Kale, Apple and Beet Salad with Pistachio Brittle

Sometimes it takes a candied nut to help kale go down. Since creating this salad, I find it disappointing to have a kale salad with out some kind of candied nut. Don’t be turned off by the length of this recipe. You can make the dressing and pistachio brittle a day ahead. I’d even suggest making a couple of batches of pistachios so you can throw them into any salad. You can substitute the dressing below for a simple vinaigrette of your own, or use your favorite creamy dressing that has some acidity to it.
 

Nutty Monkey

On my way to gift wrap 20 coffee table books for an interior decorating firm (just call me Odd Job Jane) I spotted a juice bar and went in for a breakfast smoothie. I ordered their “Mr. Almond” smoothie which I practically inhaled through a jumbo straw. Naturally, I went home and adapted the recipe for this here blog and gave it my own silly name, Nutty Monkey. I was anti-smoothie for most of my life, but this smoothie has changed my mind.
 

Asparagus, Kalamata and Bread Salad

This salad makes me sad that most people I know don't like olives. I made it the other night as an eat-whatever's-in-the-fridge dinner and loved it. It was unexpected and the ingredient amounts were undocumented. That's ok, because salads are quite easy to put together. Here's my "non-recipe" for Asparagus, Kalamata and Bread Salad.

Chicken with Cilantro Chimichurri and Pickled Onions

Turks and Caicos is still on my mind. I had a chicken satay by the beach and even though the carrot slaw it came with was overpowered with cloves, my Dark and Stormy covered palate loved it anyway. Maybe it was the crystal blue water and white sand in front of me or the warm, salt filled air. When I got back the Brooklyn, all I wanted to eat was that chicken satay. I found a recipe that failed me miserably, made me realize I hate curry and left me with a bunch of extra cilantro. I don't like to see cilantro go to waste because I love it (I used to despise it), so a chimichurri was definitely in my future. It's an easy sauce for just about any meat or vegetable; I went with pan-seared chicken and asparagus. The pickled onions are a nice touch in this dish. If you don't like cilantro, try eating some near the beach in Turks and Caicos.

Creamy Beans

Stop what you’re doing right now, go to your kitchen cabinet and find a can of black beans or pinto beans. If you do not have any, please go buy a can and come back home immediately. Make this recipe, take a spoonful, and join me in disbelief that canned beans can be so freaking good. We all know that butter makes everything better, but who knew that a pat of butter and some extra cooking time could transform a boring can of beans into beans that make you go “oh wow....oh WOW...no way!”

Tamagoyaki

I’m baaaaack. I really dropped the ball on this whole blog thing didn’t I? I’ve been eating boatloads of delivery pizza and salads from Chop’t lately and haven’t been cooking enough. I did make another round of salmon fritters but I certainly couldn’t post those again. But a recipe for Tamagoyaki has been staring me in the face for weeks and on a rainy Saturday I decided I was finally going to make it happen. Tamagoyaki is a Japanese egg log that is slightly sweet and totally fun to make and eat.
 

Cold Ramen Salad with Egg

Noodles are one of the first foods on my mind once the weather reaches “Feels like 15 Degrees”. I love a hot bowl of thick, buttery ramen at Chucko Ramen in Prospect Heights or a pile of pad thai at Cheers Thai in Williamsburg. My brother’s been raving about Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles in Chinatown which I’m hoping to try soon. Here’s a cold noodle salad I made with some leftover ramen; it makes for an easy lunch. What's your favorite noodle shop?

Bibimbap

After eating my first bibimbap in Cambridge, Massachussets a few years ago,  I regretted that so much of my life had been bibimbap-less. Bibimbap is a Korean dish consisting of rice, assorted vegetables and a protein. It's typically served in a scalding hot stone bowl which cooks the bottom of the rice into golden brown crispiness. The bowl is usually topped with a raw egg that cooks when you push it against the hot stone. It's all eaten with gochujang paste or a gochujang-based sauce. Gochujang paste is a fermented Korean condiment made from red chili, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt.

Sweet Ham and Gouda Crepes

Crepes are my kryptonite. I make homemade crepes once every 4 or 5 months, always on a weekend. And I eat those crepes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For breakfast, I’ll top a stack of crepes with fresh strawberries or bananas and a hefty pour of maple syrup. For lunch and dinner, I’ll use crepes as a blanket in which to wrap savory things. For dessert, I’ll have crepes with maple syrup again, or Nutella if it’s on hand. 

 

Salmon Fritters

I've always had a fear of leftover cooked fish and all its cold clamminess. That is, until, when recently faced with some leftover salmon, I searched the internet for “what to do with leftover fish” and changed my world forever. Leftover cooked fish can be used in fish tacos, stews, salads, sandwiches and fish cakes. Who knew? The key is to either gently bring the fish up to room temperature or reheat it for a very short amount of time.  Salmon cakes sounded the most appealing to me so I faced my fear. 

Late Summer Bruschetta

Working at a food company means that I often get to eat really delectable lunches. A few weeks ago, one of my bosses put together some crusty bread with homemade mayonnaise, heirloom tomatoes and basil while my other boss took pictures of us eating it. Let's hope a picture of me stuffing lunch in my face does not surface. I decided to borrow that combination of flavors for a late summer bruschetta using some heirloom tomatoes from my trip to Long Island this past weekend. 

 

Creamy Summer Farro Salad

I recently tried this farro salad from Bklyn Larder, a cheese and provisions shop in Brooklyn, and I’ve been itching to recreate it at home for many weeks.  As I ate it, I tried to note all the flavors to make sure I got as close to the real thing as possible.  I typed up what I like to call a guess-cipe, a guessed recipe that I can test and tweak in the kitchen.  I’m happy to report that I did a pretty good job matching the flavors.  The creaminess of the mayo adds a nice fat factor, the lemon juice brightens it up, the farro’s nutty texture is super fun and the vegetables bring some crunch to the party.  There are two months of picnic weather left and this is a crowd-pleasing salad to have on your gingham blanket.

Black Bean and Green Burger

A black bean burger is not by any means juicy.  If you slapped it on a bread bun, you'd be on a high speed train to dry town.  But if you put this flavor-packed patty on a bibb lettuce bun, you're in store for a cooling, fresh, energizing burger experience. You can even eat two of these bean beasts and still feel like you can run a marathon, not so for your standard meat burger.  Save your meat burger for the weekend and spend your weeknights with a Black Bean and Green Burger.  Don't fret if you're sans Cuisinart; you can make these burgers with a bowl and a wooden spoon too.  So make your shopping list and look forward to a guilt-free burger night.

Thai-ish Turkey Mushroom Lettuce Wraps

You’re growing tired of the taste of pasta and pizza.  You need something fresh, something to awaken your taste buds, and something that doesn’t have carbs.  It’s summer after all and you wanna shed those winter pounds.  Enter the lettuce wrap.  I crave the flavors of soy sauce, rice vinegar, cilantro and sriracha all thrown together inside a crunchy iceberg shell.  Lean ground turkey adds protein.  Mushrooms add some umami.  This is your new after-work, warm weather dinner. Who knew Monday nights could be so exciting...

Chorizo and Pepperoncini Sandwich

This sandwich may look easy to throw together, but it's a combo you might not have thought of before. It's inspired by a sandwich I had a few times at Forager's City Grocer in Dumbo, Brooklyn made with spicy soppressata instead of chorizo. The first occasion on which I ate one was last summer while driving, sans napkins, hoping I wouldn't end up with bright orange soppressata drippings on my jeans. The next occasion was much more pleasant as I shared the sandwich with Alan on a picnic table by the water on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade after a bike ride.

Hotel Chopped Salad

I stopped liking blue cheese about ten years ago.  I've always been slightly grossed out by eggs in salads and I typically don't go for salads with corn in them even though I like corn.  And I can take or leave walnuts.  When Alan and I went on vacation to St. Martin last week, our first meal was at the beachfront C Le Restaurant at the Radisson Blu where we stayed for four sun-filled days.

Peanut Miso Kale and Kelp Noodles

I am not a health nut.  I like my bacon cheeseburgers as much as I like my vegetables.  And a chia seed or a goji berry has never passed my lips.  But recently I started a home fitness routine using Blogilates.com and I came across instructor Cassie Ho's version of a salad she gets at Cafe Gratitude in LA.  Kale, kelp and avocado in a peanut dressing just sounded so appealing.  I think anything you put peanut butter on tastes good.  So as soon as I finished my bodega salad ingredients, I quickly moved on to this.
 

Green Tomato Salad

This tomato salad is so good.  I’m currently on the hunt for some green tomatoes so I can make more of it.  I never knew that anything else could be done with green tomatoes besides frying them, but this is a crisp, refreshing way to use these underripe tomatoes in the fall, right after the warmth of summer has died off and the chill of winter is approaching, but it’s not quite cold enough for soups and stews. 

Turkey and White Bean Chili

I have a confession to make.  I don’t really follow recipes accurately.  I get so anxious to start cooking that I forget to set up my mis en place, meaning I don’t prep all the ingredients I need so that they’re within reach.  This leads to overheated oil in the pan, oddly shaped vegetable pieces, burnt rice, undercooked onions, over-seasoned food and missing ingredients.  I think my hastiness stems from my over-excitement at finally finding some time to cook the dish I’ve been thinking about all week.  What you see here is my third attempt at Martha Stewart’s Turkey and White Bean Chili.  

Mexican Caesar Salad

This salad was inspired by Chop’t Creative Salad Company’s Mexican Caesar salad.  It’s very similar to the original, except I wasn’t sure how to make their dressing so I invented my own.  For some reason, whenever I buy a jalapeno, I lose it.  I bought a nice glossy jalapeno for this recipe, made the salad and ate it all before realizing that the jalapeno wasn’t in it.  It wasn’t in the fridge either, or on the floor, or behind the chopping block or in the fruit bowl.