Bites Out of the Big Apple | NYC ❤

TODAY MARKS MY BLOG’S FIRST BIRTHDAY! YAY!

So to mark this momentous occasion, let’s just casually ignore the fact that I have been on a major hiatus and jump right on into this (belated) post about my trip to New York City back in April/May! The concrete jungle is full of amazing sights and, more importantly, eateries. As much as I wish I could’ve crossed off every place on my crazy Excel spreadsheet (#analystproblems) of places to eat, a girl can only consume so much in five and a half days! Click through to read about most of the gastronomic adventures I had in NYC 🙂

Momofuku-Inspired Brussels Sprouts

The older I get, the more I start to believe that if you don’t like a food, it’s because you haven’t tasted it prepared well. I think Brussels sprouts are a good example of this. Notorious as the veggie that no kid wants to eat, this cruciferous vegetable has become a favorite of mine. (And no, don’t try to attribute this to my grandma-like tendencies!) Aside from being delicious, they are super good for you! Brussels sprouts are filling, naturally low in fat and calories, and a great source of fiber, vitamin K and C, potassium, and calcium. Food blogs everywhere post recipes in which the sprouts are paired with bacon or covered in parmesan, which is fine, but pretty much cancels out all of the health benefits. And I really think you can enjoy Brussels sprouts without all of that extra work.

A few weeks ago, I started (and finished in two days) reading David Chang’s book, Momofuku, in which the author both tells the story of his food journey as well as shares a few of the recipes for dishes found at his award-winning restaurants. His tenacity and passion for culinary arts is apparent, even in just the first 50 pages. New life goal: eat at one of his restaurants. (I did get to stop by Momofuku Milk Bar in Toronto back in June to pick up a few sweet treats, but what I want are his noodles and pork belly buns! Sigh, some day…)

So I normally just roast my sprouts up in the oven and sprinkle a little garlic salt on top – simple! But today’s recipe is an adaptation of Chang’s take on roasted Brussels sprouts, which he pairs with a really flavorful, yummy fish sauce vinaigrette.

As always, I make due with what I have on hand instead of going out to buy ingredients – especially when it’s 90 degrees out like today. Though I have not had the pleasure of tasting the real thing at Momofuku to compare, I think the end result is really delicious (and kind of addictive) and something even the most adamant Brussels sprouts hater would enjoy.

Matcha Soba Noodle Salad With Shrimp

Long time no blog post. Why, you ask? Real. Life. Work has become busier than ever, staying overtime like every other day, and the last thing I want to do after an hour and a half commute is cook. So sad. I haven’t even touched my KitchenAid since I started working. And I had my first cup ramen in YEARS the other night. Things got real real. 😦 That was the first sad face I’ve made in my posts thus far. Sigh. I feel bad for neglecting my blog so here’s a recipe from the archives. I made this dish a few weeks back and it was great because I made a giant batch and it lasted me quite a few days!

So I feel like soba has gotten a lot more well-known/popular in contemporary cuisine and I loooove it. But in case you’ve never heard of it, soba is a Japanese noodle made of buckwheat.The flavor of soba noodles is pretty neutral, so it’s super versatile. Soba’s also a healthier alternative to most other kinds of noodles. (Lots of protein and fiber, and just about no fat.)

The last time I stopped by my local Korean grocery store, I found this:

Heart. Eyes. SO HAPPY. I already really love soba noodles, but to have found a matcha version of them = a dream. Y’all know how I feel about matcha and ALL of the green tea-flavored things. ❤ Nothing makes me appreciate globalization more than international ingredients being readily available for my enjoyment in LA. (I just love ethnic grocery stores and all of the interesting snacks, foods, and drinks they have to offer. So fun!) But, luckily for those without Asian markets nearby, I’ve found soba noodles (though not of the matcha variety) sold at a lot of American markets like Ralph’s and Sprouts – just check out the Asian food aisle!

Like I said, today’s recipe is one from a while back, and one I came up with on the spot, so I’m writing the ingredients and steps by memory. Fingers crossed that I didn’t forget anything, hahaha. #sorryinadvance

Cinnamon French Toast with Berries

Over the last couple of weeks, something that I’ve come to appreciate more than anything is being able to “sleep in” on Sunday mornings. I put that in quotations because for me, sleeping in means getting up at 9:00am, which most people my age wouldn’t consider late at all – ha. Well, it’s late to me because I have to wake up so early Monday through Saturday! #adultlife

By the time I wake up, I am huuuuungry. My #1 guilty pleasure breakfast food is french toast. I rarely let myself indulge, but this past weekend, after surviving one of the most stress-filled weeks in a long time, it had to be done. Luckily, french toast is really easy and quick to make so my impatient appetite didn’t get too cranky!

Sometimes you just gotta treat yo’self on Sunday mornings with a giant plate of french toast topped with fresh berries to ease you into accepting the reality that is the impending Monday.

Baked Mini Omelet Cups

So recently, I got a new job – hooray! My last job spoiled me with a leisurely 15-minute commute…but now, my commute is 30 miles one way and takes about an hour and a half (on a good day) in bumper to bumper traffic 90% of the way. My worst enemies are now numbers: 101, 405, 110, and 10, to be exact. The struggle is too real, people.

Because of this, I have to leave the house extra early in the AM in an attempt to avoid as much ratchetry on the roads as possible and have had to forego two of my greatest loves: eyeliner and a big breakfast. Ain’t nobody got time! I can do without the lined eyes but can’t survive on an empty stomach in the morning, so I came up with a kind of solution for the latter with today’s recipe, perfect for people on-the-go.

Mini omelet cups! I’m freaking obsessed with these because they’re so easy and adaptable to whatever you have in your fridge. You can make a couple of batches ahead of time on Sunday, keep them refrigerated or even freeze them for later. The fact that they’re bite-sized makes them the perfect car food. I hate eating in my car, but lately I’ve had no choice. I just heat them up, squeeze some Sriracha on them, stick them in a tupperware, and get out the door. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so make it happen!

Cookie Challenge #4: Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies

As a kid, I didn’t grow up eating PB&J sandwiches, the quintessential American lunch food oft found in brown paper bags. Rather, my packed lunches were always in colorful plastic bento boxes and consisted of some combination of white rice, two or three Korean veggie side dishes, and a protein like bulgogi or pan-fried Spam. If not that, it was a really delicious ham and egg sandwich prepared with love by Lety, the woman who essentially raised me and my sister from the time we were born, and lived in with my family as a housekeeper until I was 20. She was an incredible cook of both Mexican as well as Korean dishes, but has since returned to her hometown in Oaxaca. Lety is also the reason why I am fluent in Spanish. Gosh I miss her!

Anyway, jars of Jif or Skippy weren’t things found in my household, where a Korean and a Mexican woman were doing the cooking. And since I almost never consumed it, peanut butter or peanut butter-flavored things like Reese’s or Peanut Butter Captain Crunch were not things I liked to eat. It wasn’t until I got to college that I developed an affinity for nut butters. I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened or what I ate that made me suddenly fall in love with peanut butter, but I sure as hell can’t go a without having a slice of whole wheat toast with crunchy pb for breakfast at least once a week. And I’m very adamant about my pb being CRUNCHY. (Do some people actually prefer smooth peanut butter? I don’t get it.)

Clearly I have very strong feelings about peanut butter. Recently, I had an out-of-nowhere craving for a peanut butter cookie, which has never happened before, and what better excuse to use my KitchenAid than this rare occasion? 😛 Naturally, this cookie recipe calls for the use of some peanut butter. There is only one brand of pb that I will purchase and consume. Because nothing compares:

I mentioned this in my Kitchen Essentials page: Peanut Butter & Co’s Crunch Time. It is HEAVENLY and contains only four ingredients, all of which can be easily pronounced and do not end in “-tose” or “-dose.” It isn’t overly sweet and has the perfect amount of peanut pieces in it for the crunchy texture that I love. It’s amazing! (I always get mine at Sprouts, but I think Target sells this brand too? Also available online at a variety of sites.)

Happy to say that these cookies satisfied my craving. This recipe results in a more crisp cookie, with a texture comparable to Keebler’s Pecan Sandies. These aren’t chewy, but I almost prefer them this way because it really reminds me of peanut butter toast! Yum.

Oven-Baked Salmon with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Dressing

Hooray for another two-in-one recipe post featuring three of my favorite things: salmon, avocado, and cilantro! The title of this post may sound fancy, but you all should know by now that I only like to cook things that are quick, easy, and low-maintenance. Standing over a stovetop of hours or constantly stirring a saucepan – I ain’t about that life. What I am about, though, is being able to throw something into the oven and not have to worry about it for a good chunk of time. This recipe is just that!

Salmon is my favorite fish, raw or cooked. I love this orange-colored fish and all of its healthy omega-3s. I personally think salmon is one of the easiest things to cook because it’s super flavorful on its own, so you don’t have to worry to much about how you season it. But I recently got a new food processor, which inspired me to recreate one of my favorite dressings from TJ’s, something I think pairs really well with salmon salads.

It’s a two-parter, but today’s post is going to be easy, just like all of my others! So easy, that one of my friends and readers of this blog, Julie, already tried the salmon portion of it out (plus a Brussels sprouts, an upcoming recipe)! She’s a busy working girl, as many of us are, and made this the other night for dinner:

Dat presentation doe :’) I’ve never really had a strong maternal instinct, but when she showed me this, I felt like a proud mama! Hahaha. But if “Jungle Jules” can do it, so can you. No excuses!

A Tribute to Soft Boiled Eggs

Go on Instagram and search for the hashtag “yolkporn” – do it.

That, my friends, is my kind of eye candy. Sunny side up or poached, a runny yolk has always been key to how I like my eggs for breakfast or brunch…or lunch or dinner. Any time, really. Making an egg sunny side up is super quick and easy; while poaching one is pretty tricky. I’ve never really been a fan of DIYing the latter, even though it’s one of my favorites, so a few weeks ago, I tried soft boiling for the first time. This is a game changer, people.

Just beautiful, isn’t it? One of my go-to breakfasts is avocado toast with an egg (scrambled, sunny side up, or very rarely, poached) on top. But soft boiling has taken over. So delicious and eggstremely easy 😉

If breakfast isn’t already part of your morning routine, I hope this post changes that. Because breakfast is the greatest meal of the day, forreals. But if you’re one of those freaks who doesn’t “like to eat breakfast,” soft boiled eggs can also be enjoyed in salads (who needs dressing when you have egg yolk?) as well as noodle or rice dishes. Eggs are just so amazingly versatile.

So the soft boil is pretty easy to do, but can be easy to mess up if you don’t time it juuuust right, so do yourself a favor and just set a timer!

Matcha Green Tea Pound Cake

Happy Labor Day y’all – are you ready to TURN UP…your oven? (In all seriousness, I hope you didn’t wake up this morning with a raging hangover from ratchet long weekend festivities!)

So I think it’s safe to assume the readers of this blog are just as obsessed with matcha-flavored things as I am because my most popular post by far is the one for green tea pancakes. This is great news for me because I’m always on the hunt for recipes that incorporate matcha powder. (With each passing day, I realize a lot of my favorite things are green: tea, pesto, smoothies, money…) I’ve already professed my love of/addiction to green tea in that other post so let’s just get right into today’s recipe: matcha pound cake!

I’ve never had or seen green tea loaves like this anywhere, even in Little Tokyo here in LA, but I would guess it would be easily found in Japan? Everyone knows that I’m a sucker for carbs, so as soon as I came across this recipe, I knew it had to be done, especially because it called for coconut oil rather than butter. Oils typically result in moister cakes, and that is exactly how this cake turned out – moist, light, sweet, and you can really taste the matcha! And it pairs perfectly with black coffee – another matcha made in heaven 😉

Cookie Challenge #3: Chewy Lemon Cookies

Sometimes – pretty rarely – I crave a dessert that doesn’t contain some form of chocolate. Today was such a time. My go-to during these rare occasions has always been something lemon-y. Lemon cheesecake, lemon bars, lemon loaf…all are so good! Luckily for me, as I’d mentioned in my grilled lemon mint chicken post, my home is currently filled with an abundance of lemons, freshly picked from my backyard. I told you I’d be back with a lemon dessert! When life gives you lemons, make lemon cookies.

Today’s recipe comes from one of my favorite blogs. Jessica, the blogger, posts some of the yummiest sweet treats I’ve found online! Her chewy lemon cookies are so delicious that I almost don’t even miss my usual chocolate chip ones. Almost. But they definitely hit the spot on days like these – chewy, sweet, lemon-y. I loooove ’em! And I hope you will too.

P.S. Yes, I am still in love with my KitchenAid ❤ ❤ ❤