Dan Good Chili

I’ve been really good about menu planning. Every Sunday I spend a good chunk of the day prepping and cooking for the week. Its become a lovely little ritual to starting the week! When i was on the road over the weekend, I had very few options when it came to prepping for the week. And needed to get some groceries ASAP.

I had just happen to be in Walmart… cuz my parents buy cereal like theres going to be a nuclear holocaust and while cruising the aisles trying to avoid them with their 3 shopping carts of cereal I recalled a Hungry Girl staple that would be cost efficient and stable during a 3 hour car ride.

DAN GOOD CHILI.(because i prepared this recipe almost exactly the way its listed on the website, i will not be re-posting the recipe)

I purchased all the ingredients and hit the road. I spent $5 on this recipe… some stuff was already waiting for me at home. But if you’re in a bind this cooks up quickly and cheaply.

Sauteed the pepper, onion and garlic for several minutes. It smelled so good.! then I added the mushrooms.

And all the beans, corn and stirred it up. I added the chili powder and then poured in the crushed tomatoes.

Dont forget the worcestshire sauce (special thanks to Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program). I let this simmer, covered on low for 2 hrs.

Whoa. this was great. Its like Pantry chili! cuz most of the stuff is from the pantry! der.

This isnt a very exciting recipe… but i wanted to share my menu planning success from the road.

Got any great no fuss recipes???

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

I was completely inspired by last weeks Soup Festival when i tried the very last soup; a Pumpkin Apple Soup.

Wanting to recreate this sweet and savory soup, i thought about a cute lil fella that was sitting on my counter waiting to be eaten:

This is a 1.5 lb butternut squash. A small squash. But delicious none the less. I looked for a few recipes but saw a lot of different variations so i decided to just go with my gut on this one…

Ingredients:

1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp brown sugar

Sprinkle of cinnamon

sprinkle of nutmeg

salt

pepper

1 shallot, sliced

2 cups vegetable stock

I started with the annoying task of peeling and dicing the apple and the squash. (since my squash was so small, i used one apple… if you use a bigger squash, i would say use one apple per lb of squash…unless you want it really sweet) Once the squash and apple were chopped up, i tossed them in a bowl with syrup, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. I layered them on a greased cookie sheet and roasted on 425 for 25 mins.

The caramelization was SICK. I took a taste and fell in love. I set it aside to cool (and tried not to nibble on those yummy pieces of heaven)

I started to prep the vegan veggie stock by letting it simmer in a pot and then i sautéed some shallots to make the soup a little more savory. When the shallots were translucent and the stock ready, i scooped the sweet squash and apple bits and pureed them with some stock and shallots.

The smartest thing for me to do would have been to use a hand blender to make this thick and creamy… but i dont have one. So i pureed small batches. Then strained the puree and when it was all done, pureed it all one more time (for consistency)

My camera would NOT take a decent pic of this dish. My apologies. The damn thing just would not focus. I am really proud of this soup. Its thick and creamy without the addition of cream or milk so its healthy. And its also vegan/vegetarian. Now that the cool weather is upon us, this makes a great warmer upper and is ridiculously creamy and delicious.

Im sad i only had a small squash. This batch made 6 one cup servings of soup.

My First Look at Otarian

Last night I had the opportunity to check out a new restaurant to hit the foodie scene. Its the First Low-Carbon restaurant to hit the village and thanks to Missy and Foodbuzz, I got to check out the place and try the goods! Otarian is a brightly colored and chic fast food joint that serves vegan and vegetarian dishes that are prepared with the least amount of Carbon emissions and use compostable materials to pack and serve food.
I wont lie, when the offer presented itself to put my tastebuds to the test I was a bit skeptical. i’m a carnivore. I do enjoy a steak every now and then but I can eat like a vegetarian any day! I kind of thought this place was a lot of hype at first and went in with low expectations. I grabbed some literature that I read on my trainride home and found that the restaurant is furnished with recycled materials and everything served on my tray was compostable! even the cups and forks!
Missy and I decided to order a few things and split them so we could try a little bit of everything. The staff is still pretty new so they were a little unsure of things but none the less, were very polite.
Prior to placing our order we got to sample the potato onion O dill wrap which was phenomenal. After a quick glance of the menu and having already tasted one thing on the menu we opted for a salad, a burger, and an entree of sorts.
Looks like there are free refills on drinks at Otarian (SWEET). Price wise, our three selections and two beverages came out to $30. Otarian offers combo meals that have a starter, an entree, and a dessert but those combos average around $20-something… ordering items a-la- carte seems to be more reasonable. We chose the Roasted Vegetable Lasagna that is a Meat Comparison of a Beef Lasagna. The savings from choosing Otarian save the planet 2.63 kgs of carbon from the 5.21 kgs it would take to make the beef lasagna. Pretty impressive!

We also opted for the Avocado, Tomato and Mozzarella salad with Pesto Dressing. The comparison on the menu is that of a lamb dish… i dont think that would be a substitute here…but the large salad creates 1.46 kgs of carbon (pretty awesome).

It came with this pesto dressing that Missy and I fell in love with… more on that later.

Lastly, we got the Portobello Mushroom Burger. Whole wheat poppy seed bun with a juicy portobello mushroom cap, pesto, mayo, cheese and arugula. This is the meat comparison of a beef burger which has a carbon emission of 2.28kgs and the Otarian option only emits 1.30 kgs.

I drank a diet coke. Missy had unsweetened tea.

The veggie lasagna was chock full of herb roasted tomatoes, onions, and squash. The cheese wasnt melty or gooey but the melted layer on top was a nice little touch. I really enjoyed the flavors of the tomatoes mixed in with the noodles and the veggies. Definitely a winner! A serving of lasagna will set you back $9.95 and 470 calories… please note the serving above is HALF a serving.

The salad was quite impressive with the pesto being the star of the show. Otarian uses a nut free pesto that consists of basil, pumpkin seeds, parmesean, arugula, garlic and salt. Its fantastic. So fantastic in fact that as i finished my half portion of this salad, i walked up to the counter and ordered two additional containers of pesto dressing to use on my shrimp salad later this week. The large salad will set you back $7.45 and 550 calories.

Lastly, Missy and I went in for the burger. The bun was buttery soft and was the perfect bite of flavors. At some point , with my mouth full of yumminess i said i would never have noticed it was a meat free burger. And i beleive Missy agreed. It was wonderful and they have a Vegan version of this burger with egg free mayo. had we known that before we ordered, we would have ordered the vegan version. But eggs and all it was wonderful… i say its that crack they call pesto!

The burger will cost you $7.95 and 530 calories.

With our full bellies we considered for a second on getting dessert… but decided to talk a rainy walk to the Mecca.

The Lite Choice. Where we could have a guilt-free dessert! The only thing missing from this photo is Mari. We missed our third M. Mari, you are gonna LOVE Otarian!

I got a dark Chocolate truffle with cookie crumbs. Soooo good! And then Missy and I walked it off when we went shopping for some lip gloss. My lip gloss is poppin’.

Overall, I was surprised by Otarian. I think its reasonably priced, delicious and a great treat for those that want to do something good for the planet! Everything on our tray was biodegradeable and we felt good knowing that nothing was going to waste!

I approve and reccomend!

My Date with Bobby (and Friends)

Who’s Bobby? Bobby Flay.
I didn’t REALLY have a date with him but i had a date with friends at his restaurant. So, by rules of seperation I had a date with Bobby and I’m gonna keep telling myself that. He is the only white boy I’d forsake all others for. A man that can cook… thats my kinda man (and yes, i know he’s hated most among food network chefs… but I think they just jealous of his grillin skizzles)
I digress.
Sarah and Co. were near the Mo-Tel (aka- my house) and called me Sunday morning telling me to get my booty ready for brunch in Manny Hanny. Had it not been for Miss Mickey giving me a reason to do laundry on a Sunday Morning I would have been ready in no time… but Fam on the Run are some patient peeps.
We hopped on a train. Walked into the beautiful Mesa Grill and were told there was a 1.5 hour wait. DIABLO. But since we had some stops to make in the vicinity we put our names on the list and took a walk.
On this date, we did our dessert first. Not even on purpose, we walked by The Lite Choice and had decided on the spot we should grab a nosh… since we had almost 2 hours to kill waiting for Bobby to make room for us at his place. And since a small of pretty much anything on the menu is around 100 calories, we figured what the hell- we got walking to do, we’ll burn this off in no time. I got the Columbian Coffee with Carob chips. I liked the flavor but i thought it could have been LESS SOUPY. Because this cup of soft serve was really coffee soup. It wasnt just mine, the Fam on the Run had the same consistency. Oh wellz.
We walked to first avenue for Tu-Lu’s Gluten Free bakery.

Sarah and I went there a few weeks ago with Lauren and still rave about the mini cupcakes and jalapeno corn muffins. Not having a sensitivity to gluten I have no problem going to a regular bakery- but tu-lus is awesome! like so awesome! and I should have felt guilty buying the last two corn muffins- but i didnt. And we were disappointed that Tully wasnt there… but she was away and shes a sweetie- she deserves to get away every now and again, right? yeah. And there was a new item on the menu: Brown Sugar Lemonade. Tasted very much like an iced tea lemonade.
when we made our way back to 5th Avenue, our table was ready. We were seated upstairs and given ginormous menus.
I was torn. I wanted to try the stuffed poblano…and the enchiladas… and the burger and the grits. But the waitress said the burger was great and so did Sarah and Co. So I decided to go for the burger and a side of the “famous” grits.

Bobby sent over some sweet breads with a smoky and sweet jalapeno jam. I might have sampled half of everything in the basket and smothered it in jam. It was goood. But then this came to my table…

and I wasn’t ready…. need a better image, no problem! A huge beef burger with cheese, caramelized onions, spring greens on a buttery seeded roll.

Like LITERALLY the size of my face! Bobby must really love me… or really love burgers. Im guessing the latter.

also, a BOATLOAD of “GRITS”… looked more like potato salad. And if i may say so, these were the weirdest “grits” i have ever tasted. As you know, i love grits; but these? NO. I do not love these grits Bobby! The grains are on crack or something! those lumps in the grits…those are the grits! And they tasted garlicky and kinda loaded with mayo. I love mayo but not in this dish. tasted like warm potato salad… but with a weird aftertaste.

But enough about the bad stuff lets get back to the glory that is my burger

i was working really hard on this baby. And on my 2nd half i discovered the mustard. Oh the Mustard. it was a yellow mustard with the burning nostril sensation one would find when having a little bit too much Wasabi. It was glorious.

One might also want to know how i did on the monstrosity:

I eated it…and I eated it GOOD. I can have fries any day so i left those behind and the grits were gross so i devoured that sucka. And hell yes, when I feel the urge to consume and entire cow, I will head over to MESA Grill. Thanks Bobby! (and Thanks to Sarah and Co for being so AWESOME!)

When I got home, still digesting my baby cow, I went to unpack my gluten free goodies… i had heard they melted a bit when left out for too long…

and by the big stain in the box… i knew i was too late.
RIP baby cupcakes. The chocolate peanut butter was completely a mess… and thats what created the stainage on the box. the red velvet and the chocolate chocolate though were saved.
The Vegan Brownie survived.
As did the cheddar jalapeno corn muffin!

I had a great day with Sarah and Co and i am so happy to have been able to try a new restaurant with her and her fam! They are some good eaters! and I love good eaters!

Is there a restaurant on your list of “I Want To Go To There”? Or are you jealous of my monstrosity of a burger? You can be both – its okay.

PS. Missy has a really sweet giveaway going on and even though I wanna win this one…i will share the love. tweet tweet. Enter here

Spring Naturals

****At the start of this post All was well in my world. But then around 10:30 am I was escorted out of my office building due to a fire. I spent the rest of the morning standing outside in the cool weather (which later became cold). My office will be closed till the end of the week, my belongings, including my camera and flash-drive are being held hostage in my smoke filled office. I am grateful that no one got hurt but this might be my last post for a while until i can get my things*****

My Gravy, it is such a gorgeous day in NYC. The sun is out! the snow is melting, and the temperature is a comfortable 40 something degrees… I can totally smell spring fighting its way to NY! Spring means one thing… ALLERGIES. I love spring but I hate allergies. Just be warned… if its not snow im complaining about its pollen.

Speaking of allergies.

I decided that with all my free time and my love for animals that I should volunteer at the nearest animal shelter. Rescuing Mickey has changed my life and it breaks my heart to know there are so many more animals in shelters that are just waiting for someone to take them home… I cant afford another dog but thought if i donated my time I could make a pup a lil happier with a few hours of tlc. So I volunteered with Bobbi and the Strays. Sunday was my first day. I was asked to clean cages. I reported to work, excited and eager to help. My shift was from 10 -2.

At 9:55 I was given a crash course on cleaning cat cages.

“have you ever worked with cats before?”

No.

So they guided me. They showed me how to clean everything and told me i didnt have to handle the kitties if i didnt want to. But I got to work scooping litter boxes, cleaning bedding and crates… and then i noticed that my nose was starting to run. I ignored it. then I started sneezing. I also ignored it. My eyes were tearing up and then the most intense Itch all over the inside of my mouth and throat.

“Monique, are you allergic to cats?”

I dont know.

“Um, i think you’d better go before it gets out of control… we will call you so we can arrange for you to walk the dogs if you still want to help”

SAD PANDA. So now I will be a dog walker with ZERO cat contact. oh wellz.

Okay, so the other day, my coworker told the office he was moving to China. And on his last day we wanted to wish him well so we took him to lunch for a nice and healthy bon voyage.

Spring Street Natural Restaurant on Spring Street in SoHo. The place is very veggie friendly and reasonable price wise… there is also a very busy bunch around lunch time so its best to call ahead and make reservations.

We were seated and brought a basket of warm bread. This beauty was semi sweet… my mouth thinks its a sweet potato bread of sorts…but i could be wrong. I might have had two slices of bread with butter… but i cant remember.

The menu had so many wonderful things to choose from and after hearing my friend RAVE about their veggie burgers, I decided to go with it. The portions are wonderful and I made a deal with my friend next to me that will allow him to eat most of my fries…and seriously what MAN would turn down free fries with garlic mayo?
And this veggie burger was not DEEP FRIED. might have been pan fried but it did not have a lot of oil so maybe it was grilled with panko bread crumbs? dunno.

the base of the burger had sweet potatoes and was served on a fresh whole wheat bun… it was heavenly… and yes I put the garlic mayo on this baby! DEELISH!
I am so going back to Spring Street Naturals… They have so many other items on their menu that i would love to try; including free range chicken sandwiches, grass fed beef steaks… and lots more. Cant wait to go back!

An awesome Treat for Resolutionists!

Yesterday, Mari and I were given an amazing opportunity to tour The Lite Choice. Claudia, The Director of Operations over at The Lite Choice extended an invitation to tour the facility and learn about how their soft serve is made. In my excitement at the offer, I called Mari who also had an oppportunity. We figured it would be great if we did our tour together.
When we arrived, we were a bit early but we made our selves comfy and looked around.
I love the decor in the store- mainly because i love soft colors. They are so calming. When we sat down we began the unofficial tasting.

I was feeling a bit adventurous and decided to play a Wild Card when she offered which flavors I wanted to try. She chose for me the Peanut butter, hazelnut fudge, coconut and french vanilla.

So awesome! The cup was a small and it was filled to the brim with sampling goodness!

Mari got the Peanut Butter, French Vanilla and Coconut… she approves with a big thumbs up.

I started to mix mine up… it was delish. Looking back, i wish I would have combed my hair a bit. the joys of hat hair

Looking around we saw the calorie ranges of the sizes on the menu board. You are all probably thinking “Oh No, Mo cheated” but i assure you, I didnt break the diet in the slightest way (of course, i did eat enough ice cream to miss dinner)

The Lite Choice is an all natural, low calorie, lower fat, low carb soft serve with OVER 50 Organic Flavors! There are no artificial ingredients or corn syrups. Most locations are certified Kosher too!

There were 6 featured soft serves of the day but what I love about The Lite Choice is that you can order any flavor on the menu at no additional charge! My favorite is the peanut butter soft serve and on days when its not being offered in the big machine, you can order a freshly made one! yuuuuum! and they even have an almond butter machine! sweet! Fresh nut butter is amazing!

Mari wanted to try the pina colada.

Start with Original soft serve,

add some coconut and some pineapple,

mix it all up…

and eat! I enjoyed this one… but Mari LOVED it… mostly due to the fact that she LOVES anything pina colada!

We also got to taste the fresh peanut butter, almond butter, banana, and the reamining pina colada. All we could do was say YUM! i fell in love with the almond. the texture was heavenly as well as the flavor!

PHOTO OP! Mari and I wore green…and we didnt even plan that! great minds think alike!

Just when i thought I was blown away with the softserve, they brought out the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. Coffee Freeze. I should just state taht I am a coffee fiend as it is… and this was perfection. The perfect strength of coffee with the perfect sweetness as well as a creamy texture. this might be my go-to iced coffee fix this summer!

but in the mean time i will warm up with their hot-choco-lite! An all natural lower calorie hot chocolate. Its rich and decadent. Its made with all natural ingredients and is super cheap! 99cents! cant beat that!

You’ve got something for everyone at The Lite Choice!

I want to thank Claudia, the Director of Operations, and Ron, the President and CEO of THE LITE CHOICE for their generosity and all the wonderful treats they provided. They not only showered us with samples but have allowed for us to end our blogger meet up at one of their queens locations! They really do know the true meaning of customer service and i KNOW they will be very very successful in all their future endeavors. I am happy to spread the word of such an awesome company. Thanks Guys! i will be back!!!

Heres what I love about The Lite Choice:

- a Small is true to size. You will always get the right amount each time. Perfect for calorie counters (ahem, like me!)

- You can satisfy a sweet tooth without destroying your diet! As much as I ate last night i still woke up with a huge loss on the scale (down 5lbs!)

- The flavor is all there without the aftertaste of artificial flavors and sweeteners

- ANY FLAVOR at ANY time! You will never be disappointed!

- ice cream cakes! made with their lower calorie soft serve!

- ice cream bars! also made with their lower calorie soft serve!

- they are awesome!

There seem to be locations everywhere! See if there is one by you.

Claudia and Ron… thank you thank you sooooo much! I cant wait to bring my friends and fam!!!!

Oh and please follow them on twitter or become a fan on facebook!