Better than Takeout: Homemade Fried Rice

This past weekend was full of delicious food. From lobster rolls to burgers, guacamole and apple pie, it was a traditional Memorial Day feast. But one of the more unexpected dishes consumed in my gluttony this weekend was my friend's mom's fried rice. Many times I've heard about her rice; but never before had I tried...until now.

The fried rice was served as a side dish to a beautiful Chicken Marbella (recipe from the Silver Palate), but the rice easily caught my attention as the star. I literally could not wait to come back and make this on my own. I was too anxious to wait for her recipe that I went ahead and developed my own.

She explained the basic gist of it: sauté the veggies, add the cooked rice, drop in an egg, and voila! I cannot tell you how easy this recipe is, you just need to try it for yourself. The most time-consuming part is waiting for the rice to cook (but if you buy the pre-cooked rice from Trader Joes like I did, this will only take a minute in the microwave!) From start to finish this dish only took me 15 minutes to make--no doubt less time than it takes to order and wait for takeout delivery, not to mention a whole lot cheaper!

Knowing that I already had frozen corn and peas on hand, I decided to add some red pepper to the mix to keep with the bright colors, but you could use whatever vegetables desired--mushrooms, broccoli, shredded carrots. The egg gives that sticky texture to the rice that is so familiar in Chinese takeout, but without the extra grease and fat. This recipe makes about four servings, but I could not help myself from going back for seconds, it was that good. And just like takeout, this fried rice will taste even better as leftovers for lunch, dinner, even breakfast ;)

Fried Rice
Serving Suggestion: Serve with sautéed chicken, shrimp or tofu for a rounded meal

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked brown rice
2-3 tbs canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 red pepper, chopped
2/3 cup frozen peas, thawed
2/3 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste

1. Coat the bottom of a large pot with 1-2 tablespoons canola oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until fragrant and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add red pepper, peas and corn (or other desired vegetables). Sauté until slightly softened, about 5-7 minutes. Remove veggies from pot and set aside.
3. Add another tablespoon of oil to the same pot. Add the cooked rice and stir to coat with the oil. Continue to stir the rice until it is glistening and starts to brown slightly, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the egg into the rice and stir immediately to distribute evenly throughout the rice.
5. Return the veggies to the pot and add a couple tablespoons of soy sauce. Stir to combine. Serve warm or cold.

One Dish Fish: Roasted Tilapia & Asparagus with Mustard-Chive Sauce

Cooking for one can be quite the challenge. Portioning out the right amount of ingredients; not wasting leftover produce. One of my least favorite things about cooking solo is the clean up—with no one to help, sometimes it feels silly to prepare such an involved meal when there’s no one to entertain. That’s why I’ve become a big fan of one pot dinners—meals where everything can be prepared in one dish. No multitasking involved and minimal clean up.

Usually when I think of one dish dinners I think of soups, stews or casseroles—always tasty, but not always realistic, especially as the New York temperature begins to rise. Thankfully, I stumbled upon a tasty, versatile tilapia recipe from Giada a couple weeks ago that is now one of my go-to dinners. The preparation of the fish is super simple—just drizzle both sides with some olive oil, season with salt & pepper, pop it in a hot oven (450 degrees) for 10-15 minutes and you’re done.

Here’s where I get thrifty…using some leftover asparagus I had in the fridge, I drop them in the same baking dish with the tilapia. Knowing that the asparagus also take about 12-15 minutes to roast in the oven, I can prepare my fish and vegetables all at once.

What takes this meal up a notch is the mustard-chive sauce from Giada’s original recipe. Also very simple—just whisk together Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, honey, lemon juice, and chopped chives—and you have yourself an elegant sauce that not only works for this meal, but could be used as a marinade for grilled chicken. With the asparagus, the sauce gives the luxurious look of asparagus with hollandaise sauce, but much simpler and much healthier.

Between prep, cooking, and clean up time, this meal only takes about 25 minutes, and I can assure you is much more delicious than that frozen Lean Cuisine you’re heating up for dinner… Experiment with whatever fish, meat, veggies, or starches you like (note: do some research to make sure whatever you’re cooking together has a similar cook time), and you too will be a convert to the one-pot wonder.

Roasted Tilapia & Asparagus with Mustard-Chive Sauce (for one)

Ingredients:
Tilipa filet
Bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
Olive oil, for drizzling
Salt & pepper, to taste
3 tbs Greek yogurt
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tbs chopped chives

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Drizzle both sides of tilapia with olive oil, season both sides with salt & pepper. Place in a glass baking dish.
3. Add asparagas to baking dish, making sure not to overlap too much, or else everything will just steam instead of roast. Drizzle asparagus with a little olive oil, salt & pepper. Place baking dish in oven, and cook until asparagas is tender and tilapia is opaque in the center (about 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven).
4. Meanwhile, whisk together yogurt, mustard, honey, chives, and lemon juice in a small ball. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Once the asparagus and tilapia are cooked through, remove from the oven and allow to sit for a minute. Drizzle a generous amount of the sauce on top of the tilapia and asparagus. Serve immediately (trust me, you'll want to).

In one pan...

To one plate!

Going Green: Asparagus, Edamame & Artichoke Risotto

Since starting a full-time job in November, it's taken me a while to get into a "food routine"--knowing how much produce to buy without going to waste, planning meals ahead for busy nights. While there is still plenty-a-night when the last thing I feel like doing after work is sautéing or chopping, it's safe to say I've got a better handle on time management.

One of my favorite time-savers is making a week's worth of lunch on a Sunday afternoon. Not only does it free up a few minutes each night during the week, but it's always a nice distraction from my dread of work the next morning. Plus, since I have more time on a Sunday afternoon to cook than I would on a weeknight, I can get a little fancy with my creations.

This week's lunch is inspired by the veggie of the moment and one of my personal favorites: asparagus. When cooked properly, asparagus is perfectly tasty sans butter or salt. Obviously just asparagus isn't enough to satisfy my insatiable appetite, so I've incorporated it into a well-rounded risotto dish.

This is only the second time I've ever made risotto--the first was at last year's Christmas. I planned to make butternut squash risotto, but the squash was already spoiled by the time I went to use it. So I was forced to improvise using red wine and a mish-mash of herbs. The finished product was more of a grayish mush than risotto. Needless to say, the "risotto" ended up in the trash along with crazy Aunt Helen's presents (family, you know what I mean).

So I went into today's dish a little nervous that it would wind up like last Christmas' trash, but my nerves were soon calmed by the creamy sound as I stirred the risotto. My one piece of advice with risotto is to add the liquid in small batches very slowly. If you add too much liquid at once, it will just be absorbed before the rice is done cooking--no one likes a crunchy risotto.

In the end, the dish wound up better than I'd hoped, and now I have a delicious, gourmet lunch for the whole week! Now if only I could be as excited about work as I am about tomorrow's lunch...

Green Spring Risotto (recipe inspired by Eating Well magazine)
Serves 4-5, or a week's worth of lunches for one

Ingredients:
1 lb asparagus, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup frozen edamame
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbs chopped fresh thyme
grated Parmesan, for garnish

1. Boil 4 cups water. Add asparagus and cook 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In another saucepan, bring 2 cups water and chicken broth to a simmer.
3. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, cook 4 minutes. Add garlic, cook 2 minutes.
4. Stir in rice, edamame, and salt. Cook 1 minute then 1/2 cup broth mixture. Stir until nearly absorbed. Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring in between until liquid has been absorbed. This should take about 20-30 minutes.
5. Lower heat and add asparagus, cream cheese and pepper. Stir to combine.
6. Top with Parmesan and thyme.

Spring Awakening

Welcome to the new and improved The Daily Bite! Previously known as Food 4 Thought, this new blog will focus more closely on eating, dining, and cooking in New York City: where to find the best bagel (Murray's) or the best slice (Bleecker Street); the latest foodie events and trends; and of course, simple, tasty recipes for when your wallet just can't keep up with the New York Diet.

After recently feasting over Dean & Deluca pesto pasta salad and mac-n-cheese, I said to my friends, "Why can't I just be a professional eater?" We all laughed, but seriously, why not? I'm still working on the how-to-get-paid-to-eat part, but this blog is a start!

I hope you all enjoy my eating and epicurean adventures as I take a big bite (or several) out of the Big Apple! Welcome to The Daily Bite!

Home Eat Home

The past two weeks have probably been the most hectic and the most exciting weeks of my life. Upon FINALLY receiving a job offer two weeks ago from tomorrow, my life has been running in overdrive. In anticipation of finding an apartment, I first I went home to Massachusetts to pack up all my things here. After a few days, my mom and I returned to New York to meet with a broker. Two of my friends also used this broker in their apartment search and highly recommended him. We managed to see 6 apartments in just a few hours, and 45 minutes later I had an apartment--signed, sealed, and delivered! Based on some horror stories I've heard, I was expecting absolute mayhem, but this was one of the quickest, smoothest processes I've ever dealt with. (Housing at BC was 1 million times worse than this!) So for anyone reading this who is also looking for an apartment in Manhattan, I also HIGHLY recommend this broker. He truly was a miracle worker. (If you want his contact info, just let me know and I'll send it to you).

I'm sure that the only people reading this blog are friends and family, but for safety reasons, I will only say that my new apartment is in Chelsea. I could not be more thrilled by the location. There's a gym and a grocery store 1 block away, and the subway I take to work is literally on my corner. On top of that, Bed Bath & Beyond, The Container Store, Sleepy's, and Best Buy are all within a 2 block radius. This has made my moving-in process sooo much easier. In 3 days I managed to go to Bed Bath & Beyond 3 separate times, and I STILL have things I need to get. Who knew that one person and one tiny apartment would require so much STUFF?! I'm also a compulsive list-maker, so every day I keep adding on little things to buy.

Shopping for a new apartment has been fun, but I cannot wait until everything is all settled. Not only do I want a cozy place to live, but hauling Bed Bath & Beyond shopping bags up 4 flights of stairs (yes, there is no elevator in my building) is NO fun. I really have no idea how my dad and I managed to move all of my stuff up 4 flights of stairs, but I am glad the heavy lifting is over. I'm not sure what I'll do when I have to move out...my dad already said he was not doing that again.

Sweat and chaos aside, the best part of moving into this new place? Having an amazing neighborhood to explore and EAT through! Just a few doors down is Westville. This place was hoppin' with people for Sunday brunch. They pride themselves on using the freshest, local ingredients and serving them up in not-so-healthy ways. The menu changes daily, but the fried plantains with cotija cheese and the seafood potpie specials sound especially delicious.

The other place that I'm dying to go to, along with the rest of Manhattan, is Eataly. Eataly is based on the mega-markets you find all over Europe, and this one specializes in Italian food (obviously). I walked by on Saturday afternoon and had to go in to see what all the fuss is about. The place was absolutely mobbed--lines everywhere, people pushing left and right. But once I caught sight at some of the food, I understood why. There is a separate counter for every type of Italian food you can dream off--cheese, fresh pasta, bread, seafood, meats. A food lover's paradise. Tables are set up all around where people can stand and sample whatever they buy. There are also a few sit down restaurants within the whole complex. It was far too crowded for me to wait in line and try something, so it's a good thing that I live so close--I can walk back anytime to buy some fresh pasta or some gelato :)

I may not have a couch, or a rug, or a trash can in my apartment yet, but at least I have Chelsea. With good food around, that's all I need to feel right at home.

Comfort Me With Apples

I stole the title of this blog post from Ruth Reichl's food memoir Comfort Me With Apples. This book is the first "food novel" I ever read.

Two years ago, my mom and I waited in line for almost 2 hours at an Ina Garten book signing. To make the wait more interesting, the woman in front of us was a huge foodie and insisted that I read Reichl's works: Comfort Me with Apples and Tender at the Bone. Sure enough, two months later I received both books from Santa on Christmas morning. I zipped through these books in a matter of days. I just couldn't put them down. Reading Reichl's memoirs was like eating a massive piece of chocolate cake: you know should stop, but it's just too good to put it down.

I also think it was about this time that I started to consider food writing as a possible career. I was enthralled by the way Reichl transformed food into some sort of higher being. She doesn't just describe food and its taste, smell, and texture; she develops entire stories and themes around food. I loved the idea that I could take something as universal and biological as food and turn it into my own, unique story. And so began my journey to becoming a food writer...

I still have a long way to go, and who knows how/if/when I will ever get there; but maybe this blog will be a chapter in my own food memoir down the road...

In the meantime, I've been in the mood for some New England-y comforting, fall foods during my visit at home this weekend. Keeping theme with Reichl's book and the bountiful apple orchards in New England, I decided to incorporate apples into a savory dinner. I found a great recipe from FoodNetwork.com that was not only simple and delicious, but also a big hit with my picky family back home: Chicken with Apples, Red Onion and Cider.

After seasoning the chicken and dredging it in flour, I sautéed the chicken breasts until they had a nice brown crust on the outside. I removed the chicken from the pan and placed them on a baking sheet lined with a rack to finish cooking in the oven. In the same pan, I added the apples (I used Macoun, which are similar to McIntosh), red onion, and apple cider vinegar. After the mixture became a little syrupy, I added the chicken broth to thicken it. This cooked for about 10 minutes until it was nice and thick. I added the chicken back to the pan to continue cooking and also to absorb the flavors of the sauce. Off the heat, I seasoned it with some more salt and pepper, and stirred in 2 tablespoons of butter to give it a little more richness and luxuriousness.

On the side, I made one of my favorite fall vegetables: roasted butternut squash. For Thanksgiving last year, I made a vegetable side dish that had a little bit of maple syrup, and it made such a difference. The maple syrup added the slightest bit of sweetness, but also created a nice, brown crust from the caramelization of the sugars. So tonight, rather than just roasting the squash with olive oil, salt and pepper as always, I drizzled some maple syrup and a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg. The squash comes out a beautiful golden color with a few brown spots, where the maple syrup just begins to burn. A sophisticated, gourmet twist on a beloved fall vegetable.

It's nights like these, making comforting, homey foods and eating with my family, that will inspire me to write my own food memoir some day.

Brunch Bunch

One of my most favorite things about New York City is Sunday brunch. Sure, you can get brunch anywhere in the country, but no where is it quite the same as in New York. New York City brunches are an institution: people wait hours for a table at hot spots (yes, hours. I have spent several hours of my life waiting for a table at brunch), which thrive with people hoping to cure their hangover with massive amounts of food and more alcohol. I also love that brunch menus in New York City are available until 5 or 6 pm at most places. Not that I would go out for brunch this late, but for night owls who party until 5 am, it only makes sense to stroll in at 5 pm on a Sunday.

Last summer in New York, my friend Elana and I made a weekend ritual of trying several brunch spots. Some of my favorites: Clinton Street Baking Company (the BEST pancakes I have EVER had), Sarabeth's (an institution in its own right), and Norma's (brunch for the classier set). We literally waited up to two hours for a table at some of these places. By the time we got a table, we were so hungry that our stomachs felt like they were going to eat themselves, and we quickly felt a warm buzz from drinking our mimosas on such empty tummies. But the painful wait and starvation was always worth it in the end. We stuffed our faces until we were ready to crawl back into bed and sleep through our wonderful food comas.

Now that we are both back in New York, it was about time that we resumed this beloved tradition. This past Sunday, we brunched at the hoppin' Buttermilk Channel in Brooklyn. The buzz about Buttermilk Channel started last summer and its popularity has only grown since. Dana Cowin, the editor of Food & Wine magazine, just listed Buttermilk Channel as one of her recent food expeditions in the September issue. Needless to say, it was an easy decision when searching on our brunch premiere for the season.

One would hope that the buttermilk pancakes at a restaurant with the word "buttermilk" in its name would be spectacular. The pancakes here were so delicious that you will be surprised to learn that the restaurant actually gets its name not from the beloved breakfast dish, but from the nearby tidal strait separating Governor's Island and Brooklyn. Dairy farmers used to cross this strait to sell their milk in Manhattan, hence the Buttermilk Channel, which the restaurant is named after. Body of water or not, Buttermilk Channel--the restaurant--is all about the buttermilk pancakes. These pancakes will leave you swearing off Bisquick for good. So light and fluffy, without being too cakey, Buttermilk's homemade pancakes are better than any pancake that comes out of a box. And the best part? The short stack is only $5, which includes a mimosa, bellini, or sparkling wine. (Although I must admit, Clinton Street Baking Co. still has the best pancakes I've ever tasted).

But Buttermilk Channel doesn't stop at just buttermilk pancakes. Oh no, buttermilk is a star ingredient in other popular dishes, such as buttermilk fried chicken with cheddar waffles and buttermilk biscuits. Fried chicken doesn't sound too appetizing to me for brunch, but the buttermilk biscuits were unbelievable. So insanely buttery and flaky, I would have been satisfied with eating just a basket of these.

Who am I kidding...me, only eating biscuits for a meal? Get real. It wouldn't be brunch without a little protein too...so Elana and I also shared the scrambled eggs with spinach, mushrooms and goat cheese. Like the pancakes, the eggs were perfectly light and fluffy. We both agreed that the goat cheese added a nice tang and elegance, without being too overpowering or heavy. The eggs also came with hash browns, which were more like a thick potato latke. Crispy and moist!

In the end we were extremely satisfied. The food was delicious, the service was friendly, it was a beautiful, warm day outside in New York, and the bill only came to $15!! I'm not sure what I was more thankful for: that the meal was so surprisingly cheap, or the whole concept of New York City brunch itself.