Sexy Spring Rolls

Savory Eats

Memorial Day marks the commencement of summer. That means it's time to fit into our swimsuits. I can help with that by loading up on some healthy recipes. These Sexy Spring Rolls are straight up fresh and delicious. Also, they're perfect for lunch or dinner and are easy once you get the hang of it...

Thanks Sarah (My New Roots blog) for this delicious, healthy recipe!

Ingredients:

• Spring Rolls
• Sexy sauteed ginger carrots (*ingredients below*)
• Sprouts
• Avocado
• Sweet bell pepper
• Cabbage
• Cucumber
• Mint
• Slivered almonds
• Sexy Sauteed Ginger Carrots
• 2 medium carrots
• 3 Tbs sesame seeds
• Splash of cooking oil
• 2 Tbs fresh ginger, minced
• 1 Tbs agave nectar
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Almond Butter Dipping Sauce
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbs agave nectar
• 2 Tbs water
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp Sriracha sauce

Recipe:

1. Start by making the sexy sauteed ginger carrots. Begin by toasting the sesame seeds in a dry skillet until they begin to pop and turn light brown. Remove from heat:

2. Julienne the carrots as thin as you can make them:

3. Put the oil, minced ginger, and agave nectar in the skillet with the carrots and cook slightly for 4-5 minutes. You don't really want to cook the vegetables, just take the raw edge off. Remove from heat, squeeze some lemon, and set aside:

4. Now, slice up all your vegetables and herbs into thin pieces (avocado, bell pepper, cabbage, sprouts, mint, cucumber, etc.). Set aside:

5. Make your almond butter dipping sauce by whisking almond butter, minced garlic, soy sauce, agave nectar, water, lime juice, and Sriracha in a small bowl. Set aside:

6. Find a shallow dish - a little larger than your rice paper wrappers - and fill it with room temperature water. Place one wrap in the water until it becomes soft and pliable (about 1 minute):

7. Transfer the wrap to a clean working surface. Place all your julienned ingredients in the center of the wrap. Top with a little bit of almond butter sauce:

8. Fold the top half of the wrap over the fillings. Fold both sides of the wrap in. Roll the spring roll to fold the bottom half of the wrap up to seal. If the wrap rips a little, don't worry!

9. Repeat with the rest of your ingredients and ENJOY with some of your almond butter dipping sauce! You will feel healthy and sexy after munching on these amazing spring rolls:

My scrumptious lunch at work today!

Recipe to print:

1. Start by making the sexy sauteed ginger carrots. Begin by toasting the sesame seeds in a dry skillet until they begin to pop and turn light brown. Remove from heat.
2. Julienne the carrots as thin as you can make them.
3. Put the oil, minced ginger, and agave nectar in the skillet with the carrots and cook slightly for 4-5 minutes. You don't really want to cook the vegetables, just take the raw edge off.
4. Remove from heat, squeeze a little lemon juice, and set aside.
5. Now, slice up all your vegetables and herbs into thin pieces (avocado, bell pepper, cabbage, sprouts, mint, cucumber, etc.). Set aside.
6. Make your almond butter dipping sauce by whisking almond butter, minced garlic, soy sauce, agave nectar, water, lime juice, and Sriracha in a small bowl. Set aside.
7. Find a shallow dish - a little larger than your rice paper wrappers - and fill it with room temperature water. Place one wrap in the water until it becomes soft and pliable (about 1 minute).
8. Transfer the wrap to a clean working surface. Place all your julienned ingredients in the center of the wrap. Top with a little bit of almond butter sauce.
9. Fold the top half of the wrap over the fillings. Fold both sides of the wrap in. Roll the spring roll to fold the bottom half of the wrap up to seal. If the wrap rips a little, don't worry!
10. Repeat with the rest of your ingredients and ENJOY with some of your almond butter dipping sauce! You will feel healthy and sexy after munching on these amazing spring rolls.

Za'atar Roasted (or Grilled) Chicken

Savory Eats

Arabic food...enough said. The thought of a Lebanese, Syrian, or Turkish meal makes me salivate. What's so special about Arabic cuisine? The herbs and spices: mint, thyme, oregano (in a mix often called za'atar) plus sesame, saffron, turmeric, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, sumac, etc...The amount and types of spices vary from region to region, but in Middle Eastern cooking, you will taste a lot of flavor consistency...

Now onto the recipe for today: Za'atar Chicken. Za'atar spice is generally prepared using ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, or a similar combination, mixed with toasted sesame seeds and salt. The best part about za'atar? It can be used on everything.

My dad sends me za'atar from an Arabic market at home, but you can get it at any Arabic food store.

This chicken is healthy, fresh, flavorful, juicy, versatile, and easy. What more could you want?

Ingredients:

*For about 6 people

• 2.5 pounds chicken breast, pounded flat
• 3/4 to 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Roughly 1/3 cup za'atar spice (I never do exact measurements)
• 6 fresh lemons, juiced
• 1 fresh lemon, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt, pepper, & garlic powder

Recipe:

ONE DAY IN ADVANCE:

the chicken needs to sit in za'atar marinade for 24 hours

1. Pound your raw chicken breasts so they are thin and the same thickness. Place the chicken breast into a baking dish. Cover with a healthy amount of salt (1-2 teaspoons) and some garlic powder:

2. In a bowl, combine olive oil, some salt, 1 teaspoon lemon pepper, and 5 cloves minced garlic. Set aside:

3. Cover the chicken with za'atar spice (3-4 tablespoons) and make sure you rub za'atar over all surfaces of each breast (get your hands dirty!):

4. Pour the olive oil mixture onto the chicken. Again, make sure all surfaces of the chicken are covered in oil:

5. Juice 6 lemons onto the chicken. Your chicken should be swimming in marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours:

 Lemon...

...and more lemon.

THE DAY OF:

Note: I don't have a grill. If I did, I would grill this chicken by laying it on a HOT grill for 15 minutes and turning it over for an additional 10 minutes. But, it tastes great in the oven as well.

1. Preheat your oven to 425F.
2. Remove chicken, piece by piece, from the baking dish and place onto a greased baking sheet (make sure your baking sheet has tall edges so excess olive oil doesn't spill over the edges while baking):

3. Cover the chicken with more za'atar rub (roughly 3 more tablespoons):

4. Cut thin slices of lemon and place on top of the chicken:

5. Bake the chicken with an aluminum foil cover at 425F for 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake uncovered for ~15 more minutes.

6. Make sure to cut open the thickest slice of chicken (after about 40 minutes of baking) to make sure it isn't pink inside. DO NOT OVERCOOK THE CHICKEN. You want it to be juicy and just right. Serve with some couscous, roasted veggies, hummus, and pita bread:

Served with fresh veggies, pita chips, & hummus and some za'atar roasted broccoli, onions, & fennel.

Recipe to print:

ONE DAY IN ADVANCE:

the chicken needs to sit in za'atar marinade for 24 hours

1. Pound your raw chicken breasts so they are thin and roughly the same thickness. Place the chicken breast into a baking dish. Cover with a healthy amount of salt (1-2 teaspoons) and some garlic powder.
2. In a bowl, combine olive oil, some salt, 1 teaspoon lemon pepper, and 5 cloves minced garlic. Set aside.
3. Cover the chicken with za'atar spice (3-4 tablespoons) and make sure you rub za'atar over all surfaces of each breast (get your hands dirty!)
4. Pour the olive oil mixture onto the chicken. Again, make sure all surfaces of the chicken are covered in oil.
5. Juice 6 lemons onto the chicken. Your chicken should be swimming in marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

THE DAY OF:

Note: I don't have a grill. If I did, I would grill this chicken by laying it on a HOT grill for 15 minutes and turning it over for an additional 10 minutes. But, it tastes great in the oven as well.

1. Preheat your oven to 425F.
2. Remove chicken, piece by piece, from the baking dish and place onto a greased baking sheet (make sure your baking sheet has tall edges so excess olive oil doesn't spill over the edges while baking).
3. Cover the chicken with more za'atar rub (roughly 3 more tablespoons).
4. Cut thin slices of lemon and place on top of the chicken.
5. Bake the chicken with an aluminum foil cover at 425F for 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake uncovered for 15 more minutes.
6. Make sure to cut open the thickest slice of chicken (after about 40 minutes of baking) to make sure it is not pink inside. DO NOT OVERCOOK THE CHICKEN. You want it to be juicy and just right. Serve with some couscous, roasted veggies, hummus, and pita bread.

Madison Square Eats: Watermelon Soju + recipes!

Big Apple Bites & Low Cal Cocktails

Madison Square Eats is back again for the month of May. That means you have 9 more days to get your hungry ass over to Madison Square Park for some delicious grub.

What stood out most at Mad Sq Eats this spring? Two words: Watermelon Soju...

Fresh watermelon juice with soju (essentially Korean vodka) in a half-shell. Need I say more?

If it wasn't $20/half-shell, we would have gotten seconds. Then I realized I could make this fresh, life-changing, summery  cocktail  cracktail at home! Here are two recipes to make your very own Skinny Vodka & Watermelon Cooler or Skinny Watermelon Gin Fizz:

Skinny Vodka & Watermelon Cooler

Ingredients:

*Makes 6 drinks

• 3 pounds watermelon
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 1/4 cup Triple Sec
• 3 Tbs fresh lime juice

Recipe:

Cut the watermelon into pieces and discard the seeds. In a blender, puree the watermelon flesh and strain the puree through a fine sieve over a pitcher. Discard the solids (this should make about 1 & 1/3 cups watermelon juice). Stir in the vodka, triple sec, and lime juice. Pour into glasses with some ice cubes, garnish with a slice of watermelon, and serve!

Skinny Watermelon Gin Fizz

Ingredients:

*Makes 4 drinks

• 4 cups diced watermelon
• 6 ounces gin
• 8 Tbs fresh lime juice
• 1 & 1/3 cups diet ginger ale
• Lime wedges, for garnish

Recipe:

Cut the watermelon and discard seeds. Puree 4 cups watermelon. Strain and divide the juice among 4 glasses. Top each glass with 1.5 ounces of gin (one shot), 2 tablespoons of lime juice, and 1/3 cup diet ginger ale. Garnish with watermelon wedges and lime wedges. Enjoy!

Standard Biergarten: The Ultimate Soft Pretzel

Big Apple Bites

It's beer garden season in the big apple and The Standard Biergarten is a winner for most twentysomethings in New York City.

At The Standard, the beer is good but the jumbo soft pretzels are great. Thus, these heavenly pretzels are the focus of my post...

Salty? Very.

Soft? Yes.

Large? Ginormous.

Not only are these pretzels immaculate on their own, but they are served with a side of the best spicy honey mustard you'll ever eat. After our pretzel was devoured in 3.56 seconds we continued to scoop the mustard directly into our mouths unaccompanied.

To give you some perspective, that's an iPhone in the pretzel's right butt cheek.

I could eat one of these pretzels with a cold beer for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...so I highly encourage you to sprint to The Standard Biergarten as soon as possible.

Rach, Andy, and Katie with our massive snack. Did I mention Katie wanted a second one?

Savory Fruit Salads: Watermelon Feta & Citrus Mint

Savory Eats

Savory fruit salads. Yum. As we all know, I have a thing for food with the perfect combination of salty and sweet: Mom's Granola, Nutella & Sea-Salt Cookies...

...so, here are two great salad recipes that combine sweet fruit with savory components in perfect harmony.

Chopped Vegetable, Watermelon, & Feta Salad

from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

*4 servings

• 1 pound plum tomatoes, diced
• 1 & 1/2 cups seeded watermelon, diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/2 large English cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup radishes, thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 10 ounces light feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Recipe:

1. Toss the tomatoes, watermelon, bell peppers, cucumbers, and radishes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
2. Add half of the crumbled feta, half the green onions, and half of the mint.
3. Mix the remaining cheese, green onions, mint, and oil (1 Tbs) in a food processor. Add the yogurt and oregano. Process to blend but do not over-mix (keep the dressing a little thick).
4. Season with salt and pepper and mix the yogurt dressing into the salad. Enjoy!

Simple Citrus Salad with Mint, Basil, and Red Onion

from Cup of Jo

Ingredients:

*2 servings

• 2 oranges
• 1 grapefruit
• 2 clementines
• A few sprigs each of mint and basil
• 1 small red onion
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• Sea salt, to taste

Recipe:

1. Peel and slice all the citrus into 1/4-inch rounds. Layer the citrus on a platter, alternating different types.
2. Chop the mint and basil and sprinkle over the citrus.
3. Peel and slice the red onion (very thin) into circles and spread on top of the citrus. Drizzle with olive oil (roughly 2 tablespoons) and season with sea salt to taste. Perfect for a summer BBQ!

Chinese Chicken Chopped Salad

Savory Eats

Today is Seis de Mayo, thus I wouldn't touch Mexican food with a 10 foot pole. If you also overdosed on guacamole yesterday, it's very likely you feel the same. So, today I am sharing my mom's famous Chinese Chicken Salad recipe - laborious for a salad, but SO worth the effort...

MmMmMmMmmm

Ingredients:

*This recipe makes enough salad for an army (roughly 8-10 servings), but can be doubled/tripled for larger parties.

• Salad
• 2 heads of Napa cabbage, chopped
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 2 packs of Ramen noodles (chicken flavor)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• Dressing
• 3/4 cup sesame oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 flavor packet from the Ramen noodles

Napa Cabbage (can be hard to find)

Recipe:

1. Crush the (uncooked) Ramen noodles so that they are in smaller pieces. Set aside:

2. Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Add the crushed Ramen noodles. Refrigerate the noodles in the dressing for a few hours so the noodles can soften and soak up the dressing flavor:

3. Chop up all the salad ingredients (cabbage, green onions) and shred the chicken breast (you can buy a whole roasted chicken and shred the breasts for convenience. Otherwise, boil 4 chicken breasts in salted water until cooked through, then shred):

4. An hour before serving, add the cabbage, onions, chicken, and almonds to a large bowl. Pour the dressing and noodles on top. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve when the flavors have blended together!

Recipe to print:

1. Crush the (uncooked) Ramen noodles so that they are in smaller pieces. Set aside.
2. Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Add the crushed Ramen noodles. Refrigerate the noodles in the dressing for a few hours so the noodles can soften and soak up the dressing flavor.
3. Chop up all the salad ingredients (cabbage, green onions) and shred the chicken breast (you can buy a whole roasted chicken and just shred the breasts for convenience. Otherwise, boil 4 chicken breasts in salted water until cooked through, then shred.)
4. An hour before serving, add the cabbage, onions, chicken, and almonds to a large bowl. Pour the dressing and noodles on top. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve when the flavors have blended together!