Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Like Mom's Collard Greens

Ingredients


3 slice(s) uncooked reduced-fat bacon, cut into 1/2-inch wide pieces

3/4 cup(s) onion(s), chopped

2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), sliced

1 pound(s) collard greens, washed well, center stems removed, leaves cut into 1/2-inch wide strips (about 8 cups)

1 1/2 cup(s) water

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce, (or more to taste)

Instructions

  • Cook bacon in a large pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to sizzle and release some of its fat, about 1 minute.

  • Add onions to pot; stir and cover for 30 seconds. Decrease heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until onions are light golden, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add collard greens to pot and increase heat to high; cook, stirring, until greens wilt, about 2 minutes.

  • Add water and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender, about 10 minutes.

  • Remove from heat and stir in vinegar, salt and hot sauce. Serve extra hot pepper sauce on the side if desired. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.

Notes

  • For optimal flavor and texture, select bunches of collard greens with smaller leaves — they're younger and more tender.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Better For You Benedict

Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats = 100 calories. I toasted mine. The ham disks are 50 calories for 2 slices - what, what?! I got mine crispy in the frying pan with just cooking spray. Two poached eggs = 180 calories. The hollandaise was a mix (I know - I cheated) but I made it with skim milk and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light. It was thick and heavy like a gravy not lemony and frothy like a fresh hollandaise would be. Oh well. It was devoured in less than 10 minutes. :)

Friday, March 18, 2011

Lasagna with Zucchini

I made some yummy lasagna the other night and I snuck in veggies to make it healthier! 85% lean ground beef (about 8 ounces), garlic, chopped zucchini.

Ricotta with finely chopped fresh parsley and one egg.

Of course I added lots of good quality tomato sauce then made my layers. I didn't put a lot of cheese on top and to be honest, I didn't even miss it! I also made two batches. One for now...

One for later (maybe next week).

So yummy! (And my honey didn't even complain about eating vegetables!) :)

Sunday, March 13, 2011

The Breslin - Best Burger in the history of my life

We went to The Breslin for brunch. Crystal and I split this above average Caesar salad. It had whole anchovies croutons, great dressing and fried something...parsley??? I thought it was seaweed! Very yummy!

Fried Peanut Butter and Banana sammy. Very yummy. Very filling. I only took one bite. My fatty husband ordered the meal as his appetizer. He's joining WW real soon, ya'll....

Hands down - best burger I EVER ate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lamb burger with with onion and feta and thrice cooked "chips" with cumin mayo. Holy hell. I ate half of this baby and I wished I had the whole thing! SOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo good! I couldn't stop eating it! It was juicy and tangy and salty and meaty and the bomb. Please - go try it. You need to know my new love.

Stanton Social Birthday Dinner

We made our way to Stanton Social last night for Curtis' birthday dinner. The vibe was trendy but still inviting. A little crowded, but cozy. The plates were shared and it made for a fun experience. We got to try so many things - thus, our conversation of the evening often came back to the food we were tasting. There were some winners that I would def. go back for! Thanks again to fellow bloggers for the photos. Here was our meal (out of order):

Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Ravioli: vanilla brown butter & candied pecans. Since these were on the sweeter side, eating one ravioli was enough.

Kobe Beef Burger, Pulled Pork Slider, 'Kobe Philly' - truffle & goat cheese fondue. (You could smell the truffle on the Philly for miles! SOOO inviting!!)

Chai Crème Brulee spiced 'misfortune' cookies. This was okay (nothing special).

Social Mac & Cheese - chorizo & ovendried tomato. Holy hell. I could've dived into a bowl of this. The breadcrumb topping was a nice touch and the smoky flavor from the chorizo made it special. It was very heavy though - great for sharing!

Maryland Jumbo Lump Crabcake 'Corn Dogs’. I bit into this expecting a hot dog (I didn't know what it was when it got put on the table). I was pleasantly surprised to learn I was eating a crab cake. Very yummy!

Hot Chocolate Mudslide Shot: patron xo, bailey's & homemade marshmallow. This was probably my favorite dessert. Very yummy chocolate and WARM! Mmmm!

Warm doughnuts. Fresh doughnuts are always a winner. The dipping sauces were divine as well.

The Stanton Social Beef Wellington: grilled filet mignon, foie gras mousse & mushrooms,wrapped in puff pastry. Again, another rich dish - perfect for sharing. The foie gras really elevated this dish.

Grilled apple & brie Quesadilla: with mustard- maple syrup and smoked 'bacon bits'. Another crowd pleaser. Yum-o!

The Red Velvet 'Twinkie' cream cheese - crème fraiche filling. Creme fraiche really elevated this dish! Kurt and Charlie split the Guinness Toffee Cake toffee sauce & bailey's ice cream (not shown)

Zucchini Tempura - tomato jam and asiago. (Gotta fit in a vegetable somewhere!)

French Onion Soup Dumplings. They lived up to the hype. We ordered two of these. :)

Curtis' misfortune

Red Snapper Tacos - creamy avocado & spicy mango. Out of all the dishes, one of my top pleasers.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Rai Rai Ken

We went to the small 14 seats Rai Rai Ken for dinner and I'm sold on their Miso ramen. Seriously. It's amazing. Miso Ramen is a soy bean based noodle soup topped with beansprout, cabbage, onion, crispy garlic, chicken and scallion. Out of town friends, get ready! This place looks unassuming but you will thank me!

Curtis went the more traditional route. He had the Shoyu Ramen-- soy sauce based noodle soup topped with bamboo shoot, boiled egg, roast pork, spinach, fish cake, dry seaweed, and scallion. (This was also good, but mine was better!)

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Matilda's

The foodie crew (me, Haney, JC, Michelle) ate at Matlida's for brunch today. Michelle had two eggs served in a tomato and pico de gallo sauce and a champagne cocktail with mango puree.

UOVA “TUTTI GUSTI”: 2 eggs any style with pico de gallo, served over garlic and olive oil toasted bread. I paired mine with a mimosa. :)

Curtis and JC had the same thing to eat-- UOVA IN CAMICIA: crispy tortilla topped with chorizo, poached eggs and chipotle-crema fresca sauce. Curtis had a michelada (like a bloody mary but made with beer).

SOPA AZTECA CON RICOTTA: Tomato and guajillo chile soup, topped with ricotta salata, avocado and shoestring tortilla chips. Haney asked for it extra spicy and I think they put ghost chili peppers in there! It was ridiculously spicy! We also ordered guacamole and salsa for the table. The guacamole was really good and different (they add basil to theirs).

Refreshing Fruit Salad

Super easy to make - honeydew melon diced into pieces with chopped mint, cilantro and a touch of honey. I also did a little squeeze of lemon juice.