Dinner at NGI

I think having a kitchen full of chefs-in-training cook a healthy meal for you is a splendid way to end a week. I was invited to come check out one of The Natural Gourmet Institute’s Friday Night Dinners, which is held weekly in their classroom on 21st Street. Well, a classroom transformed into a candlelit dining room.

Friday night dinner menu at The Natural Gourmet Institute

The menu is a three-course vegetarian meal which incorporates fresh, seasonal, and mostly organic produce. When we sat down, we had skewered grapes with chili flakes and a hibiscus drink already ready for us:

Skewered grapes

The communal tables make it a little less romantic and more conducive to meeting people. The couple in front of us told us they learned about NGI’s Friday Night dinner’s through the popular NY healthy foodie guide, Clean Plate Culinary, while the woman sitting next to us was invited by her cousin who was one of chefs preparing our meal. The food for the evening was Caribbean-inspired and after chatting a little, we were served the ‘amuse’: Garbanzo Bites, made with carrots, jalapeno, and rainbow chard which kinda reminded me of a variation of falafel.

Garbanzo bite

We went straight into our first course then: a Wedge Salad (gingered radish, macadamia nut, and papaya vinaigrette) served with Curried Pickles (carrot, radish, cauliflower) and a refreshing chilled Cucumber Soup (avocado, dehydrated radish):

Cucumber soup, pickles, and salad

Cucumber soup

Wedge salad

The main course was Tempeh Pastelon, a layered dish with plantains, spinach, rainbow chard over broccoli rabe and yellow pepper puree. It was served over a mango cilantro salsa, jerk tomatoes and black bean orange sauce:

Tempeh pastelon

Finally, a delicious pineapple cake with homemade ice cream, and cherry coulis:

Pineapple cake

Pineapple cake

I realized how I’ve grown accustomed to some really “bad” (read: fried) foods that some of the flavors were so foreign to me, but it was refreshingly good! Afterwards, even though I was filled to my neck, I didn’t feel sluggish. I felt like I ate well. The chefs came out at the end (greeted with a room full of applause) and answered any questions about the ingredients they chose:

NGI student chefs

It was a lovely evening and something different to do in case you’re bored of the same old. Major points on a very tailored, and healthy menu. To RSVP for a dinner, you can call 212-645-5170 (ext. 0). Seating begins at 6:30pm for the $40 prix fixe meal (tax included), and you can bring your own drinks. Check out the menu for upcoming dinners here: http://www.naturalgourmetinstitute.com/html/friday-night-dinner-c.html.

Have any of you tried or want to go to one of NGI’s Friday Night Dinners? What do you think?

x
Shy

Sana's homemade cheesesteak sandwich

When I asked her to send me the recipe, she graciously agreed. Below is her version of the meal:

“Kinda Vegan Italian Sausage Cheesesteak Sub”
By: Sana Jafri

Sana’s disclaimer: Unless you substitute this with soy cheese, it’s not totally vegan.
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min

Ingredients
1 Sweet Vegan Italian Sausage with Tomato and Basi (from Tofurky)
1 White Vegan Bun (Trader Joe’s brand, I think)
2 Sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms
2 Slices of Red and Yellow Bell Peppers
1/4 Sliced White Onion
A pinch of Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 slice of Trader Joe’s Pepper Jack Cheese

Steps:
1. Sautée onions in olive oil until soft
2. Add sliced veggies (mushrooms and bell peppers) and sautée for a few more minutes
3. Add chopped vegan italian sausage to veggies
4. Add cheese, sautee until melted, gooey yummyness
5. Lightly toast bun
6. Add mixture (veggies+vegan sausage) on bun
7. Send pics to your friends to make them jealous
8. EAT!

Thanks for those last two points. Greatly appreciated.

Schoolhouse Kitchen spreads

When I first learned of SchoolHouse Kitchen’s gourmet condiments, I knew that this was a gift for the adventurous palate. Their spreadable fruit combinations, like the Cherry Blackberry Sage & Clove, are surprisingly delicious. The Festive Foursome set ($25) also includes SHK’s SweetSmoothHot Mustard, Bardshar Chutney, Peach Rosemary Anytime Spreadable Fruit. It is a fun gift to give the hostess of an upcoming holiday party, but you may end up having to buy another one after you “accidentally” open it for yourself. If that happens, here’s an idea for damage control: Make a few homemade dishes using what’s left of your Festive Foursome. SHK lists some awesome recipes for their condiments!

Nescafe's Dolce Gusto Piccolo, aka Mumbles

Well, it’s actually the new bite-sized machine from Nescafe Dolce Gusto, the Piccolo. But it’s so cute and reminds us of the little penguin in Happy Feet, so we named it Mumbles.

A few months ago, I went to the Robert Verdi Luxe Labroatory (read: can I make this my dream NYC apartment?) for the unveiling of the new line of single serve coffee machines from Nescafe, which also included the Melody II, Circolo and Creativa. Design expert Stephen Saint-Onge was on hand once again to give us design tips for the holidays (I’ll list some of them at the end of this post!).

Robert Verdi's Luxe Lab

Design expert, Stephen Saint-Onge

Soon after the event, they actually sent me the little Piccolo to try out myself. This is my second encounter with the machine, as you might know from my earlier post about the Dolce Gusto machines. One of the things I surprisingly love is the flavor. I thought because they are pre-packaged capsules and not straight coffee beans, it would make a dramatic difference in the taste, but not so. That’s because each of the capsules contain 100% Arabic coffee and hormone-free milk. They also come in 12 different flavors. This one in particular I especially appreciate because living in Manhattan, you don’t get a whole lot of space in your apartments. This barely takes up any counter space (I would imagine that’s also why it would make a good gift for dorming college students). I also think it’s fairly budget-friendly — it starts at $89.

Using Mumbles to make my cappuccino

A perfect cappuccino in no time

After using it for about a month, here are some things I love about it:

- It’s low maintenance. Because you use Nescafe’s own capsules, there’s no mess and you just toss out the capsule after you’re done.

- A quick cup of coffee. When you turn it on, you just have to wait a few seconds for it to be ready. I especially appreciate this when I’m running to work. Kinda beats waiting in the long lines outside of Starbucks in the morning.

- Intuitive design. It’s pretty easy to operate. There was one thing I had to pick up on, but I did fairly quickly: To make the cappuccino, you use one milk capsule, and then one coffee capsule. The thing I found after my first attempt was that you have to determine how much milk you’re going to use yourself. For some reason, I thought it shuts off automatically after you get the right amount of milk, but you have to turn it off manually. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, since it really depends on how much you want to drink. But after the first try, I got the hang of it.

- You can make hot or cold drinks. Another cool feature about this is you can switch between making cold or hot drinks. I have their ice tea capsules. AlI have to do is put a little ice in a glass, pop in the capsule, and switch the dial to the left for the cool (blue) setting. I can do the same thing to make cold coffee when the weather’s warm.

And now, some of Stephen Saint-Onge’s holiday party tips:

START WITH A CLEAN SLATE. clean up the surface areas — get rid of old mail, papers, and receipts from the counter space. Clean up the visual of what the guests will see.

SHOP FOR DECOR AT THE GROCERY STORE. Get unconventional items from the grocery store to save you time and money. Bright red cranberries combined with red or white roses bunched together can add an instant festive look. Staggering white candles also add to the decor.

CREATE “MOMENTS.” Instead of decorating a whole room, create a special “moment” in each area to draw in your guests. It can be as easy as a dessert table in the family room. Just dim the lights and let the glow of warm candlelight guide your guests. Some examples:
- Assemble tight arrangements of red or white florals in clear vases with cranberries floating in the water below.
- Fill clear vases or pitchers with sparkling water, drop in some cranberries and top with a few floating candles.
- Create a winter wonderland by using only crystal dishware and glassware.

CREATE A “SEND-OFF” TABLE. Creating a coffee bar can be a great and affordable parting gift for guests. Decorate the table with festive paper cups, wrapped up cookie treats or desserts. This is where the Dolce Gusto machines can be a perfect fit.

Check out www.dolce-gusto.us for a full list of their products or to order a machine for yourself. They are also available nationwide at Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy’s, Sur la Table, Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam’s Club and amazon.com.

Do you own a coffee machine? I’m curious to know which one you have at home.

x
Shy

P.S. JUST in case you’re wondering what’s up with all the Hi-C juice boxes in the very first picture with Mumbles — no, we’re not 12 but my roomie is a die-hard Hi-C advocate. Thus, we have a bottomless supply in our kitchen. She loves telling people it’s the only juice that doesn’t stain your clothes.

I ended up finding a similar Chicken with Mushroom-Dijon Gravy recipe from Rachael Ray, so I knew I was in good hands. It was pretty easy to make too. So here are some things they don’t spell out, but I looked up enough chicken recipes to figure a few things out on my own: First, lay out the raw chicken breasts on a long piece of plastic seran wrap, that’s long enough so you can fold over the end of it and cover the top of the chicken completely as well. Then pound the chicken and stretch it out a little (I used a rolling pin to do this). I then took a tray, mixed pepper, salt and fresh thyme, and covered the chicken with it. Then, I put a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a sauce pan and waited until it was warm to begin cooking the chicken.

Cooking the chicken breast

It takes about six minutes on each side. While it was cooking, I also cooked a wild rice mix, and boiled asparagus in water which were both going to be the sides. I also chopped up the mushrooms and shallots which were going to be part of the gravy.

Wild rice

Cooking the veggies before adding the gravy

I wanted to use a wine substitute for the gravy (and this is where I thank you guys for the suggestions on substitutes for white wine on BATF’s Facebook page…that was super helpful!). I ended up using white grape juice. The recipe also calls for chicken stock, which if you have diet restrictions, they also make a “no chicken” stock, which is basically chicken-flavored broth made of veggies. I used Imagine’s Organic No-Chicken broth, which is a little less than $4 at the health supermarket. I was a little nervous about all the substitutes especially since it was the first time I was making it, but in the end, the dish tasted exactly how I’d hope it would, and very much like my beloved chicken dijon dish at Cheddar’s.

Chicken with mushroom-dijon gravy

Chicken with mushroom-dijon gravy

Here’s the full recipe:
CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOM-DIJON GRAVY
A Rachael Ray recipe
4 servings

WHAT TO GET:
1 1/2 cups white and wild rice blend
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced (or use pre-packaged sliced mushrooms to save yourself some time)
3 shallots, sliced
6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine (or grape juice as a substitute)
1 cup chicken stock (or use no-chicken broth if you have diet restrictions)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional, but I used it in mine)

WHAT TO DO:

(1) Cook rice according to package directions and bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat for the asparagus.

(2) While the rice is cooking, heat EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken breasts until brown on each side and cooked through.

(3) Once the water is boiling, add some salt and the asparagus, and cook until tender. Drain and reserve.

(4) When the chicken is finished, remove it from the pan and reserve. Add the butter to the hot pan and melt. Add the mushrooms to the pan and brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the shallots and thyme, and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes. When all the vegetables are tender, sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and shallots, cook about 1 minute then stir in the white wine, chicken stock, Dijon mustard and heavy cream. Cook about 2 minutes, until thickened.

(5) Serve chicken topped with the Dijon gravy and the rice and asparagus alongside.

By the way, there’s a video of Rachael Ray cooking the dish with Mandy Moore, in case you’re interested in a video tutorial . Anyone going to try cooking this too??

x
Shy

Goat cheese crostinis with grape salsa

Recently, two of my lovely friends got engaged, so my roomie and I decided we wanted to treat them to a nice home-cooked meal. Naturally, I got really excited when we began planning the menu! I initially thought we could just make a simple tomato/basil bruschetta for the appetizer, but my mind raced back to these mini goat cheese crostinis I ate at the last Bobby Flay event I went to. I remember mistaking the grapes for chopped red onions and being totally surprised after my first bite (in a good way). Flay is all about texture in his recipes, and he really only uses ingredients you can taste. He always says, if it’s in the recipe, it’s there for a reason. This particular recipe is interesting because it plays on spicy ingredients (like chopped jalapenos and onions) that’s balanced out with the cooling taste of juicy grapes, and of course, all topped on a dense but flavorful herbed goat cheese.

Since it was a Hellmann’s event, I was able to easily find the recipe on their website:

GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI WITH GRAPE SALSA
A Bobby Flay Recipe

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 20 Minute(s)
Stand Time: 30 Minute(s)
Cook Time: 8 Minute(s)

WHAT TO GET:
1 cup red grapes, diced
1 cup blue and/or black grapes, diced
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, plus leaves for garnish
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
4 slices whole grain bread, quartered, OR 1 baguette, thinly sliced into 16 pieces
6 ounces herbed goat cheese, slightly softened
1/3 cup mayo

WHAT TO DO:

1. Combine grapes, onion, jalapeno pepper, cilantro and vinegar in medium bowl. Season, if desired, with salt and pepper. Let stand at least 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 375°. Arrange bread on large baking sheet in a single layer and bake, turning once, 8 minutes or until lightly golden brown and crisp on both sides. Remove and let cool.

3. Combine goat cheese with mayo in small bowl until smooth. Season, if desired, with salt and pepper. Evenly spread cheese mixture onto crostinis, then top with grape salsa.

Because we were cooking so many things at once, I wasn’t able to take pictures of the whole process, but it was pretty easy to make (the chopping takes the most time). I also appreciate that it’s not only delicious, but visually appealing as well — it kind of creates its own presentation in a way.

Speaking of presentation, we wanted to transform our living room to feel like they were eating in an intimate little cafe, so we put a sign out the door, had a playlist going, and printed out menus…but we weren’t exactly sure where to entertain them since our small NYC apartment doesn’t actually have a dining table. We ended up putting a table cloth on a coffee table and literally made it a sit-down dinner. It ended up looking so cute with the dim lighting and candles, if I do say so myself :

What to do when you live in an NYC apartment...

Another view

My cousin, who graciously lent me the festive lighting, called it a little ‘love-lit cocoon’ when she saw the pic. I thought that was kinda cute and a funny way to describe our makeshift dining area. Just an idea how to improvise when you have limited space! The main dish was chicken with mushroom-dijon gravy, which I’ll be posting later, so keep an eye out

x
Shy