Tag Archives: cucumber

Brinner Winner

by

We did breakfasts for dinners this week. Here was everything I ate on theme…

Coffee, obviously. Sweetie Pies on Main makes some of our favorite lattes in Long Island. These specials were crazy – tres leches and tiramisu!

Cereal [milk latte]. Espresso plus skim milk I infused overnight with Cocoa Pebbles.

Orange juice. I wanted to be on-theme but I hate juice so we made cocktails. OJ with vodka and amaretto plus a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some Target rainbow sherbet seltzer.

Smoothie. Blueberry pancake smoothie. Frozen blueberries blended with cottage cheese, butter extract, maple syrup, vanilla protein powder, malted milk powder, and water.

Blueberry muffins. I think these protein mini muffins are disgusting in a delightful way.

Yogurt bowl, obviously. This was plain Greek with blueberries, blackberries, and cookie dough granola.

Egg and cheese biscuit. Hometown Bakeshop‘s build-your-own breakfast sandwich. We got a cheddar biscuit with two over-medium eggs, cheddar-jack cheese, caramelized onions, and smoked aioli.

Avocado toast. Whole-wheat bread toasted with butter topped with smashed avocado (with lemon, salt, and gochugaru) and cold-smoked sockeye salmon. Plus sauteed purple asparagus.

Cottage cheese bowls. Topped with cucumber salad (sesame seeds, gochugaru, rice vinegar, and sugar) and baked chicken meatballs (panade, hoisin, gochujang, oyster sauce, and white pepper). I ate several meatballs before they could make it to my bowl!

Oatmeal. Trader Joe’s rolled oats with ancient grains and seeds – 10/10, it is perfect out of the microwave – topped with a fried egg, chopped baby broccoli sauteed with lemon and garlic, spicy caramelized peanuts (sugar, salt, white pepper, evoo, gochugaru, and togarashi), and chili crisp.

Bacon, egg, and cheese bagel salad. This was my best idea of the week. Arugula dressed with garlic Dijon dressing and horseradish Sriracha aioli / sharp cheddar / beef bacon / homemade bagel croutons (Bagel Joint sesame gochujang bagel tossed with evoo, salt, white pepper, and gochugaru and baked) / six-minute eggs.

Word Salad

by

We don’t always have a weekly dinner theme (often!) but I do have several queued up in a row. This week was SALAD…

Fruit salad skyr bowl. Plain Siggi’s with blueberries, blackberries, mango, and kiwi.

Candy salad! A mix of Nerds Easter items and sour tropical Mike and Ike’s (<– wonderful).

Dinners are listed from least to most favorite (though we quite enjoyed them all). Shredded tofu salad. Super firm tofu (shredded and tossed with evoo, hoisin, and gochujang and then baked until crispy) with roasted cabbage, scallions, bell peppers, and peanut sauce (chunky peanut butter, lime juice, rice vinegar, horseradish Sriracha aioli, sugar, and a bit of water).

Lox bagel inspired salad. Romaine, roasted garlic dijon dressing, hot-smoked sockeye salmon, Biena everything chickpea snacks, capers, cucumber, and pickled red onion.

Nacho chicken salad. Baked chicken, poblano pepper, tomato, scallion, black beans, sharp cheddar, Quest nacho cheese and loaded taco flavored protein chips, plain skyr, mayo, lemon, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Plus roasted cauliflower.

Loaded tuna salad. Canned tuna and smoked trout with mayo, dijon, salt and pepper kettle chips, scallions, sweet baby gherkins, and Trader Joe’s hot and sweet pickled jalapenos. Plus a big pile of roasted green beans.

Chop Chop

by

Things from this week…

Two types of blueberry drinks. We adore the Once Upon a Coconut blueberry, it is my favorite coconut water.

I bought a box of Melo bars without tasting them (flavor untasted?) and fortunately the 1st two kinds I tried were great.

I obviously bought this Slice soda because of it’s font/branding but I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor.

Gigantic dessert yogurt bowl – plain skyr, Ben and Jerry’s s’mores bites (this was a fantastic idea!), cereal, granola, and tons of blueberries and blackberries.

Chopped chicken sandwiches. I am so glad we started making these! Chopped together on the cutting board – baked chicken, sharp cheddar, Kewpie, garlicy sauteed broccoli rabe, kimchi sauteed with scallions and butter and sugar. Plus a side of roasted green bell pepper and purple cauliflower with curry powder, sweet and spicy pecans, and dried cranberries.

Big salads. Romaine with ponzu vinaigrette, bell pepper, scallions, bean sprouts, sharp cheddar, packaged fried tofu, and Trader Joe’s crispy mochi nuggets (10/10).

Chicken salad. I put so many things in here I don’t think I remember them all but this was definitely baked chicken with skyr, mayo, dijon, hoisin, lemon juice, scallions, celery, and toasted slivered almonds. Plus a Bibigo kimchi and cheese rice ball, buttered toasted baguette, and roasted zucchini.

A take on chicken laab. I loosely followed this recipe but used ground chicken, doubled the onion, swapped guava jelly for tamarind, and added bean sprouts. Plus a quick cucumber salad (sugar, rice vinegar, Sriracha, and yuzu ponzu).

(C)how Fun

by

Fun eats from the past week…

A coffee date at Quhwah House. I got an iced Yemeni latte (great in theory but I ultimately am just not a ginger in coffee fan) and we shared a yummy creamy pistachio dessert.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this Cafe Bustelo coffee. Not as good as brewing their coffee myself but the best pre-made coffee I’ve tried.

Snack plate – olive oil and za’atar labne, baby carrots, and corn fritters (we got bar food one night!).

I went to J-Mart for fresh noodles and scored in their amazing snack isle – these Sichuan pepper chips were fantastic.

Drinks and desserts at Whisk and Whiskey. We really enjoyed this spot and want to go back ASAP.

We made Hummingbird High’s best ever banana bread recipe.

I, of course, ate some cubed in a yogurt bowl with blueberries.

And, of course, I toasted thick slices to be the B in BEC (banana bread, soft-scrambled eggs, extra-sharp cheddar). Served with blueberries and roasted green beans.

Another fun dinner I made was Leah Cohen’s recipe for Chow Fun! With baked chicken subbed in for beef and roasted zucchini subbed in for bean sprouts. It was delicious.

Big salads. Romaine / cucumber / balsamic vinaigrette / roasted pumfu (pumpkin seed tofu) / crispy rice (leftover black rice roasted with soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili crisp).

Best meal of the week = Bricolage. We’ve loved this Vietnamese spot for years. Their take on coquito blew me away – Ten to One dark rum, house-made creamy coconut spice blend, and Chinese cardamom. I also had a great Vietnamese Espresso Martini – Grainger’s vodka, chicory infused coffee, condensed milk, and five spice coffee garnish.

Mushroom ginger congee with lemongrass tofu.

Five spice roasted honey nut squash with maple gastrique and a kale cauliflower cous cous salad.

Hawker broad noodles – fresh flat rice noodles, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese broccoli, cherry tomato, peanuts, crispy shallots, and spiced soy three-bean peanut sauce.

Caramelized shrimp pot – Gulf shrimp, baby bok choy, onion, cherry tomato, and scallions in a caramel-chili sauce. This is my favorite dish on the menu!

Stars And Smoothies

by

Yummy things from the week…

Smoothie #1 – iced matcha, cottage cheese, brown sugar, and frozen mango and peaches.

Smoothie #2 – chocolate protein powder, water, black sesame paste, and frozen blueberries and cherries.

Cheese plate! Craize guava corn crackers, extra-sharp cheddar, and starfruit.

McConnell’s double peanut butter chip is our all-time favorite ice cream so we were pretty jazzed to pair it with their (quite tasty) pre-cooked chocolate chunk cookies.

Peanut chicken pizza. Two-ingredient pizza dough with an egg wash sesame seed crust / sauce – peanut butter, sugar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, Sriracha, and water / baked chicken cubes / quick pickled carrots and scallion / pizza blend cheese. Plus green beans sauteed with honey, mustard, and gojuchang.

Cottage cheese dinner bowls. Topped with marinated eggs, sunflower seeds, and quick-pickled cucumber.

Chicken and cabbage bowls. Roasted cabbage topped with Nước Chấm and tons of toasted peanuts / ground chicken sauteed with ginger, scallions, and soy sauce.

Hello, 2025

by

One week down, fifty-one to go! Here were some highlights from the start of 2025…

The best yogurt bowl of the year (haha) – plain skyr with blueberries and ube polvorons.

I also went classic with granola, peanut butter, and blueberries.

The passion fruit ice cream mochi from Bubbies are a 10/10.

We were home on the 1st for a fancy last night of Hannukah lunch – bagel latke plates. Trader Joe’s frozen potato latkes / cream cheese home-mixed with sauteed scallion and garlic / mashed avocado / cucumber / Acme smoked salmon candy.

Every year on the 1st we make sure to eat black eyed peas and collard greens for dinner. Fun fact – I also make sure to go for a run on every new year and birthday. Collard greens sauteed with garlic, duck sausage, and Crystal hot sauce. Black eyed peas sauteed with green onions, roasted poblano, shredded cheese, Greek yogurt, Kewpie, and chipotle Cholula.

Ground turkey sauteed with cream cheese, gochujang, lemon juice, mustard and honey mustard served on sauteed shredded brussel sprouts with leftover laktes.

Turkey meatloaf (a buffalo version with Frank’s and blue cheese) with roasted broccoli and homemade ranch sauce.

Afghan take-out from Kandahar Grill. Mantoo dumplings, chicken tikka skewers with rice, Bolani flatbread, Banjan (fantastic fried eggplant) with Afghan bread, plus chicken kofta and lamb tikka skewers.

All Hallows’ Eats

by

It was a yummy Halloween week!

Highlights…

You already know I had a cache of on-theme snacks.

Dunkin Donuts’ potion macchiato is marshmallow and ube flavored; obviously a great idea but unfortunately it was fairly underwhelming.

Skyr bowl with Cara Cara orange and double chocolate granola.

Pumpkin smoothie. Pumpkin puree, cottage cheese, frozen banana, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla bean powder, and water and ice.

I saved my best pumpkin beers for last. Blue Point Big Mother Pumpkin (10/10) / Fat Orange Cat Pumpkin Patch Kittens (9.5/10) / Abomination Forbidden Pumpkin (10/10).

Served with a brown sugar cinnamon rim!

Veggie rice bowls. Jasberry rice and riced cauliflower / Whole Food’s sesame seaweed cashews / avocado / chopped kimchi crisped up with a bit of butter and sugar.

Mac and three cheese muffins with baked chicken and roasted brussels sprouts.

Pumpkin pasta. Whole-wheat rotini topped with ground turkey sauteed with pumpkin puree, chili crisp, and cream cheese. Plus roasted orange cauliflower.

Black and orange big salads! Local lettuce / cucumber / homemade dressing – pumpkin butter, brown sugar, evoo, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and fish sauce / roasted kabocha squash / crispy rice – leftover rice tossed with chili crisp and black sesame paste and baked. We loved this.

Pita Pita

by

Some things from the past week…

We had the best coffee of our entire lives at Caphe Den. A (thick, delicious) phin brew topped with egg cream.

Homemade iced coffee with rose vanilla syrup.

Chia Smash chocolate peanut butter and raspberry jam bites are wonderfully tasty and satisfying.

I didn’t really like this brownie batter Noosa. Will I accept that I don’t like sweet yogurts? Never.

Reese’s Big Cups with gooey chocolate are the best candy on Earth; amazingly, they are even better than the chip ones.

Mochi breads from Croffle House. These were great. We got sweet potato, chestnut (our favorite), and pumpkin.

Pita pocket dinners! Cheeseburger-inspired. Sauteed ground turkey with green onions, pickles, and ketchup/mayo/yellow mustard/Greek yogurt, plus sharp cheddar. With sauteed broccoli slaw.

Tuna melt. A mix of canned tuna and smoked trout with Greek yogurt, mayo, pickle juice, capers, and green onion. With sharp cheddar and fried in an egregious amount of butter. Plus steamed green beans sauteed with butter, lemon juice, and garlic.

Mediterranean salmon. Frozen salmon patties with a homemade tzatziki (yogurt with lemon, cucumber, and ranch seasoning). Plus sauteed baby zucchini with capers and roasted red pepper.

Homemade pita chips! With roasted broccoli, honey nut squash (our favorite), red kuri squash (not for us, apparently), and salmon candy spread.

Plus a perfect take-out dinner. Memphis bbq rub popcorn chicken and cajun fries with peanut sauce steamed rice rolls. I also had some leftover broccoli and baby carrots with my dipping sauces (bbq and Cane’s – we stopped in to buy a Diet Coke and I wisely also purchased a single sauce!).

P.S. It is Pumpkin Month tomorrow!!