Dear Jeff, So Sorry...

Quick shoutout to my buddy Jeff -- who apparently reads this. He posted a note on my facebook wall suggesting I update this little blog here because he has been eating Croque Madam (or my version of it) for far too long.

So sorry, Jeffy. I'd hate to think that my apparent ambivalent attitude toward this once prioritized venture has affected your waistline at all. For that I would hate to be responsible. And I apologize.

So for Jeffy, a healthier (and maybe even tastier?) alternative:

Sauce'd Chicken

Ingredients:

1 boneless skinless chicken breast
3 tbs apple sauce (I used Mott's)
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme (2 to 2 1/2 if dried)
1 tbs minced red onion

Preheat the oven to 400

Season the chicken with salt & pepper. Coat the bottom of a baking
dish with either Pam or oil. I use a light spritz of EVOO from my new MISTO aka
the best thing I got for Christmas.

Mix the applesauce, thyme, and onion together in a small bowl. Spoon a
small amount into the baking dish, about the size of the breast. Place the
chicken on top of it, and the spoon the remaining mixture over the chicken.
Cover and bake until cooked through, about 25 minutes.

So I got one of those herb gardens recently and needed to use some of the thyme I've been growing. The inspiration for this came from a recipe I read for whole roasted chicken with thyme and apples. If that combo works there -- why not a smaller breast?

The result is pretty tasty. The onions provide a nice contrast to the apple while marrying equally well to the thyme. And as you might know from alternative baking methods (your mom ever use applesauce instead of oil when making bread? Mine did!) using applesauce in cooking provides the same moisture that using oil does, but with a much healthier nutrient profile.

So there ya go, Jeffy. I hope you finally take a break from the previous french treat :) Oh, and I ate this with a side of greenbeans. Very basic -- just a little butter-spray, salt, and chili flakes leftover from pizza delivery this weekend.

Sorry there's no picture -- it was that good :-)

Un Peu de Indulgence

I get daily emails from Williams-Sonoma with coupons and new recipes and occasionally they'll include a recipe or two.


Well, the other day an email came through advertising a new line of French cookware, so the included a few French recipes to set our culinary minds a-spinnin'. One of said recipes was for a Croque Madame.



Croque Madame is indulgent and rich, and A.MAH.ZING!!! Whenever I have brunch at Pastis, it's a safe assumption that this is what I'm ordering...



It's the sister of the basic French dish Croque Monsieur: a "grilled ham and cheese", as it were. But like all things French it's not quite so simple as that. The Monsieur is traditionally made with a bechamel and melted gruyere on thick sweet bread and ham. The Madame is the same but with a sunny-fried egg on top.



My version of the Madame is a little different. One: because I don't love sweet bread. Two: gruyere is awesome but not my favorite; and it's also not very common in the small markets of NYC. So mine is made with Peasant bread and swiss cheese -- The recipe is below!!!




Ingredients


2 tbs butter, plus more for spreading
1 tbs flour
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
8 oz swiss cheese, half thinly sliced and half shredded
8 pieces peasant or sourdough bread
4 thick slices blackforest ham
4 eggs



In a small saucepan, melt 1 tbs butter over medium low heat. Once butter is bubbly, sprinkle in the flour and whisk. Let the mixture cook until bubbly, then quickly whisk in the milk. Allow to cook a few minutes and thicken. Once it's slightly sticking to a spoon, add the shredded swiss cheese. Use a spoon in a figure "8" motion to melt and combine. Keep warm over low heat.


Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Butter each piece of bread. Place 2 pieces of bread butter-side down in the hot skillet. Spoon on some of cheese sauce, then add ham, a few slices of the sliced cheese, and a 2nd slice of bread butter-side up. Grill until golden brown, then flip. Cook until 2nd side is also golden, then remove. Repeat with remaining bread & ham. Keep warm by either covering or placing in warm oven.


Melt 1 tbs butter in skillet. Cook four eggs on one side until the whites are just cooked through.


Spoon a healthy amount of cheese sauce onto the top of the sandwhiches. Top each with a sunny side egg.


Serves 4




Is it the most healthy? Nahhh. But I'm telling you -- it's crazy delicious. So the next time you feel like indulging yourself a bit, cook up one of these babies :-)

Welcome Back, Summer

Whoa, it has been a long time since I've written here! What can I say, I've been a very busy boy :) But now that the football league and dodgeball league have come and gone, I'm going to have a little more time on my hands. AKA: More time for my hands to be in the kitchen!

Last night was the first night I have cooked in a while. It made me really miss it! I made a delicious open-faced tuna sandwich. I don't really know what to call it, but I'll tell you how to do it and you can call it whatever you want!

(Actually, I'm totes calling it the Sherry Baby Tuna Sandwich, cuz that song popped into my head when I was writing out the recipe...)

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 tbs dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon)
1 tbs chopped fresh thyme
1 can white chunk tuna in oil (or water would be fine too)
1 whole wheat english muffin
1 slice reduced fat swiss cheese

First add the oil to a pan and heat over medium. Chop your onion into long strips (not rings) and by the time you're done your oil will be heated. Add the onion and saute until tender and beginning to carmelize, about 5 minutes.

Add the sherry vinegar, mustard, and thyme. Lower heat to medium-low and let the juices simmer until they have reduced to a thick sauce-like quality, about 10 minutes.

Open English muffin. Drain tuna, and flake on top of muffin. Add your sherry mustard onion mixture, and top with the swiss cheese. Pop in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds, or until your cheese is melted.

Super simple and shockingly delicious!

And CHEAP. F'reals, a can of tuna is, what, $1.19? An onion is $0.40? Sure, the bottle of vinegar was about $4 (I didn't have any on hand and didn't think balsamic would taste good...) but I only used a little bit... Let's say $0.70 worth!

That's an awesome, healthy, tasty and affordable dinner no one should be able to argue with :)

I highly recommend this!

RACHEL RAY AT WATCHMEN!

Who inspired me to start cooking? Why, none other than Rachel Ray!

And last night I got to meet her at a screening of "Watchmen"! One of the best moments of my LIFE! I already posted about it on my main blog, but figured I'd throw it out there on this one too, see as it's food related :)

BTW... Sorry I've been so bad about this site! I've got a few recipes ready to get posted, and I'll have those up ASAP!

Xai Xai Winebar

Well this is going to be a departure from what I usually write about... I know I'm all about the recipes and saving money and eating healthy, but sometimes... well, just like everyone else, sometimes I like to go out!

I know, clutch your pearls and gasp.

Once a week a group of my friends get together around 8:00pm, and my good friend, J, and I have tried to make it a "tradition" to do dinner beforehand. Usually we go to "Tuna Wednesday" at EAST where I can get a plate of awesome tuna sashimi for $6...

However yesterday, J informed me that he had sushi the night before and wanted something else.

Ok, I can depart from our normal sushi night. Besides, this gave me an excuse to try something new! So I began racking my brain... "where in the neighborhood [Hell's Kitchen] have you not eaten but would like to??" The answer came easily enough... I walk down 51st Street multiple times per week, and every time I pass Xai Xai I think -- Geez! I need to try that place!

Xai Xai is relatively new to the neighborhood. Well, I only became aware of it about a year ago when my dear friend from New Zealand pointed it out to me. It's a South African winebar, boasting native cuisine and fine wines. I looked up the website and spent all of maybe 30 seconds looking at the menu before I was sold. Ostrich Tartar? Venison Carpaccio?? Deep Fried Camembert??? SIGN ME UP!!!!

J and I are both culinarily adventurous, thus making the new restaurant and it's unfamiliar cuisine a pretty easy sell...

J: "What's biltong?"
Me: "Um, I don't know..."
J: "Monkey Gland sauce...?"
Me: "I know, right?!?!?!"
J: "I'm in!"

Because Xai Xai is a winebar, our first order of business was choosing the wine for the meal. Now normally I stick to my reds. I find that I am rarely disappointed in a mid-level shiraz or pinot noir. But J made the valid point that we had a long night of socializing in front of us, and red can make you sleepy! In that interest, we opted instead for a white. Our waiter (who by the way was gorgeous with a thick South African accent) recommended the Buitenverwachten ‘07 (Constantia - $16 g/$44 b) so we took him on his word. It was a Riesling, and a bit too sweet for my taste, but still very very good!

Next up was my favorite part of the night -- picking our dishes!

Xai Xai doesn't operate a full kitchen. They offer a series of "small plates". We're both on non-diets, so decided that splitting a few of those would be a great option. Like a meal made of appetizers! Who doesn't love appetizers??!!

After a little debate (I couldn't convince him that raw ostrich would be amazing... maybe next time!) we settled on 3 dishes: The Cheese Plate, Biltong Bruschetta, and Venison Carpaccio.

The Cheese Plate came with 4 artisinal cheeses: camembert, bleu, sharp cheddar, and a fourth soft cheese, similar to a brie in texture with a more biting rind. The cheeses were served with mixed nuts and a chutney -- which we think was apricot but can't be sure! The best combination was the bleu with chutney! The first thing you got was the sweet fruit, then tang of the bleu, finished off with a little bit of an after-spice from the chutney... AMAZING!

The Biltong Bruschetta (which was J's fave!) came out pretty much as you expect it to, except there's this stuff all over the top of it. That stuff, come to find out, is Biltong. What's Biltong, you ask? Ya, I asked the same thing. According to wikipedia, it's cured meat. Like jerky! But WAY better. And I believe that our biltong was an ostrich biltong, so even though I missed out on the Ostrich Tartar, I still got to have a little of my favorite meat! The biltong on top of the stewed tomatoes was out of this world.

Venison Carpaccio (my fave!) will be on my mind for a very very loooooong time. Yes, it's one of the more costly dishes, coming in at $20. Please believe me though -- it's worth it! Raw venison is bright red, and the carpaccio is so thinly sliced and delicate... it kind of reminded me of those lace doilies my grandma used to keep her lamps on. Only bright red instead of white. And made of deer. Ok, so not really like that at all. But oh my god so delicious! It's drizzled in olive oil with lots of cracked green pepper, served with roasted peppers and a whole roasted garlic clove. It was absolutely the first big stand out dish of my year!

This place would be amazing for a date. The setting is dim but very warm, decorated with lots of wood accents that give it a very South African flare. If you did what J and I did - 3 small plates and a bottle of wine - you'll spend about $120 to $150 including tip. I think lots of people would think that's a lot (because, well, it is!) but it's so so so worth it! And if you've got the cash and want to impress someone -- DO IT!

I mean, come one... Candle light? Wine? Gourmet food? What more could you ask for??!?

The Breakfast Shake

Well, the holidays have come and gone. With the holidays came many a great meal and many (many) a great treat!

Unfortunately, unlike the tree that was cast to the curb, the remnants of the holiday binge is still sitting not-so-neatly around my middle... Ugh. 'Tis the Holiday Curse, no?

In an ever-evolving attempt to reach that goal size/weight, I've added something new to my regime: The Breakfast Shake.

First, a quick bit of backstory...

My older sister and I share a mutual love of cooking. Where we differ is in our kitchen goals. She has a family of (soon to be) four to feed. I am just me. So while I am constantly throwing things together in an attempt to save money and not over-stock my refrigerator, she is more likely to pull a recipe out of a magazine and prepare all 4 of its servings.

There is one type of recipe where I'll do the same, and that we mutually love to prepare -- soup!

I knew how much she hated breaking out the processor or blender for her creamy soups, and that because she hated it she rarely did it. So, for Christmas, I bought her a hand blender.

And about an hour after I got home and had wrapped the blender, I ventured back out into the bitter cold to buy another. For me :) And it is by far my favorite purchase in the last few months!

Now, truth be told, I haven't done any blended soups yet. But what I HAVE been able to incorporate in my non-diet (and the purpose of this rambling post) is a morning Breakfast Shake.

Before the blender, I bought breakfast every morning. I would have one fried egg with cheese, tomato, onion, and grilled turkey lunchmeat on an english muffin. Yum. But all the cheese and the large amounts of greasy meat never made me feel 100% sure that I was having the healthiest of morning meals! In addition, that plus my coffee runs me about $4.

Now I start the day with a hand-blended smoothie. I purchase low-fat plain yogurt, 1% milk, and frozen fruit. Total purchase? About $11. I start with a cup of the fruit, add 4 tbs of yogurt, and then about one cup of milk. That pretty much fills the container that came with the blender.

After just a 30 second blend, I've got a wonderfully delicious fruit smoothie that perks me up and gets me on my way!

Also, one trip to the grocery store made 10 smoothies. That's 10 weekday breakfasts at about $1 each. Add it up -- it's nearly $30 in breakfast savings! Woot woot!

I'm playing with the idea of adding some sort of powdered protein or multi-vitamin once I've done some research on what's best. Anyone have any suggestions?

Anyway, I highly recommend owning a hand blender. So easy to use & clean.

And I'll be sure to let you know how my first Fire Roasted Tomato Basil Soup turns out!

Orange Grilled Chicken w/ a Sweet Balsamic Reduction

A simple, yet terribly satisfying recipe! All you need is 5 ingredients. That's right, you heard me correctly, FIVE! I'm just going to jump right in.




Ingredients:


1 chicken breast
1 small white or yellow onion
1 orange
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbs honey
olive oil for brushing
salt and pepper


Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Pound the chicken breast out to about 1/2 inch thickness*. Lightly oil the breast, and add salt and pepper. Grill chicken until cooked through and the juices run clear. Set aside.


While chicken is grilling, zest the orange (you'll only need about 1/2 tsp of zest). Whisk together the vinegar and the honey in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Let the mixture simmer until reduced by about half. Remove from heat and stir in the zest.


Slice and peel both the orange and the onion. You should have about five 1/2 inch pieces of orange, and five slightly thinner slices of onion. Grill them together until the onions have begun to soften and there are visible grill marks on both sides.


First plate the onions, then the chicken, and surround by your orange slices. Drizzle it all with your balsamic reduction, and enjoy!



Seriously, super tasty! And, as we always strive to do, was very inexpensive. Here's my breakdown...

Chicken: $1.50
Onion: $0.50
Orange: $0.70
Everything else I always have on hand, but if I had to guess I'd say I used about $2.00 worth of vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper.


The total: $4.70


And it's so healthy too! Grilled Chicken? A+! Onion? A+! Orange? Sure, it's got natural sugars but you can't knock your fruits, so A! If I had to guess, I'd say this recipe sits right around 200 calories, if not fewer.


Try it out -- it's totally worth it!