Thursday, March 31, 2011

Guess the Dish

What I go through to save money in New York. It's cold and rainy (so much for March going out like a lamb), but I was in desperate need for groceries. When I need to completely restock I try to do so at Trader Joe's for the most part and Whole Foods for the rest. The local grocery stores are way too expensive for the food I eat.

3 bags of groceries + 1 large purse +(a walk from the bus 3 Aves +4 blocks long) = a workout of it's own!


Anyhow, lots of goodies :)


So I'm cooking dinner on Saturday and my guest wants to know what's on the menu. I think a surprise is a bit more fun and I know he'll like the menu. For a little fun I decided to play a picture guessing game. I thought it would be fun for you guys to play along too! I'll unveil the created dishes on Monday morning.

For the appetizer, these are the main ingredients-

garlic:

broth:


a large yellow onion:
the remaining ingredients include greek yogurt, olive oil, and seasonings.

Any guesses?

TGIF tomorrow, can't wait, should be a good weekend!!

-Nicole

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Morning Wake Up Call

Hey all!

My mom is so awesome! I texted her last night asking for a morning wake up call so I could have a little inspiration for my AM workout, and 5:30 on the dot the phone rang. I should mention she's up at that time getting ready for work so I'm not having her get up, but she's still very much a zombie at that time so I'm very much thankful :)

Otherwise, not too much going on, lots of purple smoothies consumed this week.



As well as polenta fries. Love polenta fries, made easy thanks to trader joe's or any pre-made and formed polenta. Simply cut into fries, drizzle with EVO and your choice of seasonings and bake at 350* for 20 minutes!


With a little BBQ sauce for dipping, yum!


How is your week going?

Night,
Nicole

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Cherry Blossoms



Hey everyone! I had a great weekend, how about you? So many good foods, but of course I forgot my camera for most of the weekend.

Anyway, I made a Sunday/Monday trip to DC to see the cherry blossoms. I hadn't been there for years, and there is so much to do, so I had to pick a few choices. The first was a trip to the American History Museum. The exhibits about the presidents were probably my favorite, especially the First Lady exhibit.

The next day, we started our day at the International Spy Museum. What a great museum it was! I learned so much about spies that I never knew before. Next, I went to the Museum of the American Indian. I love the culture of these people, and I wanted to try the food. They had some authentic foods to choose from from different native cultures. I tried soft tacos with a slow-cooked meat inside them, roasted celery root, and guava tapioca pudding. I had never tasted celery root before, and it reminded me of a celery-flavored potato. I want to try roasting it with potatoes and sweet potatoes for a nice mix of flavors.



My mom got fry bread with chili. I tried fry bread when I was in Cherokee, NC, and it's really good! Both our meals were tasty and satisfying.



There is so much time on a 3 hour drive to appreciate being entertained by music. One that I really liked on the way there was Karina's "Can't Find The Words." This song is one I got free from iTunes. I never remember to actually listen to these songs! Listen to the lyrics, it's a very sweet song.



Another great song with great lyrics, and a great music video, is Andy Grammar- "Keep Your Head Up" Enjoy!





~Sarah

Monday, March 28, 2011

Excited about this Monday morning

It's not going to be a case of the Monday's for me, I've got a lot to do this week, and a lot I'm excited to get done!

After a sluggish weekend full of sweets and junk tv; last night I ended up gchatting with my best friend and watching teen mom, so it was a rest night for sure, no yoga or pilates. Nor did I studying spanish for my upcoming trip to Peru, it was just one of those lazy Sunday nights.

After a Friday evening at the Met, what can I say I'm a nerd who likes that the museum is open until 9pm on Friday nights, my friend Matt and I headed downtown for dessert. I had the blood orange layered thing and Matt the Sicilian cheesecake, mine was good, his was amazing.



Saturday and Sunday there was lots of frozen yogurt devoured, what can I say, it was on sale and delicious!

Thus I was excited to hop out of bed, have a nutritious breakfast and get to lab nice and early this Monday morning!

Plans for tonight-A nice long sweat session and Ethiopian dinner with friends!

Gotta run,
Nicole

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Breakfast Pizza

I woke up craving something savory on Saturday, and went with it! Thanks in part to a pre-made pizza crust from Trader Joe's!

Sauteed Mushrooms:


Pizza before the oven:

After the cheese began to melt, I topped with 2 eggs and continued to cook for about 10 minutes at 500*, but really it's until the egg sets and the cheese turns brown.


Off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday night with the late Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra...and maybe some late night yoga or pilates, or just call it a rest day?

-Nicole

Friday, March 25, 2011

More music to love!

I found this band when looking through the MTV U site and am loving them! I know I also heard the song somewhere before but cannot recall...was it background to something?

Phantogram-"When I'm Small"

Next up, The Vaccines. This band was part of BBC's Sound of Music 2011. I wasn't a huge fan of them upon originally listening, but they've grown on me quite a bit. Also, just found out they will be touring with the Arctic Monkeys, perfect!!


Finally Roll Up by Wiz Khalifa, one of the hottest names right now in the hip hop world!


Happy Friday,
Nicole

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Vegetarian Paella

More new music to share, again it's been such a great year. Can't wait to see who comes around for summer concerts, it should be good!

Friendly Fires will be releasing their new album May 16, check out their new single streaming on their site.

Now an amazing must try dish to share with you! Paella with Soy Chorizo and Edamame fromCooking Light. The dish is incredibly easy to make and comes together in under an hour with less than 30 minutes of prep work. I followed their recipe completely, except I only used half the amount of edamame and used peas for the remainder.

And would you believe apart from the saffron, I actually had all the ingredients in my refrigerator or pantry!! Who am I?


With the added chorizo (found mine at trader joes), edamame, and peas.


Completed dish, topped with parsley and green onions.


Try this one!

Nicole

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Easy Meals

Hey fellow bloggers! I am not one to shy away from complicated recipes. I love trying to incorporate new foods and new techniques into my cooking. However, sometimes I like to go back to recipes that I know and love, or try new recipes that have simple steps and ingredients that I already have on hand. Here are a few examples.

Although I only lived in Louisiana for a year and a half when I was very young, I still love and appreciate Cajun food. An easy one-dish Cajun meal that anyone can make is jambalaya. It has regular ingredients, but when combined, makes a great dish. It is easy to make this a healthy dish as well. Our recipe comes from a low-fat Louisiana kitchen cook book.



I never really liked fish growing up. I don't know many kids who did! But there was one way my mom would cook fish, and my brothers and I would always eat it. I made it this way the other day, and it was just as good as I remember! You start by cooking the fish in a little butter or oil, garlic, and white wine. Once the fish is cooked about halfway, add in your favorite salsa (I used fresh salsa) and beans or corn or both. Cover and cook a few minutes more until done. I serve this with rice and a veggie.



It is always nice to find a recipe that you already have the ingredients for. While looking through one of my many Rachael Ray cook books (yet again!) I saw a recipe for Almost Tandoori Chicken, which is an Indian-spiced chicken. Having made many ethnic meals before, I already had all the spices on hand, so I only needed a few more ingredients. The recipes also includes an apple-tomato salad which is great with the chicken. I added cilantro to the salad to make it even better, and also served naan and cauliflower on the side.




I also found a dessert I wanted to make in Taste of Home magazine, which I had every ingredient except for one. They had a section in the latest issue of different kinds of dessert bars, and I baked the Mango Getaway Bars. They were easy to make as long as you have a food processor, and turned out pretty good!



Lastly, there has been some good, and some not-so-good, new music lately.

I've heard Martin Solveig and Dragonette's "Hello" a few times, and I've liked it since the 1st time I heard it. The music video is pretty good too!



Now, when I heard Duck Sauce's "Barbra Streisand" for the 1st time, I was confused. They don't say much else in the song other than "Barbra Streisand"! I just watched the music video, and I have to say, it's a much better song if you have the music video to go with it. It's not a great song for the radio.



~Sarah

Cookie Dough Balls




I don't know about you but the best part of baking cookies, well one of the best parts, is being able to eat the dough!

So...why not make a version I can eat without feeling guilty. Voila!

Also, incredibly easy to make.
1/2 cup of raw cashews
1/4 cup of oats
1/8 cup flax meal
1/8 cup of flour (you can use a total of 1/4 cup of flour if you do not have the flax meal)
pinch of salt
1.5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp of maple syrup (may need to add more if too wet)
1/4 cup chocolate chps



Blend first 2 ingredients into food processor, add the next 2. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix and form into cookie dough balls.

-Nicole

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Homemade Lattes

Hey all-

Starting with a little music this morning. It's only March but it's been a great year for music! Just heard the new Fleet Foxes single "Battery Kenzie" and have it on loop at the moment. You can hear it streaming here.

Now onto the latte. I decided to pull out an old toy to spice up my morning coffee. I honestly don't recall the name of the instrument, a mini latte frother? In any case, it's relatively inexpensive, and makes a great drink in mere minutes.



Simply heat the milk, I used almond and microwaved for 1 minute.


Then blend until a foam forms.

Add your coffee...


Maybe make a pretty design if you want to get fancy.

Mmm...look at all that foam :)

Enjoy,
Nicole

Monday, March 21, 2011

RA Reunion

Saturday night I got together with a few of my old RA friends for dinner and a night of dancing. So much fun...I'll let the pictures do most of the talking!


Crissy to Jenny, "I think you should get a colonoscopy."



"Do you want to see my brother's cut on his head? He had to get 7 staples!"




Late night eats-Artichoke.


Amazingness...but definitely a once a year treat ;)

xoxo,
Nicole

The Ginger Man



Friday night I headed to The Ginger Man for my friend Jenn's 25th birthday (girl on the left)!


I'm ashamed to say I've never been here before, they have one of the best beer selections I have seen in the city.

I started out with a Rochefort 10, a dark belgian beer with hints of plum and honey? And just incredibly smooth.

After a recommendation from a friend I tried a Kwak, another Belgian beer known in part for it's round bottomed, hour-glass shaped glass in which it is served.

On the left the Kwak, on the right the Rochefort 10.


Must go back here again!

-Nicole

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Friday Sun

Hey all!

So much to share with you from this weekend, and the weekend not's even over! Let's backup to Friday...

When life gives you a 77* day in the middle of March, you take a walk! Particularly when in the 5 day outlook, snow shows up multiple times :(



I met up with a couple of classmates to get off of campus for lunch. We headed to Le Pain Quotidien. I love this bakery which also serves a wide selection for lunch and is very vegan friendly! I walked in with the intention of simply having a bowl of soup, but everything on the menu was calling my name so I decided to have the quinoa and arugula salad.


How pretty is it (sorry for the awkward shadows)?


After work I took further advantage of the great weather and took a walk downtown to meet a good friend from undergrad for dinner. I haven't seen this girl since the end of October, so it was great to catch up! We met at Saravaa for Indian food.

We both has a dosa, a fermented crepe made from rice batter and black lentils. I had the vegetable dosa, made spicy with green chilies.



Susan had the masala dosa, a dosa filled with mildly spicy mashed potatoes.

So delicious and very decently priced...at least from the NYC point of view.

More to come!
Nicole