How to make the PERFECT Italian Sub

Savory Eats

A big, hearty sandwich is my ideal lunch. My favorite Italian subs come from Gallo's Italian Deli back at home in Newport Beach. To create a perfect sub, you need the flaky yet soft hero bread; thinly sliced, fresh cold-cuts; crisp, seasoned vegetables; and a tasty spread or dressing. Today I bring to you, my homemade PERFECT Italian Hoagie...

...from an Italian deli I like to call my kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions
• 7 ounce can artichoke hearts, rinsed and chopped
• 1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive tapenade (store bought)
• 3 leaves romaine lettuce
• 1/4 cup canned banana peppers
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 long baguette or hero (whole grain)
• 3 sliced fresh provolone cheese
• 3 slices fresh ham
• 3 slices fresh salami
• 3 slices fresh honey roasted turkey
• Salt and Lemon Pepper

Recipe:

-Slice the red onion first and soak in cold water and set aside.

-Combine artichoke hearts, tomato, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

-Slice the baguette in half. Pull out about half of the soft bread from each side.

-Spread olive tapenade on one half of hero. Layer the slices of provolone, salami, turkey, and ham on the other half of the bread.

-Remove the onions from water and pat dry.

-Spread the tomato/artichoke/dressing mixture on top of the tapenade.

-Add the romaine lettuce, banana peppers, and a dash of salt and pepper on top.

Enjoy! I promise this sandwich won't disappoint!!

Healthy Ruby Red Peachberry Smoothie

Sweet Treats

Unfortunately, I had to get all four wisdom teeth extracted yesterday. My chunky cheeks and I are now one with the couch. Considering my inability to open my mouth or chew, I searched far and wide for a delicious smoothie recipe. I found a Pink Grapefruit Breakfast Smoothie on Pinterest and decided to tweak it a bit and create this masterpiece...

Oh so fresh.

(Serves 2 people)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup frozen peach slices
• 1/2 fresh grapefruit
• 1/2 fresh banana
• 1/2 cup low-fat French Vanilla Ice Cream
• 1/2 cup Trop 50 Orange Juice
• 1/2 cup peach greek yogurt (I used Chobani)

Recipe:

-Combine all ingredient in a blender and puree until texture of your liking.

400 calories in the WHOLE RECIPE! That's 200 calories per person. Yum Yum Yum!!

Spiral Slicer: My New Kitchen Gadget

...and Rasta Faux-sta: Savory Eats

I stumbled on this life changing kitchen gadget on a blog last week. I then immediately searched amazon and found one for only $32! So, if you find this spiral slicer amazing too, you can buy it here.

It looks daunting, but I promise it's VERY user friendly.

For my test-drive, I made Zucchini Spaghetti with Tomato Turkey Bolognese Sauce

(what I call RASTA PASTA)...

Another awesome "faux-sta" recipe

I call this my Rasta Faux-sta because the dish is made with green zucchini, yellow squash, and red sauce!

(recipe serves two heaping portions)

RastaFauxsta-gredients:

• Spiral Slicer
• 3 zucchini, spiral sliced
• 3 yellow squash, spiral sliced
• Salt, Lemon Pepper, Garlic Powder

Saucin'gredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce
• 1/4 up fresh basil, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh Parmesan

Recipe:

-Transform the zucchini and squash into "spaghetti" with the spiral slicer...

How cool is this?!?

There are three slicing options, some thick and some thin.

-Set "faux-sta" to the side.

-Now onto the sauce...heat oil in a large pot. Add onion and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes.

-Add carrot and celery and saute another 5 minutes.

-Add the turkey and saute for 1 minute.

-Add marinara sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir often.

-Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.

-Keep on medium-low heat for another 20 minutes.

-Meanwhile, microwave the zucchini/squash faux-sta for one minute (covered).

-Spice with salt, lemon pepper, and a dash of garlic powder.

-Top with Tomato Bolognese sauce and Parmesan...

Enjoy!!

10-minute Oreo, Heath Bar Cocoa Krispie Treats

Sweet Treats

A dessert that you often forget exists, but is so simple and delicious: Homemade Rice Krispie Treats. I was never a fan of packaged Kellogg's Rice Krispie Treats as a kid. But, for some reason, they are SO much tastier when made from scratch. I decided to jazz up my original recipe with some Oreo's and Heath Bar Bits to create this AMAZING hunk of yumminess...

Ooey-gooey Oreo Toffee Krispie Treats

Krispin'gredients:

• 5 cups Kellogg's Cocoa Krispies
• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 cup Health Bar bits
• 20 Oreo cookies

Recipe:

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add all the mini marshmallows.

Stir the marshmallows and butter until all have melted together (about 3 minutes).

Remove from heat and add the Cocoa Krispies to the saucepan. Mix until Krispies are fully coated in the melted marshmallows (do this quick before it hardens).

-Sprinkle 1/2 cup Heath Bar bits and 5 crushed Oreo's into the mixture.

-Transfer 1/2 of the Krispie Treats into a square container.

-Sprinkle 1/4 cup of Heath Bar bits and 10 crushed Oreo's on top.

-Transfer the rest of the Krispie Treats into the container and smoosh on top of the Heath and Oreo's.

Sprinkle 1/4 Heath Bar bits and last 5 crushed Oreo's on top.

-Place in the fridge for 10 minutes, cut, and devour!

Ethos: Mykonos meets Midtown East

Big Apple Bites

You know when people ask, "What's your favorite type of food?"...and you want to say, "Are you kidding me? I don't have one favorite, I LOVE ALL FOOD!" Well, I have a legitimate answer to that question: Mediterranean food. I am half Syrian and have been eating chickpeas straight from the can since infancy. Thus, hummus, baba ghanoush, pita bread, and chicken kebabs are regulars in my diet.

Get in my belly.

Upon moving to the big city, I pledged to try every Lebanese, Greek, Syrian, Turkish restaurant with a decent reputation in NYC (see my post about Taim Falafel). Last night, my dream-meal came true at Ethos in Midtown East. Two summers ago I visited my girl Melina in Mykonos...

...and I can safely say that the beachy decor, authentic food, fun ambiance, and very Greek waiters at Ethos brought me back to Greece.

Appetizers

Some of the best Tarama, Melitzanosalata, Spicy Feta, Tzatzik, and Hummus I've ever tasted.

Garides Saganaki (aka Greek shrimp with feta and tomatoes)

Dipping the bread in the extra sauce was amazing.

Entrees

Juicy Chicken Souvlaki Skewers (I ordered a side of hummus, obviously)

Paidakia (Grilled Lam Chops)
Melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

We tried the baklava for dessert and it wasn't great. But, the EXCELLENT meal made up for it. Head up to 51st and 1st ASAP for a delicious Greek meal!!!

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Savory Eats

As you know, last weekend was a fat one. So I decided to lighten things up last night for dinner...

Loaded with veggies and lacking in calories, you won't believe how tasty and filling this dish is!

I came up with this delicious creation by adapting a collection of recipes. I love love LOVE spaghetti squash because it is so fascinating and healthy (plus, it can be used a zillion ways...see my Spaghetti Squash Faux-sta). This casserole, in particular, reminds me of lasagna (but healthy). So check it out...

Ingredients:

• One spaghetti squash, steamed
• One large zucchini, sliced
• 1/2 cup shaved carrots
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• One small head of broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup light sour cream (or ricotta cheese)
• 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons Italian bread crumbs
• Olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped

Recipe:

-Cut the spaghetti squash in half and steam in a pot for 10 minutes. Scrape the insides of the spaghetti squash out into a bowl. Sprinkle the squash with some olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside.

-Spray a Pyrex baking dish with Pam cooking spray and set aside.

-Begin by chopping up all the vegetables as directed in the ingredients.

-Chop the garlic cloves and saute in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil until golden brown. Add the onions and saute until soft. Add the zucchini and carrots and saute until soft and lightly browned. Set aside.

-Saute the broccoli and mushrooms in olive oil, salt, and pepper until soft and lightly browned. Set aside.

...Now comes the layering...

Spread the zucchini/carrot/onion mixture on the bottom of the Pyrex dish. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese on top.

Spread a thin layer of spaghetti squash on top of the cheese. Spread 1/4 cup light sour cream (or ricotta cheese) on top of the squash and sprinkle another 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Top with broccoli/mushroom mixture.

Spread another thin layer of spaghetti squash. Spread 1/4 cup light sour cream (or ricotta cheese) on top of the squash and sprinkle another 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Top with 3 tablespoons of Italian bread crumbs.

-Bake the dish at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (until the breadcrumbs are golden brown).

Lastly...enjoy your healthy dinner!

Nat sauteed some chicken sausage on the side to add protein to the meal (a good idea if you're feeding boys).

3-Ingredient Chocolate Cake Batter Dip

Sweet Treats

After dinner last night, I needed something sweet to munch on while watching the Real Housewives reunion show (guilty pleasure). 

      These bitches are craaaazy.

I had a spare box of chocolate cake mix in my pantry and wanted to make a (sort of) healthy dessert with as few ingredients as possible. My solution: Chocolate Cake Batter Dip...

Cake batter that won't give you Salmonella!

Ingredients:

• One cup of Devil's Food Cake Mix (roughly half of a box)

**NOTE: you can use any type of cake mix you like! Next, I am going to try funfetti cake batter dip.

• One cup of fat-free vanilla yogurt
• 3/4 cup of lite Cool Whip
• One packet of sweetener (I used Truvia, my favorite)
• Any toppings (if you want to eat it straight up) or cookies/fruit/pretzels (the dippers are limitless)

Recipe:

-Mix the cake mix and yogurt together in a bowl.

-Add the Cool Whip.

**I didn't have an electric beater on hand, but I assume the end result would be delicious, light, and fluffy with an electric mixer.

-Mix in one packet of Truvia for extra sweetness.

-Garnish with toppings and ENJOY!

Suggested dippers: strawberries, pretzels, Oreos, graham crackers, Nilla wafers.