Tag Archives: veggies

Guavamente

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I stole my title from a great cocktail at Finback. Some highlights from the weekend…

Yogurt bowl with blueberries and granola (sprinkled granola!).

Quad iced latte with guava and white chocolate at Humble Cafe. They have the best syrup options.

We went to a fun little neighborhood food truck festival to try the dirty sodas at Island Fizz. We shared two custom flavors – Diet Coke with strawberry syrup, cherries, and cream and Diet Coke with guava syrup and marshmallow fluff (my favorite).

It is finally popsicle weather! I got these from 99 Ranch. The grape cheese one is one of my favorites; it is delightfully weird.

Pest chicken salad. Chopped chicken breast with pesto, plain skyr, Duke’s mayo, North River crunchy yellow peas, and Wooly soft sheep’s milk cheese with espelette pepper. This was a great mix of creamy and crunchy and creamy and spicy. Served with baby carrots and leftover fries (we got Slider Joe’s take-out last week and it was fantastic).

Cheesy kimchi chicken dip. Plain skyr and Duke’s mayo with chopped chicken breast, extra-sharp cheddar, sauteed green onions, and chopped/caramelized kimchi. Scooped with kimchi flavored Kettle Chips! Plus broccoli roasted with salt, dried green mango powder, and garlic powder.

Salted Egg – Egg Cream

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Some things from last week…

Barebells peanut butter and jelly bar. This was better than the white chocolate flavors but not as good as the originals.

Smoothie – frozen peaches and banana, soursop nectar, vanilla protein powder, and nutmeg.

Surrup mint and rosemary syrup. I liked it in an iced coffee and loved it in an iced diet coke.

Tochi salted egg popcorn – 100/10.

Arizona chocolate egg cream soda – 10/10. I made my coworkers taste-test with me and we all agreed it was spot on.

We bought an egregious amount of baked goods from Little Cupcake Bakeshop last weekend and I heartily enjoyed the leftovers all week. Note to self – buy the caramel peanut butter shortbread bar every time!

Vegetarian “meatball” rice bowls. Brown rice mixed with Le Grand pesto / roasted zucchini / balls = navy beans, firm tofu, and an egg went into the blender; got mixed with panko, salt, grains of paradise, smoked paprika, urfa, onion powder, garlic powder, and dried basil; then baked. I would make the balls again but sized much smaller.

Magnificent salads! Romaine / homemade dressing – yuzu ponzu, rice vinegar, miso, ginger, honey, Dijon, and evoo / crispy rice – leftover brown rice baked with soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili crisp / roasted baby broccoli / canned yellowfin tuna belly / Wooly Wooly aged sheep’s milk cheese/ crispy fava beans / caramelized plums – cooked in a skillet with butter, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla bean powder.

P.S. I saved the “juice” from the cooked plums and served it over plain Greek yogurt and that was the best thing I ate all week.

Malted Milk, Toasted Rice

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Highlights from the week…

Yogurt bowl. Plain Greek with malted milk powder, brown sugar, and vanilla bean powder topped with Uncle Crumbles sugar cookie granola and all of the berries (blackberries, blueberries, and jumbo blueberries!).

Malted. Vanilla ice cream blended with milk, malted milk powder, and toasted rice powder.

A patty melt that was probably the best thing I’ve made all year. Turkey patties (ground turkey, lime juice, fish sauce, panko, and egg) cooked in a skillet with smoky pimento cheese melted on top on Trader Joe’s sourdough with mayo, lime juice, and red curry.

Paired with great seasoned fries. Baked green beans and frozen french fries tossed in a homemade spice mix – salt, white sugar, white pepper, Sichuan pepper, gochugaru, onion powder, garlic powder, toasted rice powder, dried fish roe, and green mango powder.

BBQ chicken bowls. Baked chicken breast tossed in a skillet with homemade bbq sauce (ketchup, gochujang, maple syrup, rice wine, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds) on a bed of sauteed bok choy, green onion, tomatoes, and ginger.

Tofu And Fries

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We had a wonderful NYC weekend; including walks around Manhattan (Fidi and East Village) and Brooklyn (Fort Greene and Prospect Heights)! And so much good food! Highlights…

I am a sucker for limited edition fun drinks (see below!). I thought the coffee was too milky but I would buy the creamy coconut Dr. Pepper again!

Cafe Patoro brigiadeiro iced latte. Always delicious, their latte is nice and roasty.

Fasan Coffee red bean iced latte. We had also had a fantastic yuzu cold brew.

Honey’s Bistro coconut cold brew.

Chim Chim matcha banoffee pie.

Treats at Saint Street. This spot is exceptional. We had a cup of chocolate cake.

And a meringue.

DSK chicken brat on a pretzel roll with crispy onions, pickle relish, German mustard, and ketchup. Plus great fries.

Lunch at 886. This was some of the very best food we’ve eaten in 2026. My drink (sour plum highball). was only ok though.

Shaky fries with Taiwan Dust.

Crispy silken tofu with chili oil vinaigrette (1000/10).

Dry beef noodles with spicy beef fat butter, shredded beef shank, and a sunny side up egg.

Wildly good tomato with egg.

Dinner at Authentic Thai. We decided this is the best Thai we’ve had in Long Island. I had roti with peanut sauce.

And drunken noodles. I asked for them to be made spicy and they delivered – I drank all of Adam’s Thai iced tea and was in heaven.

P.S. I’ve since eaten both restaurant meals as leftovers and they remained excellent!

Magical Fruit

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Things from the week…

A very floral yogurt bowl. Plain Greek with rose simple syrup, blueberries, edible flowers, and flower-shaped Swedish candies.

I love a good dinner theme and this week was beans! Bean burgers (food-processed black beans, dark red kidney beans, and garbanzo beans with egg, panko, salt, urfa chile, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder; cooked in a skillet) with extra-sharp cheddar on top, on a bun with mayo and yellow mustard. Plus green beans (steamed then sauteed with dill pickle mustard and rice vinegar) and sweet potatoes (roasted then sauteed with maple syrup, chili crisp, and soy sauce). We loved how smoky the burgers were.

Bean dip (kidney beans and garbanzos food-processed with evoo, water, lemon juice, cilantro, salt, ranch seasoning, and minced garlic), scooped with two types of crackers (Mary’s Gone Crackers original and Everybody Eat chive and garlic thins) plus eggplant on the side (roasted then sauteed with peanut butter, miso paste, Sriracha, honey, and water).

Cuban-ish veggie bowls. Cauliflower rice (sauteed with salt, lime juice, and cilantro) topped with black beans (sauteed with white onion, green bell pepper, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder), Cholula’s chipotle creamosa sauce, and Trader Joe’s frozen maduros.

Miso Mango

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Weekend things…

This mango gel snack was quite nice in the bottom of an iced matcha spritzer.

Birthday cake iced latte from Small Batch Coffee.

Lunch at Honey’s Bistro. Honey mustard chicken tenders and beef fat fries.

Plus a salted caramel Spanish iced latte.

Guac Shop loaded rice bowl – brown and white rice, tofu, sweet potato, cabbage, mango salsa, cheese, and cilantro aioli. Their bowls are huge; this made two giant servings. Plus tortilla chips and guacamole.

Not good in execution but would be good to try again in theory – eggs scrambled with parmesan cheese and roasted zucchini. Plus dill pickle kettle chips.

Miso chicken salad. Shredded chicken with roasted seaweed, furikake, green onion, edamame, mayo, Greek yogurt, Dijon, and white miso. Plus roasted broccoli and cauliflower.

Cozy, Rosy

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Things from this week — NYC was cold again (after being HOT last week) and we leaned into cozy foods. I had a weekday off – just for fun – and took myself on a walk in/to Chelsea. Highlights…

Rose iced latte from Terremoto. They make the best floral coffee I’ve tried.

Tall Poppy‘s sugar cookie croissant is stupendous. It is stuffed with marzipan!

Not cozy – a smoothie. Frozen peaches and blueberries with water, vanilla bean powder, and vanilla protein powder.

Very Fresh Noodle‘s very spicy vegan Dan Dan Mian. I love everything about this dish but especially the spice level and cold pops of cucumber salad.

Turkey chili. We have several beans on our meal plan for next week so I skipped them here and added some riced cauliflower for extra fiber instead. Plus onion, bell pepper, poblano pepper, diced tomatoes, and tons of spices. I made cheddar jalapeño bread on the side (my go-to dumb bread recipe plus sharp cheddar and Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy jalopenos).

Homemade pasta sauce. In the blender – roasted baby tomatoes, canned peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, silken tofu, parmesan cheese, fish sauce, and dark soy sauce. Served on whole-wheat bowtie pasta with roasted zucchini and more parmesan (plus I added some Milu Everything Spice). The tofu adds protein and creaminess.

Bao Haus Is Back!

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Adam and I had the whole weekend together and it was just the best! We had two days of Manhattan fun (East Village and the Upper East Side) including great food, a long walk, time loving the trees in Central Park, and a trip the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum. The highlights…

Fancy Kook‘s carrot cake iced latte with cream cheese foam, cinnamon, and pecans.

I was disappointed in this egg coffee from Le Phin but we also had the best pandan iced latte I’ve ever had.

Cola and lemonade slush from Slik. Perfect consistency and not too-too sweet.

We quite enjoyed this bowl from Yogurt Club. Super thick strained Greek yogurt with blueberries, Biscoff kataifi sauce, and mochi.

Speaking of mochi and kataifi – Bear Donut‘s new chewy cookies are amazing. We got white chocolate hazelnut.

Before they closed, Bao Haus served my favorite food in New York and their new iteration is even better! We had lamb bao and unphotographed duck bao.

The Birdhaus bao was as fantastic as I remembered.

The new location does large plates like these outstanding noodles with chilis, pickled greens, and burnt ends. The wonderful schmaltzy pea shoots are hiding in the back.

I also had a guava gose with a delightful rim (li hing mui, maybe?).

Cambodian food at Bayon. We shared shrimp, crabmeat, and corn chowder.

Tamarind duck. Perfectly crispy skin!

Sauteed eggplant with beef, fresh basil, garlic, chili peppers, and oyster sauce. The beef was even better than the duck.

And the Spicy Siem Reap Noodles – sauteed wide rice noodles, basil, scallions, eggs, onion, chili, fish sauce, and
soybean, with beef, extra spicy.

I tamed the spice with a creamy iced tea.

P.S. The leftover noodles were great reheated in a skillet with kale and an extra egg.

Nachos. Stew Leonard’s salsa verde protein tortilla chips (delicious!) with sharp cheddar, ground turkey, and onion, poblano, and bell pepper sauteed with taco seasoning.