Recipe Review: Farro Beets Green and Feta Salad

I’ve eaten countless cookies between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve. I wouldn’t ever say I’m giving up desserts, but I do feel the need to tilt my diet towards the healthier side for a bit. Just a bit. Something like a salad but more comforting. That made me think of my favorite farro salads with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, and feta. Farro is a hard wheat grain sometimes known as spelt and has a texture closer to a thick pasta al dente. It is as hearty and healthier than pasta and makes a very satisfying main dish ingredient.
Here’s Martha’s recipe for Farro Beets Green and Feta Salad. The addition of beets gives a little bit of sweetness to the mix of nutty and salty combination. I like adding diced cucumbers and sliced green onions to the mix with some squeezed lemon [...]

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Grocery Bag: Union Square Greenmarket – Manhattan, New York

This lovely summertime weather just makes me want to spend every minute outside. I don’t even want to step inside a supermarket if the sun’s still shining. Thankfully, it’s easy to make an excuse to take that chore outdoors to the Union Square Greenmarket. It’s a way to indulge in my pleasure of some visual grazing – and edible too. It’s also an easy way to take an active supporting role in your community by buying local.
Shopping outdoors with the summer sky above, is far more pleasant than any roof could top. The open air and personal attention of a local farmer creates an experience to share with friends and family (right Numi!?). Greenmarket promotes regional agriculture for continuous fresh, local produce. They support farmers and preserve farmland for the future by providing opportunities to regional small family farmers. How can [...]

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Restaurant Review: Old Lahaina Luau – Lahaina, Maui

The Old Lahaina Luau is not just an entertaining feast but a life event experience. I had never been to a luau before, but I’ve read and seen plenty about them. I expected some feasting with nighttime Hawaiian dancing. Well, I couldn’t believe how blown away I was at this place. The show they put on here is head to head with some of the top live shows in New York, Paris, or Vegas. There’s a dizzying array of various costume-changing, music playing, stage lighting and fire effects (pics below). On top of this, the audience is treated to a personal demonstration and narrative of the history behind Hawaii and the food presented at the feast (top pic). Everything is kept as truly close to it’s origin so that you can have an authentic Hawaiian experience. They totally took my breathe away.

MENU:
Kalua [...]

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Restaurant Review: Mama’s Fish House – Paia, Maui

I just came back from the best Hawaii trip to Maui and have so much to share. It’s going to take at least 5 days of non-stop writing to finish everything. So the first thing I did, before I even got to Maui, was to make reservations at Mama’s Fish House in Paia. It’s that good.
You know how there are certain sights and experiences for every destination, that’s what this restaurant is for Maui. You haven’t fully experienced Maui until you’ve dined at Mama’s Fish House. I’ve only been to Maui once before and my dinner at Mama’s was one of my favorite memories. This second time around, it was even better than I thought possible. It’s impressive that this place has been around since the early 70’s. The food, service, location, and atmosphere is impossibly perfect. If it wasn’t so [...]

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Recipe: Chevre, Rosemary Tomato, Hummus, and Sweet Bell Pepper Pita Pocket

Almost everytime I get home from work, I get a mad rush of hunger and am ready to grab anything within arm’s reach that’s quick to eat. Usually, that’s not something healthy and ever since the beach weather started, I’m feeling more aware about what I’m eating. When I’m really hungry, I’m struggling against my total lack of patience to eat something that’s good for me and instead lunge for the most decadent and gratifying fast bite. The last thing I want to do is cook and clean-up. Here’s something I was able to whip up just in time to keep me away from diving into my cookies. At least now I can dive a little slower into my cookies.
I love eating with my hands, it just seems so much more indulgent, like you’re savoring every bite. Usually that would be a sandwich if it’s [...]

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Restaurant Review: BoHo – Hollywood, CA

I’m so excited to find a good new dinner place within minutes from the movie theater – 2 minutes away. I feel complete. BoHo is adjacent to the Arclight Dome and directly across from Amoeba Records. They’ve got a menu that will satisfy the indecisive craving of a mixed crowd. Like I said, if you can’t decide, order both. That’s what the theme seems to be at this place. The menu items are arranged for sharing and the atmosphere is designed for all night socializing. I had no problems getting a last-minute table for 4. We were even seated earlier and it wasn’t because the place was empty. The interior is eclectic but homey, all warm-tones with mismatched furniture and tall tree planters. It kind of reminded me of a more low-key version of XIV.
Here’s the order: Farro Salad, Ratatouille, [...]

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Restaurant Review: Luz Nuevo Latino Restaurant – Brooklyn

I was lucky to dine at this place thanks to a very good friend of mine. I don’t think I would’ve found this place without her – Thank you Kristy and Andy!! We walked to this place for a very late dinner Saturday night and found it lively and busy with many locals.
We all ordered different dishes and ended up sharing bites of everything – my favorite way of dining. Everything is so incredibly colorful and equally as tasteful! I really loved this place and can’t wait to go back. Below are some of the dishes we had.
The Chupe Soup is a shrimp saffron chowder(top pic) and was absolutely delicious. There was so much flavor after one slurp that I was still relishing it after finishing my spoonful. It’s got a little spice and the flavor of shrimp and roasted tomatoes. This [...]

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Recipe: Zucchini Crepes

I look forward to side dishes in every meal. I like having a variety of things to nibble on. Especially brunch, where I get to linger over a lazy afternoon meal with friends and share different dishes. Thanks to my cooking class at the New School of Cooking, here’s a recipe for Zucchini Crepes that are not like any crepes I’ve had before. I think these make a yummy new twist to breakfast sides. They remind me of super thin hash brown patties, but a veggie version. The trick to these is to make sure as much as possible is drained from the zucchini.
Recipe Adapted From: New School of Cooking
Yield: 12 Servings
Time: Total 1 hour
Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini, about 1 pound total
1 large egg
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
about 2 tablespoons corn oil
about 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. [...]

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Recipe: Italian Eggs with Spinach Marinara over Polenta

I could eat breakfast anytime of the day – french toast, poached eggs, cereal, pancakes, waffles etc. There really is no time of day or night where these don’t taste good to me. Egg dishes are one of those typically kept for breakfast but it’s substantial enough for a savory dinner too. I found another polenta recipe with eggs that I really like – Italian Eggs with Marinara and Spinach over Polenta. I can literally use the same ingredients I already have for my other polenta recipes with the addition of spinach and eggs – both easy ingredients to keep on hand.
My favorite way to make eggs is to poach them because of all the creamy egg yolk. If you don’t like your eggs soft, all you need to do is cook it twice as long. Another option, after cooking the eggs [...]

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Recipe: Spicy Stir-Fried Tofu with Bok Choy and Baby Broccoli

I grew up with stir-fried veggies like baby bok choy, broccoli, snow peas. Here’s a recipe that reminds me of my mom’s dinners, Spicy Stir-Fried Tofu with Bok Choy and Baby Broccoli. There’s hardly little effort and ingredients involved to create such an aromatic flavorful dish. There’s alot of crunch and mouth-watering sauce to enjoy. It’s super easy to toss in more ingredients to make this a main dish – buckwheat soba noodles, rice or slices of pork.
Recipe Adapted From: Martha Rose Shulman, NYTimes.com
Yield: 4 Servings
Time: Total 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound firm tofu
2 tablespoons canola oil or peanut oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut in thin strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 scallions, white and light green parts separated from the dark green, chopped
1/2 pound bok choy
1/2 pound baby broccoli, stems sliced, leaves or florets left whole
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Asian chili [...]

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