Taco Salad

Over the years I have been an avid reader of Mark Bittman's The Minimalist column on NYTimes.com.  One of my ultimate favorite posts was his "Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less".  In it, he has many great ideas for no-cook summer meals, but this salad is one I find myself making time and time again.  I love salads but sometimes you just want a break from the run of the mill.  This salad is the perfect answer and makes fresh, in season produce the star. 

Recipe: Toss together greens, chopped tomato, chopped red onion, sliced avocado, a small can of black beans and kernels from a couple of ears of corn. Toss with crumbled tortilla chips and grated cheese (preferably Cotija). Dress with olive oil, lime and chopped cilantro leaves.  Makes 3-4 servings.

If you are interested in checking out the 100 other amazing meals, click here.

Oatmeal Pancakes

One of my favorite food blogs of all time is Orangette.  About a year ago I came across this recipe she has for Oatmeal Pancakes and figured, I like the healthiness of oatmeal and I really like the deliciousness of pancakes so why not combine the two and hope for something great.  I was blown away by how good they tasted despite how healthy and easy to make as long as you plan ahead.  Feel free to jazz them up as I did with some blueberries or whatever your favorite pancake companion may be.

If you have any leftovers, these are just as good heated up the next day in a 350 degree oven in a single layer until warmed through, or cold straight from the fridge (perhaps after a night of drinking?).

Oatmeal Pancakes (Adapted from Orangette)
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups buttermilk
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. table salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted but not hot
Vegetable oil or spray, for greasing the pan
Maple syrup, for serving
Blueberries, optional


The night before:
Combine the oats and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Stir to mix. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

The morning of:
Take the bowl of buttermilk and oats out of the fridge. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Add the eggs and melted butter to the oat mixture, and stir well. Add the flour mixture, and stir to blend. The batter will be very thick, add a splash buttermilk if really dry.

Warm a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, and brush (or spray) with vegetable oil. To make sure it’s hot enough, wet your fingers under the tap and sprinkle a few droplets of water onto the pan. If they sizzle, it’s ready. Scoop the batter, about a scant ¼ cup at a time, onto the pan, taking care not to crowd them. If adding blueberries or other fillings, drop them evenly onto the pancakes just as they are beginning to set, lightly pushing them down with your finger. When the underside is nicely browned and the top looks set around the edges, flip the pancakes. Cook until the second side has browned.

Re-grease the skillet, and repeat with more batter. If you find that the pancakes are browning too quickly, dial the heat back to medium.

Serve hot, with maple syrup.

Yield: about 12 pancakes, or 3 to 4 servings

Eataly IS Italy

Eataly is the new(ish) Italian food emporium from restaurant heavyweights Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich.  It is 50,000 square feet of foodie heaven, with separate sections dedicated to pizza and pasta ("La Pizza & Pasta"), Fish ("Il Pesce"), Vegetables ("Le Verdure"), meat ("Manzo") and much more.  You can make a night out by settling in at any of the aforementioned sit down restaurant/cafes or simply grab yourself a glass of Chianti and pick up some Italian specialties to make dinner at home.

After already experiencing several of the eatery options at Eataly and being thoroughly impressed, I decided I would try the latter.  I had already decided to make one of my all time favorite pasta dishes, Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe and on my way to Trader Joe's to grab the ingredients, I walked straight past Eataly, and I couldn't help myself from going inside, figuring they would have everything I needed for the recipe.

Inside I picked up Barilla "Regionali" Orecchiette Pugliesi, Parmesan cheese, Pat LaFrieda Italian Style Chicken Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and a whole wheat baguette.  Oh and a bottle of Flor Rose from their in house wine shop, a find from an earlier dining experience at Eataly.

Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Ingredients:
1 box orecchiette pasta
2 bunches broccoli rabe chopped, tough ends discarded
3 shallots, thinly slices
1lb italian style chicken (or turkey) sausage
1 cup freshly grated good-quality parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook broccoli rabe until tender, about 5 minutes, then drain broccoli rabe in a colander
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook the pasta according to package instructions
3. In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and once hot add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 5 minutes
4. Remove chicken sausage from casings and add to the skillet, breaking into small pieces as it cooks, add a pinch of red pepper flakes and continue cooking until sausage is cooked through, about 12 minutes
5. Add drained broccoli rabe to the skillet with sausage and stir to combine
6. Once pasta is cooked until al dente, drain (reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water) and return pasta to the pot
7. Add sausage and broccoli rabe mixture to pasta in pot, add 3/4 cup parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste, adding a few TBSPs of pasta water at a time if dry
8. Pass remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese at the table.  Enjoy!


Eataly, 200 Fifth Avenue, NYC
For more information on Eataly, click here

Park Avenue

For me, there is nothing more fun than trying out a new restaurant for the first time.  That is, unless I am revisiting a favorite oldie but goodie restaurant.  Park Avenue restaurant fits into the second category and had been one of my all-time, top two favorite restaurants of all time in NYC.  It is the kind of place where you could literally order anything on the menu, even if it wasn't something you thought you liked, and you would end up loving it.  The menu and decor change four times a year reflecting each season, a trailblazer in the whole seasonal restaurant movement.

Last night I went for dinner with the bf, and we shared two amazing appetizers - the Porcini Ravioli with Swiss Chard & Gorgonzola Cream and the Seared Scallop "Sandwich", entrees were Filet Mignon, Braised Short Rib & Root Vegetables (him) and Halibut with Black Truffles and a Brioche-Crusted Poached Egg (me) and for dessert we split the "Chocolate Cube."  Needless to say everything was delicious as always and I was reminded that tried and true is often times as good as new. 

Park Avenue Restaurant, 100 E 63rd Street, NYC, 212.644.1900

The Restaurant (courtesy of Park Avenue)

Halibut

Filet Mignon

Chocolate Cube

Wonder Waffles

I love a good lazy Sunday morning, a perfect time to make something good for breakfast that you would never have the time to make during the week.  The bf recently bought a Calphalon waffle maker and let's just say there has never been a question of what to make on a weekend morning since.  Crispy and fluffy and a perfect cross between a belgian and regular waffle, this machine produces the most ridiculously delicious waffles I have ever tasted.  As if I needed yet another reason to look forward to the weekend.

The New Freemans

One of my all-time favorite restaurants in NYC (and one that launched some of the biggest trends in downtown restaurants) has got to be Freemans.  It is the kind of place that never really changes, but you wouldn't want it to either.  They call it "a rugged, clandestine, colonial american tavern", I call it my own personal hideaway, where the craziness of city life evaporates leaving you feeling transported to another time and place, where bartenders are dressed up, classic cocktails are served and food is unfussy yet consistently good.

When I heard about the same people behind Freemans opening up another spot in the neighborhood called Peels, I was immediately skeptical.  How could I love this new restaurant as much as I love the first?  Well, I finally got to check it out for breakfast on Friday.  The interior is open, bright and airy with colors of sage green and charcoal and white.  It is not at all a spin-off of Freemans, although they nailed the same cozy feeling.

For breakfast they have become known for their build-a-biscuit program, which allows you a biscuit that you then get to choose toppings for (scrambled eggs, bacon, country ham, cheeses, avocado, etc.).  Genius.  If you don't believe me I think the proof is in the pictures.

Peels, 325 Bowery, (646) 602-7015

Rubirosa Pizza & Bar

As many of you already know, I am a magazine reading fanatic.  Of course, its par for the course working in the PR industry but NY Magazine and Time Out New York are also where I get most of my restaurant and nightlife knowledge.  I think of them as bibles to all things new and great and happening in the city.  So, when I read in them recently about Rubirosa Pizza & Bar being part of a "You Need to Know About" feature and singing its pizza praise about a "cracker-thin crust, slightly sweet crushed tomatoes and gooey pools of fresh mozzarella" I just knew I had to try it out.

I stopped in and ordered a classic pizza to go, but as I looked around I realized this was a place I would love to come back to for a romantic date night or even a low key girls night out.  It felt like I had stumbled upon a little undiscovered gem.  The atmosphere was warm and cozy, the perfect place for to spend a winter's night.  The menu is full of Italian American classics including a selection of pizzas, pastas and main course entrees like chicken parmesan.  But, in a town known for amazing pizza choices, I think it definitely holds its own.  It tasted less like your average NYC slice and more like exactly the kind of pizza you would get in Italy.  Buon Appetito!

235 Mulberry Street (btwn Prince & Spring Sts), 212.965.0500

Chicken Dinner

Its been a long time since I made my breaded chicken recipe.  Mainly because it is too time consuming to make if I am just cooking for myself.  But last night, I was cooking for me and the bf and so I decided to make a lot of it so we would both have leftovers for the next week. 

So glad I did, because I almost forgot how tasty it is.  We paired it with steamed green beans and then decided to get a little fancy by topping it all with homemade cream of mushroom soup. It turned out to be one of those meals that is so good you want to slow down to savor each and every bite but you just can't help yourself. 

This chicken recipe is equally as good used as a base for chicken parmesan or over a salad with some shaved parmesan cheese.  Yes, it takes some effort but the results are well worth it.  Just make sure you make enough to have lots of leftovers, trust me!

Breaded Chicken

Ingredients:
10 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 extra large eggs
1 cup of flour
3 cups panko breadcrumbs (I use Ian's Italian kind)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Olive oil (for coating pan)
Sea/kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Put the chicken between two sheets of saran wrap and pound to 1 inch thickness
2. Set up three shallow bowls: one with the flour, one with the eggs, lightly beaten with 1 TBSP water and the third with the breadcrumbs mixture (breadcrumbs, garlic and Parmesan cheese)
3. Season the chicken on both sides with sea/kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4. One by one, dredge each chicken breast in the flour, shake of excess, then coat in the egg mixture letting the excess drip off before coating in the breadcrumb mixture
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
6. Heat a large skillet of medium high heat, then generously coat with olive oil
7. In batches, cook the chicken until golden brown on each side and transfer to two baking sheets (the chicken will not be cooked through).  Tip: In between each batch, use a damp paper towel to wipe any browned bits out of the skillet and into the sink then coat again with olive oil
8. Once all the chicken has been seared on both sides, transfer the baking sheets to the oven and cook for approximately 25 minutes (or until cooked through)
9. Enjoy!

Caesar Salad

I often make my own salad dressing.  I think it has a much better taste than store bought for little effort and I almost always have all the ingredients on hand to make some sort of basic vinaigrette.  But this New Year's Eve, we were having a filet mignon roast and I wanted to make a salad that would stand up to heartier fare.  Caesar salad was the ultimate choice and everyone (even the guys) came back for seconds.  Delicous and incredibly easy to make as long as you own a blender.

Romaine Hearts with Caesar Salad Dressing (adapted from The Frankies Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual)

Ingredients:

2 large hearts of romaine 

1/3 cup grated good quality Pecorino Romano, plus additional for serving

1/2 Hellman's mayonnaise

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove

1/4 tsp worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp Tabasco

8 turns freshly ground white pepper

Fine sea salt, if needed

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 

1. Trim the root ends from the romaine, separate the leaves and wash and dry them.  Chop the lettuce and put into the fridge to chill while you prepare the dressing.

2. Combine 1/4 cup of the Pecorino with the remaining ingrendients (except the black pepper) in a blender and puree until the dressing is smooth.  (If you don't have a blender, mince the garlic and whisk them together with the rest of the dressing ingredients.)  Taste and add salt if necessary.  Loosen the dressing with water as needed starting with the prescribed 1/4 cup.

3. Toss the chilled lettuce with the dressing in a large bowl, transfer to serving plates or a serving platter and finish with a generous crowning of the remaining grated cheese and a few turns of black pepper.  Serve at once.