Nothing bleak about Bleeker

I love to stroll down Bleeker Street in search of delicious things to fill my fridge, pantry and ultimately my belly. Bleeker between 7th Ave south and Carmine Street has pretty much everything I could ask for, well except for fresh produce. Ottomanelli's Meat Market, Faicco's Pork Store (which sells so much more than just pork), Murray's Cheese Shop, The Lobster Place and Amy's Bread are all within a few steps of each other. If only every neighborhood had these five shops!

For lunch today I thought I would try something new. I know what you’re thinking...Pasta with meat sauce, Kusum you're a freaking genius! How in the world did I come up with that one!?!? Right? But this isn't any regular meat. It's bison also known as buffalo!

It was actually really good and definitely worth trying. It's not gamey tasting and is leaner than pretty much any other meat out there. So next time you're really going for it with all other ingredients in your dish you can at least cut back a little on the calories and fat by using buffalo meat.
I shared today's lunch with two growing young men so I didn't bother trying to make it figure friendly or make any effort to figure what the nutritional info might be.
To make this pasta I used tagliatelle pasta and fresh tomato sauce from Faicco's, part-skim fontina cheese from Murray's cheese shop, ground buffalo meat from Ottomanelli's, a splash of heavy cream and a little bit of fresh ground pepper. If there was a produce shop on this little strip of Bleeker then I probably would have also picked up some fresh parsley to add to this. Should you prefer a bolder cheese statement then use fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano instead of the part-skim fontina.

From start to finish this dish took less than 15 mins to make. Start by boiling salted water for the pasta in a pot. In another pan add the room temperature ground buffalo meat and gently brown the meat over medium heat, better that the meat is undercooked than overcooked. Next add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for about 7-8 mins. Now add the tomato sauce, a splash of cream and some fresh ground pepper to the ground meat, stir together and heat through for about a minute or two. Remove the meat sauce from stove top and stir in grated cheese. Drain the pasta and stir the pasta together with the sauce. Mangia!

PS Forgot to mention... if you are trying to avoid refined flour, as found in the pasta, then serve over polenta instead.

Hi my name is Kusum

and I am recovering cheese addict. If you have not yet tried this particular goat's cheese, I highly recommend it. As of this past March my cheese intake has greatly diminished since I finally started eating meat! For 32 years cheese was pretty much my one and only source of protein and FAT too! This goat's cheese is great because it makes pretty much anything creamy and delicious. I find that a tablespoon of Chavrie adds the same creaminess to dishes as a serving of sour cream or heavy cream but has 1/2 the calories and 3/4 less fat. I am not a huge fan of reduced fat products because I just think they is something kind of weird about them so instead I use this cheese wherever I would normally use regular cheese, sour cream or heavy cream (except in your coffee because that would just be gross). Some of my favorite ways to eat Chavrie are with black beans in place of sour cream, on a cracker with some jam, stirred it into tomato soup and with fresh chopped herbs on an omelette.

Nutritional info per serving, 2 tablespoons
Calories 50
Fat 3.5
Cholesterol 20
Sodium 120
Carbohydrate 1
Fiber 0
Protein 3

Never did I ever....

...think I would have a blog or that I would use it as a political platform! These cupcakes and cookies are from Eleni's. I think they made McCain green on purpose.

Oh and yes, they were yummy! You really can't make a cupcake taste quite the same without those two key ingredients, all-purpose flour and sugar. But you know what? I am sure going to try one of these days.

Coverflex lids

This is totally not my photo, in fact it was pirated off the website where these are sold.
I kind of figured they wouldn't mind since I am try to help bring them some business.
Laura, my very eco-aware friend, introduced me to these. She doesn't have a shred of plastic wrap, Ziploc bags or aluminum foil in her house. She does compost, has a vegetable garden, drives a Prius and uses her Sigg water bottle. I must admit it's pretty impressive to see this lifestyle actually put into practice on a daily basis. I have a hard time living with out my Ziploc bags, plastic wrap and aluminum foil but I am making an effort to not use as liberally.

These little covers are great because they stretch over just about anything. They are made of silicone, they create a complete leak proof seal and can be used in the fridge, freezer, oven, microwave and dishwasher. I find the small and medium sizes to be the most useful. So rinse and re-use!

GET YOURS HERE

100 Calorie Dark Chocolate Bars

Just perfect if you have self control. There's really nothing more to say here.

Cut out the crap, NOW!

These are three NOW products I use practically everyday. They are must haves in my cupboard, so much so that I keep them both at my house and my office.

STEVIA
When you accept that Splenda, Sweet n' Low and Equal are bad for you and you are searching for a natural no calorie sweetener look for stevia. I will not lie, it has taken me about five years of sporadically using stevia to finally fully integrate it into my life as a replacement for sugar and artificial sweeteners. In my opinion the Now french vanilla stevia is by far the best tasting one out there. It's definitely not the same as those others sweeteners. It's an acquired taste and has more fiber therefore it doesn't dissolve easily in cold beverages as well as it does in hot ones. When I want to sweeten a cold drink I usually dissolve one or two packets into a tiny bit of warm water first to make a simple syrup and then add it to my drink. It's made from the leaves of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family. Stevia is a good option for those with diabetes, hypo/hyperglycemia or those who wish to maintain their blood glucose levels since it's a zero glycemic index.
I do not recommend trying to use stevia as a replacement for sugar in recipes. That's what the Fruit Sweet from Wax Orchard is for.
GET YOURS HERE

COCOA POWDER
Everyone, myself included, is loving the fact that dark chocolate is now considered to be good for you. The reason is because of the polyphenols in the cocoa bean which are considered to be antioxidant. Antioxidants are important because they basically block and deactivate free radicals floating around inside our bodies. From what I understand free radicals come to exist in two ways, naturally created by the immune system to help neutralize bacteria and viruses and the second because of environmental factors such as smoking, pollution, pesticides etc... A free radical is a an unstable molecule in the cells. Too many unstable molecules are dangerous and are linked to the growth of cancers. Additionally antioxidants are said to help reduce signs of aging.
Here is a list of foods that are rated to be the richest in Antioxidants. To this list I add spinach, pomegranate, goji berries, green tea, white tea, dark chocolate and concord grape juice and I am sure many other foods. Eat a variety of these foods daily and you are already on way to taming those free radicals.
GET YOURS HERE


For the purist, this one's sugar free and dairy free

Simply Hot Cocoa
1 cup soy milk
1 packet french vanilla stevia
3-4 teaspoons of cocoa powder


WHEY PROTEIN
I originally bought this unflavored whey protein because I wanted to add protein to my baking.
But who doesn’t love a protein shake? Especially one that is low in calories, fat, carbohydrates and sugar. This particular whey protein is great for two reasons… the price is good for the quantity and because it’s unflavored so you can use it in many different ways; pancakes, muffins, cookies, etc...
GET YOURS HERE

I start every shake with one scoop of protein powder and one packet of french vanilla stevia, then add whatever else you want and blend.


My answer to a milkshake

Mocha Chocolata Ya Ya
1 scoop whey protein isolate
1 packet french vanilla stevia
1/2 tsp instant coffee crystals
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1 tbs malted milk powder
1/2 frozen banana
1 cup skim milk
add ice and blend

Calories 266
Fat 1
Cholesterol 5
Sodium 126
Carbohydrate 32
Sugar 23
Fiber 2
Protein 34

W.W. Points 5
The Daily Plate


I am no nutritionist but I consider this next one to be good post work out shake. Coconut water is similar to Gatorade. It replenishes electrolytes, re-hydrating the body of fluids lost while sweating. The banana is good source of potassium and sugar which helps to restore glycogen levels and recover muscles. Whey protein is the fastest digesting protein so it assimilates more quickly than eating a solid form of protein such as chicken or fish.

Monkey Money
1 scoop whey protein isolate
1 packet french vanilla stevia
1 Vita Coco water
1/2 frozen banana
3 tbs unsweetened reduced fat coconut
2 tbs PB2
add ice and blend

Calories 322
Fat 8
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 129
Carbohydrate 36
Sugar 24
Fiber 3
Protein 31

W.W. Points 7
The Daily Plate

Tomato Lentil Dal

Tomato Lentil Dal

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons peeled and grated ginger
4 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 can 14oz crushed tomatoes (no salt)
1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut

Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add onion cook for five minutes stirring as needed.
Add ginger, garlic, cumin and coriander cook for about a minute. Next add lentils, tomatoes and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cook for about 40 minutes, until lentils are soft. Spoon about 2 cups of lentils with a little liquid into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and then return the blended soup back to the pan. Stir in cilantro, lemon juice and coconut.

Nutritional info per 1.5 cup serving
Calories 261
Fat 6.25
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 315
Carbohydrate 38
Fiber 17.5
Protein 15.25

W.W. Points 5
The Daily Plate

Wax Orchards

This stuff is truly genius! I pretty much eat the fudge straight out of the jar. It's really thick and sticks nicely to the back of a spoon, which I then dip into some grated coconut.
I use the fruit sweet in place of sugar when baking. It's made from a blend of pear and pineapple juices. It's diabetic friendly, has less calories than sugar and is sweeter so you use less. Fruit juice concentrates are humectants and help to keep baked good fresher longer.

Use 2/3 cup of fruit sweet for every 1 cup of sugar in your recipes.

GET YOURS HERE

Crystal head vodka

Is this not the coolest bottle of vodka you have ever seen? Crystal head vodka is unfortunately currently sold out so you probably won't be able to get your hands on it in time for Halloween however, Hi Time Wine is expecting to receive another shipment in about three weeks which would be in just in time to make a pretty cool Christmas gift. My boyfriend, a purveyor of all things cool, bought two bottles a couple weeks ago. I am always impressed by his ability to get his hands on things before anyone seems to know about them.

GET YOURS HERE

Dry roasted wasabi edamame

These wasabi flavored edamame may have a couple more calories and a gram more fat than the average wasabi peas however, the upside is they are dry roasted rather than fried, have less saturated fat, no trans fats, no cholesterol, less sodium, less carbs, more fiber and a lot more protien than the average wasabi pea. Making your snack time calorie spending a little more nutritous and a little less empty. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, get your snack on.

GET YOURS HERE

Nutritional info, per 1/4 cup serving (30g)
Calories 130
Calories from fat 40
Fat 4.5
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 130mg
Carbohydrates 9
Fiber 7
Sugar 1
Protien 14

W.W. points 2
The Daily Plate

Thai style cream corn soup

Thai style cream corn soup
Serves 4

½ cup light coconut milk
2 tbs chopped shallots
3 cups of fresh corn, cut corn off cob
1 bouillon cube in 2 cups of hot water to make broth
4 slices peeled fresh ginger (about ¼" thick and 1" diameter)
¼ tsp red curry paste
½ lime, zest of
1 whole stalk of cilantro with root, cleaned well
5 kafir lime leaves, crushed
1 tsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tsp honey (optional)

Begin by adding 4 tablespoons of coconut milk to a pan, simmer on low heat about 1-2 mins or until you smell the coconut milk. Add 2 tablespoons chopped shallots to the pan. The coconut milk should be gently bubbling and will begin to thicken and evaporate. Continue cooking for 2-3 mins stirring occasionally. Then add the remainder of the coconut milk followed by 3 cups of corn kernels, 2 cups of broth, 4 slices of ginger, ¼ teaspoon of red curry paste, zest of lime and 1 whole stalk of cilantro. Next take the 5 kafir lime leaves squeeze them hard into a ball in your hands to activate the oils and add those to the pan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 8-10 mins.

Carefully remove and discard all ginger pieces, the stalk of cilantro and the lime leaves. Spoon corn into a food processor or blender and reserve the majority of any left over broth. Add 1 tsp of seasoned rice wine vinegar and blend. Slowly add back the reserved broth until it's all gone or until you reach your desired consistency, whichever comes first. The subtle sweetness of this soup greatly depends on the sweetness of the corn you use. If your corn is not very sweet you can add 2 teaspoons of honey at the end while blending the soup together.

Garnish with a cilantro leaf.

*NOTE
For this recipe I like to use Rapunzel vegan vegetable bouillon cubes with sea salt. However I have also made it with chicken bouillon cubes as well and it's equally as delicious. If fresh corn is not in season or you are feeling lazy I see no reason why you couldn't substitute with frozen corn.



Nutritional info, per ¾ cup serving
Calories 187
Calories from fat 24.5
Fat 4.4
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 548
Carbohydrates 37.7
Fiber 3.7
Sugar 7.6
Protein 4.75

W.W. Points 3
The Daily Plate

Easy whole-wheat chips

Easy whole-wheat chips
Serves 6

1 package of Garden Of Eatin' whole-wheat tortillas (6 tortillas)
2 teaspoons olive oil
Fine sea salt

Brush each tortilla (both sides) with about 1/3 teaspoon of olive oil. Sprinkle each side with a little salt. Cut into 1/4’s and then 1/4’s again making 16 chips per tortilla. Bake at 350 till gently browned, should be somewhere between 3-5 mins depending on your oven.

You can also make these with cinnamon and sugar, honey and sesame seeds, or whatever else your pretty little heads can think of. If you have a gluten or wheat allergy you can make these with brown rice tortillas instead, Food For Life makes them. Both the whole wheat and brown rice tortillas can be found frozen section at your friendly healthy food store.

I view the olive oil as being fairly negligible since each tortilla has about 1/3 of a teaspoon therefore it's not reflected in the below nutritional information.

Nutritional info per tortilla or 16 chips
Calories 110
Calories from fat 10
Fat 1
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 130
Carbohydrate 22
Fiber 3
Sugar less than 1
Protein 4

W.W. 2
The Daily Plate

Driving miss daisy, ruby and olive

I spent this past holiday weekend in Southport, CT with Laura, one of my oldest best friends from high school. It's really a beautiful time of year there with the leaves changing and the weather being particularly perfect. Wanting to take full advantage of the great outdoors we made a plan to take the dogs for a hike and drop by my mom's house in Greenwich on the way. I needed to drop off the thai cream corn soup I had made for her. (recipe for that coming soon)

My mom has an amazing little garden at her house where she and her husband David grow a little bit of everything; fruit, vegetables and flowers. I was particularly excited about the watermelons and David was gracious enough to cut one loose for me to take home.

Since we were already in my mom's neck of woods, quite literally, we decided to take our walk on a trail near her house. We did what the country folk like to call "leaf peeping". The dogs ran ahead while we followed behind walking all the way to the water and back. With only a couple of mosquito bites in the strangest of places we bid adieu to my mom and David and headed off to Laura's favorite yoga class.

On our way back home from fun and slightly sweaty yoga class we stopped at whole foods to pick up...well, actually I am not to sure what we went there to get but we of course left with something sweet! ENTER... Laloo’s. Laura prefaced the introduction with "I know this is going to sound gross because it’s made with goats milk..." followed by "but really it's the best ice cream ever".

I am no Andrew Zimmern so goat’s milk ice cream does strike me a little bizarre but it's ice cream so how bad could it really be? I mean it's not like it was goat’s testicles, which seams to be his favorite dish, icky!

Having tried it I too can now say it actually really is the best ice cream. I am officially converted. I wish I could be more articulate as to what makes it so delicious. After all, this is a food blog and just spent my entire entry talking about my weekend and giving very little insight as to what makes this ice cream special. It must be the goat’s milk or it would just taste like any other ice cream right? I kind of think it's somehow creamier and it just sort of tastes sweeter but in a subtle way. It has a very pure taste. It's kind of ridiculous so JUST GO TRY IT! And of course add some PB2 into the mix.

The daily plate

You may have have been wondering why I include W.W. points and the links for The Daily Plate. Weight watchers because it’s a popular system and the daily plate because I am fan.

I use The Daily Plate not so much for the purposes of counting calories but more as a gauge for eating a balanced diet. I now believe that it is less about how much you eat but rather what you eat. Don't get me wrong portion control is still a good idea, especially when it comes to naughty foods, but as far as I can see no one has ever gotten fat from eating fruits and vegetables. Right?

I am using this to teach myself what a balanced meal and day looks like because when left to my own judgment I end up eating mostly fats and carbs, of course! I aim for a daily breakdown of 40% carbohydrate 30% protein 30% fat and the nutritional pie chart reconfigures itself each time you add or remove a food from your "plate".

TDP also allows you to see how much fiber, sugar and cholesterol you eat too, which are also important if those are issues for you. Or if you have a food allergy it's a great way to keep a food journal to track what might giving you trouble. It also stores a list of all your favorite foods and meals making it quick and easy add things. Oh, and it's free!

check out...The Daily Plate

PB2

Quite possibly my favorite discovery of the summer!

I have a serious peanut butter obsession and have to really exercise self-control so I don’t end up eating a whole jar in one sitting.

Late one night while trolling the internet in search of a lower fat peanut butter option I stumbled upon PB2. It sounded to good to be true so I placed an order and thought what do I have to lose. Well, it arrived and it didn’t suck, it didn't suck at all, in fact it’s kind of amazing! I am not going to lie it was a little weird at first and did take me a minute to figure out what to do with it.

My daily PB2 applications are as follows; protein shakes, sprinkled on ice cream, mixed with jam on a cracker, on yogurt, etc… As with peanut butter I could probably eat a whole jar of this stuff too.

I highly recommend you give this stuff a try and it is also now available in PB2 Chocolate. Mine is on its way and should be arriving any day now. Fingers crossed that it tastes like a Reeses peanut butter cup.

GET YOUR PB2 HERE

Ingredients: peanuts, sugar, salt

Nutritional info
Serving size 2 tablespoons (12g)
Calories 53.2
Calories from fat 16.8
Fat 1.8
Cholesterol .01
Sodium 77.6
Carbohydrate 3.4
Fiber .48
Sugar 1.6
Protien 5.6

W.W. Points 1
The Daily Plate

Egg white salad

Serves 2

6 large hard boiled eggs, organic cage free with omega 3
2 tablespoons shallots (finely chopped)
3 tablespoons celery (finely chopped)
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1.5 tablespoons spectrum brand light canola mayo
Salt and pepper to your taste

Hard-boiling eggs
Place room temperature eggs in a large pot; fill pot with cold water covering the eggs plus about one more inch of water. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water. Bring the pot of water (with eggs) to a boil. Once water has reached a boil allow eggs to cook for 1 minute more. Then turn off stove, cover with the lid and remove the pot from stove. Let the covered pot sit for about 23 minutes. Next uncover, drain hot water and run cold water over the eggs till cooled. Peel eggs and discard yolks.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mash well with a fork or wooden spoon. I always find this salad tastes even better the next day.


PAIRS WELL WITH...
Kavli 5 grain crispbread
Sandwiched between two slices of yummy whole grain bread
Lettuce cups

*NOTE
If your not so fond of chopped or sliced raw onions then soak the chopped onion in ice water for about 15 minutes this slows down the compounds that give onions their pungency.

Nutritional info, per serving
Calories 96.75
Calories from fat 22.5
Fat 3
Saturated fat 0
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 280
Carbohydrates 2.9
Fiber .65
Sugar .73
Protien 15

W.W. Points 2
The Daily Plate