the expense of flavor or quality – but the taste and texture of these dumplings was fantastic, so I can’t criticize! Alongside the dumplings was some kind of fritter (the "pac man") - maybe sweet potato, though I unfortunately can't recall - over a mash of I think peas. This side component was as good as the dumplings themselves.Then, there were the vegetable and chive dumplings:Very clean and simple, as I think is also apparent just by looking at the dish – you really could taste each component, and the freshness of the vegetable was apparent. Delicious.And then came the two more indulgent dishes – both of which were SO worth it.Spicy crispy beef:Katz’s pastrami ggroll:Yes, pastrami from Katz’s Deli in an eggroll with cabbage and a mustard dipping sauce. It might sound a little out there, but don't let that deter you... it was one of the best comfort-food-type dishes I've had.I purposefully don't eat much animal protein in general(more on that in another post), and save the occasions I do for when it's really great quality meat that is truly worth it. Such was the case at Red Farm!We finished the meal with a shared piece of key lime cheesecake that was surprisingly light and more tart than sweet (unfortunately, I didn’t capture a picture). As I mentioned before, Chinese food has a habit of making me feel a little ill or off after eating, but even having tried a few more indulgent dishes at Red Farm, such was not the case this time whatsoever (and happily so!).I really dug the décor too; very minimalistic, with light wood furniture and white walls. There is a large communal table in the center of the (fairly small) restaurant – a medium-sized table by the front window, and smaller tables for 2 (I think) around the perimeter. All of the chairs are wooden and mismatched, giving the place a nice touch of character. There is a lot more on the menu that looks extremely appealing, so I really want to go back to try more - and recommend you do the same!

Malee's Thai Bistro

I love good Thai food. What I love even more is great Thai food. In Manhattan, there are quite a few decent-to-good Thai restaurants, though the only one in the five boroughs I've been to that I'd qualify as "great" was Ayada in Queens.Aside from Ayada, the most memorable Thai I’ve had so far that easily falls under the "great" category is at Malee’s in Scottsdale, AZ. Granted I haven’t tried even a fraction of the menu, but one of the dishes is hands down one of my top 10 favorite meals – so that has to count for something, right?!Peter has been going to Malee’s for several years and vouched for it's deliciousness, so we’ve made a habit of going together for dinner before my flights back east from Phoenix. We tend to share an appetizer and two entrees, but even though so many things on the menu sound and look amazing, I can't help but order the coco chili fish as one of our entrees each time (it's the favorite I referred to above) - it's THAT good.Last weekend, we split the light and fresh rice paper vegetable roll (smoked tofu, rice noodles, mint, cucumbers, carrots and cabbage – with peanut hoisin and sriracha sauces), the spicy-sweet coco chili fish and a unique stir fry of shrimp and calamari with green peppercorns:Coco Chili Fish (flash-fried fish filet with coconut chili reduction)Spicy Green Peppercorn Shrimp & Calamari Stir Fry (ground thai chilies and garlic sautéed with green peppercorn strands, shrimp, calamari, onion, Chinese broccoli and krachai)With a light and crisp bottle of Gruner to go with and their usual great service, this was yet another fabulous meal at Malee's - maybe the best so far - and I'm already looking forward to our next return visit.

Thanks so much to my awesome colleagues for surprising me with these mags (they know me so well) and a lovely card for my birthday! :)I'm lucky to work with such a great group!

Best Veggie Sandwich in Town?

My office provides free lunch everyday, which is a tremendous money-saving perk. Usually it's healthy and at least fairly good, but there are the inevitable days (e.g., pizza Fridays and occasionally less-than-desirable options on Wednesdays, which changes from week to week) when buying something separate becomes warranted. Given the fact that I'm not paying for lunch the vast majority of the time, it's a little easier to justify indulging in a perhaps slightly overpriced - but so worth it - sandwich or salad from one of the great local spots near the office once in a while.Friedman's Lunch in Chelsea Market  right across the street is consistently solid - the food is fresh, healthy (mostly) and really tasty. The downside is the price. But, once every couple of weeks I'll get something from there, and my most recent go-to is the Garden Vegetable sandwich: grilled sourdough with hummus, avocado, sprouts, cucumber, tomato, carrots and lettuce. The freshness of the ingredients, char on the bread and quality of the hummus makes for a fantastic combination of flavors and textures. I would happily eat it every day if I could!As a more wallet-friendly alternative though, I think I need to attempt recreating this at home.

A Most Memorable Meal

Here comes the first of a series of posts that are ridiculously long overdue ... but, better late than never! This summer was filled with many memorable meals, and I've been holding off on properly documenting most until this new blog was set up. I'll start with the one that was, without question, the best!This particular meal was homemade - and homemade for me; my only participation, thanks to strict instruction, was to eat and enjoy - and I wasn't about to argue with that :)! And, did I ever enjoy it. Delicious, perfectly cooked, wonderful, tasty, satisfying, memorable, special... just a few of the words that come to mind when I try and describe this dinner, yet none come close to doing it justice. Peter was visiting, and I knew he had spent the afternoon gathering ingredients for a dinner creation he was plotting. That evening I walked in the door from work to: Dogfish Head Red & White, sliced peppers, goat cheese, prosciutto, mixed olives and my favorite "crack" crackers (seriously, try and stop yourself after eating just one), and beautiful roses. And then came the main dish. Wow - what a cook: Baked chicken breast that was wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with goat cheese, habanero, and rosemary, along with flash-pan-fried and steamed brussel sprouts and roasted rosemary potatoes, peppers, cipollini onions and mushrooms. Topped with a sprinkle of truffle salt.AMAZING. A perfect balance and combination of flavors and spice. The rosemary was an incredible common thread to tie the various main components together, and the heat from the habanero added a delicious kick.I unfortunately did not capture a photo of dessert, which was very dark chocolate with fresh figs - a lovely end to an incredibly lovely meal.I'm a firm believer that while you can have fantastic meals at great restaurants, nothing is better than a homemade, heartfelt meal. And this was by far the most belly- and heart-warming meal that's been made for me, and I couldn't have felt luckier to be the recipient. It still makes me smile when I think about it.A most special meal that I will never forget!