Rue Issue 3!

Rue's third issue is alive and very, very well...and absolutely stunning!  Take a look through the full issue here and a get a peek at my recipes for winter comfort with white bean & kale bruschetta and a very fitting cassoulet, tres French! (pg. 72-73)

images via: Rue Magazine

Bon Weekend! Paris Getaway...

Bonjour!  I'm headed for a mid-winter break to Paris but will surely be snapping photos of gorgeous food and drink to return with.   I'll be back next week with a bit of Francophile culinary inspiration.
Have a warm & lovely weekend!

photos via: pinterest, simplyseductive, lovely-little-things

Soulful Chicken Soup

Check out my blog post today over at Rue - all about gorgeous chicken soups - quite fitting as we're currently experiencing some of the most bone-chilling temps yet this winter.  My solution: a pot full of homemade chicken soup.  Ok, almost homemade.  When it’s too darn cold to even leave your home, you just have to deal with what’s in the fridge – which for moi, happened to be the remains of a rotisserie chicken and a gorgeous, emerald green bunch of kale.  And in under 45 minutes flat, I’d whipped up a steaming pot of a very soulful soup.  Not bad timing when you just want to pop back underneath a cozy wool throw on the couch.  Here the speedy recipe for Rue that’ll have you coming back for seconds.

Chicken & Kale Soup with Parmesan

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 carrots, diced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 quart low-sodium or homemade chicken broth

1 cup water

1 small pre-roasted rotisserie chicken, meat torn off  into pieces

1 bunch kale, roughly chopped

3 baby yukon potatoes, quartered

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 pinches red chili flakes

1 piece of parmesan or pecorino romano cheese rind *for extra flavor

1 egg, whisked

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese

In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil and saute garlic, onions and carrots over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes.  Add in chicken broth and water, along with pieces of chicken, kale, potatoes, salt, pepper, chili flakes and parmesan rind.  *For a richer flavor, add the carcass of the chicken to the stockpot as well and remove prior to serving.  Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat to a simmer.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, add in whisked egg and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more.  Remove parmesan rind and carcass if using.  Serve with grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.

Black & White

Tonight's Golden Globes ceremony not only had me drooling over a few stand-out gowns on the red carpet (Anne Hathaway's and Julianne Moore's in particular) and dying laughing at Ricky Gervais's British humor, but thanks to one of the year's most intriguing films, Black Swan, it also reminded me of the quiet beauty, dynamic simplicity and stark contrast of black and white--in the kitchen, on your plate and beyond.  Here's a bit of Hollywood inspiration and fresh, beautiful ingredients to start off your week with!

 gorgeous drawings of Natalie Portman's costumes by Rodarte

 translating black and white to the kitchen and table...

 simple, but certainly not innocent

 posed, poised and very pretty

 eerily dark, sweet and succulent

quiet, bright and beautiful...above, and below

images: 1, 2, 3 & 9 - Vanity Fair; 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 - Anna Williams 

Oatmeal in Season

Yup, it's definitely oatmeal weather these days.  It's freezing here in NYC, and even if you live elsewhere, oatmeal can offer up a warming, filling breakfast option.  But with it, there always seems to come a side order of questions...are these carbs ok to eat for breakfast or am I going to blow up, particularly after coming off a holiday season bender?  why am I ready to eat my fist an hour after having a packet of instant oatmeal?  is the flavored, low-sugar stuff ok?  is it absolute diet-blasphemy to have a bit of brown sugar, milk, raisins, nuts etc?


Let's clarify things the quick and not-so-dirty style: 
1. Yes, oats are excellent sources of complex carbohydrates, they're high in fiber and they suck out cholesterol from the body.  BUT consider the type of oats you're eating.  Instant oatmeal, while convenient, likely isn't doing a stand-out job of satisfying you for much for much of the morning.  The more dense the oat/grain, the more sated you are.  So on a scale of most-filling to least-filling you've got steel cut oats at the top (you know, that Irish oatmeal that takes a million years to cook but is fantastic); old-fashioned rolled oats with a mere 5-7 minute cooking time; and the instant stuff, which is perfectly fine for an emergency or a quick breakfast, but likely isn't as filling.  Try making any version of oatmeal with all or part skim, low-fat, soy or almond milk and it'll stick with you that much longer.  
2. You can ditch the flavored, low-sugar stuff - too man-handled and processed = not as satisfying.  Stick with the basic, plain oats and flavor it yourself.  A teaspoon of brown sugar or maple syrup is a mere 16-20 calories, not too terrible and there are zero artificial sweeteners involved.  Cinnamon's a total of zero calories, so go for it.  
3. Back to question 2, it's not blasphemy to add a sprinkling of condiments here and there and will surely make breakfast more interesting and allow you to get to lunch without starving yourself.
What's my morning oatmeal routine?  
I generally make 2 to 4 servings of old-fashioned rolled oats at one time to hold me throughout the week, reheat it and poof, breakfast is done.  A 1/2 cup of dry old-fashioned and 1/4 cup of the steel cut is a serving.   And if you refuse to sacrifice a moment of sleep in order to make breakfast, don't worry - I refuse also.  I set my oats with half water and half milk on medium heat and hit the shower.  Done and done in about 7 minutes or so.  My flavoring agents of choice at the moment include a mix of: golden raisins, chopped pecans, a drizzle of maple syrup and a dab of butter and a pinch of salt - yes, real butter, it's only a smidge, and salt (the way my mom used to make it!).   Toss in a few slices of banana or throw in diced apple while you're cooking and you've got a killer, energy-packed morning meal.  My extremely discerning brother more than deemed this concoction breakfast-worthy, so hopefully that gives it some additional backing.


Happy breakfasting and happy weekend!


Image: Simplybreakfast

New Service - 'NOURISH at Home' is Cooking!

We're breaking a fresh loaf of bread here at Nourish!  As of this week, we're offering a new in-home meal service, NOURISH at Home.  Healthy, deliciously flavorful food using the best seasonal ingredients from local purveyors.  We shop, prep and cook in your own kitchen.  You eat while saving time, losing weight, improving your health and energy...enjoying every bite.
Contact us for more information and kickstart 2011 -- fresh food, your kitchen!

Blogging over at Rue!

Happy Monday!  I'm thrilled to be kicking the week off with a new bi-monthly blog post over at Rue.com's blog.  All things food, fashion, style & design...head over and check out the talented crew I'm surrounded by.  Today's post is all about gorgeous kitchen's...and getting back into them to actually cook in the new year!

Wring Out the New Year: Food Lover's Cleanse is Live!

If you happened to indulge a wee bit too much over the past few days (or the entire month of December), get ready to do some serious "New Year's detoxing" damage control - with delicious food for a fresh start to 2011!  The Food Lover's Cleanse is officially live on BonAppetit.com and you can follow along as writer Sara Dickerman takes the challenge for the next 2 weeks and loses her beloved AM coffee, weans back on bread, pasta and dairy, ditches alcohol and sweets (sans 2-4 drinks and 2 real-deal but small-portioned desserts) per week.  Don't worry, I didn't suck ALL the fun out of eating when working out BA's plan.  What will you be boosting UP on? 

• water (start guzzling for a sure-fired way to kick-start digestion and release toxins)
• citrus fruit (so refreshing and naturally sweet and it bucks any holiday-bloat you're experiencing)
• detoxifying fruits & veggies like beets, celery root, dark leafy greens and more
• super-satisfying and energizing comfort-carbs like bulgur, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, butternut squash to name a few
• anti-inflammatory healthy omega-3 fats like avocado, olive oil, wild salmon and grass-fed, grass-finished beef (YES beef!)
• dark chocolate -- you love me even more now right?!

With all this and by dropping back your portion sizes a tad, you'll wring out any excess holiday poundage and keep charging ahead into the new year.

And to back up everything we're talking about, check out Mark Bittman's insightful article in Sunday's New York Times - sustainable eating, real food.  Skip the crazy diets and get back into the kitchen, please!  Basic, simple and realistic advice and strategies...that really work.

A few of the recipes in BA's Food Lover's Cleanse just to wet your appetite... 

ultimate winter couscous

vanilla-date smoothie

warm & nutty cinnamon quinoa

photos: BonAppetit.com