Monday, December 12, 2016
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Mexican Corn Inspired Chicken Salad
I saw a picture of grilled Mexican corn walking home from work... you know the kind where it's slathered in mayo and cheese lime juice (Yum!), and was inspired to incorporate that into my dinner. Lucky for me I had fresh corn in my fridge, but I also had squash I needed to eat. So the following dinner is sort of a fusion of flavors and the end product was rather delicious!
Ingredients:
Chicken Breast
Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
Corn (fresh corn on the cob is the best!)
Red Onion
Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
Mayonnaise
Lime Juice
Summer Squash
Olive Oil
Goat Cheese
Put a pot of water on to boil. (You could put two pots on to boil so you can do your corn and poach your chicken at the same time, but I just did my corn first and chicken second)
While you wait for it to boil, shuck your corn and set aside. Since that doesn't take more than a minute, you can also use this time to prep the rest of your corn salad ingredients. Dice some red onion and cut your tomatoes into smaller chunks and put it all into a mixing bowl and set aside. If your water hasn't come to a boil yet, you can also cut your squash into thin slices so it's ready for later.
Place your corn into the pot of water and let boil for 3 minutes. As you wait, you can prep your chicken breast (on a separate cutting board!!) and season both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Remove your corn from the water with a pair of tongs and set aside to cool.
Stick the seasoned chicken into the still boiling water, and reduce to a simmer. Let it poach for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the heat off and let the chicken sit in the water for another 5-10 minutes.
While the chicken is doing its thing, take your corn (if it's still too hot to touch, run it under some cold water) and cut the ears of of the cob and put it into the mixing bowl with the red onion and tomatoes.
If you haven't yet sliced your squash yet, do so now. Put a pan on medium heat with some olive oil and wait for it to heat up. Saute your squash, tossing it occasionally, for 7-10 minutes. You want to make sure the squash isn't too firm, but don't overcook it or else it will be soggy. Transfer your squash to a plate and crumble the goat cheese on top.
Remove your chicken from the water and shred it using a fork. Place the shredded chicken into the mixing bowl with the corn, red onion, and tomatoes you set aside earlier. Add mayo and lime juice to the mixture and toss to coat all your ingredients. Plate on top of your squash and eat!
I know it seems like a lot of steps, but it's really just simple multitasking. Plus, I stuck to (almost) my ten ingredient rule so extra points for me! If you are using 2 pots of water, you can enhance your poaching liquid to make your chicken more flavorful. You can also set the chicken salad in the fridge so that the flavors have time to meld together. I'm usually too impatient for that, but I also tend to have leftovers... no wonder it's always tastier the next day! You also don't have to do the squash as a base, you could put this on top of mixed greens, toasted bread, or just eat it straight out of the bowl!
Mexican Corn, Chicken Salad, Summer Squash
Ingredients:
Chicken Breast
Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
Corn (fresh corn on the cob is the best!)
Red Onion
Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
Mayonnaise
Lime Juice
Summer Squash
Olive Oil
Goat Cheese
Put a pot of water on to boil. (You could put two pots on to boil so you can do your corn and poach your chicken at the same time, but I just did my corn first and chicken second)
While you wait for it to boil, shuck your corn and set aside. Since that doesn't take more than a minute, you can also use this time to prep the rest of your corn salad ingredients. Dice some red onion and cut your tomatoes into smaller chunks and put it all into a mixing bowl and set aside. If your water hasn't come to a boil yet, you can also cut your squash into thin slices so it's ready for later.
Place your corn into the pot of water and let boil for 3 minutes. As you wait, you can prep your chicken breast (on a separate cutting board!!) and season both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Remove your corn from the water with a pair of tongs and set aside to cool.
Stick the seasoned chicken into the still boiling water, and reduce to a simmer. Let it poach for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the heat off and let the chicken sit in the water for another 5-10 minutes.
While the chicken is doing its thing, take your corn (if it's still too hot to touch, run it under some cold water) and cut the ears of of the cob and put it into the mixing bowl with the red onion and tomatoes.
If you haven't yet sliced your squash yet, do so now. Put a pan on medium heat with some olive oil and wait for it to heat up. Saute your squash, tossing it occasionally, for 7-10 minutes. You want to make sure the squash isn't too firm, but don't overcook it or else it will be soggy. Transfer your squash to a plate and crumble the goat cheese on top.
Remove your chicken from the water and shred it using a fork. Place the shredded chicken into the mixing bowl with the corn, red onion, and tomatoes you set aside earlier. Add mayo and lime juice to the mixture and toss to coat all your ingredients. Plate on top of your squash and eat!
I know it seems like a lot of steps, but it's really just simple multitasking. Plus, I stuck to (almost) my ten ingredient rule so extra points for me! If you are using 2 pots of water, you can enhance your poaching liquid to make your chicken more flavorful. You can also set the chicken salad in the fridge so that the flavors have time to meld together. I'm usually too impatient for that, but I also tend to have leftovers... no wonder it's always tastier the next day! You also don't have to do the squash as a base, you could put this on top of mixed greens, toasted bread, or just eat it straight out of the bowl!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Poached Eggs and Spinach Salad
This one will be a quickie, but I wanted to finish the rest of the mango-avocado salsa I made the night before, so I poached some eggs and put it all on top of a bed of spinach leaves. Violà! Healthy Sunday brunch for me!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Spring Scallops
I'm waiting for the MegaMillions drawing and hoping that I win the $640 MILLION jackpot!
To kill time, I opened up a bottle of New Zealand Pinot Noir and started on dinner. Since it's Lent and I can't eat meat on Fridays, I bought some scallops to make for dinner.
Inspired to make something new but still healthy, I decided on scallops with mango-avocado salsa and a side salad of spinach, strawberries, and goat cheese.
This dish turned out so beautifully! I couldn't be happier!
Ingredients (makes 2 servings)
Mango-Avocado Salsa
1 mango
1 avocado
1/4 red onion
1/2 lime
season with salt
Scallops
10-12 medium sized Dry Scallops
season wit salt and pepper
You definitely want to get DRY scallops, not wet. You will actually get more for your money with dry scallops as wet scallops are... well wet. Not only are they full of water, but the extra moisture will prevent them from getting that nice brown color on the outside when you cook them in the pan.
I started with the salsa and cut up my mango, avocado, and red onion. Depending on how you want your salsa to taste you can play with the ratio of your ingredients (add more mango if you want it sweeter, more avocado if you more creamy, etc.). I did equal portions of avocado and mango with a little less red onion, seasoned it with some salt, and added the juice of half a lime. Gently mix your ingredients together. To preserve the texture of your ingredients mix with a light hand. You don't want to mash it together like you would a guacamole. Set your salsa aside to let all the flavors meld together.
I put together my salad next, but I won't go into how to make it since it's just spinach, cut up strawberries and crumbled goat cheese. I dressed my salad with balsamic vinegar, but waited until right before I was ready to eat so it didn't get all soggy.
Scallops are ridiculously quick and easy to make. I like eating my scallops in as natural a state as possible, so I just seasoned both sides with some salt and pepper. I heated my stainless pan on high heat and added some olive oil. You can tell when the oil is ready because it will look ripply in the pan when you move it around.
Remember when I said cooking scallops was quick? Place your scallops in the pan one-by-one starting at the 12 o'clock position and working your way around. This makes it easy to remember which you put in first. Don't play with them when you put them in but wait until you have a nice brown crust before you flip them over. Depending on how thick your scallops are, you're looking at 1.5-2 minutes on each side and they're ready!!
Put a few spoonfuls of salsa on the plate to act as bed for your scallops, put some more on top, and you're ready to eat!!
To kill time, I opened up a bottle of New Zealand Pinot Noir and started on dinner. Since it's Lent and I can't eat meat on Fridays, I bought some scallops to make for dinner.
Inspired to make something new but still healthy, I decided on scallops with mango-avocado salsa and a side salad of spinach, strawberries, and goat cheese.
This dish turned out so beautifully! I couldn't be happier!
Ingredients (makes 2 servings)
Mango-Avocado Salsa
1 mango
1 avocado
1/4 red onion
1/2 lime
season with salt
Scallops
10-12 medium sized Dry Scallops
season wit salt and pepper
You definitely want to get DRY scallops, not wet. You will actually get more for your money with dry scallops as wet scallops are... well wet. Not only are they full of water, but the extra moisture will prevent them from getting that nice brown color on the outside when you cook them in the pan.
I started with the salsa and cut up my mango, avocado, and red onion. Depending on how you want your salsa to taste you can play with the ratio of your ingredients (add more mango if you want it sweeter, more avocado if you more creamy, etc.). I did equal portions of avocado and mango with a little less red onion, seasoned it with some salt, and added the juice of half a lime. Gently mix your ingredients together. To preserve the texture of your ingredients mix with a light hand. You don't want to mash it together like you would a guacamole. Set your salsa aside to let all the flavors meld together.
I put together my salad next, but I won't go into how to make it since it's just spinach, cut up strawberries and crumbled goat cheese. I dressed my salad with balsamic vinegar, but waited until right before I was ready to eat so it didn't get all soggy.
Scallops are ridiculously quick and easy to make. I like eating my scallops in as natural a state as possible, so I just seasoned both sides with some salt and pepper. I heated my stainless pan on high heat and added some olive oil. You can tell when the oil is ready because it will look ripply in the pan when you move it around.
Remember when I said cooking scallops was quick? Place your scallops in the pan one-by-one starting at the 12 o'clock position and working your way around. This makes it easy to remember which you put in first. Don't play with them when you put them in but wait until you have a nice brown crust before you flip them over. Depending on how thick your scallops are, you're looking at 1.5-2 minutes on each side and they're ready!!
Put a few spoonfuls of salsa on the plate to act as bed for your scallops, put some more on top, and you're ready to eat!!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Dessert Madness!
My friend Jessee used to cook for me ALL THE TIME when she lived around the corner from me. But then she had to move to a different state and I was afraid I would starve to death! Okay, maybe I'm being a little melodramatic... maybe a lot.
The solution to my hunger pangs? A quickie weekend trip via BoltBus and dessert making!!!
The solution to my hunger pangs? A quickie weekend trip via BoltBus and dessert making!!!
Lemon Meringue Pie
Bonus Desserts
FYI: keep in mind these are BONUS desserts and were NOT made at the same time as the pie! Although there's NOTHING wrong with that...
 |
| Lemon curd macaron compliments of Ms. Jessee |
 |
| The cheesecake is from Juniors, so it's cheating a little, but I made the sauce myself! |
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Giant(s) ticker tape parade
Forgot this happens downtown this morning. Picture of the crowd as I scrambled to the subway to get to work before everything shut down.
Go Giants!?
Monday, January 30, 2012
Happy 2012!
With the holidays, and craziness finishing the last few things for work before I transition to a new position, cooking has been kind of haphazard and lazy. Mostly super quick and easy foods... I don't know what inspired me today, but I went all out!
Starter: Arugula salad, cucumbers, yellow bell pepper, strawberries, and goat cheese with oil and balsamic dressing.
Main: Pork chop marinaded in olive oil, soy, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and some honey topped with crispy caramelized onions.
Not quite dessert, but had some extra crispy onions (slow cooked down with salt, olive oil and a tab of butter) that I definitely finished eating because they were totally delicious!
Starter: Arugula salad, cucumbers, yellow bell pepper, strawberries, and goat cheese with oil and balsamic dressing.
Main: Pork chop marinaded in olive oil, soy, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and some honey topped with crispy caramelized onions.
Not quite dessert, but had some extra crispy onions (slow cooked down with salt, olive oil and a tab of butter) that I definitely finished eating because they were totally delicious!
Monday, October 17, 2011
How Asian, Dumplings For Dinner!
I went home this weekend and pretty much gorged on Korean food... (No, seriously gorged... my dad had to tell me to "stop eating!") Clearly I was in an Asian food mood! So, instead of going to the regular grocery store I went to M2M, an Asian market in the East Village (on 3rd Ave and 11th St - map). I bought some rice, dumplings, dried seaweed, pickled radishes, etc.
My mom always has some dumplings on hand in her freezer. They are super fast and easy, which makes for a quick and easy dinner -- just my style! All you need to do is defrost them, which really only takes a few minutes. You can leave a few out while you wait for your water to boil, and/or chop up some veg to put on the side. By the time your water is ready, the dumplings should be good to start cooking. Drop in the dumplings, boil them 1-2 minutes and ta-da! Practically an instant dinner!
I sautéed up some onions, sweet peppers and squash, topped it with my boiled dumplings, and drizzled some soy sauce on them to finish it all off (the soy sauce also helps the dumplings from sticking together).
My mom always has some dumplings on hand in her freezer. They are super fast and easy, which makes for a quick and easy dinner -- just my style! All you need to do is defrost them, which really only takes a few minutes. You can leave a few out while you wait for your water to boil, and/or chop up some veg to put on the side. By the time your water is ready, the dumplings should be good to start cooking. Drop in the dumplings, boil them 1-2 minutes and ta-da! Practically an instant dinner!
I sautéed up some onions, sweet peppers and squash, topped it with my boiled dumplings, and drizzled some soy sauce on them to finish it all off (the soy sauce also helps the dumplings from sticking together).
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
RIP, Wall Street
Well I suppose first things, first, RIP Steve Jobs. You will be missed.
In other news, there seems to be no end to this Occupy Wall Street protest. I had to walk about 6 blocks around and out of my way to get to my apartment. I get it, you're protesting. But some people are just standing around and taking pictures, blocking my way. Some of us are just trying to get home... I want to go home people! I have some bacon to fry! Sigh. At least I got past some barricades without having to pull out my electric bill as proof of identity.
So despite leaving work at a relatively decent hour, dinner still wasn't until 9pm. Thank god I made that zucchini and goat cheese spread yesterday! Tonight's dinner would NOT have gone well otherwise. Sliced and toasted a half-baguette, slathered it with my spread, added some cucumber and tomato, and topped it off with some delicious bacon.
It was so tasty, I almost forgot about the protest outside... except I can still hear helicopters circling the Financial District.
To distract myself, here are some more tasty pictures of a plum cobbler I made the other day:
[Update]: I just found this video posted online. I missed this by about 15 minutes. Yikes!
 |
| RIP Steve Jobs. |
So despite leaving work at a relatively decent hour, dinner still wasn't until 9pm. Thank god I made that zucchini and goat cheese spread yesterday! Tonight's dinner would NOT have gone well otherwise. Sliced and toasted a half-baguette, slathered it with my spread, added some cucumber and tomato, and topped it off with some delicious bacon.
To distract myself, here are some more tasty pictures of a plum cobbler I made the other day:
[Update]: I just found this video posted online. I missed this by about 15 minutes. Yikes!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Cheese Is the New Black
I have this new obsession with cheese... in particular, grilled cheese and mac and cheese... making Monday night just about perfect. I met up with the girls at Beecher's Handmade Cheese, where we each got a sampler of 3 different mac and cheeses (balsamic, curried cauliflower curry, and the "World's Best"), accompanied by a minimum of 4 glasses of wine, all for $35 (thanks for the awesome deal UrbanDaddy)!
While the original Beecher's originates in Seattle's famous Pike Place Market, a store/cafe and cellar just opened up in NYC in the Flatiron District. When you walk through the doors, you find yourself in the middle of a a mini-market where you can do a little bit of shopping, or grab an espresso and a quick bite in the cafe. However, "The Cellar" located in the basement, holds a different vibe. Cute and rustic, with its exposed brick walls, they offer delicious wines (I had the house red and it was pretty friggin' tasty if you ask me...) as well as a selection of side salads, decadent mac and cheeses. They also offer real food, but that is for another post (also, I didn't get any entrees this time around)!
I would definitely recommend this place if you are having a mac and cheese craving, or if you're just looking a place to get together with your girlfriends (if you plan to go with a group, it might benefit to make a reservation). Either way, I will definitely be back!
The only thing I don't recommend is the grilled cheese martini... no matter how much your waiter tells you it's worth trying... it was kind of gross. It's like an alcoholic gazpacho infused cheese liquid, with a prosciutto glazed rim. I'd say stick to the wines, but if you want to try it, don't say I didn't warn you....
To finish off the post, and the week, I made some dinner for me and my roommate tonight! Yay cooking!
I'm sort of in love with Buitoni's pasta packages since it makes a great quick dinner, especially since my work schedule has been crazy lately. I picked up some cheese tortellini and tossed it in a quick garlic olive oil infusion. I also made a caprese salad and topped both the salad and pasta off with fresh basil.
Feeling inspired from a dinner I had at a friend's apartment last week, I even made dessert! We finished off dinner with some grilled peaches, spiced with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a splash of orange juice, topped with oatmeal crumble.
Paired with 2 bottles of wine, I'd say it was a pretty successful culinary week for me!
 |
| 2-of-3 Mac and Cheese Samplers. From left to right: Balsamic mac and cheese, curried cauliflower mac and cheese) |
I would definitely recommend this place if you are having a mac and cheese craving, or if you're just looking a place to get together with your girlfriends (if you plan to go with a group, it might benefit to make a reservation). Either way, I will definitely be back!
The only thing I don't recommend is the grilled cheese martini... no matter how much your waiter tells you it's worth trying... it was kind of gross. It's like an alcoholic gazpacho infused cheese liquid, with a prosciutto glazed rim. I'd say stick to the wines, but if you want to try it, don't say I didn't warn you....
 |
| Grilled Cheese Martini Verdict Gets 5 Thumbs Down. (photo via @hels) |
I'm sort of in love with Buitoni's pasta packages since it makes a great quick dinner, especially since my work schedule has been crazy lately. I picked up some cheese tortellini and tossed it in a quick garlic olive oil infusion. I also made a caprese salad and topped both the salad and pasta off with fresh basil.
Feeling inspired from a dinner I had at a friend's apartment last week, I even made dessert! We finished off dinner with some grilled peaches, spiced with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a splash of orange juice, topped with oatmeal crumble.
Paired with 2 bottles of wine, I'd say it was a pretty successful culinary week for me!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Dinner and a Movie
After a great vacation and really busy week at work, I decided to aim for a (relatively) healthy and productive weekend. Went to Whole Foods for lunch, picked up a super cute pillow at Bed Bath and Beyond, and then saw The Help. So, off to a good start... at least until I start reading the second book of A Song of Fire and Ice. I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose all productivity after that.
But first, dinner! There was a ton of spinach in the fridge so I decided on some pasta with chicken, garlic, onions, spinach and tomato. It required a bit of multitasking, but was pretty simple.
I set the water to boil while I chopped some onion, minced garlic, and diced a tomato. I also seasoned my chicken with some salt and pepper.
I added the pasta into the boiling water, heated a pan on medium-high heat, added some olive oil and placed the chicken in the pan to cook. I put another pan on medium-low heat, added olive oil, the garlic and onions with a sprinkle of salt.
I drained the pasta, returned it back to the pot with some olive oil (so it wouldn't stick).
I took the chicken out of the pan to rest and added the spinach to the pan with my garlic and onions. When the spinach had reduced, I sliced up the chicken, threw it in the pan, and added the diced tomatoes on top. A spoonful of Parmesan to finish it off and voila!
But first, dinner! There was a ton of spinach in the fridge so I decided on some pasta with chicken, garlic, onions, spinach and tomato. It required a bit of multitasking, but was pretty simple.
I set the water to boil while I chopped some onion, minced garlic, and diced a tomato. I also seasoned my chicken with some salt and pepper.
I added the pasta into the boiling water, heated a pan on medium-high heat, added some olive oil and placed the chicken in the pan to cook. I put another pan on medium-low heat, added olive oil, the garlic and onions with a sprinkle of salt.
I drained the pasta, returned it back to the pot with some olive oil (so it wouldn't stick).
I took the chicken out of the pan to rest and added the spinach to the pan with my garlic and onions. When the spinach had reduced, I sliced up the chicken, threw it in the pan, and added the diced tomatoes on top. A spoonful of Parmesan to finish it off and voila!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
And I Shall Name You, Fancy Dinner
It's been a really long time since I blogged... and even longer since I posted about food... Well actually, it's been a really long time since I really even cooked, let alone cooked something worth posting about!
Anyway, was inspired to cook today so I here's the quick and dirty:
Made a quick olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce marinade for my chicken.
Boiled water and dropped in fresh corn on the cob.
Browned my chicken up in a stainless pan and deglazed it with some red wine and butter.
Threw in some onions and zucchini.
Added in the corn kernels (I cut them off the cob).
Sliced up an avocado, and viola!
Anyway, was inspired to cook today so I here's the quick and dirty:
Made a quick olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce marinade for my chicken.
Boiled water and dropped in fresh corn on the cob.
Browned my chicken up in a stainless pan and deglazed it with some red wine and butter.
Threw in some onions and zucchini.
Added in the corn kernels (I cut them off the cob).
Sliced up an avocado, and viola!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Snowpocalypse 2010
We were hit with 23.5" of snow in the crazy blizzard on Sunday...
...so I couldn't resist and I made the cutest and happiest snowperson ever today!!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Holidaze
So.... Happy Holidays!
My building threw a little holiday party for us today and there were the CUTEST little cookies. I just had to take a picture of them (and then promptly eat them).
My building threw a little holiday party for us today and there were the CUTEST little cookies. I just had to take a picture of them (and then promptly eat them).
The little details were just too cute!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Busy/Lazy and Crazy Ice Cube!
Okay, my title is a little schizophrenic, but I've been too busy/lazy to post any Disney pics or commentary since I got back from my vacation. Anyway, here are some pictures from the trip:
On a side note, I went to the freezer to get some ice for my seltzer water and I saw an ice cube totally defying gravity. How does this happen?!
On a side note, I went to the freezer to get some ice for my seltzer water and I saw an ice cube totally defying gravity. How does this happen?!
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