the healthy foodie

chick peas and hearts

2008-09-19T15:19:00.001-04:00

hearts of palm, that is... I was checking around my pantry for something to make and since I had not been home in several weeks, I didn't have much fresh, except what was in my garden. I came up with this quick, easy and delicious dish:

Chickpea and Hearts of Palm Salad
1 can whole chickpeas
1 can sliced hearts of palm
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh chives
salt and white pepper to taste

1. Rinse and strain chickpeas and hearts of palm and put in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, chives, salt and pepper until the oil has emulsified.
3. Pour the dressing over the chick peas and hearts of palm and chill for about an hour.

I like to use the white pepper so that I don't have little black specs all over my salad. The other thing is that if I had some fresh tomatoes, I would have put them in there too, but I used them all in the salad I made yesterday. Other options - artichoke hearts and olives - it would be fun to be creative with this one.

enjoy :)

lentils... superfood?

2008-09-18T15:19:00.000-04:00

I was feeling a longing for lentils lately and had some things on hand, so I whipped up this great lentil salad yesterday. I'd take a photo of it, but it didn't last that long ;)

Lentils are basically a superfood from everything I have read. Lots of protein, no fat, great for veg-heads. There are a lot of these recipes out there, so I'll humbly offer mine.

Lentil Salad
1/2 c. green whole lentils (I find the split ones get mushy)
enough water to cover the lentils by 1/2 inch
two garlic cloves, cut in half
bay leaf
1 tsp. curry powder
4 to 6 cherry tomatos
2 tbsp. lemon juice
salt to taste
few dashes of hot sauce

1. Bring water to boil (you can boil the lentils right in the water, but I have read that they are easier to digest if you put them in boiling water). Add lentils, garlic, bay leaf, curry powder.

2. After water begins to boil again, lower heat to simmering and simmer uncovered until all the water has been absorbed. If the lentils are still a little hard, add more water and simmer some more.

3. Remove from heat, salt and add lemon juice, and hot sauce to taste. Let the lentils come to room temperature and add the cherry tomatos.

4. You can either eat immediately, or chill for up to 2 to 3 days.

I usually eat this as my dinner, but it can also be a great side dish.

enjoy
~me

a long hiatus and chipotle salsa

2008-08-11T19:54:00.001-04:00

and a much needed return... I can't promise blogging with the same vigor as my original entry into the blogging world, but I can try.

I whipped up some salsa for a bbq over the weekend. I didn't think much of it, except that I wanted to do something fun and I didn't want to show up empty handed. It was a big hit, so I'll post it here.

Chipotle Salsa
1/2 of 7 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (about 3 peppers + some sauce)
1 can of low (or no) sodium diced tomatoes, drained
1/3 vidalia onion
1 jalepeno pepper

- in a food processor, puree the chipotles and the can of tomatoes
- roughly chop the onion and the jalepeno and put in food processor and pulse 3 to 4 times
- chill for 2 hrs and up to 2 days

Of course, salsa is always more fun if you have sometime to dip in it. I had some flour tortillas and thought it would be a good accutrement to the salsa.

Baked Chili Tortilla
Flour tortillas, cut into wedges
olive oil
chili powder
coarse sea salt (optional)

Set oven to broil. Arrange the wedges on a cookie sheet and brush each with a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with chili powder and sea salt and broil for about 2 minutes or until crisp and golden(keep a watch on them so they don't burn!). Once the first side is browned, flip the wedges over and repeat on the second side. Cool completely and serve with the salsa.

enjoy!

*k*

a bushel of apples

2007-10-16T18:44:00.000-04:00

I went apple picking this weekend. Autumn is finally here, the leaves are changing and the temperatures are cooling and picking apples just seemed like it was the appropriate thing to do. Ok, who am I kidding... I've never gone apple picking, I never thought I would like apple picking, and most days I'd rather be doing something that seems a little more active than that. In the end, I really did have a great time. I can not even begin to explain how different and wonderful these apples taste right off the tree, as compared to in the supermarket. The entire ride home, I couldn't stop daydreaming about what I was going to make with these apples. An apple bread I remember from my childhood, an apple pie maybe, apple tartlets, caramel apples, mmmm.... and with each recipe idea, I thought about all those calories planting themselves right on my ass. And so, I decided some savory recipes might be a better idea. Here's what I came up with:

Cabbage Apple Slaw Recipe

1-16 oz package of tri-color ready slaw cabbage mix (or chop up a head of cabbage)

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 tart apple (I used a Winesap apple with the skin on, you can take the skin off if it doesn't appeal to you), chopped

1 english cucumber, chopped

3 tbsp. dijon nayonaise (it's a soy based low fat mayo alternative)

2 tbsp. spicy mustard of your choice

juice from 1 large lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all up, chill for about an hour, enjoy.

*k*

My first bad restaurant review

2007-10-07T19:00:00.001-04:00

I really hate to do this, but it's warranted. I went to Tiffany's in Pine Brook today for football. If all you care about are the TVs, then this place is fine. There are tons of flat screen TVs, with all of the games and they are easy to see.

If you want service, this place is not for you. We sat down at a table in the bar area and went up to the bar for some drinks. I ordered a club soda with lemon. The club soda was flat. I let them know it was flat and asked if they could try again from a different drink machine. They oblidged, and it was slightly better. We sat there for about an hour and a half getting up each time for drinks - really no problem there at all, I mean the bar was only about 4 feet away. But then a waitress came over (who knew we had a waitress!). We decided to order some food, and I knew immediately she wasn't going to get it right. How, you may ask? Because she didn't write anything down. I don't care how good of a waiter or waitress you are or think you are, write it down for crying out loud. I'm sure that even if you don't make many mistakes, you make more than if you had written it down. I ordered a salad with grilled shrimp and with the dressing on the side. This happens to me all the time, of course it came with the dressing on it. Also, the shrimp were not grilled, they were sauteed. I know, it's kind of picky but when you're at least trying to be healthy, it's annoying to have your efforts thwarted. I should have said something but it was about another 10 minutes before she came back, so I just ate some of it.

The grand finale... since the club soda was obviously flat, I decided to try and get a water with lemon. I mean, how could that get messed up. She comes back, no lemon.

I give up. Don't go to Tiffany's unless you only want to watch the game.

*k*

Gridiron Grub Week 5: The Sandwich, Deconstructed

2007-10-02T22:00:00.001-04:00

It's still too hot out to keep the oven on for hours and cook up something warm and autumn-like. So, you'll have to bear with me on this one. A few finishing touches turns a boring sandwich into something you would actually call dinner. Here, I break down the sandwich into five parts and show you how to spice up each one with fresh healthy options:

1. The Bread. Throw away that Wonder Bread already. Not only is it ridiculously processed, and full of "partially hydrogenated soybean oil," it doesn't taste nearly as good as fresh bread. Next time you're in the grocery store or neighborhood bakery, take a look at the artisan bread section and pick one that looks appetizing to you. Artisan bread is handcrafted by skilled bakers using water, flour, salt and yeast. Can't beat that - pure and simple. Personally, I like a good ciabatta with the crispy goodness on the outside and a chewy inside with large pores. If you can't find a good artisan bread, pick a nice hearty bread that suits you. A pita or flat bread also works very nicely. Trust me, it will be loads better than that plain old white (or green....) sandwich bread in your pantry. In fact, if you get really creative, it doesn't even need to be bread at all - it could be a big leaf of romaine lettuce.

2. The Condiments. Don't get me wrong, I love mustard but there are many more options out there. For an Italian flare, try pesto or a sun dried tomato paste. For Mediterranean, how about spreading a bit of hummus, olive tapenade, or baba ganouj on the bread. Asian? You can try a wasabi mixture.

3. The Greens. Sure, I could go to a deli and get some nice shredded iceberg lettuce on my sandwich. But that would be right next to the plain old white bread and we're talking about doing sandwiches right! There are many salad greens out there that can add a little zip to your sandwich. I like adding arugula. It has a peppery, slightly bitter taste and adds some zest. It works best paired with a something that will mellow it out such as some avocado slices or a balsamic reduction. Other choices are mesclun greens, field greens, watercress. Try a few and see which ones you like best.

4. The Filling. Grilled portabellas might be my favorite. But then there are other grilled veggies like squash, big chunks of vidalia onions, or a few slices of thinly sliced grilled eggplant. If you're a meat eater, try to stay away from the processed deli meats and steer more toward things like thinly sliced grilled chicken breast or steak. The filling is [at times] literally the meat of this whole project so don't forget to add some seasoning. You can sprinkle with an Italian spice mix and cook in some garlic and basil, or add a Mediterranean flare by adding a little tarragon. You could also take a trip to the east and cook in some soy and tamarind for an Asian taste, or a dash of curry powder or cumin seed to bring out those Indian flavors. Pick your poison.

5. The Extras. This is where it really gets fun. You can put some fire roasted red peppers (you can easily find these in a jar), maybe some pickled jalapenos or cool cucumbers. Instead of fresh tomatoes, try some sun dried tomatoes. If you're going with an Asian taste, maybe some bamboo shoots and bean sprouts. Instead of mayo, some sliced avocados will give a creamy taste to the sandwich without all the "bad" fats.

Let's put this all together now. You're having some folks over and want to have some sandwiches ready. Everyone has their own favorites and things they won't touch. Here are some ideas for a make-your-own sandwich assembly line that you can set up and your friends can make their own:

Breads - pick a variety of breads and have them pre-sliced. There's nothing worse than trying to find the knife, cut the bread and fill up your sandwich when there are 10 hungry guys standing behind you.

Condiments - Put out two or three out in separate bowls, each with it's own spreading knife. These should be lined up right after the bread because it's too hard to spread this on after the sandwich is full.

Greens - I suggest that you pick one or at the most two. Put them in a large bowl next to the bread with some long tongs.

Fillings - About two hours before your guests arrive, grill up some portabellas using a balsamic, garlic and Italian herb seasoning. Cook up your meats using some flavorful spices. Put the goods out, keeping the veggies separate from the meats.

Fixings - Gather a few bowls and line them up like you see in Subway. All the fixings, right there for your guests to pick and choose as they please.

When the time comes, you'll be totally prepared and your guests will be totally impressed.

*healthy foodie*

Bush finally facing in the right direction

2007-09-30T16:15:00.000-04:00

I don't generally post too much about politics, mostly because I'm sure there are gobs of people out there who know way more than I do on the subject. But, in reading this article it seems like Bush has finally acknowledged that global warming exists and that the US will take steps to reduce emissions. Great news, and kudos from our UN counterparts.

The thing is, we should have been doing our part long ago - all of us. I'm not saying that we should all be granola crunching, vegan eating, non-leather wearing people. We have to live after all. But, we can be a little more cognisant of doing things that aren't wasteful.

Bottom line is I'm not sure where Bush is really going with this plan - is he for real or is it a stunt to bolster the republican party? Whatever the reason, at least we're moving in the right direction.

*k*

Montclair Ethiopian Restaurant

2007-09-30T13:04:00.001-04:00

We have been wanting to try this restaurant for quite some time. It's called Mesob, which is a vibrantly colored woven basket upon which food is served. I've never had Ethiopian cuisine before, in fact, when I'm running down the list of food to try, Ethiopian food isn't on there. I chalk that up to the fact that it's not widely publicized and that there aren't that many restaurants of this type around. It's too bad actually, because the food was absolutely delightful.

We looked at the clock and it was about 7:15 pm, on a Saturday night. I immediately thought that we would not be able to get a seat. So we called over there and they said there was a 30 minute wait. I was disappointed but we went anyway. Three minutes later, when we got there, bottle of wine in hand, we were seated immediately. I'm not sure why we were told there would be a 30 minute wait... anyway, all was good. We were greeted with a strong, almost overwhelming, aroma of clove. It did not subside while we were there, but I think I ended up getting used to it.

They have a sampler platter for two on the menu, which seemed perfect because of course there were two of us and we had absolutely no idea what to order. They had a vegetarian sampler platter and a meat sampler platter. Given that I'm a [mostly] vegetarian and Rob isn't, we weren't sure how that was going to work out. They were very accommodating though, we were able to get the meat sampler and substitute some veggie dishes for the meat dishes so we could share most of the meal. Rob's meat dishes were a chicken, beef and lamb. The chicken dish was a little bit spicy and the other two were somewhat mild. On the veggie side, there was a portabella dish and lentil dish, both of which were very spicy; and a collard green dish and a chickpea dish, both of which were somewhat mild. All the veggie dishes were prepared vegan style, a healthful bonus.

As we waited for our order to come out, we talked about what we thought it was going to be like, while we looked around at the other tables, with seemingly experienced Ethiopian food eaters. A few minutes later, they bring out a giant plate with a spongy, pancake looking thing on it and a few other spongy pancake looking things on a plate - then they leave again. So Rob and I are looking at each other and the pancake and wondering what the heck we're supposed to do. Do we eat it now? Are we supposed to be waiting for something else? Was this an appetizer? We each took a small bit of the pancake and noted that it had a little bit of a sour taste and that it was somewhat chewy.

The waitress came back a few minutes later with our main dishes and proceeded to place each of the stew-like food on the big pancake. When she was done, I shyly let her know that we were novices and would like some help understanding the best way to eat the food. She let us know that the pancake was called "injera" and that it was both a utensil and a bread. We were to break a small bit of the injera and use it to scoop up the stew. When we ran out of the pieces of injera that she brought over, we were to eat the injera that was on the plate. Ok, that sounds easy enough, but we got forks just in case. Of course, we ate it all. I want to see if I can figure out how to make the lentil dish or the portabella dish. They were both so good, very spicy and flavorful.

We decided to split a halewa for dessert. This reminded me of Indian burfi. It was a sesame paste molded in the shape of a small slice of cake with pistachios on it. It was also very good, but very rich and sweet. A good dessert to split.

I'm very happy that we stepped outside of our comfort zone and tried this restaurant. I know we will be going back there.

*k*

Milestones

2007-09-30T11:53:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to announce that I have reached a few milestones in the past few days. Milestones that I never even imagined when I started on this blogging journey. I can thank my loyal readers, and occasional, but never enough commenters ;) for helping to keep this blog alive and vibrant. Here are the recent milestones:

- over 100 posts
- over 1,000 visitors
- 40 recipes

Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy the Healthy Foodie!

*k*

Pancakes and Eggs with a little flair

2007-09-29T10:54:00.000-04:00

Sometimes we get in a rut and end up staying with the basics. With a little modification, you can turn a basic breakfast into something unique, and some may even call a little gourmet.

Pancakes and Eggs Recipe (with a little flair) - makes 1 serving

Enough of your favorite pancake mix + liquid to make one serving

1 tbsp. wheat germ

2 tbsp. rolled oats (also called old fashioned oats)

4 fresh figs

1 tsp. white sugar

cooking spray

1 tbsp. raspberry preserves (or jam / preserves of your choice)

2 eggs

1 tsp. herbs de provence

1 heaping tsp. white flour

pinch of salt

1 tbsp. milk (or soy milk)

1. Turn on your broiler to high. Put a griddle or a large saute pan on the stove and turn the heat to medium. Let it stand, dry, over the heat to pre-heat the pan.

2. Mix up the pancake mix as usual. Add the wheat germ and rolled oats and add a little more liquid, as needed to make a thick batter. Let stand for about 5 minutes.

3. Cut off the stem of each fig, and then cut an X in the top of each one. Do not cut all the way through. Place the figs, X side up, on a cookie sheet or other baking dish. Spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle a little bit of sugar atop each one. Put in the broiler and keep a watch on it. As the figs cook, they will open up like a flower. Make sure the sugar doesn't burn. It should be about 7 minutes.

4. Now start making your pancakes. Your pan should be hot and the batter should be a little bit thicker. Pour pancake batter onto your hot surface (pan or griddle), and once bubbles appear on the top, flip the pancakes. I like mine to be a little darker than traditional. If you like that too, then don't flip the pancakes until a minute or so after the bubbles appear. Continue cooking until you have used all of your pancake batter. If you are making a large batch and want to keep the pancakes warm, put them in some aluminum foil and put them on the bottom rack of your oven.

5. Next, in a small bowl, mix 2 eggs, herbs, milk, flour and salt and whisk until smooth. Using a medium non-stick saute pan (I use the same pan I did the pancakes in), take the pan off the heat, holding the pan in one hand and using the other hand gently pour about half of the mixture into the pan. It is extremely important to use a non-stick pan. Swirl the pan around to form a thin coat around the entire bottom of the pan and set back on the heat. Let the egg mixture cook for a minute until it is easily removed from the bottom of the pan and then flip it. Let it cook on the other side. Then remove from the pan and roll up. Do the same with the other half of the mixture.

6. By this time, I hope you took the figs out of the oven, otherwise they will be charred. Arrange the pancakes on a plate, put the rolled up eggs/crepes next to them, top the pancakes with the figs and raspberry preserves.

Serve hot and enjoy.

A few things to note about this recipe -

- I was lucky enough to find a high-protein, low calorie pancake mix in the Whole Foods. If you can locate something like that, you'll be better off in terms of a healthy choice. I added the wheat germ and rolled oats to add some more fiber to this dish. You could also sub oat bran, or other higher fiber grains and put a little bit in the pancake mix.

- Limit the white sugar, and rasperry preserves. Just use a bit to carmelize the top of the figs.

- If you use a non-stick pan, there's no need for any butter or oil. Another way to keep this healthier.

- Use fresh ingredients, substitute egg beaters if you like, you can also use soy milk in place of milk, etc. Feel free to substitute similar ingredients in order to suit your needs. Have fun with it!

*healthy foodie*

Gridiron Grub Week 4: The Chewy

2007-09-27T17:21:00.000-04:00

There are a few readers out there who I know are lucky enough to be part of Rob's weekly cookie exploitation, I'm one of them. While I often engage in the cookie festivities, in the past couple of weeks, I have been remiss in my baking duties and have been relegated to licking the the spatula (my favorite part!). I have been trying to avoid taking a dive face first into the cookie jar, so I haven't been championing the cookie baking lately. The cookie baking went from one day a year to a weekly ritual during football season.

This past weekend, Rob was at it again. The fortunate few indulged grandly on Sunday night, leaving nothing but scraps. So for those of you waiting for the Monday afternoon cookies, well it will have to be next week. In the meantime, here's a chance to see behind the scenes.

One of my favorites, the Chewy:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 c. bread flour (all purpose works fine, you'll have a chewier crumb if you use bread flour)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 c. milk chocolate chips
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. (the microwave works too)

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl and add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed.

Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet.

Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes.

Eat immediately. :)

*k*

AAA

2007-09-25T20:45:00.000-04:00

And I don't mean triple A car service... This is kind of our forgotten place in Hoboken, Three A's Restaurant and Bar. We don't go there that often. I seem to remember that the last time I was there, I was not all that enamored with the selection on the menu. But when I wanted to get a big salad, we didn't know where to go, so we went here. You may ask, how do you go out to dinner and just get a big salad. Read on... I didn't get the big salad ;) Either they changed the menu since I was there, years ago now, or maybe they added a few things. Either way, there were lots of options.

Three A's changed hands a few times several years ago (ok, about a decade now... boy do I feel old) but has been Three A's for quite a while now. They have a bar area that is fairly wide open and caters to the martini crowd on weekends. The restaurant area is a cozy, romantic area with dim lighting, set in the back of the restaurant. I began with a Pinot Noir and paired it with a house salad and a dinner special - grilled tilapia with scallops and shrimp. I was waffling between that and the scallop rigatoni. My dish was fantastic!! And somehow, even after I ordered it, I wondered if I should have gotten the scallop rigatoni. The scallops were cooked to perfection in my dish but it only came with one and left me wanting more. I joked that I would have traded one of the filets for another scallop ;) Rob ordered a special too, the lobster ravioli, which was also very good. It was served in a clear sauce that had notes of citrus.

While the dessert menu looked decadent, we decided against it - trying to stay fit.

Another winner! Check it out.

flavorful rice

2007-09-21T12:30:00.000-04:00

This post ties in a few of the previous posts quite nicely - I used my pressure cooker, got rid of some of my rice, and continued my adventures with Indian cuisine. I can't get enough of it actually. I made vegetable biryani using a recipe reprinted from Recipe Delights. If you have been reading for any amount of time, you'll know that I had to make some tweaks to this recipe. Here's what I did:

Vegetable Biryani Recipe (makes about 10-12 servings)
2 c. Basmati rice or other medium grain white rice
3 small red potatoes
2 c. mixed vegetable (I used a frozen vegetable mix w/broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, squash)
1/2 c. french beans
1 c. green peas
1 medium vidalia onion, diced
2 serrano chili, diced
Salt to taste
1 tsp. Red chilli powder
2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. clove
1/2 tsp. Black pepper powder
1/2 c. plain fat free yogurt
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
3 tbsp. Dried fruit and nut mix (I mixed cashew pieces, raisins and dates)

Dice and cook the potatoes in a pressure cooker. Set aside.

Wash rice well before cooking. Then take rice with 3-3/4 cup water and a little salt added to it and 2 tbsp of dry fruits. Cook it in pressure cooker (wait for one whistle and then switch off the gas). You can also cook it in a pan or do microwave cooking just the same way as you cook ordinary rice.

Cut all the vegetables, except potatoes, into bite sized pieces and saute in a little bit of olive oil. When done, set aside.

Then fry mustard seeds, green chilli, cinnamon and caraway seeds powder, cloves, black pepper powder for about half minute and then add onions. Fry till the color of onion changes to pink.

Add salt and red chilli powder and stir it properly.

Next add yogurt and stir well.Heat it for about 10 seconds.

Add all the vegetables, including potatoes.

Lastly add the cooked rice and mix well with very light hands so that the rice grain doesn't break. Cook for about 3 minutes.

May be covered and kept in fridge for about 5 days.

I did a few things to refine the recipe to my tastes. First, I just about doubled the amount of vegetables in the recipe. I did this so that I would fill up more on the vegetables than on the rice. I also used plain fat free yogurt instead of full fat yogurt. No need to add extra calories. Last, I used less oil. Especially when you're sauting frozen vegetables, there is usually enough liquid in them so that you don't need to add much, if any, oil. You definitely need to add oil to cook the mustard seeds and chili and onions or else they will stick to the pan and get messy.

This is a great dish with a lot of nutrients and balanced food groups - cinnamon, chili pepper, black pepper, cloves, and mustard seeds show up on the healthiest foods list, as do many of the veggies like squash, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, onions, potatoes, broccoli, raisins, and even the yogurt.

Keep your portion sizes measured and enjoy this fulfilling and satisfying autumn dish.

*healthy foodie*

Gridiron Grub Week #3: Seven Places in Hoboken to Watch the Game

2007-09-20T23:05:00.000-04:00

Looking for a place to watch the game? Here are pros and cons of 7 places in Hoboken (in no particular order):

1. Hobsons - The best thing about this place is that it's located across the street from the PATH station, so if you come in on the train there is no walking halfway across town to get settled in to watch the games. There are TONS of TVs and NFL Sunday Ticket, so no matter where you sit, you'll be able to see every game. With the clearly marked signs on each TV way in advance of the games' start time, you'll be able to position yourself in front of the game you want to see. Get there crazy early if you want a seat though (before noon), Hobson's gets very crowded early on. The food menu is very limited before 3:30, so unless you want an omelet or a burger, eat before you get there.

2. Black Bear - Located on Washington Street, this bar is a short walk from the PATH train and close to a few parking decks. They have a full menu, a three giant projector screen TVs and a festive atmosphere. There is a lot of room with a downstairs bar area and separate restaurant area and an upstairs bar area. If you're lucky enough to be a woman and upstairs, you don't need to walk downstairs to use the bathroom like the guys do (yay - a plus for us!). The only problem is that there is an annoying DJ who is super loud during commercial breaks.

3. Liberty - On the plus side, the Liberty opens early and has a large circular bar with lots of room to sit around the bar as well as table seating and lots of TVs. The Liberty has a great menu, probably one of the best places for food on this list. I had the shrimp po' boy wrap one time and it was fantastic!! The down side is that if you're coming in on the PATH or live downtown, you either need to take a cab or make it a really long walk.

4. Shannon Lounge: Located on the halfway between Bloomfield and Washington on 1st, this bar is well within walking distance from the PATH. They have a great back room that is giant and has all the games. The only downside is that they don't open until after noon (around 12:30 maybe?) and you have to reserve a table ahead of time.

5. Texas Arizona: If you're a Steelers fan, this is the bar for you. 'nuff said.

6. Scotland Yard: If you're an Eagle's you MUST go here. Why? Because the more Eagles fans that go here, the less there will be clogging up the rest of the bars ;)

7. The Mystery Bar: You heard me, I'm not giving up the name of this bar. I'm afraid that if I do, it will be too crowded and lose its appeal. It has about 12 flat screen TVs, a great menu, cheerful wait staff, and a festive atmosphere that doesn't get too crowded. Sound perfect? Almost, which is why I'm keeping this one to myself.

*k*

zucchini bread I

2007-09-18T07:43:00.000-04:00

Zucchini bread is one of my all time favorite cake breads. I have a number of recipes and I constantly try new ones and tweak those to suit. This one is adapted from a Paula Deen recipe (I love Paula, but damn if she doesn't make the most caloric dishes there could be). I'll call this one Zucchini Bread I because I suspect that I'll be posting some other recipes.

Zucchini Bread I Recipe
3 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. brown sugar
1 c granulated sugar
1/2 c. apple sauce
1/2 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. water
2 c. grated zucchini
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 c. toasted pine nuts (because that is what I had, use walnuts or pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, apple sauce, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

Using some apple sauce in place of the oil helps to reduce the fat. I don't recommend a complete substitution for the fat though because then the muffins will be dry. Also, the original recipe called for 3 cups of granulated sugar. So if you like it a little sweeter, you can add in the extra sugar. I was trying to go light on the sugar though.

*healthy foodie*

faux-mosas

2007-09-17T21:31:00.000-04:00

Rob coined this name and I really like it actually. We made samosas the other weekend, except we tried to cut a few corners in order to speed up the time to prepare. The result - our American version of this famous Indian snack - fauxmosas :)

Samosa Recipe (makes about 6 to 10 depending on size)
3 medium roasting potatoes
1 1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
puff pastry thawed

Preheat the oven to 375.

Cut the potatoes into 1" chunks and boil them or cook them in a pressure cooker to speed up the cooking time. Once they are cooked, drain them, keeping some of the liquid so that they aren't too dry.

Keep them in a large saute pan over medium heat and add the cumin, garam masala and chili powder, salt and pepper. Using a potato masher, roughly mash the potatoes so that it forms a thick and chunky mashed potato consistency. Add the frozen peas and allow them to thaw in the mixture. This is now your filling. At this point, give it a little taste and add more of the spices if necessary to give it a flavor that you like.

Unwrap and unroll the thawed puff pastry dough and roll it out slightly to thin it out a little. Cut the puff pastry dough into about 3" x 6" rectangles. Place about 1 to 2 tbsp. of the filling (depending on the size of your square) and fold up the pastry dough around the filling into a square. Press the edges down firmly (you can wet your fingers slightly to help the dough stick) so that they will not separate when you cook them.

Place the samosas into the oven and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry has puffed and is golden brown.

Serve with green chutney.

Green Chutney Recipe
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 cup fresh mint
1 garlic clove
1 serrano chili pepper (less if you don't want it to be so spicy)
juice from 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree on high for several minutes until mixture is essentially liquefied. Chill for about an hour to let the flavors combine.

This is healthier than the traditional fried samosa because it's baked. So you can easily make these at home and save yourself a lot of calories and fat. Also, you can make this recipe a little more healthy by not using the puff pastry. While it works just fine in a pinch, it is a processed food and has quite a bit of fat in it due to all the butter. To make your own dough, use 1 cup of whole wheat flour (Chapati flour), 1/2 tbsp olive oil, and about 1/2 cup of water. Add the water a little bit at a time and mix until the dough forms a ball. Knead it out for a few minutes and then let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the gluten form. After at least 30 minutes, knead the dough for about 3 more minutes. Then roll it out into 1/8" thick, fill with the samosa filling and bake at 375 until golden brown.

*healthy foodie*

Venturing out

2007-09-16T17:22:00.000-04:00

Normally when I'm out and about town going out to eat or meeting up with friends, I stick with my familiar Essex and Hudson counties. So when a friend suggested a place up in Paramus, I was quick to accept, get out of my old routine and check out a different place. We went to Biagio's on Paramus Road not far from Garden State Plaza. I passed this restaurant a few weeks ago when we were playing golf at the Paramus Country Club (a great place to play by the way, very nicely kept course and wide fairways).

The bartenders at Biagio's were great, very friendly, joking and sparking up conversation with everyone at the bar. All of the TVs were set to sports, they had both the Yankee game and Met game in easy viewing distance. We ordered the pizza, which my friend said was fabulous, she didn't lie! I rarely take home leftovers from any restaurant and this morning that cold pizza is calling my name :) We also had the Caprese salad and it all tasted so fresh.

While this place is a little off my beaten path, I wouldn't hesitate to stop here after a round of golf or if I was doing my "jersey girl" thing at the mall.

*healthy foodie*

o-hi-o

2007-09-16T07:40:00.000-04:00

I was traipsing around Ohio earlier this week, well traipsing really isn't the right word. I flew in and flew out within a 24-hr period. Gotta love work. Anyhow, I was in Dayton for one night and in search of a suitable restaurant to meet our client's per diem and a fun place to get to relax a little bit, we headed out of the hotel in search of a restaurant.

Staying in downtown Dayton, we headed out of the hotel toward Dayton's historic Oregon District (yep, we're still in Ohio, haven't passed the Mississippi and into the Pacific Northwest). The Oregon District is a quaint little area a few blocks long that has lots of shops, restaurants, bars, and even a comedy club. We bypassed all of the, wooed by the lure of every traveler's staple - an Irish bar. Really, how could one go wrong with an Irish bar.

We stopped in the Dublin Pub, which I later found out is affectionately referred to as the DubPub. We walked in, and the 10 of us were seated quickly at a combination of round tables to fit all of us. While the seating arrangements weren't ideal, there was plenty of room and the waitress was quick to fill our pints. They have a large selection of beer, of course mostly Irish beer and the menu even explains the black and tan, the half and half, etc.

Then we got the menus that would be our novellas for the night. I'm not kidding. I wasn't sure where to start. I opened the menu and there was a paragraph for each appetizer, salad and entree. I guess if you have the time to read it all, sure. Despite the rather long menu, there were lots of options and things were easily substituted (cole slaw or salad for fries, etc.) and the food was simple and delicious. If you're ever in the sleep city of Dayton, give this one a try.

*healthy foodie*

Gridiron Grub Week #2: Mediterranean Munchies

2007-09-13T17:13:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you just get tired of the same old salsa and chips. You can mix it up and still have great munchies. Here are a few recipes and tips for setting out a Mediterranean themed brunch.

Hummus Recipe (chickpea dip)
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp tahini paste (available in most grocery stores)
1/4 c. of lemon juice (juice from about 2 lemons)
about 1/4 c. of water (more or less to make a good consistency for dipping)
salt and white pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend for several minutes until completely pureed. Chill for at least 1/2 hour before serving.

Baba Ganouj Recipe (eggplant dip)
1 medium eggplant
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp tahini paste
3 tablespoons fat free yogurt or ff sour cream
4 garlic cloves
½ tsp. chili pepper
1 tsp. tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut eggplant lengthwise and brush cut side lightly with 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking dish or baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. At the same time, put 4 garlic cloves in 1 tbsp. of oil in a covered baking cup. Roast garlic in the same oven as the eggplant for 45 minutes. Scoop out eggplant from the skin and put in food processor along with the roasted garlic and olive oil, yogurt, chili pepper, tarragon, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Chill for 90 minutes.

By taking it easy on the tahini in these two recipes, you end up keeping the nice mediterranean flavor but without the extra calories and fat. If you eliminate it all together, you won't get the same flavor, but I do it sometimes and it is still good.

Items to assemble to complete your Mediterranean Platter
Pita bread or flat bread cut into bite sized dipping pieces

veggies for dipping like baby carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, julienned squash, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets

kalamata olives

other fun items to serve - sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese crumbles, stuffed grape leaves

*k*

Gridiron Grub Week #1: A trio of salsa

2007-09-03T22:47:00.000-04:00

When you're watching the game, munchies are key. But over-do it and your pants don't fit on Monday. Each week I'll post one or a few [healthier] recipes good for lounging around watching the game. Since the first game is on Thursday, I figured that I better get moving - don't forget your picks!

This week's line up is a Tex-Mex theme with a trio of salsa recipes that you can serve with pita chips or baked tortilla chips. Try and make these at least an hour before game time so that the flavors have time to combine. All of these make a medium bowl full - make all three and you'll have enough for about 15 people.

Traditional Salsa Recipe
6 plum tomatoes
1 small onion, diced
about 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped (more or less to taste)
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (more or less to taste, use fresh, not jarred)
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice from one lime
hot sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut and remove the seeds from the tomatoes (the seeds will make this bitter). Dice the tomatoes and put them in a bowl, reserving about 1/2 cup of them. With a potato masher, mash up the tomatoes in the bowl for about 2 minutes. Place the rest of the tomatoes in the bowl.

2. Add the onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and lime juice and stir.

3. At this point, take a taste of the salsa and adjust it with salt, pepper and Tabasco (or another hot sauce) to taste. Chill for at least an hour. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Variation: This will give you a rustic and chunky type of salsa. If you want it a little bit smoother, then you'll have to break out the food processor. You can do everything pretty much the same, except put all of the ingredients in the food processor and use it in pulse mode to obtain your desired consistency.

Smokey Chipotle Salsa Recipe
6 plum tomatoes
1 small onion, diced
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (they come in a can, the small can has a few peppers in there, use more if you can take the heat), sauce drained
dash ground cumin (optional)
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
adobo sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut and remove the seeds from the tomatoes (the seeds will make this bitter). Dice the tomatoes and put them in a bowl, reserving about 1/2 cup of them. With a potato masher, mash up the tomatoes in the bowl for about 2 minutes. Place the rest of the tomatoes in the bowl.

2. Add the onion, chipotle, cumin, and cilantro.

3. Take a taste of the salsa and adjust it with salt, pepper, more adobo if needed, to taste. Chill for at least an hour. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

This next one might seem like it would be too sweet, but we have made this a few times and the combination of sweet and hot makes it hard to resist. Since plums won't be in season much longer, you'll have to make this one soon.

Mango Plum Salsa Recipe
4 plums pitted and chopped (try and find firm plums)
1 mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup scallions, sliced
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and chill for at least an hour. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

If you want to round out your menu, you might consider grilling some portobellos with large slices of onions and peppers (could also do steak and chicken) and serve with some tortilla roll-ups. Have some fixings on the side like diced tomatoes, lettuce, and salsa (ahem, above!). You can lay it out on a buffet and have people make their own.

Go Giants!

*k*

under pressure

2007-09-03T10:01:00.000-04:00

My hypothesis is that manufacturers are constantly trying to figure out what we don't have and then get us to buy it. In the past two or three years, I have begun to hear my friends talking about a few gadgets of old - pressure cookers and slow cookers. Today is the day I'm going to buy a pressure cooker. It drastically speeds up cooking time for things like beans, potatoes, other vegetables. It even works for meat, if you're into that sort of thing. ;)

The pressure cooker is essentially a physics experiment in action - if you ever wanted to prove Boyle's Law, here it is. Temperatures increase with increased pressure, volumes decrease. In the pressure cooker, as pressure increases, the liquid inside wil boil at a higher temperature thereby reducing cooking time to a few minutes for vegetables.

The pressure cooker also uses less energy to cook most foods (one point for green), is apparently more hygienic, and better retains the nutrients of your veggies - another plus. I'm not sure yet what my first meal in the pressure cooker will be, but rest assured, you'll be one of the first to know.

*healthy foodie*

bees and their honey

2007-09-02T15:16:00.000-04:00

I have been obsessed with reading about CCD - colony collapse disorder - since I first heard about the masses of bee populations dying off for reasons that are befuddling most scientists. I saw this article today on CNN Money, which is probably one of the most informative articles on this subject that I've found in a while.

First of all, to get everyone up to speed, Rob told me about this bee thing a few months ago. He mentioned that bees are dying off at unprecedented rates and that if they all go away, humans would have four years left on this planet. I immediately started researching this all over the web (because we all know if it's on the web it must be true....), and decided that I better start stockpiling. My friends all thought I was crazy when I went out and purchased a 20 lb. bag of rice. Maybe I was and it's definitely going to take me about 10 years to eat it all (even though I make a lot of rice, I don't always post the recipe. Maybe I should and you'll see how much rice I actually have!). Upon further research, I realized that just like Albert Einstein who hypothesized that man would have 4 years left, I was probably taking an alarmist attitude by stockpiling canned goods and sustenance food.

While my worries about humans becoming extinct in my lifetime have subsided, this article solidifies my worry about the fate of our fruit and vegetable crop. Hence, one of the reasons I started my own vegetable garden this year. This article brought to light a few things:

- I had no idea that bee colonies are transported from coast to coast seasonally to assist with the growing seasons of various crops. This seems utterly ridiculous to me. In fact, it's almost as ludicrous as buying an apple that has been hauled from New Zealand. It seems like there would be local beekeepers, but I guess because of the trouble in keeping hives vibrant, many local beekeepers have retired.

- I worry about the crops most at risk, like cherries, oranges, carrots, broccoli, blueberries, onions, garlic, soybeans, apples and almonds. Even if the population of bees diminishes significantly, the price for these staples will become cost prohibitive for many of us to afford. No more blueberry pancakes? *sniff*

- One theory is that the pesticides used on staple crops, like corn and soybeans, may be a cause of the bee die-off. Even if it's not, I suspect that many other things suffer from our over zealous use of pesticides (including our water supply, a post for another day).

- Lastly, I understand that the world has lots of problems, but we continue to subsidize corn and soybean harvesters (whose prime use, by the way, is to feed cattle, not humans), and do not provide any funds to determine what is killing the bees. Sure, we'll have high fructose corn syrup, twinkies and rice, but what about all the other nutritional sources required for our dietary needs.

I'm quite certain that I won't be solving the world's problems with this post, and I'm not even sure what I can do about it. I'm not worried that the bees will become extinct any time soon. I'm also not worried that humans will disappear four years after bees do. But I do worry about the affordability of nutrition, and the not so subtle side effects, like heart disease and diabetes, that will occur from opting for cheaper and, most certainly, less nutrient rich foods.

I'm off to eat a [locally grown] apple.

*healthy foodie*

the mysterious souffle

2007-09-02T11:11:00.000-04:00

I saw an Alton Brown show recently that focused on souffles. I usually only make eggs on weekends, and having just saw this show, I thought it would be appropriate to try my hand at the mysterious dish. After creating a whirlwind through the kitchen, this is what I ended up with.

Bruschetta Souffle Recipe

a basic souffle recipe

1/2 cup havarti habenaro cheese

leftover brushetta, drained

To the roux, I added cheese and brushetta. Fold the roux into the egg whiles and bake according to the basic recipe.

I had some trouble with the folding technique. It seems easy enough, and I've done it before with cake mix, muffins, etc. For some reason it felt like the egg whites were much much lighter than the roux and I was having a hard time getting them to combine. Well, this came out pretty good but I definitely need some practice.

*k*

bundt cake madness

2007-09-01T21:02:00.000-04:00

I told you that there would be photos of bundt cakes in the near future. Here it is. I have made 3 bundt cakes in as many days. Two for friends who needed comfort food (hence the other comfort food post) and one for an anniversary party. These things aren't too healthy, but they make great gifts. I have modified this recipe to make a chocolate, pistachio and strawberry bundt. Here they are:

Bundt Cake using boxed Cake Mix Recipe - Chocolate
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 package chocolate pudding
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips

Frosting - optional
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl, except for the chocolate chips. Beat on low until just combined. Then switch speeds to high and beat on high for about 3 to 4 minutes, until smooth. Pour batter into bundt cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until wooden skewer comes out smooth.

Frosting: Wait until cake is cooled. Melt butter and chocolate chips together. While still liquid, brush over the bundt cake.

Pistachio Cake Recipe
Replace chocolate cake mix with yellow or white cake mix
Replace chocolate pudding with pistachio pudding
eliminate chocolate chips, add pistachios (optional)

Strawberry Cake Recipe
Replace chocolate cake mix with strawberry cake mix
Replace chocolate pudding with vanilla pudding
eliminate chocolate chips, add chopped strawberries (optional)
2 cups chopped strawberries
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp white sugar

Place strawberries, vinegar and sugar in a bowl and toss together. Let the mixture chill for at least 2 hours. Spoon over cake.

To make this slightly more healthy:
Use low fat or fat free sour cream
Use sugar free pudding
substitute apple juice for the oil (but cake won't be as light)

Have fun with it - use lemon cake with lemon pudding, or vanilla cake with chocolate chips. There are so many variations of this.

crepes and courts

2007-09-01T09:07:00.000-04:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the US Open yesterday. If I have not already, I'm quickly turning into a sports fanatic. I like to play and to watch and it almost doesn't matter which sport it is, if I'm watching it in person, I'm into it. Yesterday was a great day to be at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Long Island. It was a little overcast, not too hot, and there were lots of juicy matches. Granted, I'm not completely familiar with many of the entrants, but the competition, endurance and determination is contagious. The highlight match of my day was watching first time US Open entrant, France's Alize Cornet (96) give Serbia's Jelena Jankovic (3) a run for her money. Of course, with a number 3 ranked athlete playing a number 96 ranked athlete, I thought this match was going to be a no brainer. Maybe Jelena did too. Alize quickly won the fans over with her smile and sheer determination. At one point, she looked to be feeling burned out and the crowd exploded into an uplifting cheer. Alize pumped her fists, gave a quick smile and looked to say to herself "yes, I can do this." However determined Alize was, it wasn't enough to get past the number 3 seed. After 3 sets of trading wins, Jelena pulled out the win.

Even though I ate before I went, it was a long day (we were there from 11 until 7!). I definitely got hungry sometime around the middle of the afternoon. We walked through the food court and I must say there were a TON of options. Many more than I would have imagined. They had the traditional ball park fare like hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken fingers. They had Italian specialties like pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, and pasta primavera. They had Japanese fare like soba noodles and sushi. They had sweet and savory crepes wrapped smartly in a carrying container for toting around the park. This list goes on. I opted for an 8-piece California roll and a giant bottle of water - the total came to $14.25. Sure, it's expensive but it's on par with NYC stadium food prices. In the food court, if you're smart about picking your seat, you can get a great view of any one of several giant screen TVs airing the matches from Louis Armstrong Stadium or Arthur Ashe stadium on the parks grounds.

We had a great day, and we'll be back on Sunday for a center court match - that should be fun!

*k*

beware of pick pockets and loose women

2007-08-31T21:47:00.000-04:00

I love this restaurant, Oddfellows, in Hoboken. Rob and I had our first date there, so it's always somewhat nostalgic. Their cornbread is out of this world! It's a very casual atmosphere with lots of beer selection, bar games (pool and darts), indoor, street-side and garden seating, pleasant wait staff, great food and reasonable prices. Every time I go there, I wonder why we don't go there more. It is a Louisiana kitchen with lots of comfort food like crab cakes, jambalaya, po' boys, mac 'n cheese, collard greens and other goodies. With any dinner, you have a choice of two sides.

It was such a nice night that we decided to sit outside in the garden / plaza area. In the spirit of being the healthy foodie, I opted for a grilled seafood platter over a tomato basil sauce with sauteed spinach and button mushrooms. My dish was great. It came with shrimp, scallops and seared tuna. The tuna and scallops were done to perfection, the shrimp were a little overdone but nothing to sneer at. Rob ordered the chicken and andouille sausage jambalaya. He thought it could have had a little more heat (he's also a "pass the fire extinguisher" kind of guy), but the Tabasco and Cajun seasoning that come on every table were enough to sate him.

The decor of the restaurant is thoroughly Louisianan with traditional New Orleans pictures, trinkets and signs. In fact, that is where the title of this post comes from. Definitely an oldie but goodie - we'll be back.

Comfort food

2007-08-30T22:01:00.000-04:00

sometimes you just need comfort food. The dilemma is not feeling guilty afterward. We went to Leo's Grandevous on Grand Ave in Hoboken. This restaurant is an old favorite, although we don't go there all that much. It has a very traditional menu, veal parm, chicken murphy, all that great home style Italian food. When we went there tonight, it was really busy - so busy that we didn't get a seat, we sat at the bar instead. The hostess was prompt in offering us a spot other than in the restaurant area and said we could wait there and have a drink or just eat there. It was quieter than the dining room, so we stayed at the bar. I ordered eggplant parm and received a side of pasta with it. Leo has the best marinara sauce ever. Not too sweet, not too runny, not too thick. The eggplant was cooked to perfection, maybe a little more mozzarella than I would have wanted, but overall it was a fine meal. The restaurant is currently under renovation, so if that's going to annoy you, you probably want to avoid it for a little while until the repairs are complete. There's not too much I can say about the decor - it's more like my grandmother's house than the hip bar downtown. But sometimes a casual, low key place is what I'm looking for. You should check this one out.

*k*

remember that giant zucchini?

2007-08-29T23:10:00.000-04:00

I tried my hand at the thai curry again, this time worked a little better.

Thai Curry Zucchini Recipe (4 servings)
1 giant zucchini (a medium or two small would work too)
2 plum tomatoes
1 small can bamboo shoots
1 can coconut milk
2 tsp. red curry paste
1 red chili
salt and pepper to taste
tbsp. olive oil
cooked white jasmine rice

1. Cut the zucchini into bite size pieces and saute in olive oil until browned.
2. Meanwhile, put the can of lite coconut milk in a sauce pan , add curry and chili until the curry paste is dissolved.
3. Add the bamboo shoots to the zucchini and then the coconut milk mixture.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve over white rice.

*enjoy*
photos soon

*healthy foodie*

fat free bruschetta

2007-08-28T16:58:00.000-04:00

oh so many tomatoes.... this easy recipe will get rid of a few :)

Fat Free Bruschetta Recipe (about 4)
3 tomatoes, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced or through a garlic press
1 clove of garlic, sliced lengthwise
about 1/4 cup basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
A loaf of long Italian bread, sliced into rounds (the one that looks like a baguette)

Add all ingredients to a bowl, except for bread and 1 clove of garlic. Chill for at least 1 hour. It tastes better if you allow the flavors to combine together in the fridge for an hour or so. When you are ready to serve, slice the Italian bread, rub the sliced garlic clove on the bread and then toast it for a couple minutes until it is barely golden.

Serve the bruschetta atop the toasted bread.

*healthy foodie*

you're just going to have to look at this one....

2007-08-28T07:32:00.001-04:00

I've never seen a zucchini this large in my life. The photo doesn't do it justice. I might even consider entering it in the state fair. Is there anyone else out there who thinks a zucchini nearly 2-ft long is kind of crazy?

*healthy foodie*

a taste of india

2007-08-27T19:35:00.000-04:00

Over in Jersey City, Newark Avenue between Kennedy Boulevard and Tonnelle Avenue is called Little India. A two block stretch of restaurants, take out, groceries, markets, jewelers, and other shops that cater primarily to the Indian culture. I thought it would be fun to go there for dinner, because I had hoped that it would somehow be more traditional than some of the places that we usually go to. Sometimes I think that the restaurants that are located in retail / commercial areas with lots of other restaurants, maybe trendy or hip areas, tend to be more Americanized. Who knows.. anyway, I felt like getting some Indian food and damn if we didn't find some good food!

The restaurant was called Indian Village (the sign said IVillage), on the corner of Newark and Kennedy Boulevard. This is one of the sit down restaurants in the area and a little more upscale (though it was definitely a bargain). There are a lot of take out places in this area, but we felt more comfortable going to a sit down place. The outside was nice and upon entering, the spicy aroma immediately made my mouth water. We were seated promptly, as there were not that many people there when we were there. It was early on a Sunday evening, not a prime night to eat out. We ordered the Village Chat and Spinach Pakora as the appetizer. Rob told me that he thought my pakora might be better. I'm a bit surprised by that piece of information since I've only made it once! The Chat was very good, some crispies topped with potato, yogurt and tamarind sauce.

Whenever I go out for Indian food, I try and be careful about what I order because it could be lots of calories, fat and sodium. I stay away from paneer, even though it's oh so good. I also stay away from cream or butter sauces and try and stick with things either in a tomato based sauce or a spinach sauce. I ordered Alu Gobi Palak for dinner - potatoes, cauliflower and spinach. It was awesome! I ate it all. I'm paying for it today.

I always feel lucky to live in this area where you can basically get any type of food you want, almost any time of the day. This was a great find. We'll be going back there to try out some other restaurants.

*healthyfoodie*

freecycling is the [new] recycling

2007-08-27T17:39:00.000-04:00

It's not really all that new, but while I have been part of their group for some time now, I never had the opportunity to participate. Until now, that is. Freecycle is basically a group of Yahoo groups, all over the country (and maybe farther and wider than that), where you can post:

OFFER - to get rid of your stuff
TAKEN - to announce that you have taken someones offer
WANTED - to request something
RECEIVED - to announce that someone has given you your item

People are posting constantly. I see many things that people want to get rid of, like baby furniture, clothes, electronics, I even saw a car one time. More often than not, there are plenty of folks out there looking to pick up that old junk - you know the line, one man's trash is another's treasure.

Over the weekend, I was looking at bundt pans. I have been wanting one for a while, but not when I saw the price. Granted, I was in William Sonoma where you can't get out of there without spending at least $20 on a coffee cup. I figured there was someone out there who had one they wanted to get rid of and I was hoping for a cake plate as well. So off I went to the freecycle board, posted, received and picked up - all within a six hour time frame. And the pan was brand new in the box to boot. INSANE and wonderful all at the same time.

The next time you're thinking of throwing something in the trash, because you don't feel like driving it down to the Good Will or Salvation Army, put up a quick post. Who knows, maybe you'll be surprised. Similarly, next time you're thinking about buying something that could easily be a second-hand item, try it out. If you take this simple step you too can be part of the thousands of people trying to keep all those things that aren't trash out of our landfills. It may seem like one man can't move a mountain, but collectively we can make a difference and become part of the climate change solution!

Oh, and don't be surprised if you see a few photos of a bundt cake sometime soon.

*k*

103?!?

2007-08-27T08:53:00.000-04:00

I found this life expectancy calculator, and it told me that I'm going to live until 103. I guess we all think about how much longer we have in this world, but I never took a test to tell me how much longer it would be. Of course, there are a bunch of disclaimers and I could easily get hit by a car tomorrow (did I just jinx myself?), or contract some ridiculous disease. While it's great to think about living to 103 in the abstract, it means I have 67 more years to tool around this earth, provided we still have an earth. It makes me reflect on what the world was like 30 years ago, what it might be like 30 years from now and how I might fit into all of that as a little old lady. Well, maybe not little, more like Bea Arthur from the Golden Girls - keep laughing, I'll see you at 103 ;)

Living to 103 means:
- at least another 50 years of work (ugh!)
- another 24,455 blog entries (I'm not sure I have that many recipes)
- seeing Lindsay Lohan get arrested for DUI at least 5 more times
- watching the Yankees win another 17 World Championships

It all means nothing unless I keep exercising 5 days a week, eating fruits and veggies for my snacks, don't gain any weight, and don't get hit by a train while text messaging.

*healthyfoodie*

wii workouts

2007-08-26T19:54:00.000-04:00

I found this article on wii workouts and I just had to laugh to myself. Don't get me wrong, it's a great idea. When Rob first got his wii, I told him it wouldn't be long before wii came out with workout games. So the other day, I stopped over Rob's house for a little while to wait for him to get home. I turned on the wii and played about an hour of tennis (my favorite wii sport, I've been trying to get to pro status) and boxing. The next day, I was so incredibly sore. My arms were killing me, my abs hurt. It was kind of funny, but at least I felt like I went to the gym and it's way more fun than Turbo Jam or Denise Austin.

*healthyfoodie*

I am a tartlette

2007-08-26T16:49:00.000-04:00

Well, it's true. I do goofy stuff all the time and when I get into something, I really get into it. I'm pretty psyched about this recipe today and I hope you are too. It's definitely something to do on a Sunday morning though, because who has time to do this on any other day.
You can make the pastry dough ahead of time, bake it until it's almost done and then chill or freeze it until you are ready to use. I made the crusts yesterday, when I had some time, and then did the rest this morning.

Tart Crust Recipe (makes enough for 4 tarts)
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp. plain fat free yogurt
1 tbsp. crumbled goat cheese
1 tbsp. olive oil
about 3 tbsp. ice water

Preheat oven to 375.

The easiest way that I have found to do this is in a food processor. Put everything in the food processor except for the ice water. Pulse it until it starts to form pea sized balls. Then slowly add the water one tablespoon at a time through the food processor feed tube. You probably won't need all of the water. Keep pulsing the food processor until a soft ball forms. Then the dough is done.

Roll the dough into a lag between your hand and cut it into four equal pieces. Shape it into a disc and lay it on a floured work surface. Roll each of the discs out into a circular round that is about 1 inch bigger than the diameter of the tart pan.

Place the crust into the tart pan. Take the excess dough and fold it down along the edge of the crust around rim of the tart pan (but not over the rim, otherwise you won't be able to get the tart out of the pan). Basically, you want to make the edges of the crust a little thicker than the bottom so that it will hold nicely when you take it out.

Fill each tart with either pie baking beads, or rice (I use rice since I don't have the beads). This will keep the crust from rising. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Tomato, Onion and Goat Cheese Tart Recipe
Basic Tart Crust (above)
4 eggs
1/4 c. skim milk
4 thinly sliced rounds of vidalia onion
1/4 c. diced onion
1 tsp. herbs de Provence
4 tsp. crumbled goat cheese
4 thinly sliced rounds of tomato
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.

In a medium bowl, crack the 4 eggs and add the milk and chopped onion. Whisk until blended. Season with salt, pepper and herbs de Provence.

Remove the seeds from the tomato, and dry the tomato between a few paper towels. If you don't do this step, the tomato will be too wet for the tart.

Put the thinly sliced onion round in the bottom of each tart pan. Then fill with the egg mixture (careful not to over fill - you'll probably have some left over egg mixture, depending on how deep your tart pans are).

Then place one tomato on each tart and sprinkle with goat cheese.

Place the tart pans on a cookie sheet, to avoid any overflow from making a mess in your oven. Bake at 375 for about 30-35 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes and then remove the tarts from the tart pans.

Enjoy!

date nut pumpkin muffins

2007-08-25T12:23:00.001-04:00

I was praying that this recipe was going to come out ok when I put it in the oven. But rest assured, the recipe worked. It's a good thing Rob wasn't here, because he doesn't like when I experiment with the recipe before trying it first ;) I limited the amount of sugar in this recipe, because with the dates and applesauce, there is enough sweetness. If you would like the muffin part of it to be sweeter, you can add about a 1/4 cup more sugar.

Date Nut Pumpkin Muffin Recipe (6 muffins)
1 scoop vanilla whey powder
2 tbsp wheat germ
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch ginger
pinch salt
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp applesauce
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped dried dates
1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds (reserve 1 tbsp)

Preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Do not over mix, you only need to make sure the ingredients are combined - no need to break out the electric mixer. Divide into 6 muffins in a muffin pan. Sprinkle the remaining pumpkin seeds on top of the muffins. Bake for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Here is some nutritional content information
Healthy Foodie Pumpkin Muffins: 200 calories, 9 g. protein, 7 g. fat, 22 g. carbs, 4 g. fiber
Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins: 470 calories, 6 g. protein, 24 g. fat, 60 g. carbs, 1 g. fiber

Panera Pumpkin Muffins: 590 calories, 7 g. protein, 13 g. fat, 93 g. carbs, 1 g. fiber

Which one will you choose?

*k*

friday night happy hour

2007-08-25T10:14:00.000-04:00

Friday nights are made for happy hour, and that's why we went to The Office. No, not the office at work, The Office in Montclair. It's not the hippest place in town, but we just wanted a low-key bar to watch the Yankee game. They have a few flat screen tv's which are easily seen from the circular bar. The bar tenders are up beat, but a little negligent. I like a bar tender that sees an empty beer and offers your a new one. Not one that I have to flag down, each and every time. The Office is not a place I think of when I want to go get some food, but I have to admit, their thin crust Margherita pizza, topped with sliced tomato and basil, was pretty darn good!

So after a few beers, some pizza and a four hour rain delay in the Yankee game, we left. I guess that was a good thing, because they actually did end up playing that game and I hate watching my boys lose in public. I would probably go back there again, if not for the tv screens, the pizza.

*k*

the good 'ole jersey shore

2007-08-25T08:16:00.000-04:00

I hate to start off with a little bit of a gripe, but this one has been eating at me. Not sure if you remember last weekend at all, but it was a little chilly. Quite chilly, actually, especially for a summer morning. When I woke up on Saturday, it was a brisk 55 degrees. We were scheduled to play a volleyball tournament at Point Pleasant. So, I got myself together and left the house in warm yoga pants and a fleece sweatshirt. I arrive at Point Pleasant at around 8 am, and pull into the parking area at the north end of the boardwalk. The sign said $18, which seemed very steep to me. I think I remember it being more like $10 or $12. So, I politely asked the young man if the prices had gone up. He let me know that depending on the day, the price varies. If it's going to be a nice beach day, the price gets very high and if it's not going to be such a nice day, the price comes down. I guess this is simple economics - supply and demand, set the price point based on the maximizing profits, etc., etc. But, I couldn't help but be annoyed at what seemed to me, to be an exorbitant parking fee.

Of course, I really had no other choice but to pay it. While it was a crisp, clear day, it ended up being a marginal beach day because of how chilly it was. Until 2 pm, it was way to cold to be on the beach without having a sweatshirt. Lucky for me, I was running around in the sand, so I wasn't too cold most of the time. The good news is that the beach is always a great place to hang out in a very relaxed atmosphere, despite the high parking fee, and here are some great pics of the Jersey shore.

*k*

mango mango

2007-08-24T23:13:00.000-04:00

quite possibly the best fruit on earth - the mango. You can add it to savory dishes, sweet dishes, or enjoy it solo. I made this one a while back when we had an impromptu picnic, which I found here. This was a great recipe, and it actually travelled well too. We packed up some containers of food, a bottle of wine and a camera and headed out to the waterfront. We spent the evening enjoying being outside and a great view of Manhattan. Next time you think there is nothing to do, you don't need to look too far.

surprise at the gym

2007-08-24T17:52:00.000-04:00

After abs class the other night, I walked down to where cardio kickboxing was going to take place. Imagine my surprise when I saw the group huddled around mats, weights, jump ropes and cards with numbers on them laid out across the floor. I thought for a moment that I was in the wrong class, but the instructor advised that this indeed was supposed to be cardio kickboxing, but that the instructor was not able to teach the class that night. Instead, we would be doing a circuit training workout.

I have been exercising for a long time, ever since I was a child really, and while the thought did appeal to me, I have never done circuit training. A few people left when they heard what was in store. I wasn't thrilled to hear about the change in class, but I was game - I was there to work out after all and I enjoy this instructor's classes. She explained that we would be going through 12 stations, for 2 minutes at each station. The stations included things like - lunges, bicep curls, push ups, tricep kickbacks, jump rope, squats, jumping jacks, etc. Hmmm... I thought, two minutes on each one doesn't seem so bad. But the instructor assured us that we would be feeling it by the 3rd station.

Boy was she right! And evil too... who puts push ups after tricep curls and shoulder raises. My arms were killing me by that point :) I was pretty psyched that I kept up a good clip on the jump rope for 2 minutes. By the end of it all, I was a dripping mess and thinking that it was the best class I have ever taken. I hope they offer it again!

I did some researching and it seems like you can burn upwards of 600 calories per hour during circuit training. I certainly felt like it, and not only that but you gain the benefits of both a cardio workout and a strength training workout. There is a circuit room in my gym, but I was always a little nervous about going in there because I wasn't really sure what I was doing. Armed with this knowledge, I hope I can tailor something for myself, because this was an absolute fabulous workout! If you're interested in learning more, check out this WebMd website.

*k*

gridiron grub

2007-08-24T07:30:00.000-04:00

Pre-season is well underway and the holiest day of the football season is just around the corner. What goes better with the football season than eating, drinking and being merry. Whether it's chips and salsa or a gourmet spread, take-out or going out, buds or micro-brews - this is your spot for ideas on what to do for Sunday football. My plan is to post Gridiron Grub on Wednesdays and / or Thursdays each week with great food ideas as well as some healthy alternatives. Stay tuned!

*k*

garden grab bag

2007-08-23T21:25:00.000-04:00

Over the past few weeks, I have been trading vegetables with various folks who also have gardens. I have somehow stumbled into this world of growing and trading fruits and vegetables, a culture that I was never aware of until now. Finally, I'm able to offer more than the various ways I try and keep the weeds from strangling my lilies. It's an interesting culture, this fruit and vegetable trade and barter system. I can even see how this may have started in ancient civilizations and grew into a huge system of trading. But now, we go to the supermarket to buy all kinds of items, including the ones we can easily and inexpensively grow ourselves.

About trading vegetables - I grow cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, two kinds of hot peppers, mint, parsley and basil. I have traded for cucumbers, corn, onions, lettuce, and beefsteak tomatoes. With a little investment of time, I feel like I can get a few more folks together and basically start a mini vegetable co-op. I mean, how many cherry tomatoes can I possibly eat? (I'll let you know at the end of the growing season - right now I'm averaging about 20 a day) ;)

I'm sure people already do this - I imagine it like a book club. You meet up, have some coffee, discuss a book and walk away with a bag full of vegetables. And by doing so, you can probably save the time of at least one trip a week to the grocery store, a few bucks on your grocery bill, a few pounds along your waistline, and a few points on your carbon footprint.

the what's in my garden salad recipe

2007-08-23T20:27:00.000-04:00

I have been acquiring lots of vegetables lately, which I will post about shortly, and I've been coming up with salad after salad and thought now would be a good time to share. Since this is all about whatever is in your garden, please substitute, well, whatever is in your garden of course!

The Whatever is in My Garden Recipe - about 4 servings

2 small cucumbers

1 ear of corn

lots of cherry tomatoes

some carrots

1 tsp. olive oil

a few basil leaves

1 tbsp. goat cheese (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Slice the cucumbers lengthwise into quarters, and then into quarter rounds. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Dice the carrots.

2. If your corn is sweet and juicy enough to eat off the cob w/o cooking, then go ahead. Otherwise boil it for a few minutes. Stand the ear of corn on end and slice downward along the kernels to separate from the cob.

3. Toss all ingredients together with the olive oil, chopped basil, and salt and pepper. Put in serving bowls and sprinkle with goat cheese (optional).

This no-cook, straight from the garden, crunchy salad is a great way to eat all those vegetables while maintaining their nutrients in their original form (i.e. no cooking, no heating, no destruction of nutrients).

enjoy!

save your leftovers for tomorrow's lunch

2007-08-21T21:40:00.000-04:00

I don't always list the number of servings that a recipe makes and I realize that it can be hard to determine how much to actually make whether you are cooking for 1, 2 or a family of 4. I sometimes forget most people probably are not cooking for 1. In that regard, I will be more diligent in posting the approximate number of servings.

I find that if I can remember to maintain an appropriate portion size, I do much better in maintaining a lifestyle in which I do not overindulge. Since I generally cook for one (unless I have commandeered Rob's kitchen to cook a weekend dinner), I need to do a little bit of planning so that I don't end up wasting a lot of food. I think about what kind of week I have coming up - will I be able to bring my lunch to work each day or do I have meetings out of the office? am I going to feel like eating this for dinner for the next 3-days? etc. If I find that I'll need a few planned meals during the week, I'll plan to cook up one big meal that I can eat for a few days.

As I am putting it together, I'm secretly keeping track of approximately how many portions I am making. For example, if I start with a cup of rice, I know immediately that I have at least 4 servings. Add in another several cups of vegetables and I'm up to 6 servings, etc. Before I take the portion I'm going to eat for dinner, I break out each serving and put it in reusable containers. Then, I usually put it in the fridge so that I can easily grab one in the morning before work. Sometimes, if I think it will spoil before I get a chance to eat all the portions, I'll put a couple in the freezer. I try to avoid the freezer though, because many times I conveniently forget that it's in there and cook up yet another big meal (it's been known to happen, sometimes I get carried away).

I find this to be a good way for me to measure out what I'm doing for food and I don't really have to calorie count too much. Now, if you have a big family or want more leftovers, just scale the recipes up to suit your needs. Conversely, if you don't want to eat the same dinner for three nights, feel free to scale it down. If you think this is way to organized, maybe you're right. But it's not all that difficult and it's only once or twice a week? Besides, I definitely feel better knowing what I'm eating and it's easier to stay on the healthy track.

thai eggplant curry over coconut rice

2007-08-21T17:20:00.000-04:00

I haven't experimented much with cooking Thai cuisine, not because I don't like it. I guess I just never had the right ingredients or the wasn't in the mood. But tonight was the night. I had been thinking about this since I went food shopping yesterday and picked up some eggplant. This is really as simple as braised vegetables over rice. I have broken it into two recipes, both full of healthy goodness.

Thai Eggplant Curry Recipe
1 medium eggplant, cut into rounds and quartered
1/2 vidalia onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 c. crimini mushrooms, cut into thick slices
1 package Thai baked tofu
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 c. lite coconut milk
1 c. water
salt and pepper to taste
few basil leaves

1. Preheat oven to 400. Heat olive oil in dutch oven (or large roasting pan) over medium-high heat. Add onion.

2. While onion is browning, cut up the mushrooms and add them to the pan along with some salt.

3. While the onions and mushrooms are cooking, chop the garlic and then add them to the pan.

4. While the onions, mushrooms and garlic are cooking (see where this is going??), chop up the eggplant and put that in the pan.

5. While the onions, mushrooms, garlic and eggplant are cooking, chop up the tofu and add that to the pan.

6. Let the entire mixture brown for about 5 minutes until nicely browned.

7. Add the coconut milk, water, chili powder and curry and remove pan from heat. Put a cover on your pan or dutch oven and put it in the oven for 25 minutes.

8. Once done, remove from oven, add a few basil leaves and replace cover for 5 minutes.

9. Serve over coconut rice (recipe below).

Coconut Rice Recipe

1 tsp. olive oil
1 c. white or brown rice
1/2 c. lite coconut milk
1 c. water
1/4 c. unsweetened coconut
salt and white pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add rice and saute for about 3 minutes.

2. Add coconut milk, water, coconut, salt and pepper.

3. Cover and bring to a boil.

4. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed.

5. Let stand 5-minutes. Fluff with fork.

Mushrooms, eggplant, onions, basil all show up on the World's Healthiest Foods list. With this recipe, you'll also get at least 2 servings of vegetables in for the day, well on your way to meeting the recommended daily 3 to 5 servings. Make sure you use the "lite" coconut milk - it has about 40 calories per serving compared with more than 100 for the regular, or double that for the coconut cream. If you make both the eggplant and the rice, you'll need one can of the coconut milk. Also, take it easy on the olive oil to save a few more calories. Especially in the sauteing part. Since the mushrooms and onions release their own juices, you'll only need a little bit of oil - 1 tbsp is generous. One last calorie saving idea - portion the veggies to rice by 2 to 1 (i.e. 2 parts veggies to 1 part rice).

Enjoy!

*k*

top ten ways to eat healthy at the stadium

2007-08-20T20:59:00.000-04:00

I end up going to about 30 baseball games a summer (Go Yankees!). Combine that with random other sporting events and that averages out to at least a game or two a week. Eating at the ballpark every time can leave you feeling full, bloated, and downright weighted down. But there are ways to keep it healthy(ier) and still enjoy the game. Here are a few:

10. You need dinner - bring your own homemade dinner! I know it sounds corny, I mean who eats a bowl of rice and veggies at the ball park. You're looking at her. And yes, I feel like I get some odd looks. But in the end, who cares about that.

9. Number 10 doesn't appeal to you - buy Subway. Jared did it, and so can you. Forget the empty calories - mayo, chips, cookies. Stick with the basics - whole wheat, veggies, (meat for you carnivores), they even sell raisins.

8. You have a sweet tooth - bring some in-season fruit. Right now, nectarines, plums, peaches are all in season and ridiculously sweet. Forget the candy - eat nature's candy. Plus, does anyone really get 5 servings of fruit in a day. Probably not, but maybe you can get at least one here.

7. You like to crunch - if you like a crunch and must buy something at the ballpark, go for the peanuts. But watch your portions - that little bag has 7 servings in it (yes, 7... and yes, I can also eat the entire bag). Sure, it is high in fat, but if you stick to the portion size, it's the kind of fat that is good for you - unsaturated and from a whole food. Better yet, bring your own and measure out a portion.

6. You're a grazer - Maybe you don't eat much, but you like to have something to munch on throughout the entire game. Get some popcorn - or better yet, air pop your own, add a spritz or two of butter spray and a little salt. You get a nice flavor, and don't have to pay $6.50 for 50 cents worth of popcorn.

5. You're a sweet-tooth-grazer - Cherries, grapes, strawberries, sweet little bites that you can graze on for the entire game. My favorite are cherries.

4. You didn't bring any food and you don't want stadium food - Chew gum. Sometimes you're not even that hungry, but you just want to keep busy. This is basically a calorie free way to keep yourself busy until after the game, when you can get some dinner.

3. If it's just not a game without a munchie... go with a stadium sandwich. Avoid anything fried. Even a slice of pizza is better than a cheese fries.

2. You want a frozen treat - opt for the lemon ice instead of the ice cream. While it's probably close to the same calories, there is no fat or cholesterol in the lemon ice. And for some reason on a hot day, the citrus always seems more refreshing than a dairy product.

And my No. 1. You need to keep yourself busy, all the time - sunflower seeds. According to David's sunflower seeds, they are "snacktivities." That alone cracks me up. One bag has two servings. It took me until the end of July (about 25 games) to finish one bag. I'm on my second bag now - I hope the Yankees make the playoffs, otherwise I think these seeds might be stale by next April.

*k*

hey lurkers!

2007-08-19T10:47:00.001-04:00

I want to hear your vote!

*k*

a stick to your bones, last until lunch breakfast

2007-08-19T10:33:00.000-04:00

I don't have a photo of this one, because it's oatmeal. While it tastes good, it's like me - doesn't photograph well. Lots of times, I think people think that they don't have time to make breakfast and so they grab a bagel or a muffin. They taste good, but they are loaded with simple carbs, calories and in the case of muffins, sugar, and fat. Who wants to start their day like that. Try this quick way to have a healthy, whole food, delicious breakfast. Start your day off with a stick to your bones, last until lunch breakfast.

Tropical Oatmeal Recipe
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 banana
1/4 c. sweetened coconut
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. skim milk (or soy milk)

In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Watch the microwave so that it doesn't boil over. Let stand 3 minutes. Add more liquid if too thick. Eat immediately.

Modification: Old fashioned (also called rolled oats) are less processed and I usually prefer to use them. However, they need to cook a little bit longer. If you use rolled oats, microwave on 50% for 4 minutes. Use a bigger bowl so that the oats have room to expand.

*k*

a diversion

2007-08-17T20:58:00.001-04:00

Every now and then, a diversion is in order. I'll be visiting a friend's house for dinner tomorrow and decided to bring a dessert. I thought of making something healthy, but not everyone likes healthy desserts. I wasn't feeling particularly ambitious, but ended up coming up with something that I thought was pretty interesting. These came out a little more cakey than I had planned, so I am certain that I'll be revisiting this recipe. Here it is, feel free to tweak it.

Cake Mix Blondies Recipe
1 box yellow cake mix
1 egg
2 containers of snack-pak butterscotch pudding
1 c. chopped walnuts + 1/2 c. reserve
1/2 c. raisins
3/4 c. unsweetened coconut

Pre-heat oven to 325. Mix all ingredients, except 1/2 c. walnuts (keep that for later) into a large bowl and using a spatula, fold the mix together. It will be very stiff. Grease an 8-inch brownie pan and press the batter into the pan. Sprinkle 1/2 c. walnuts on the top. Bake for 45-50 mins. or until done.

These came out with a very nice crumbly texture (I was trying for dense blondie texture). Maybe a liquid, instead of the pudding, would work for a denser crumb. I suspect that you could increase the temperature to 350 and cook it a little faster. Ideas for next time.

enjoy!

jersey fresh

2007-08-17T18:26:00.000-04:00

As I am sure you have figured out by now, I just love this time of year. Everything is so fresh and to me, there's almost nothing better than just picked fruits and vegetables (except maybe just-baked oatmeal cookies).

Someone at work gave me these tomatoes and they really aren't from New Jersey, they are from an upstate New York backyard tomato garden. The fresh basil is from my garden. The two combine into one delicious snack!

Vine Fresh Tomatoes and Basil Recipe (I'm not sure I can even qualify this as a recipe, but try and humor me)

1 just-picked vine ripened tomato (preferably from your own or your friend's backyard. A farmer's market would work too).
6 just-picked basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

1. Slice the tomato into 1/4" thick slices

2. Lightly salt and pepper each slice

3. Place one basil leave on each slice

Eat immediately and enjoy

*k*

couscous

2007-08-16T19:03:00.000-04:00

I'm sure that many of you have heard of, seen, and probably even eaten couscous. It's a ground semolina pasta and comes in two varieties - Mediterranean and Israeli. The one on the left is Mediterranean and the one on the right is Israeli. You'll see it in Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian, French, and other Mediterranean types of preparations. Aside from the obvious difference in the size of the grain, there doesn't seem to me to be much difference in taste. It essentially takes on the taste of whatever you cook it in.

There are countless recipes for couscous, here's one I made tonight with a touch of Moroccan influence and it's nearly fat free!

Moroccan Couscous Recipe
1 c. Israeli couscous (pearl sized)
2 c. water (or chicken stock or vegetable stock)
1 medium zucchini, cut into wedges
1/2 vidalia onion
1 hot wax pepper, diced
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 saffron strands
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
dash nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. olive oil

1. In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, the 2 cups of water (or stock). Add the saffron, cumin, tumeric and nutmeg. Once the water is boiling, add the couscous and bring to a simmer. Simmer, covered for about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. After the simmering is done, remove from heat and let stand, covered for 5 more minutes.

2. While that is coming to a boil, heat up about 1 tbsp. olive oil in a saute pan. Once the oil is heated (about 3 minutes), add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add the zucchini and onion and saute them until the zucchini is slightly browned and the onion is translucent.

3. Add the zucchini and onion mixture to the couscous. Add, the hot wax pepper, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste.

enjoy!

sushi lounge

2007-08-15T22:44:00.000-04:00

so we went out to an impromptu dinner tonight. After a quick drink at the Hoboken Dubliner, upstairs bar (the tiki hut was too crowded, unfortunately), we took a trip around the block to the Sushi Lounge for a quick bite to eat before volleyball. I love the Sushi Lounge, they always have an awesome DJ playing techno sounds, but I have to admit it's a little pricey for what it's worth - luckily, I don't usually need to worry about that part :) In the spirit of being healthy, I ordered the Grilled Shrimp Salad. I know what you're thinking, that I ordered it only because there was mango in it - that is only partly true. Anyway, it came out on a bed of julienned green beans, red and yellow peppers and mangoes. Fabulous! (only problem is that I'm not a huge fan of peppers). It was really delicious though, despite the pepper thing.

Rob ordered a red hot roll and a tempura roll. Later, he questioned why he ordered the tempura roll, it was just so-so. The reality is, if you want tempura, order tempura. Don't order a tempura roll. Order something with fresh fish and accouterments that bring out its flavor. Save the tempura for your appetizer. The red hot roll was a tuna and avocado roll with a slice of jalapeno, a leaf of cilantro and a drizzle of hot sauce. Now that is one good roll!

Aside from the good food, Sushi Lounge always has a drink special and it's always something interesting. Tonight was a Strawberry Creamsicle, which sounded awesome, but would not be something my stomach could take before a volleyball match.

hope you try it sometime!

*k*

fast baked eggs

2007-08-13T21:05:00.000-04:00

how many times have you tried to make baked eggs, only to realize you have to keep them in the oven at least 30 minutes. Well try this one on for size...

Fast Baked Eggs Recipe
(this recipe is for 1 serving in a ramekin, make as many ramekins as you like)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp herbs de provence
2 slices of smoked salmon
2 tbsp grated cheese of your choice (I used cheddar because that was what was in the fridge)

- put the eggs into a ramekin sprayed with non-stick spray and whisk the eggs for about a minute.
- mix the rest of the ingredients in the ramekin.
- turn the broiler on high
- put the ramekin in the microwave for 30-seconds at a time, for a total of 3 times (1:30), until cooked through.
- once the eggs are cooked through, put the ramekin in the broiler for 3-5 minutes until the top is browned.

*enjoy*

simply delicioso... simply

2007-08-12T14:46:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'll admit in the first 3 minutes of Ingrid Hoffman's show on Food Network, I was not completely enamored. It felt a little contrived, over-written, maybe even slightly over-rehearsed. But a few minutes into the show and I was kind of hooked. She was making an orange glazed chicken, orange granita and a summery quinoa. It all looked so good! I have all the ingredients for the quinoa recipe and have been thinking about making something quinoa for quite some time now.

I'm interested in quinoa because I've read a lot about its health benefits and thought it would be a tasty alternative to couscous. It's an ancient grain native to South America and popular with the early Incan communities. It has lots of amino acids, helpful in the repair of damaged cells and touted for easing migraines and improving cardiovascular health.

I'll let you know how the dish comes out. :)

a lesson in the use of utensils

2007-08-11T12:05:00.000-04:00

This utensil is called a cheese slicer. It was originally invented in Norway because many of the cheeses eaten in the Scandinavian countries are hard cheeses that are eaten atop bread. To use this utensil, lay it along the top of a cheese wedge, with the handle pointing toward you. Firmly press the utensil into the cheese wedge and pull the utensil toward you. This will allow the slicing blade to cut through the cheese and create a nice thin piece of cheese that you can then put on a slice of bread.

Oh, you knew that already? You didn't think this was a pie slicer with a funny opening in the end? That's great!

Now feel free to have a laugh out loud belly laugh at my expense, because until the other day, I had no idea what this was used for.

The "healthyfoodie".... *pshaw* I may have just lost some of my credibility. But at least I'm honest :)

*k*

things you take for granted

2007-08-11T11:36:00.000-04:00

I have been remiss in updating this blog, let's just say it's been a bit of a hectic week. I did have the opportunity to visit a (new to me) restaurant in Montclair, Trattoria Rustica located on Bloomfield Avenue near the intersection of Park. It was really fabulous, let me set the stage here. I took my father, his companion and my sister to this restaurant. They live in rural Florida and are used to the Italian restaurants that have linguine w/clam sauce, chicken parmigiana and stuffed shells. Now, there is nothing wrong with that type of traditional menu, some of my favorites actually. That is the type of menu they were expecting, but that is not the type of menu offered at the Trattoria Rustica.

We arrive at the restaurant and I should have known better, it was BYO and I didn't bring anything. So I left my family to look at the menu while I walked around the corner to pick up a bottle of wine. When I came back, my father, who was almost in panic mode, said that I had to explain the menu to them and that nothing looked familiar. It seemed familiar enough to me, but I guess even though the menu wasn't pedestrian, it seemed somewhat traditional to me. They had things like seared sea scallops over escarole and cannellini beans, gnocchi with roma tomatoes and mozzarella, veal milanese, cappellini with mixed vegetables, coconut crusted salmon over orzo. I think that living in an area where there are so many types of restaurants to choose from and many restaurants need to have more unique offerings in order to succeed, I get used to it. In fact, I was in shock when they said they didn't know what anything was (orzo? gnocchi? seems like regular fare to me). I realize now that these are some of the things I forget are not the same everywhere and end up taking them for granted.

On with the restaurant review already... It's a cozy place, and even somewhat romantic with it's smallish tables, and dim lighting. Make a reservation if you plan on going over the weekend. Even though we went there during the week and business was light, I can see how this place would fill up quickly. The wait staff was very attentive and accommodating. They were very willing to answer all of our questions and offer suggestions about the dished being served. The food itself was prepared to perfection and with adequately sized portions (I'm so sick of going out and having gigantic portions served that we don't end up eating). I ordered the sea scallops over escarole and cannellini beans, it was served in a balsamic reduction. The scallops were cooked exactly right, not overdone (which I find sometimes happens when I eat them in a restaurant). My sister ordered the gnocchi and she loved it. She had never had it before and usually orders ravioli or stuffed shells. She was very happy with my suggestion to try the gnocchi as it was a little bit familiar to her. My father and his companion ordered the coconut crusted salmon over orzo. A first for them as well. It was one of the restaurant's specials and the only thing I didn't care for was the sweet chutney that was on top of the salmon. Other than that, the salmon was very nicely cooked, medium rare and held all of its juices.

I will definitely be visiting this restaurant again and I hope you do too!

*k*

looking for a hit at your next bbq?

2007-08-10T12:35:00.000-04:00

I had a bbq the other day and wanted to make something beforehand that would already be prepared when my guests arrived so that I could spend more time with my guests and less time over the hot grill. Rob kindly cooked all of the meat, over the hot grill, in the sweltering heat, so I definitely owe him one. I had something similar at a bbq a few days before, so this is what I made beforehand and it was more than enough for my 6 guests:

Grilled Vegetables Recipe (served cold)
1 large eggplant, sliced into rounds
1 bunch asparagus
1 large vidalia onion (or 2 small), slided into thick slabs
4 portabella mushrooms, cut into thick slices

Marinade
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Separate veggies into 2 large baking dishes (try to lay them out flat as much as possible, because you'll want the marinade to cover all of them). Pour the marinade over the veggies and make sure they are completely coated. Chill them for at least 1 hr and up to several hours.

Once the veggies are chilled, preheat the grill to medium / high. Place the veggies on the grill and grill them for a few minutes on each side until they have grill marks and appear to be done but not mushy. You may want to put the onion in a grilling basket to avoid any grill casualties.

Once all of the veggies are done, arrange them on a serving plate (I put all the asparagus together, all the eggplant together, and so on). Chill the veggies on the serving plate at least 1 hr. or until ready to serve.

You'll need to do this early in the day so that everything is done by time your guests arrive.

enjoy!
*k*

nothing better than beer in the AM

2007-08-02T21:38:00.000-04:00

we woke up early. We had to, beer was on the agenda. We decided to take a tour (free!) of the Anheuser-Busch facility. This was a great tour, the tour guides were very knowledgeable and it was entirely free, with beer and pretzels at the end of it. You see the entire brewing process, the clydesdales and dalmataions. If you haven't been there and have the chance to, do it. It's worth the time. Enough of that plug... so we did that and had a great time.

After that, we went over to a butterfly house that was really kind of cool. You end up walking through a greenhouse sort of structure that is filled with lots of plants, flowers and thousands (yes thousands) of butterflies. I was actually a little scared at first, I know that's ridiculous, they are butterflies after all. After that adventure, we headed back to downtown, with a pitstop at Imo's, the signature pizza of St. Louis for 40 years (who knew?). I liked it, but what's with the cheese? The thin crispy crust was great and it had a creamy, gooey, almost liquid cheese that tasted a little like cheddar on top. Definitely never had that before. Next, we went up in the arch and caught a few beers at the mad Hungarian's saloon (Al Hrabosky's Ballpark Saloon). This is a great place to hang out before the game, if you're a Cardinal's fan. HA! Just kidding, it's a great place, lots of sports memorabilia and generally festive atmosphere. At some point we saw a really bad ballgame from really great seats, courtesy of my former boss. The game was delayed by a torrential downpour, and we filled our bellies (at least I did) with lots of ballpark fare. Big plus for the Cardinals stadium - they had veggie burgers, and they were good! The game, on the other hand, was not so good. The Brewers really beat up on the Cards, can't say much more than that.

Our grand finale was to a little hole in the wall called the Broadway Oyster Bar. We saw some live music, a band with a ska influence, and a few disappointed Cardinal's fans looking to forget about the game they just saw. We hung out there for a while before heading back to the hotel. Another big day was coming up.

*k*

a slacker, eh???

2007-08-02T21:10:00.000-04:00

now that I've been called a slacker (?!?), I'll have to catch up on all my posting to save face. So onward in the midwest. From Kansas City, we took a short hop across scenic Missouri to St. Louis. It took about four and a half hours and we saw a few cows and corn fields. There was also an inordinate amount of billboards. After checking in and taking a quick look at the view of the ballpark from our hotel, we headed to the arch. It was crowded because one side broke (and we're going in this thing?!). From there, we went in search of the signature food of St. Louis. Yeah, we didn't know what it was either. We later found out that it's toasted ravioli and Imo's pizza.

Off to The Hill, a quaint little neighborhood dotted with Italian restaurants. We followed the footsteps of Rachel Ray and went to Cunetto's. It was funny, it looked like it was dead when we walked in. And then the hostess took us through the bar area around to the dining area and it was packed! We walked through the dining area, around the corner and the place is huge. Much bigger than I anticipated from the outside. The menu was chock full of traditional Italian fare. I asked about the toasted ravioli and was surprised to find out they were meat ravioli. I didn't order any, but my friend did. She described them as not quite fried ravioli, lightly toasted, nice marinara sauce. Way to go Rachel Ray! I ordered a house salad, which was essentially a giant bowl of cheese with some salad in it. Don't get me wrong, I like cheese, but this was a little over the top. If you really love cheese, you would love this salad, and the dressing was good too. Along came our entrees, spaghetti with a garlic, oil and anchovy sauce, and veal saltimbocca. It was generally okay food, but definitely not what we are used to being from the Italian capital of the USA, northern NJ and NY area.

From there, we found a local watering hole called Maggie O'Brien's, because it was touted to have lots of TVs and several satellites. This was going to be the perfect place to watch the Yankee game, and it was. We met some very nice (but very odd) local St. Louisites who kept us entertained after the Yankees started to lose.

We left there and headed back to the hotel, the next day was going to be busy.

*k*

that's hot

2007-07-31T23:49:00.000-04:00

ever hear of bhut jolokia? I didn't either, until I read the news today. Apparently, it's the new hottest chili as defined by the Guiness Book of World Records. I'm a bit surprised by this. Are they are just finding this out now, it's 2007 after all. Haven't we already found all of the chili peppers that exist in our world? It's not like these were just developed in a lab somewhere in the middle of nowhere. They have been growing in northeastern India forever. Think about that the next time you order the vindaloo.

The heat of chilies is based on the amount of capsaicin in the chili, measured in Scoville units. Just for comparison, the ghost chili (bhut jolokia) is about 500 times hotter than a jalapeno. That's pretty damn hot! Don't look for it in any of my dishes any time soon, even though I like a little heat, I'm not insane... like some people I know. You know who you are ;)

Expecting to see it in the US soon? Well, maybe not. Even though export of this pepper is growing, just under a ton was exported last year. They are projecting 10 tons in the next year. It makes me wonder... who, except for the people who grew up eating this beast of a pepper can actually endure the taste described as "When you eat it, it's like dying." Hmm, sounds appetizing, doesn't it? For now, I think I'll stick to my tasty little banana peppers (photos coming soon!).

ghost chili

*k*

southwestern gazpacho

2007-07-30T21:50:00.000-04:00

I wanted to try a new twist on an old favorite and here's what I came up with.

Southwestern Gazpacho Recipe
1 can low salt tomato sauce (15 oz)
15 oz water
1/4 vidalia onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 medium cucumber seeded
juice from 1 lemon
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can corn (15 oz)
3 tbsp chipotle adobo sauce (or less to taste)

1. In large bowl, add tomato sauce, water, lemon, vinegar and corn.

2. In food processor, puree onion, garlic, cucumber and olive oil. Once pureed, add mixture to ingredients in the large bowl.

3. Add chipotle adobo sauce to taste.

4. Chill 1 hr and then enjoy.

*k*

midnight at jardines

2007-07-25T08:20:00.000-04:00

our second day in Kansas City proved to be quite a history-packed fun time. We started off by heading out toward the town of Independence and visited Truman's home and a jail that Jesse James did a stint in. After a wonderful tour by an Alaskan park ranger who knew one of the NJ Devils, we headed on over to the Truman Presidential Library. After a while, paying $10-$15 for each and every exhibit gets really old, and so we didn't feel like paying to go into a library that we weren't going to borrow a book from. So we stepped inside, took a quick peek around and then took off.

Back in KC, we headed straight for the much touted, long awaited, KC BBQ. We went to the original, Arthur Bryants. The original one that we went to was located in the northwestern section of the city, and somewhat oddly, there were no other viable businesses in the area but the place was PACKED at a few hours after the mid-day lunch at 2 pm. It was basically a fast food joint (as opposed to a sit down place). We ran into the YES Network Yankee Roadtrippers there and traded a few "Go Yankees" cheers. I doubt we'll be on, but we did have to sign a release. The BBQ was fantastic, even though we're in meat country and I didn't order a sandwich. I had some french fries, which I was able to use as sticks for picking up BBQ sauce.

After that, we had some time to kill before the game, so we went down to the Plaza to grab a few brews at the Classic Cup Cafe. It had a hip trendy atmosphere and a great bartender named Curtis, who gave us a few tips about getting to and from the game and where to go afterward. So we headed up to Royals Land, watched the Yankees batting practice and cheered along with the rest of the 10,000 Yankee fans who infiltrated the Royals stadium as A-Rod hit his 499 home run. We sat next to a couple from rural Iowa who were big Yankee fans and talked about them visiting NY next year for the last year in classic Yankee Stadium. It was a great time.

From there, we headed over to a jazz club called Jardines for a nightcap. A few more beers and some great jazz music at a local haunt. After last call, we called it a night as we had a long drive ahead of us to St. Louis.

*k*

the heartland of america

2007-07-24T09:10:00.000-04:00

every year I take a trip with a friend of mine to visit a few baseball stadiums. Not only is it a fun way to see the parks of America's favorite pastime, but it's a great way to see cities that I would not normally visit. This year is Kansas City, MO and St. Louis. Our first stop KC - home to KC BBQ, KC jazz, historic fountains (who knew!) and of course the Royals. There has been quite a bit of eating and drinking (did you expect anything less?). We arrived around dinner time and decided to head down to Westport, one of KC's historic districts touted for quaint shops, bars and restaurants. It was a small nook butted up against State Line, Kansas, with about 3 blocks of businesses along Westport Avenue. We choose a cajun / creole place called Jazz - a Louisiana Kitchen.

As I entered the place, I was a little confused because while the awning said "Jazz...", the door said something else (Jimmy's something or other). Anyway, it was perfectly our speed. Full of historic charm, the lights are dim and the walls are hung with Mardi Gras memorabilia. This little hole in the wall on the Kansas / Missouri stateline had ice cold beers, suprisingly scrumptious food, a relaxed atmosphere, and live music 7 nights a week. The onion rings are gianormous, beer battered, thick cuts of onion. The Po' Boys are served with a heaping order of the best cole slaw I have ever had, and a few, ever so slightly sweet, but perfectly crispy hush puppies. I ordered the blackened Catfish Po' Boy - a stick to your ribs meal that left me satisfied for the rest of the night.

From there, we went in search of a place to watch the Yankees / Royals game, George Bretts. George Brett was a KC Royal and is considered one of the greatest third baseman in baseball history. The bar is located in Country Club Plaza in the southern portion of KC. This neighborhood was quite different from Westport that we just came from. Packed with hip and trendy restaurants and designer stores, this area is a little more upscale. This bar / restaurant maintained a relaxed atmosphere with a little more of a trendy feel. One of the best features was late night happy hour - how fun is that?!

our adventures in the midwest will continue...

*k*

whole foods vs. whole food market

2007-07-23T21:04:00.000-04:00

what's the difference, you may ask. Whole foods are considered those foods which are mostly unprocessed or refined prior to eating. I'm taking about fruit, vegetables, some whole grains and even meats and seafood. It is not necessary for a food to be organic for it to be a whole food, and conversely, organic food is not necessarily whole food. Now that I've thoroughly confused you.... let me tell you what my beef is (or umm, vegetable since I don't eat beef). Trust me, I like Whole Foods Market, most of the time, but you really need to pay attention in order to not get hosed by the man.

Top Ten Tips for Shopping at Whole Foods to Salvage your Wallet

10. Buy local! not only is it cheaper, it's probably fresher and definitely has a smaller carbon footprint.

9. Know when organic is good. Bananas, avocados, mangoes - organic doesn't matter that much. They don't use that many pesticides and you don't eat the skin (where most of the pesticides reside). Apples, strawberries, lettuce historically have higher amounts of pesticides. Your choice, but your wallet will pay.

8. Watch the register! Half the time I'm in there, the produce isn't marked with a code, the sign says one price and when you get to the register, the cashier automatically thinks it's the more expensive organic variety. This has happened to me on many occasions, most of the time resulting in $5 or more dollars in additional cost on my tab. Yes, that means you have to remember how much your stuff costs - you might want to write it down.

7. Forget the veggie wash. At $4 a bottle, it's just another gimmick in my book. Plain old soap and water will do the trick.

6. Bring your own bags. You get $0.10 per bag off your receipt, if you have 10 bags... well you can do the math. The better part of the equation is reduce-recycle-reuse.

5. Avoid the organic, $5 per bag, potato chips (includes veggie crisps, terra chips, any kind of pirates booty, etc.). They are potato chips, they aren't any more nutritious for you than Herrs. If you wouldn't buy them at the Piggly Wiggly, why buy them at Whole Foods? Just because you buy them at Whole Foods does not make them a whole food. Plus, they are ridiculously expensive.

4. Even though the prepared foods are seemingly healthy because they are made at Whole Foods - watch out for the extra fat, sugar, sodium, etc. If you must buy prepared, stick with foods that aren't fried and are laden in sauces.

3. Use coupons. You might not realize, but every now and again there are coupon books at the registers. They have some coupons in there for every day food items. Might as well - better in my pocket than theirs.

2. Buy Bulk! Not only do you reduce packaging, but you save a few bucks too. At $0.75 per lb., bulk oatmeal is about 4 times less than buying the box with individual packets. Use your own flavoring (a little sugar or splenda, maybe a little honey) in place of the processed brand names. The same is true for rice, flour, nuts, beans, cereal and the rest of the bulk offerings.

And the number one tip for shopping at Whole Foods Market....

1. Don't get caught up in the hype. At the end of the day, do you really want your food bill to double with these new gourmet food stores? Shop smart and it won't.

*k*

rory blindsided

2007-07-22T21:59:00.000-04:00

15 years from now in Rory's E! True Hollywood Story, she'll talk about how the show was fixed and she was blindsided by the fact that Amy won Food TV's Next Food Network Star. You could see it in her face before the envelop was opened, Rory thought this was just a formality. Think again, the writing was on the wall. I'm not even sure how the Food TV Producers eliminated her in place of Jag to begin with. She is the most likable and down to earth chef that have had since Paula Deen. Did you notice, Rory didn't even congratulate her and she couldn't even look in the camera after the announcement. weak...

Congratulations Amy!! I can't wait to see your show.

*k*

weight gain over time

2007-07-22T21:30:00.000-04:00

I read this article titled "No love handles now? Give it a few years." It starts out just fine, acknowledging that most Americans will gain 1 to 2 lbs. each year as they progress through adulthood. They go on to say that studies show that eating healthy and exercising can help prevent it. THANKS FOR THE NEWS FLASH! Because without that bit of info, I would have continued to eat like crap and wonder why I'm gaining weight. If you happen to make it through the entire article, you'll see there are actually a few tips in there worth mentioning and below a few of my own.

- make small gradual changes that are easy to incorporate into your daily routine. If you're going to fast food joints a few times a week, pick one day a week to do something differently. Or if you feel like you're eating too much meat, eat one non-meat meal per week.

- brown bag it. When you make your own lunch, you can keep better track of your calorie intake and can incorporate more nutritious foods.

- indulge. Yep, that's counterintuitive. Let me qualify that by saying - all in moderation. If you're looking for something sweet, don't deprive yourself but limit it to a single portion size. I'm constantly trying to figure out how I can have that extra goodie and still be good.

- do something every day. walk, situps, pushups, use the stairs, something, anything. Got 10 minutes? If you're saying no, then wake up 10 minutes earlier.

- drink lots of water. Not only will it keep you hydrated, it helps your whole body function better.

There's no need to live through one boring meal after another. You can enjoy and indulge without overdoing it.

*k*

summer treats

2007-07-21T20:19:00.000-04:00

what's better than a beer and a BBQ after a day full of yard work. Well if you have a sweet tooth, then how about a somewhat healthy frozen dessert treat?

Banana Popsicles Recipe (4 servings)
2 bananas
4 popsicle sticks
1 dark chocolate candy bar
1/4 cup milk (or soy milk)
1/4 cup chopped almonds

1. Start a double boiler - take a pot and put some water in the bottom, take a metal bowl and put it in the pot but don't let the water touch the bowl. Break up the chocolate and put it in the double boiler with the milk, until all of the chocolate is melted.

2. While the chocolate is melting, peel the bananas and put them on the popsicle sticks.

3. Go stir the chocolate before it burns. Then get back to work crushing the almonds. You can make this really easy by using a heavy jar or even a large knife to crush the nuts. Or, you can make it even easier and just buy chopped nuts. Lay out two plates - one with the bananas on a stick and one with the nuts.

4. Now the chocolate is melted. Pour it over the bananas and roll the bananas in the chocolate so that they are covered all the way around. Then roll them around in the nuts.

5. Put them in the freezer for at least one hour. Voila! So, did one of the bananas mysteriously disappear? Well, anyone who knows me will know where it went...

Enjoy!

*k*

snow in july

2007-07-19T21:10:00.000-04:00

not snow snow, but snow peas. I love to make colorful food. It's so nice when you put it out on the table and it brightens everything up. When you're eating something that looks so vivid, it makes it that much more appetizing. I had some leftovers and I really just combined everything. There's no real magic going on here, so just have fun with it.

Snow Pea Summer Slaw Recipe (makes about 2 big servings or 4 small servings)
3 cups snow peas
1 medium yellow squash, julienned
1/2 sliced red onion
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp tarragon
1 tbsp basil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Blanch the snow peas and the squash. Put them in boiling water for about 1 to 2 minutes. Then immediately immerse them in ice water. What this does is takes any bitterness out of the vegetable. By immersing them directly into an ice bath, the retain their vivid color and crispiness.

2. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss together.

That's it.

the farmer's market

2007-07-19T10:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I was in upstate NY for work. It's quite far, but such a scenic drive through the rolling hills of Hudson Valley. I was lucky enough to drive through the Catskills for my first time during the summer. I think this would be a fabulous place to visit when the foliage is peaking. I might just have to do that (and take some pictures, so you can see it too!). I noticed lots of farmer's markets and fruit stands throughout my travels - some with roadside signs "Fresh Corn" or "Fresh Garlic." I never saw that one before, "Fresh Garlic." I ended up stopping and picking up some snow peas, plums (they were so sweet, like candy!), green and yellow squash and what else, more cherries. There are so many positive things about the farmer's market. First, I like that I'm supporting local businesses, and in many cases, family owned businesses. Next, I like the fact that the carbon footprint of my food is many times smaller than that asparagus from New Zealand. When there is asparagus right here in New Jersey, I'm not sure why are we shipping it from halfway across the world! I was reading about calorie density and it seems to make a lot of sense. Eat foods that are low in calorie density (i.e. high in water content) and you'll feel fuller longer and can eat more. Just so happens that most fruits and vegetables are low in calorie density - so eat up! And lastly, there's nothing better than fruit and vegetables straight off the vine. This is the third time in almost as many days that I have stopped at a farmer's market for some fresh produce. And now I'm running low, so I may need to stop yet again. :)

summer calls for a quick and easy recipe

2007-07-18T18:25:00.000-04:00

these summer rolls are great for when you want to make something and eat it right away. They get a little dried out if you keep them for too long. But if you want to make them and keep them in the fridge, covered, for a few hours, they would be ok. The mango dipping sauce that goes along with it is tangy, sweet and a little spicy. It goes great to dress up the fresh veggies.

Let's start with the mango dipping sauce, since it's better if you can chill it a little bit.

Mango Dipping Sauce Recipe

1 medium mango, diced

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

a few slices of pickled jalapeno (to taste), chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Refridgerate until ready to use and up to 2 days.

Summer Roll Recipe (about 10-15 rolls)

1 cucumber, julilenned

Several leaves of basil (around 10)

Several leaves of mint (around 20)

1 cup of shredded cabbage

1/2 medium red onion, sliced thinly

bowl of water

Package of spring roll skin

1. Arrange all of your ingredients.

2. Take one spring roll skin and place it on a flat working surface. Dip your hand in the bowl of water and gently moisten the spring roll skin on both sides.

3. Start layering your ingredients in the spring roll skin. I place the basil first, then cabbage, onion, cucumber, mint. That way, when you roll it up, you have a nice looking basil leaf showing through.
4. Fold up the bottom, and then fold in the sides, then roll it up. The spring roll skin should be very pliable and should readily stick when you start rolling it.

5. Enjoy with the mango dipping sauce. :)

*k*

summer bulbs are blooming!

2007-07-14T12:04:00.000-04:00

They have been poking out for a few days and today I finally have some blooms on the gladiolas. I love these, they are so beautiful!

life is a just a bowl of cherries

2007-07-13T20:40:00.000-04:00

it has been 76 years since Lew Brown and Ray Henderson coined the phrase, and yet it is still iconic. What can be better than a sunny, warm Friday in the middle of the summer, a fresh farmer's market and a bowl of cherries. Well, I guess there's a lot of things that could be better, but just go with this one for me a bit...

Fresh Jersey cherries. If they last until tomorrow, I might just make something with them. :)

All of it just picked at the height of ripeness. I just love this time of year. I whipped up a fantastic dinner with all of this goodness, Tarragon Eggplant and Tofu Stacks. Recipe will follow after my photo essay.

Drawing the moisture out of eggplant helps to keep it from getting mushy later. If you happen to like mushy eggplant, skip this step. But I'm warning you, it will be mushy.

Yup, that's tofu alright. If you were fooled by the photo, just wait until you taste it!

Ahem, I now present you with the finished dish. Let's just say, I would not be able to recreate this in the time allowed on the Iron Chef. Now I'll try and remember the recipe - I just kind of made this up as I went along.

Tarragon Eggplant and Tofu Stacks Recipe (4 to 6 servings)
1 medium eggplant
coarse salt
1 medium egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 c. Italian style breadcrumbs
1/4 c. tarragon (plus some extra for sprinkling)
Canola oil
1 package of extra firm tofu
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup roughly cut vidalia onion
fine salt
paprika (optional)
1 tbsp chopped scallion (optional)
2 c. diced tomatoes (or a can)
shaved peccorino (optional)

1. Cut eggplant lengthwise and lay on a bakers rack or cookie cooling rack. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Coarse salt works best because you can wash it off later. Let the salt wick the moisture out of the eggplant for about an hour (go get a pedicure or something).

2. When you get back from the pedi, wash off all the salt from the eggplant and dry it off with some paper towels.

3. This would be a good time to prep the tofu. If you have an extra hand in the kitchen, they can start this step earlier. Cut the tofu long ways into 1/8" slabs. You should be able to get about 6 slabs.

4. Tofu also has a lot of water in it (duh, it's packed in water). So you probably want to drain it or else it will be mushy. Unless you like mushy tofu along with your mushy eggplant, then you can skip this step. I don't like mushy tofu. Place the slabs (sounds so appetizing) of tofu between layers of paper towels or kitchen towels. Place a heavy object or pot of water on top and let it sit there for a while.

5. Put about 2" of oil in a large skillet. Canola oil works well, Vegetable oil works too. You can even get fancy and mix some olive oil with canola oil. Don't use only olive oil. The smoking point of olive oil is too low to get the oil hot enough to fry this eggplant. Turn the burner on medium to high. While you're at it, you should pre-heat your oven too. 450 degrees.

6. Line the bottom of a baking dish with the tofu. Sprinkle the salt, tarragon, paprika, roughly chopped garlic, scallion, and roughly chopped onion on it. Set aside until the oven reaches 450, at which point you'll put it in the oven.

7. Start the assembly line going. Break the egg in a medium bowl (something big enough to fit the eggplant slices in) and whisk it together with the milk.

8. On a plate, mix the breadcrumbs with the tarragon. The tarragon is going to give this dish a little sweetness that you don't get with the typical Italian herbs like basil or oregano.

9. Dip the eggplant into the egg mixture and coat evenly. Then dip it in the breadcrumbs and coat evenly again. Do this with all of the eggplant and put them on a clean plate (umm, a dirty one would work too, but that's gross).

10. By this time, the oil should be piping hot. To check it, toss a few (emphasis on "few") breadcrumbs into the oil. If it bubbles quickly and rises to the top of the oil, you're in business. If it sinks to the bottom, the oil is not hot enough.

11. Carefully place the eggplant into the oil. Fry it until it is dark brown on both sides. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may only be able to fry one or two of them at a time. If you put too many of them in the oil, the oil will cool off and it won't fry as well. The object here is to fry it pretty quickly so it doesn't just sit in there soaking up all the oil. Should take a total of about 3 minutes per eggplant.

12. If you haven't put the tofu in the oven, you might want to do that now. Keep it in there until it's browned.

13. Continue frying eggplant until it's all done. Once each one is done, place it on a paper towel to wick the oil away.

14. Heat the can of diced tomatoes in the microwave for about a minute.

15. Start assembling the stacks. Place an eggplant slice on the bottom, next a tofu slice, next an eggplant slice and finally top the stack with the diced tomatoes. Shave a little peccorino on top and enjoy.

An alternative to this would be to roll up the tofu in the eggplant, similar to eggplant rollatini except without the cheese.

Wow - that took just about as long to type as it did to make it. I hope it's worth it :)

*k*

no more chances for the zucchini

2007-07-12T18:13:00.000-04:00

I give up. Why does the darn thing continue to produce fruit when it just dies and falls off 2 days later. grr... that's it zucchini! you're not messing with me anymore.

restaurant crawl - the final chapter

2007-07-10T20:17:00.000-04:00

We're both sated at this point and are resolved to the fact that my car is going to remain on 14th Street and we'll be walking home. A nice walk down Washington Street past lots of fabulous restaurants. We decided to stop, at quite possibly, the best restaurant in Hoboken, Amanda's.

Amanda's is a quaint and cozy French restaurant, with a vast wine list and lots of rich French cuisine. The offer prix fixe menus and wine tasting nights as well, so there is always something going on at Amandas. Sure, it's a fancy sit-down restaurant and we were two drunks dressed in shorts and flip flops looking for a top off to our restaurant crawl at the end of dining hour. They welcomed us with open arms (or was that empty glasses awaiting a fill of wine). We both had a Pinot Noir, typically my favorite varietal because we thought that would go well with the cake we were going to have. I had carrot cake because I can't resist working vegetables into every meal.

From there we had a nice leisurely walk home, after a fun adventure that started with the question "What's for dinner?"

I hope you enjoyed the restaurant crawl and maybe even try one or a few of them.

*k*

restaurant crawl - part 3

2007-07-09T21:02:00.000-04:00

yep, we were still going strong. You can read about previous adventures here and here. We walked out of Lua and and half stumbled over to Sushi House Uptown (not sure if they have a website, so this will have to do). Sushi House is one of my favorite restaurants in Hoboken, but since Rob lives downtown, we have never tried their new uptown location. Boy were we missing out! Now mind you, when we started out on this trek, Rob was trying to persuade me to go to Sushi House but I didn't want to go because I just wasn't feeling like sushi that night. Little did I know that he was going to get me there at some point.

So we ordered a Tropicana Roll (in honor of our upcoming trip to Atlantic City, which was on July 2-3) and shrimp tempura. For the wine, I ordered a Chilean Savignon Blanc but honestly I don't remember it much at all (sorry! by that point I was three sheets to the wind). The atmosphere was cool and casual and there was a live jazz band playing in the background. It was completely desolate, which I can only figure that it was 4th of July weekend and Hoboken in general was light on activity.

The food came with quick and friendly service, and tasted amazing (as usual!). I have never had a bad experience at Sushi House and that day was no exception. Check back for the last round of the Hoboken Restaurant Crawl!

Thank you Sushi House!

restaurant crawl - part 2

2007-07-09T20:33:00.000-04:00

in continuation of the restaurant crawl... after we left the City Bistro, we took a walk around the corner to Lua, my next restaurant review. This is an interesting place, settled along the northern corner of Sinatra Drive and 14th Street with beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline. The decor, while hip and chic for the millennium bar and restaurant scene, will certainly be dated and out of fashion 10-years from now the same way that 1980's style came and went. There is lots of frosted glass and colorful, yet dim lighting to which the pretentious clientele sip expensive martinis and lounge about.

Lua has an extensive wine list with lots to choose from in all price ranges so I ordered a Voigner. It had a nice aroma of grapefruit (again, similar to the City Bistro wine), and a mild acidity. It was a nice accompaniment to our appetizer. The menu is a hodge-podge of southwestern, with lots of Asian influence in some of the dishes as well as a Spanish influence in the Tapas section. I'm not really sure what they are trying to be in terms of their food. We ordered the vegetable quesadilla, which was filled with corn, mushrooms, pico de gallo and jalapeno jack cheese. It was good, but I probably wouldn't order it if I was going to order an entree as well, as it was a little heavy (ha! quesadillas usually are, we knew what we were getting into).

So, after Lua we walked sideways to the next restaurant. Stay tuned :)

what a scorcher

2007-07-08T20:01:00.000-04:00

yesterday, it was 95 degrees at the beach and I decided it would be a lovely day to play a volleyball tournament. Brilliant. While it is a lot of fun, and we did much better than expected (me and my partner made it to the play-offs - woo!), the heavy heat was definitely a factor in our performance. I'm not sure if it's a matter of training your body to be able to react to heats like that or what. But a few tips for strenuous activity on hot days:

- be mindful of the temperature, the sun, and the humidity before you undertake heavy strenuous activity on a hot day.

- when you think you have had enough water, drink some more. I mean it. I drank at least 2 gallons of water yesterday but it was so hot and luckily it was dry, but the sweat just evaporated in seconds, so you don't feel like your sweating.

- notice the color of your pee. I'm not trying to be gross. If it's dark or if you haven't gone in a while, you're dehydrated. Drink more water.

- Drink Gatorade or something similar also on hot days where you're sweating a lot and not getting replenishment of salts.

- know the signs and symptoms of heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. These are very common ailments and very preventable.

- heat cramps: muscle spasms, usually in the arms, legs or stomach. Usually caused by not replenishing with potassium or other salts. Drink water and Gatorade or eat bananas. You can research other symptoms, causes and remedies. I'm not a doctor and so this is not a doctor's opinion.

- heat exhaustion: your internal air conditioner breaks and I don't mean the one in your house. I mean the one in your body. Symptoms are heavy sweating, headache, intense thirst, dizziness, fatigue, loss of coordination, nausea, loss of appetite, anxiety, tingling in extremities. Not fun stuff. I had it this weekend and got myself under control by immersing in the ocean, keeping my head cool, drinking Gatorade along with gallons of water. If you can, get into some air conditioning, or shade, relax, try not to do physical activity until fully hydrated again. Again, you can research other symptoms, causes and remedies. I'm not a doctor and so this is not a doctor's opinion.

- heat stroke: by far the most serious, and life threatening. Symptoms include high body temperature, lack of sweating, red skin, all the signs of heat exhaustion but more severe, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing. Can also result in convulsions, collapse, loss of consciousness. If someone has these symptoms, you need to cool them down immediately! Pour cold water on them, fan them, apply cold packs, call 911. Again, you can research other symptoms, causes and remedies. I'm not a doctor and so this is not a doctor's opinion.

Just please keep this in mind as we get to the dog days of summer when people are outside running, biking and playing outdoor sports. It's a lot more serious than people realize. Keep cool, stay safe, drink water.

:)

restaurant crawl

2007-07-06T22:54:00.000-04:00

It sounds funny, a "restaurant crawl" but that's exactly what it was. Ok, so you have heard of a bar crawl, right? You walk from bar to bar having a drink or two at each and by the end you're hammered. Well this is similar, except you go from restaurant to restaurant trying wine and food and by the end you're stuffed and hammered. It was Rob's brainchild the other night when we were tooling around Hoboken. Of course, if it had wine and food in the description I immediately accepted. Here's how it went....

Around 7 o'clock on Saturday, we decided it would be a good idea to go out for dinner but we weren't quite sure where. We start heading out the door and I let him know I'm just going to move my car to a legal parking spot. We hop in the car and before I know it, we have decided to go uptown to 14th Street since we *never* go out up there.

We start out at City Bistro (if it had a website, I would have linked it here). City Bistro has a very nice atmosphere; however, I don't go there much because the crowd is a little snooty for my laid back pace. They have a wall of doors that opens up to the street, and on the day that we went, there was a very nice breeze throughout the bar area. There are three levels, with a bar on each and the top floor is a roof deck. I'm tempted to describe it as "casually upscale" if you know what I mean. We had a lobster spring roll and I had the house Savignon Blanc wine from a winery called Nimbus Estate. The lobster spring roll was very good, but I felt like there were too many flavors going on. Along with it being fried, it could have been crab and I'm not sure I would know the difference. But it was good and it came with a mango chutney (for anyone who knows me, if it has mango in it, I usually love it). The wine was fabulous!!! It was extremely crisp, and had a grapefruit bouquet with a very light feel. Perfect for a warm day.

Thank you City Bistro for having such an awesome house wine :)

The restaurant crawl will be continued...

*k*

zany zucchini part 2

2007-07-06T19:09:00.000-04:00

I'm totally bummed about this zucchini business. I started with two plants. One completely shriveled up and died (turned yellow first) and then the second one started to get yellowing leaves. I started cutting them off and I stopped watering as much. But still my zucchini continue to turn yellow at the ends like the photo that I took today. So I did some research about it and it turns out that since I'm growing in containers, that my veggies may not be getting all the nutrients that they need. I made a mixture of miracle grow and tried it out. Stay tuned....

recipe doctor

2007-07-05T18:48:00.000-04:00

I was watching the food network yesterday and saw a great looking salad from my favorite - Paula Deen. I know what you're thinking, that there has to be a cup of mayo and a cup of cream and a cup of sugar in it.... nope. It's an Asian Chicken Salad Recipe and here's what I did to it:

First - on the salad part, I used tofu instead of chicken. I cut up some extra firm tofu into 1/2" pieces and roasted it in a dry cast iron pan until it was browned on all sides. Then I added it to the salad.

On the dressing part, I decided to make a wasabi ginger dressing - here it is:

Wasabi Ginger Dressing Recipe
1 tsp wasabi powder
1 tbsp water
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp minced garlic

I think this would also be great in a pita - nice and crunchy :)

thank you Paula!

*k*

positively fine changs

2007-07-03T19:36:00.000-04:00

that is my interpretation of the P.F. in P.F. Chang's. We went to the china bistro while we were in Atlantic City and staying in the Tropicana. It was a fairly busy weekend down at the casinos so we made a reservation. When we got there, something happened with the reservation, but it wasn't the restaurant's fault. The concierge told us 8, but in fact they made the reservation for 8:30. So the hostess said that she didn't have anything for us immediately but there was room at the bar so we sat there while we waited for the reservation.

After a few minutes of cozy-ing up to the bartender, we decided that the bar was the place for us as the downstairs dining area seemed a little louder than we cared to enjoy at that moment. This worked out just fine. Somehow in this entire evening, I was able to talk my carnivore boyfriend to go totally vegetarian for this meal (not like he's never done that, but it's just a little unusual especially when dining out).

We started off with some tofu lettuce wraps. It is a tofu and soy sauce mixture and some other vegetables like red onion and water chestnuts. The idea is to wrap them up in some iceberg lettuce leaves and eat them like a taco. This was pretty good, a little heavy on the sauce but overall very tasty. My lettuce wrap fell apart at one point and that didn't make me too happy - some handi-wipes for the messy eaters (ahem, me) would have been useful. :)

Next we ordered 4 entree's / sides - sauteed spinach, asparagus, coconut curry vegetables and garlic noodles. Now, I'm looking at this stuff on line right now and I'm seeing that all of the calories, fat, and other food information is provided on line (YIKES!!). Well it was vacation after all but oh my gosh did we eat a ton of calories. I'm glad that we were too full for dessert - ha! So, of the entree dishes that we got, everything was mostly good. The asparagus dish was a little salty; however the spinach dish was particularly bland. My favorites were the coconut curry vegetables and the garlic noodles.

On the plus side, the price was extremely reasonable compared to the amount of food and quality of food provided. Overall, I would say it was a successful outing, but don't expect magnificance.

bbq dips

2007-07-01T11:45:00.001-04:00

no, I'm not talking about that flakey friend that always seems to show up at every bbq, babbling away about her psychic. When you want something to munch on before the veggies (or for you carnivores, the burgers) are done grilling, try these little goodies that I whipped up this morning:

Chipotle Corn Salsa Recipe
1/4 cup frozen corn
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1/4 medium vidalia onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
3 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, diced
juice from one fresh lime
2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro + some cilantro leaves for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

put all this in a bowl, and chill for at least an hour to let the flavors marry. This has essentially no fat and is all veggies - if you pair it with some healthy alternatives you can have you dip and eat it too. This can be made up to one day in advance. You can serve this with tortilla chips, or you can use it as a relish for the burgers, or you can brown some french bread on the grill and use this as a bruschetta. The opportunities are endless. :)

Now, if you have some folks who aren't into spicy food, here's a nice one that tastes so rich and yet it is so healthy and again, nearly fat free:

White Bean Dip Recipe
1 15 oz can of cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
4 oz plain fat free yogurt
1/4 tsp white truffle oil
1/2 vidalia onion
2 tsp herbs de provence
4 to 5 mint leaves

Put the beans, truffle oil and yogurt in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add in roughly cut onion, herbs and mint and pulse until onions are finely diced. Chill for at least 1 hour. Serve with veggies.

Enjoy your bbq!
*k*

Spinach Salad with Grilled Tofu and Curried Vinaigrette

2007-06-29T14:31:00.001-04:00

This one was really good....

Balsamic Curried Vinaigrette Recipe
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp curry mustard (or 2 tsp dijon mustard and 1/2 tsp curry powder)
1/2 tsp minced garlic

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until thoroughly mixed

Salad
2 cup baby spinach
Sliced red onion
cherry tomatoes
1 serving of extra firm tofu
1/2 tsp sea salt

Cut tofu into 1/2" squares. Heat non-stick skillet on high. Add tofu and sea salt. Cook tofu until browned on all sides.

Add tofu to salad items and toss with the vinaigrette.

Enjoy :)
*k*

hot day, cool salad

2007-06-25T21:16:00.000-04:00

every now and then I get tired of the same old salad dressings. Today was one of those days, and so I came up with this recipe with some things I had on hand. I think it needs a little tweaking but it's a good start:

Cilantro-Mint Citrus Vinaigrette Recipe
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp mint leaves
2 tbsp cilantro leaves
juice from one lime
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend on high for a few minutes. Drizzle over your favorite salad.

enjoy :)
*k*

the extra 15

2007-06-24T11:11:00.000-04:00

In the warmer weather, I regularly try and ride my bicycle everywhere. It just helps to keep me moving and stop driving *everywhere*. Like many Sunday mornings, I rode my bicycle to the grocery store. It's not too far, maybe about 2 miles each way. The trip there always seems like it will be a little bit harder than the trip home because there is one fairly long incline for the first quarter of the trip. To start out on the incline without having warmed up is always a challenge.

But today the way home proved to be more difficult. I purchased a week's worth of groceries, which for a single (mostly) vegetarian, consists largely of fruits and veggies that don't fit so neatly into the large backpack that I bring with me. Turned out to be at least 15 lbs. of groceries that I was carrying in my backpack on the ride home. As I was riding, I could definitely feel the extra excertion that I needed to apply in order to get me, the bike and the groceries up the and down the rolling terrain. And it got me thinking to when I was 15 lbs heavier. Is this what it felt like? Feeling a little bit more winded, feeling a little bit more pressure in my legs, I vowed to myself right there that I can't ever let that extra 15 lbs. come back.

So if you're wondering what it's like either to be a little bit heavier or what it might feel like to lose a few, try it. Take a 15 or 20 lb. backpack, wear it around for a little bit and then take it off. It's literally a huge weight removed from your shoulders.

Enjoy healthy, fun food and keep moving

*k*

easiest dinner ever...

2007-06-22T17:58:00.000-04:00

didn't feel like doing much for dinner tonight, so I'm posting this very easy, very tasty dish:

Asian Style Mixed Vegetables Recipe
1 bag of your favorite frozen mixed vegetables package (I choose a sugar snap pea, carrots and mushroom stir fry)
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 tbsp seasame seeds
3 tbsp low salt soy sauce
1 tbsp hot sauce (to taste)
1/2 tbsp olive oil (or sesame oil)

Set oven to broil and put frozen vegetables and garlic on cookie sheet. Grill until golden.

Mix rest of ingredients in a bowl. Add the broiled vegetables. Enjoy.

*k*

motivation

2007-06-20T21:07:00.000-04:00

I was thinking on my way to work this morning (I know, you saw the smoke...). But really, I was reflecting on some progress that I have been trying to make in terms of healthy eating and exercise and my motivation level. Then I started to think about all the ways that people, myself included, motivate themselves to stay healthy and several questions came to mind:

Why do we feel a need to "motivate" ourselves to stay healthy? It seems absurb. Why is that not innate?

Next, why do we seek out help in motivating ourselves through groups (like weight watchers, or a personal trainer or an on-line forum)? Have we lost the skill to self-motivate?

How do some people become motivators for others and some people become the motivatees?

I'm not proclaiming to know the answers to all of these questions. But I've been making some observations. I'm a big proponent of whole foods (i.e. non processed foods) and I feel like Americans in general eat way too much processed foods, ridiculous amounts of it. If you don't think so, think about what you ate today. Did more than half your food come out of a package? If not, congratulations - you're on your way to breaking the cycle. My theory is that many times we think we are being healthy and therefore the motivation to stay healthy is innate. We think we are doing the right things, but many of us are not.

In terms of group versus self motivation, people who appear to be positive, confident and enjoy life seem to be better self motivators (in general, I'm not trying to make this observation universally). These individuals also seem to be better motivators of others. You know the ones, they are always smiling talking about how great life is. They're full of all those great ideas, like "wow, it's really nice out. Want to go for a 10 mile run with me?!?!" It sounds so exciting, how could you resist. A mile in, your legs feel like spaghetti and your lung has lodged itself in your throat.

Those whose sky is always falling tend to need motivating and I guess that's not such a bad thing. Many have found a way to make money by setting up on-line motivational forums, groups and workout buddies. And many people seem to do reasonably well if they are accountable not only to themselves but to a group helping them find some motivation. This proves to be useful for the short-term, but in the end, the only one who you will ever need to be accountable to in terms of health is yourself.

I think we can all take a lesson from the self-motivators out there - set goals that are achievable and a few that might be a stretch, keep your sights on the goal, stay positive, don't be afraid to make mistakes and most of all - don't give up.

*k*

zany zucchini

2007-06-19T16:54:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. That the picture beside might be a little too risque for a blog about health and food. ;) Well, this is what's going on in my garden right now. I'm totally psyched that the zucchini have sprouted some vegetables. There are definitely some things that I'm learning about as the season progresses:

1. Zucchini are prolific producers, two zucchini plants and I already have 8 vegetables on the plant. I can see it now, I'm going to be posting lots and lots of zucchini recipes in the coming weeks. Watch out!

2. Spinach, while it seems nice to have, do not do so well in the mid-season when temperatures are real hot. The leaves burn, and the plant easily bolts. I definitely thought I would have more than one salad from the bunch.

3. Tomatos grow everywhere. I think I saw one coming out of the sidewalk the other day. Four plants turned into 10. Go figure.

4. Hot peppers apparently like to grow one pepper at a time. That doesn't work too well for those of us who like to put heat in everything. I think I need more of these next year.

5. I wish I would have planted more variety. Maybe a few eggplant, or more herbs. I guess there is still thyme, errr, time. (doh! that was a bad pun... I'll end with that) :)

*k*

summer is no time for soup... or is it?

2007-06-18T20:49:00.000-04:00

On a hot day, there's nothing better than cold soup. Ok, so it doesn't sound too appetizing when I put it like that. The soup is a chilled tomato soup, gazpacho, and it's completely vegan, fat free, and as far as I can tell, about 100-120 calories per serving. Watch out for the sodium though - it can be quite high if you don't use the "no salt" added varieties of the ingredients. It's unclear where this soup originated, some sources say Spain, others indicate an Arabic origin. But whatever the case, it's a refreshing summer time dinner, that can be a very simple preparation for your family or a simply elegant preparation for a crowd. Feel free to modify this to your own tastes and your own likes.

Gazpacho Recipe
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 0 Minutes
Chill Time: 60 Minutes
Total Time: 70 Minutes

2 cans diced tomatoes (15 oz cans)
2 cans tomato sauce (15 oz cans)
1 can filled with water
1 medium cucumber, peeled and seeds removed
½ Vidalia onion
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Juice from 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp chopped parsley (flakes ok too)
1 tbsp chopped basil (flakes ok too)
1 can slice mushrooms – optional
½ Serrano pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

In a blender, put 1 can of diced tomatoes, 2 cans tomato sauce, 1 can water, 1/2 of the cucumber cut up, cut up onion, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, basil and pepper. Blend on high until pureed. Pour into large bowl.

Add 1 can diced tomatoes, rest of the diced cucumber and mushrooms.

Chill at least 1 hr before serving.

*yum*

not just another coffee shop

2007-06-17T23:17:00.000-04:00

When I woke up this morning, I realized today is a "Landmark" day. Not because I was going to do something special, but actually quite the opposite. It was going to be an ordinary Sunday morning and that means walking downtown for some joe. Nestled on the corner of Hudson St. and Newark St. in Hoboken NJ, this unassuming coffee house is a mere 100 yards away from the Starbucks, but offers so much more. Friendly baristas, fresh fruit, granola bars and for the occassional indulgance, fresh pastries. Their latte, comes with the "extra shot" so no need to ask. The menu offers espresso, americano, flavored coffees, iced drinks and even frozen hot chocolate (I'm not quite sure what that is yet, but one of these days I'm going to try it). And their service always comes with a smile and some brief conversation about the what's new with you, what's new in town or even the weather. There are a few seats inside and if it's a nice day, you might score a seat outside. It reminds me of a neighborhood establishment of old, and one that I hope will be there as long as I am and more.

*k*

new york wineries... nothing to sneeze at

2007-06-17T15:11:00.000-04:00

Waking up to head full of allergies, I wasn't sure I was up for the hour and a half ride up to the first of the wineries on our wine tour. Even though I've been to both Napa and Sonoma, some 3,000 miles away, I have never taken the short trip upstate and wasn't sure what to expect in the Shawangunks. We left early, to make our arrival at the first winery at 10 AM. Our goal, to visit 8 in one day. We did it and much to our surprise, we found some very decent wines. My take on this is that if you go to a liquor store, even if it specializes in wine, you're only really going to end up with wines that they bottled thousands or several thousands of cases and then there are so many other wines that never make it to the distributors or to the stores in our area. So, we had a great day, beautiful views, tasty wines and a new found place for a weekend getaway.

poker and pappadam

2007-06-15T21:47:00.000-04:00

after getting spanked in the poker tournament, we decided to drown our sorrows in mint chutney. We don't partake in the Jersey City restaurant scene all too often, but I happened to notice an Indian restaurant and I am just a sucker for Indian food. The place is called Amiya and it sits a few blocks in from the Jersey City waterfront in the financial district. Over the last 10 to 15 years, this area has seen a lot of growth and revitalization.

Upon entering, we were greeted with a warm smile and a cozy atmosphere. The waiter was prompt and very open to answering a few questions about the menu. We started with pappadam (we didn't order it, it just kind of came over) and the purple and green sauce. I'm not sure what the purple sauce is but I've had it numerous times; the green sauce is a mint chutney - both are like crack. I just can't get enough.

Then we ordered a potato patty, stuffed with paneer and flavored with fenugreek and other seasonings. For dinner, I had a mushroom, tomato and onion curry and some roti. All of the dishes had a delicate combination of spices to make them flavorful but not overbearing. The service, ambiance, and food were all above average. It's a nice dinner place and by the time we left (around 8:30 pm), the restaurant was starting to fill in quite nicely. It seems like this restaurant would also be a great place for a weekday lunch.

*k*

looking for a new salad?

2007-06-14T22:55:00.000-04:00

This salad is great, especially during this time of year when we are all eating lots and lots of salads. After a while, I just can't bear to eat one more field green salad or spinach salad. Filled with vitamin C, K, and thought to have cancer fighting properties, brussel sprouts are not only good for you, but in this recipe they are tasty and filling. Enough babble, here you go:

Shaved Brussel Sprouts with Citrus Dressing Recipe (2 servings)
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Chill Time: 0 Minutes
Total Time: 25 Minutes

1 cup fresh brussel sprouts
1 orange, segmented
2 tbsp slivered almonds
Juice of one lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
Dash nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Trim ends off of brussel sprouts. Bring water to a rapid boil. Place sprouts in the boiling water for 1 minute. Remove sprouts from heat after one minute and immediately place in a bowl of ice water until sprouts are cool.

Shave sprouts by slicing thinly using a sharp knife (a box grater also works but I find it more cumbersome).

In separate bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Drizzle over the shaved brussel sprouts.

Garnish with almonds and orange segments. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!
*k*

to drink or not to....

2007-06-13T22:41:00.000-04:00

what is the deal with bottled water already? I have a lot of mixed feelings about the issue of purchasing water in bottles for 500 times (yes, 500 times, that is no exaggeration) the cost of water coming out of your faucet. I understand the convenience argument - that sometimes you just want some water instead of a soft drink and you're on the road or not in close proximity to a drinking fountain (do they even still have those?? I haven't seen a working one in a really long time, except at the gym).

On a regular basis? In your home? Ship it across the world (shipping water to the US from New Zealand?? come on!), for what? Is that one bottle of water somehow going to reshape your life, your health, or your well-being? Of course not! And, in fact, it probably has a detrimental effect on your life. Why? Think about all the energy that needs to be consumed to bottle it, package it, ship it and then throw it in the trash. All that additional air pollution, right into your lungs (and mine too - get that bottle of water away from me, it's almost as bad as second hand smoke).

I was in a restaurant in London a few months ago, and then recently in Philadelphia, PA. In both restaurants the waiter came to our table and asked if we would like water for the table - of course we do. He then left us with a water menu and advised that a water sommelier would be over shortly. The first was in London. I was a little confused by this (who am I kidding I have never heard of such ridiculousness in my life!) but played along since I was a tourist. Also, I must say that my curiosity got the best of me and I really wanted to see what this was all about. All hype. In Philadelphia, my curiosity sated, I opted for tap water. "Tap water??" the waiter asked incredulously. Yes, the stuff that comes out of the river, into the treatment plant, and passes all the regulations for clean and potable water. I know, a crazy idea.... but I like living on the edge.

Think about it. We can spend $2 on a 24 oz bottle of water (that's $5.33 per gallon for us math geeks, double that of the national average for gasoline) OR we can spend 0.01 cents per gallon by drawing it from our tap. You say it doesn't taste as good. USE BRITA. Stop the madness.

*k*

new twist on saffron rice

2007-06-11T22:33:00.000-04:00

Armed with the first figs of the season, I decided to try a new recipe. I'll be eating this one all week (and I'm not complaining about it!). I "borrowed" the recipe from here. But I made a few modifications (as usual...).

Saffron Rice Pilaf Recipe (10 servings)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 vidalia onion, chopped
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 1/2 cups of water
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
4 fresh California figs, chopped
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup coursely chopped walnuts (large pieces)
3-4 few strands saffron
dash course sea salt

In large heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil, add onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the rice and saute for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the water, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir in the figs, currants, saffron, salt, and walnuts.

Reduce heat to low; cover; and simmer until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally, and has absorbed all the liquid, about 20 to 25 minutes (don't peek!).

Fluff the rice and enjoy.
------------------

It was really tasty actually. I liked the way the flavors came together while it was cooking. I made the few changes I did for several reasons. First, I only make one cup of rice at a time. I generally only cook for myself during the week and the one cup of rice yields more than enough for several lunches and dinners. Remember, one serving is about 1/2 cup of rice, cooked (that's the healthy part of the foodie talking now...). I didn't have any allspice, so I substituted nutmeg. But nutmeg is somewhat potent, so just a pinch will do. As for the walnuts, they have more antioxidents and will provide the Omega-3 fatty acids that pine nuts don't have. Just 14 walnut halves will provide the RDA of Omega-3. This is important for those of us who avoid meat. And lastly, I used just plain water because not only did I not have vegetable broth handy, I thought that the broth would take away from some of the other, already rich flavors of the dish. It also generally has a lot of sodium that I can do without at this point.

Now there is one few thing that I would do differently next time. I would use dried figs. Though the original recipe did not distinguish between fresh and dried, I think the dried would have provided more flavor. And also, if you have read my other post on figs, you will remember that I'm a fig purist. :) At some point, I would also try this with dried dates in place of the figs. They have a great flavor and go wonderfully with rice and nut dishes.

enjoy!

*k*

prelude to sopranos

2007-06-10T20:44:00.000-04:00

When we were talking about what to do for dinner tonight and we went through the options, it seemed obvious. In honor of the Soprano's last episode, we thought it would be appropriate for a quintessential NJ Italian restaurant. We went to Leone's in Montclair. Normally at this point, I would point a link to the restaurant, but unfortunately there isn't one. So I'll post a photo soon. The decor was traditional, low budget and reminiscent of a pizza place (I guess that's a good thing, since it IS essentially a pizza place with a restaurant attached...).

When we arrived, we were seated immediately. Drinks and bread were promptly delivered to the table. I always try and find at least one special that I like when there are specials offered. It seems to me that they are always the freshest, especially if they change daily. We ordered a steamed stuffed artichoke from the special's menu. It was pretty tasty actually and came out very quickly.

Next up, the entree. I ordered angel hair pasta with broccoli rabe and portobella mushrooms in a light vodka sauce. Overall, I give it a "B." There were nice sized pieces of the vegetables, the pasta was cooked just right, and the sauce was tangy and light. However, I could have done with double the veggies, half the pasta and a third of the sauce. Others may disagree, but I only like a light coating of sauce on my pasta.

All in all, at the end of the meal I wasn't left wanting more. And I can say the same about the last episode of the Sopranos.....

*k*

first figs of the season

2007-06-10T10:01:00.000-04:00

they're here!! I have been dreaming about this day since last fall when I woefully went into the supermarket one October afternoon only to find there were no more figs. No more figs until next year the produce man told me. And now they are back - insanely sweet, smooth on the outside, with a chewy flesh home to crunchy seeds, all at the same time... bliss :)

So what is the deal with figs anyway? Well I found this website about California Figs. Apparently there was a fig tree in the Garden of Eden (woah, I didn't know that the garden of eden made it into history books??). Anyhow, it seems that they originated in Egypt and have been part of history since the time of Plato and were / are very popular in Greek and Roman diets. Before long, they were found all over the Mediterranean region. They were brought to San Diego by the Spanish in the late 1750s and planted throughout the missions of California. Unfortunately, figs are not hardy in cold weather. Otherwise, I would consider putting a ficus in my backyard. They are so freaking expensive, it would be nice to have one of those in my yard.

On top of their rich history, figs have lots of health benefits too. They can help to control blood pressure, have cardiovascular benefits, and they are high in dietary fiber to name a few of the benefits. And as if all of that were not enough, they are a taste explosion and extremely versatile, making an appearance in both savory and sweet dishes. I guess I'm a purist when it comes to figs though. My favorite way to enjoy them is to break off the stem and eat.

mmmmm...
Ooey, gooey, rich and chewy inside, Golden flaky, tender caky outside, Wrap the inside in the outside, is it good?
Darn tootin'.
Doing the big fig newton! Here's the tricky part

*k*

peer trainer

2007-06-10T08:32:00.000-04:00

BBQ food will get you every time... Went to a bbq yesterday, with some old college friends. I love hanging out with them! We only see each other a few times a year but it's always as if we just hung out yesterday. This time, we had a guest of honor - one of our friends had moved a few hundred miles away and they were able to make it. I haven't seen her in 10 years - what a treat! The down side - there's often food involved. And of course, I love food so...

I've decided that if I'm going to keep up this healthy foodie image, I better get moving because lately the scale has been moving in the wrong direction. So, this morning I joined PeerTrainer and added myself to a group. Basically, you join a group of 4 other people and together you form a small support group to keep each other on track. I'll let you know how it goes - I need all the help I can get lately!

*k*

container garden update

2007-06-10T00:16:00.000-04:00

Lots of activity in the container garden lately. While it has a way to go, the basil has really taken off. I started these from seeds in some herb containers in the kitchen. At first, there were several sprouts, but they seemed to die back. Then, without warning, several new sprouts popped up and have shown some significant growth. I may be able to move at least one of the outside to see if it yields a better result.

The chives, which also reside in the kitchen, came up very quickly but then seemed to stall. They seem very thin, if that makes any sense. I guess I thought they would be more hardy, similar to scallions but not as large. Maybe they just haven't matured yet. I used some chives the other day in a salad but I'm not convinced they are ready yet.

My spinach bolted this week and I'm rather disappointed. I'm not sure if I'm more disappointed that I didn't do more research on growing spinach or that I only got one good spinach salad out of it. (It was a darn good salad though!) I think I may try again near the end of the summer into the fall when temperatures are cooler. That should alleviate some of the boiling and hopefully defer the bolting for a while.

The tomato plants have basically taken over everything. They are everywhere and they are huge. I don't see any fruit on the stalks yet but they are starting to flower. So I suspect that I'll see some fruit soon - yippee!

The zucchini are GIGANTIC! I wish I knew how big they were going to be because if I did, I would have planted them somewhere else. They are currently in containers and I keep thinking that I may move them to the ground. It's just that I don't have much sunny space for them in the ground. No veggies on them yet, but lots of flowers. I can't wait for the zucchini :) You'll see, I'll be breaking out all the zucchini recipes when the harvest comes.

The hot peppers have sprouted. In fact, I wasn't really paying attention to the pepper plants, but I took a look today and there it was. I think this one is the jalapeno. Either way, I'm not sure exactly when to harvest it and I hope to get more than this one (which is more than I can say for the spinach plants). I'm going to give it a couple days and keep an eye on it.

*k*

mango smoothie

2007-06-09T12:48:00.001-04:00

what a wonderful treat on a hot summer day!

Mange Smoothie Recipe
8 ice cubes
3/4 cup chopped mango (I used frozen for this, very easy...)
6 oz. plain fat free yogurt
2 tbsp. wheat germ

Blend.
Enjoy.

*k*