Tuesday, July 12, 2011

NYC RESTAURANT WEEK!!!

Helloooo foodies!

I am super amped for the next couple weeks because as of yesterday, NYC restaurant week is in full swing! From now until July 24, restaurants all over the city lower their prices so us plebians can enjoy fine dining for a greatly reduced price! I've always been a fan of restaurant week, but I have to say that this summer I'm doing it right (even if it means I don't eat at all for the rest of the week). As of right now, I have reservations to go to 21 club, the legendary nyc hotspot (and speakeasy). Oddly enough, this was the very FIRST reccommendation I received when looking at schools, given to me by one of my loyal Panera customers, Dave. I never forgot his recommendation and I am soo thrilled to finally go there! Next, I have plans to go to Cafe Boulud with Andrea, my fellow Food Network Intern/ Foodie that is frequently mentioned here :) There are a couple more restaurants I've been eyeing and a couple people I'm trying to go with, so I will keep you updated! As always, I'll be sure to update you with my thoughts about each restaurant throughout the week! Happy restaurant week!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Curry Cravings: Coconut Curry with Tofu

Happy Monday everyone!

This weekend, I was really craving some sort of indian food. I love going out to hole in the wall restaurants like Panna II near St. Marks to get awesome indian food for a low price (not to mention its byob) but seeing as its finals week, most people don't have time to make a night out of it. The last time I went to Panna II I was with my stylish friend, Sam, and our friend Danny. Sam is also the one who first tempted me to find a healthy alternative to eating indian food at restaurants, as most tend to use heavy cream  and full fat cheeses to make their dishes so delectable. Pair this with my Friday night craving, and I was off to Whole Foods faster than you could say Tikki Masala. I looked for inspiration on multiple sites, with the end result being a combination of a couple recipes. I opted for tofu due to the fact that I'm very picky about how chicken is prepared and I was feeling very veg-inspired thinking of Sam (who has been a newly veg/ vegan for about 6 months? yay!) I made this meal with my friend Steph at her apartment, and it actually turned out quite well! I urge you try it for something new in the kitchen (and healthy!) The result was a curry made with light coconut milk, tomato paste, and vegetables to bulk up our cubed tofu into a satisfying meal! We paired it with a boxed brown rice pilaf, but any type of rice works!
Coconut Curry with Tofu


Coconut Curry with Tofu


Serves 6 


Ingredients:
Vegetable Oil, about 1 Tbsp
1 Medium Onion, diced
1 Red Pepper, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used baby portabellas, but use whatever you like!)
Fresh ginger, sliced thin, about 1 Tbsp
20 oz canned light coconut milk
Yellow Curry Powder, approx 2 Tbsp
Cinnamon
1/2 small can Tomato Paste
Scallions
Cashews
1 block Firm Tofu, pressed and cubed
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt, pepper

Instructions: 

Heat vegetable oil on medium high heat, add onions red pepper, mushrooms and ginger-- cook until softened. Add cubed tofu-- let these cook in oil for a few minutes. Season tofu and vegetables with salt and pepper while in the pan. Next, add curry powder to the pan, toss until tofu is evenly coated (will give the cubes a yellowish color). Once fully mixed, add the coconut milk and tomato paste, reduce pan to medium-- mix sauce and vegetables and let simmer. Add red pepper flakes at this point for some extra spice. Simmer over medium/medium low heat for 10 minutes, until thickened. Add cinnamon to taste, approximately 1 teaspoon. Crush cashews and toast them in a separate pan until browned, use as garnish. Slice scallions to use as garnish as well. Curry can be eaten on its own, or goes well over rice!

Brown Rice Pilaf (from a box-- can't do it all!)


Sliced Scallions and Toasted Cashews for a crunchy final touch!
I was surprised how good this recipe this turned out-- very reminiscent of a dish I would get at an indian restaurant. Its slightly sweet, savory, and spicy. If you try this, feel free to add more curry for an added spice, or red pepper flakes for an different kind of kick! I've been eating leftovers of this all weekend, and its still holding up pretty well! Its chock full of veggies, low cal, and packed with flavor-- what else could you ask for?

Thank you to Steph for coming to Whole Foods with me and cooking the rice (hehe). Also, thank you for Sam for giving me this challenge, whether you knew you did or not. And thank you everyone else for reading!

Do you like indian food? What's your favorite dish? Or, what's the weirdest craving you've ever had?

Also, I wasn't lying about my friend Sam being stylish! Check out her fantastic fashion blog, GrlsGotStyle!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Where to start?! The Muffin Man: London, UK

Hello all!! It's been awhile. This semester has certainly been hectic and crazy, but definitely my favorite so far. The thing is, what do I start with?! I have tons and tons of pictures of food and places that I absolutely want to delve into as fast as possible. For now, I want to start with my spring break-- a 10 day trip back to the UK! One of my favorite foodie friends, Thea, is studying abroad at St. Andrew's University in Scotland, so I had the opportunity to go visit and explore, along with visiting my old stomping ground in London! And let me just say, I don't know what they're doing differently over there, but they're doing something right-- the food is amazing pretty much anywhere you go. I feel like even the produce is better, cleaner, crisper (here I go romanticizing things). When I was living in London last summer to take classes, my favorite thing was to be able to explore an entirely new city (as well as country) and see how things are different.

The most, I repeat, the most amazing part about the UK and Europe in general for the most part is BREAKFAST. I'm an eggs girl, from my head down to my leggggs (I feel like half the people reading this won't get that reference). I would like to believe that british eggs are just better, whether it be from not keeping them in the fridge (all eggs are left out in grocery stores-- there's really no reason to refridgerate them... fun fact!) or the actual quality of the egg, I don't know. All I can say is that I am in breakfast heaven. My favorite and most thrifty breakfast is straight from Kensington, the area in London where I lived, at a place called The Muffin Man. Exactly what I want a breakfast place in London to be named, I might add. Their "Muffin Man breakfast" is unforgettable. Check it out!

Muffin Man Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, baked beans, toast with jam and honey, tea, orange juice. Phew!
What I liked: Everything. Let me just create the scene for you. You walk in to a quaint little restaurant with little 2-person tables all around filled with pairs of friends, lovers, etc. quietly chattering away over tea. Your meal begins with your own personal teapot filled with the Muffin Man's own loose-leaf blend that strains into your teacup. Next, your orange juice arrives, normally with a colorful bendy straw (I don't know why but that always made me smile). Then, your toast arrives with your choice of fresh honey, jam, or marmalade. Are you hungry yet? Finally, your platter of creamy, flavorful eggs comes with fresh sausage, (british) bacon, and baked beans. I'm about to hop on the next flight to London after writing that. Yum! Also, this is all around £9 (approximately $13). For the amount of food you're getting and for the atmosphere, you can't beat it!

What I didn't like: I hesistate to even have this section, because I love the Muffin Man so much. I went at least once a week while studying there, and I wish I could still make that weekly trip each and every day. My only initial complaint is that they don't have maple syrup, but that's just the American in me. My favorite sweet and salty combo has got to be sausage and syrup or bacon and syrup (don't judge, its awesome). I started to use the honey they give as a substitute, though, and it pretty much works just as well! I'm still a happy camper :)

Overall, I would give the Muffin Man 11 eggs out of 12 on a breakfast scale, or 12 out of 13 if we're talkin' bakers dozen. It could be my forever romanticized version of the United Kingdom, but they really can't go wrong over there. I'm proclaiming myself a foodie ex-patriot! Why did we ever want to leave British rule again?! They have weddings and days of celebration and AWESOME food... freedom scmeedom... (totally kidding--sometimes my food love gets in the way of my thinking)

I have a lot more to talk about in regards to my spring break, so those updates will keep on coming! I'm just starting my finals week and this will be a semi-productive but enjoyable break activity. Now, on to writing papers!

And now I want to ask-- what's your favorite breakfast meal? Are you a Denny's grand slam kinda person, or a simple cereal and milk kind of guy/girl? Do you even eat breakfast? Let's get some conversation going-- it seems like I'm always doing all the talking! :)

Muffin Man on Urbanspoon

Thursday, April 21, 2011

IM COMING BAAAACK

After a not so brief hiatus and my camera cord being across the pond, i have LOTS of updates for everyone! Posts will include but not be limited to-- spring break shenanigans in Europe, more food trucksm, home happenings, etc! Stay tuned :D