Waffle BLT Brunch - Touchdown!

Just because today was an official day of gluttony and excess, Dan and I decided to start early with a luxurious brunch.  Inviting my father-in-law David to join us, we put our new Belgian waffle maker to good use by experimenting with a savory waffle recipe, which ended up morphing into a fancy BLT sandwich.

From start to finish, this was a pretty quick and easy dish, but definitely something that requires good time management and pre-planning.  I'd advise you to prep all the ingredients for this open faced sandwich ahead of time, such as slicing the tomatoes, having the greens ready, and broiling the bacon.  The waffles can be done as a second to last step and the very last thing is the fried egg on top, which you can break oh so delicately right before eating and relishing in that silky, runny yolk.  Overall, this was a big hit in my household and something I'll definitely be repeating.  You can try it with other variations such as with prosciutto, chicken or maybe even some guacamole? The choice is yours!

Savory Cheddar Waffle BLT, courtesy of Chow

Thai Beef with Basil Yumminess

On the fourth day of my gluten free experiment, it's going well so far, and the whole journey has been easier than I thought.  I'm certainly seeing a difference in my body and overall don't feel very lethargic, which is great.  That's not to say that I'll do this full time just yet, but I'm enjoying the journey so far.

A dish which I've recently created that worked well with this new diet is the above pictured Thai Beef with Basil.  Getting the recipe from Bon Appetit, I was able to  incorporate lots of basil, carrots and a bevy of Asian flavors such as soy sauce, fish sauce and lots of lime juice.  The key was letting the beef get a bit crispy on the edges by letting it brown about 10 minutes in the pan, before the chicken stock was added.

The overall flavors were fresh and zesty, but hearty enough to satisfy you for dinner.  Making great left overs, the dish kept really well and I ate it the following day too and loved how the juices from the lime/soy dressing married into the meat and carrot slaw.

Thai Beef with Basil recipe, courtesy of Bon Appetit

Pea Scallion Pancakes Offer a New Take on the Flapjack

Since I love me some pancakes, I was totally intrigued to learn about a new take on this dish, incorporating a savory twist.  The recipe came from the April issue of Bon Appetit, the pancakes looking gorgeous and vibrant.  I liked that the ingredients were super simple, and also included a generous helping of cottage cheese, that seemed to moisten the texture of these babies. 

It was fun to lace them with the beautiful peas and fresh scallions too for some bite.  While the recipe called for a rich butter sauce on top, I omitted that and instead made a generous helping of side salad with a vinegar based dressing.  The whole thing was unique, refreshing and comforting too.  We had an easy time polishing off nearly all of the pancakes, and I can happily say that this is a recipe I'll gladly repeat.  See what you think when you try it too.  Here's the recipe for Pea Pancakes.

Healthy Stir-Fry Hits the Spot

Even though I have a wok (and have had it forever), I haven’t been too forthcoming about using it, and experimenting with stir-fry dishes. This past weekend changed all that, as I spotted a fun little recipe in Bon Appetit’s March issue for Brussels sprouts and steak stir-fry. It looked gorgeous – all colorful and vibrant – so I thought, “why not?!”

I liked that the prep was minimal, just some slicing of veggies such as carrots, fresh ginger, scallions, Brussels Sprouts and the like, but the rest of the magic happened in the wok. Amazed by how quickly it all went down and was literally prepared in no more than 7-10 minutes, we had dinner on the table real quick and plenty of food to go back for seconds and thirds. 

Since you’re making your own sauce coating for the stir-fry, make sure to use low sodium soy sauce to control the salt content and use a good quality rice vinegar such as Kikkoman. I hope you enjoy this dish, and please let me know about any fun variations you come up with!

Brussels sprouts and steak stir fry recipe, courtesy of Bon Appetit

A Nourishing "Food Lover's Cleanse" Dinner

After all the holiday indulging, I was seriously craving some healthy eats, and was on a mission to cook a really wholesome, nutritious dinner.  Flipping through my new issue of Bon Appetit, I noticed a section titled "Food Lovers Cleanse," which I've heard about from my friend, Meg who did the whole thing for the past two years.  Not sure if I have the diligence and discipline to do all that, but I've started with one recipe, and I have to say it was mighty delicious.

Cod fish, the main part of this meal was a milky, flaky fish that I seasoned with a home rub of paprika, cayenne pepper and sea salt.  I pressed the sea salt deep into the fish, so it wouldn't slip out and so it'd flavor it well.  There were two tasty sides that went along with the fish including a deeply flavored lemon Swiss chard, which was really amazing (not bitter at all), and a pistachio quinoa that tasted earthy and really fulfilling.  We felt great (and pretty full) after this meal, which was nicely enjoyed with a homemade hot toddy.  Hope you like it too!

Cod with Swiss Chard, Olives and Lemon, as seen in the pages of Bon Appetit
Red Quinoa with Pistachios, as seen in the pages of Bon Appetit

A Summery Picnic-Ready Pasta

One of the best parts of summer, at least for me, are all the cookouts, picnics and basically any occasion to get together, be outside and eat yummy food.  Last week, my co-workers and I enjoyed one of these fun activities, as we had a festive summer picnic on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  

Everyone brought a dish, and we all feasted to oblivion.  I wanted to keep things light but also intended to make something substantial that wouldn't leave us hungry, so I put together this light summer pasta salad.  Including only veggies, such as grilled corn, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, thinly sliced red onion and lots of fresh lime juice and olive oil, the dish didn't leave you feeling heavy.  In fact, lots of my co-workers commented about just how lovely and vibrant it was. 

It didn't take too long to make, and I actually adapted it from a corn salad recipe that I saw on bonappetit.com.  Adding in the pasta gave it a little more umph, and made it feel like a more well-rounded dish.  You can enjoy it on its own, or with some yummy grilled chicken, shrimp or what have you.

Charred corn salad recipe (just add pasta to it to replicate my dish above)

Happy and Healthy New Food Recipe - Cauliflower Steaks

Happy New Year everyone!  Naturally, with all the indulging we've been doing, it's now time to start eating healthier and paying more attention to those waistlines (me included!).  

I wanted to bring you this awesome recipe from the January issue of Bon Appetit magazine, as it really inspired me to think about healthy vegetarian food in a different way.  Regardless of whether you're a vegetarian or not, I think you'll enjoy this deliciously meaty recipe that's made purely of hearty veggies such as cauliflower, sundried tomatoes, olives, parsley and homemade tomato sauce.

What I loved about making this dish is that it's pretty low maintenance, as there wasn't too much laborious prep work involved.  Cutting the cauliflower into steak-like pieces was definitely something new and an inventive way to prepare this vegetable.  I liked that the dish juxtaposes cooked cauliflower with raw, as you'll see when you make the relish that goes on top.  You'll notice that after a few bites, you won't need much else to go with this like bread or a side dish - it's an all inclusively filling meal.  Enjoy it guilt-free!

Cauliflower Steaks with Olive Relish and Tomato Sauce, courtesy of Bon Appetit