This must be what people felt like when they saw themselves on video tape for the first time. But how cool is this?! I can not hide my love for the iPad. And if you have one, get off your stupid, old, ancient computer and read Food E. on your iPad! It is SO much cooler.
Filed under Miscellaneous
My first thought for dinner last night was, “Takeout.” Then I remembered my withering bank account. And my waistline. And my cholesterol.
My second thought was leftovers! I rummaged through the refrigerator, and since I was only cooking for one, decided I’d throw what I had into a pan and see what happened. Turns out… not so bad.
[Editor’s note: have you guys noticed that I love bacon? And cream? And that I will literally find any way that I can to incorporate bacon and cream into everything I eat? So much for that cholesterol.]
Spinach with bacon
On the menu:
Couscous with spinach, bacon, and almonds
Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a meal
1 cup couscous
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
2 strips of turkey bacon, cooked to crispy
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup spinach, frozen or fresh
1 tsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Add water and salt to a medium saucepan and turn to high heat. While you’re waiting for the water to boil, add butter to the skillet you cooked the bacon in and turn the heat to medium/low. Once the butter is melted, add the spinach.
(This is the time you’ll want to add the couscous. Add couscous to boiling water, stir immediately, turn off heat and let sit covered for 4 minutes).
Cook spinach until it is wilted and warmed up. Add garlic salt. Add cream and mix until incorporated. Add spinach to the couscous and stir. Add almonds and serve.
Sometimes you find yourself with too much squash. Don’t you hate that? It’s what some might call a “First World Problem.” Along the same lines as, “Someone scratched my Porsche in the parking lot of Nobu” and “The Pellegrino is flat.” Well, kids, I am really good at turning lemons into lemonade. Seriously, it’s just juice, sugar, and water… it’s not hard. I’m also really good at turning a surplus of something into a delicious dish!
On the menu:
Zucchini (or Mexican squash!) with Ricotta
Serves 2
1 large squash (yellow squash, green squash, zucchini, Mexican squash, whatever your heart desires)
2 Tbsp ricotta
1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp Panko breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice squash in half and scrape out seeds with a spoon. Lay skin side down on a baking dish. Mix together cheeses, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Fill each half of the squash with ricotta mixture and top with breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 minutes.
This dish is perfect as a side dish, appetizer, or snack. And it’s as easy as pie. I literally whipped this together in 5 minutes before I ran out to get my laundry. And then I ate it alongside half a pizza. Don’t judge. K thanks.
The giant margarita for 2 at Cabo Cantina, Los Angeles, CA
Just a quick Friday reminder that Food E. has gone through a minor change that will spur a whole lotta more major changes. I’m puttin’ some work in, friends. And money. Time and money. So you know it’s gonna be good.
Tell your friends! You can now go directly to LaurenFoodE.com! Bookmark it! Email it! Twitter it! Write it in the sky with smoke! I’m excited, and hell, you should be too.
Sometimes I wish I could carry you kids around in my pocket so you could have a real bird’s eye view of my meals. Some are really sad and would make you feel like a chef extraordinaire for frying up a grilled cheese; others would have you drooling. Earlier this summer I went to San Diego and ate the best.Mexican.I.have.ever.tasted. Hoooly mackerel. After a 3 hour drive back from LA, the only words I could utter were, “El Cotixan?” Alas, I did not take any pictures.
What I did take pictures of was an incredible Hawaiian fusion meal enjoyed while overlooking the marina on my last, blissful night in town. Roy’s has locations all across the country but I like to think the one in San Diego is more authentic because of its proximity to Hawaii. And the fact that I ate the meal with a Hawaiian.
Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish Hong Kong with Sizzling Soy Vinaigrette
Roy’s Hawiian Fusion Cuisine, San Diego Waterfront, California. The menu at Roy’s combines Asian cuisine with a Hawaiian influence, serving up delicious, warm, homey cuisine. Roy Yamaguchi opened the first restaurant in Honolulu and now has 31 locations all over the country, and the world. I don’t usually cover giant chain restaurants, but this one was worth the write-up.
On the menu:
Wood Grilled Szechwan Spiced Baby Back Pork Ribs with Mongolian BBQ Sauce
Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish Hong Kong with Sizzling Soy Vinaigrette
Shellfish Platter
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Shellfish Platter
The Verdict: Oh hello spicy sweet delicious tender juicy beautiful meal. The ribs fell off the bone and were perfect with a sesame seed crunch. The butterfish was reminiscent of Nobu’s black cod, the shellfish platter boasted fat lobster and shrimp, and even the cocktails were rich and delicious. Everything on the table was rich but never heavy, and the view was just spectacular; a cherry on the sundae. By the time the warm made-to-order cake came, you could’ve given me a pillow at the table and I would’ve taken a nap right there, full and happy and already missing sunny California.
So, this one time I got it in my brain to make zucchini bread and then I got to the grocery store and there was none. Huh. No zucchini. In a season when gardens all across the northeast are overflowing with zucchini, my grocery store had none. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Sometimes you kill me, Queens. So I plucked up some Mexican squash and hoped for the best.
On the menu:
Mexican squash bread (but you can call it zucchini bread if it makes you feel better)
2 cups flour
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups shredded carrot
1 cup shredded apple (no skin)
1 cup shredded Mexican squash (or zucchini!)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Beat together eggs and oil with an electric mixer until mixture is frothy. Add carrot, apple, and zucchini in with the eggs. Add vanilla to egg mixture. Add liquids to dry ingredients and mix until completely incorporated.
Fill one large greased loaf pan with mixture. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Oh hey! Remember me? I missed you guys. So I’m back. With a couple basic recipes, but stuff you’ll want to make over and over again. And ain’t it pretty?
On the menu:
Cranberry, almond chicken salad
BTM Salad
Serves 4
Chicken salad
2 chicken breasts
1 sprig fresh dill
1/4 cup cucumber, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Place chicken breasts in a medium sized pot and cover with water for poaching. Turn heat to high and let water come to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover pot for 10 minutes. Turn heat off and let chicken sit in hot water for 15 – 20 minutes. Once chicken is cool, shred with fingers and toss with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate chicken salad for at least 30 minutes before serving.
BTM Salad
1 medium sized tomato, sliced to 1/4 inch slices
1 ball of mozzarella (approximately the same size as the tomato), sliced to 1/4 inch slices
1/4 cup basil, roughly chopped
1 cup of fresh corn, boiled on the cob and then sliced off the cob
Dressing:
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Plate slices of tomato alternately with mozzarella. Mix corn together with balsamic/oil dressing. Top slices of tomato and mozzarella with corn mixture.
This meal is so basic, is best served cold, and is super light and refreshing for summer. The subtle change in the classic BTM salad is really unexpected and delicious… and led this “meal for 4” to turn into a “meal for 2” when The BF had seconds. And then thirds. I thought I’d have leftovers but the “This is SO GOOD!”s were way more gratifying.
