Happy New Year! 2024 was a busy year as new challenges and adjustments were at the forefront. I’ve been active on Yelp writing restaurant reviews and hitting up hard to get into restaurants. I’m still struggling with Meta, which consists of Facebook and Instagram. This time it’s spammers who wanted to steal my content. I know it’s a very competitive market out there. So, if anyone out there can provide input to help improve this account, that would be great.
Since this is the middle of the week, I began the game plan last night on New Years Eve 2024 with my traditional lucky foods menu. Thanks to Whole Foods and Lidl, I was able to achieve that. To start, I had my traditional 12 fruits, which I was able to obtain:
Oranges, blueberries, avocado, apple, pear, strawberries, grapes, raspberries, Kiwi, mango, lemon, and lime. That turned out I had 13, well, to be fair. I had 12 pairs of fruits and 1 banana.
For my meals, I search recipes online to find inspiration with the ingredients I had to work with. So I made the following:
Cornbread with bacon and swiss cheese,
Biko – glutinous sweet sticky rice with brown sugar, coconut milk and vanilla
Sauteed collard greens in bacon fat
Honey Chili Crunch Salmon
Boiled Soba Noodles
Madras lentils
Today, the celebration continues with consuming leftovers and cooking the remaining soba noodles with mushroom and kale.
Check out my posts on Instagram at @tablespoonsandteaspoons. Stay tuned for an exciting 2025.
Wow, is it already past two months since my post?! We are officially 36 days away from the end of 2024. My mom has been introducing me to the world of chayote because she and her neighbors has been growing their own crop within the last two years. My mom makes great braised sauteed versions of chayote, which I have yet to master because handling this type of vegetable with bare hands especially peeling the skin is equivalent to handling a prickly pear and cactus. I give my mom a lot of credit for getting rid of the peel from the chayote she used. I’ve been roasting chayote because it was the best way to introduce the vegetable to the my other half who is not person of color (although he has Native American blood in him through his grandfather who was part Cherokee). So what is chayote?
Chayote (Sechium edule) is a type of squash that originated in the Aztec period and it spread throughout Central America, Europe and Asia thanks to colonialism. This squash is part of the Cucurbitaceae plant family, which includes pumpkins, melons and cucumbers. Consumption of this crop has numerous health benefits. Chayote contains fiber which helps with blood sugar issues especially for people who have diabetes. The crop also contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory biomarkers that play a role in metabolic syndrome. The contents of this crop is still being investigated further.
Personally, I’ve been roasting chayote squash with parmesan in the oven by slicing the crop into thin slices and mixing the slices with olive oil, salt, pepper and bake for about 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. After 30 minute add the parmesan cheese and cook for another 10 minutes.
Recently, I roasted chayote with red onion at 400 degrees except I waited 10 minutes after the oven was at 400 degrees to place the chayote and red onion mixed with olive oil, salt and pepper in the oven.
Roasted Chayote tasted very good and healthy. I’d like to explore different cooking methods of chayote and even try chayote dishes at various restaurants.
Wow! It’s been awhile since my last post, which was my game plan for French Restaurant Week in June. There are officially 99 days left in 2024! I’ve been cooking a lot and replicating recipes using techniques rather than ingredients because I had to work with what I had. Over the summer, two months ago, I came home early enough to utilize the ingredients that are in the refrigerator before they went bad. After surveying the content at that time, I had leftover vegan cream cheese, spinach and unopened mushrooms that needed to be cooked or it would have been a waste. Therefore, after my child went to bed, I did a basic search on dishes containing cream cheese, mushrooms and spinach. The first thing that popped up on my search engine was the recipe from RiceSelect. After reviewing this recipe, I discovered I had all the ingredients: cooked rice, walnuts, butter, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. I gathered up what I had and here is what I had to work with:
See these ingredients I realized that I have a healthy comforting vegetarian dish in the works.
Butter from grass fed cows have good sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, chromium, copper, iodine, manganese, and zinc. For this recipe I used Vital Farms Unsalted Butter, has been labeled as on the best butters according to taste tests from Serious Eats and and Healthline. Personally I like using grass fed unsalted butter because it makes dishes taste a little richer while consuming the fat soluble vitamins essential for bone health. For this dish, I melted less than 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
Then after the butter is melted, I added the mushrooms and let it cook for approximately 4 minutes.
One cup of mushrooms contain multiple cancer fighting antioxidants such as “polyphenols, polysaccharides, ergothioneine, glutathione, selenium, and vitamin C”, These antioxidants fight off oxidative stress, and prevent tumors. The presence of polysaccharides in mushrooms help regular blood sugar and insulin production. Mushrooms also contain a specific type of polysaccharide called beta-glucans. Beta-glucans has been shown to activate macrophages and natural killer cells to stimulate the immune system, which will inhibit further tumor growth, reduce proliferation and metastasis. In addition to the prevention of tumor production, beta-glucans in its soluble form is capable of forming a “gel on the mucosal surface of the bowel”, which will reduce cholesterol levels. The presence of glutathione and ergothioneine in white mushrooms display their respective roles in getting rid of potentially harmful substances and keeping the DNA safe from oxidative damage. Ergothioneine acts as a bioactive agent to prevent plaque development, which reduces the risk of early cardiovascular disease. The presence of Vitamin C and selenium also adds another layer of anticancer properties by respectively blocking specific enzymes responsible for spreading cancer and prevent cancer development. Finally, white button mushrooms have prebiotics, which is beneficial for intestinal health and gut health.
After the mushrooms are cooked, add the vegan cream cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and reduce the heat temperature to medium-low.
Vegan Cream Cheese
Add cooked brown rice (leftover brown rice – a day old), stir to blend and heat with the mushroom cream cheese mixture (3-4 minutes).
Brown rice has been advertised and promoted as a healthy carbohydrate ingredient because it is considered a whole grain. Four years ago, a three prospective cohort study covering self-reporting, follow-up questionnaire with supplemental questionnaires covering a period of 33 years (1984-2017) was published. The results from this cohort study showed that higher consumption of whole grains, which includes brown rice was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes among the “158,259 women and 36,525 men who did not have type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at baseline”. However, in 2023, there was an article that was published revealing that there is more arsenic found in brown rice versus white rice. The article addressed that arsenic is considered an environmental pollutant that has contributed to higher risk of arsenic-induced metabolic syndrome whose symptoms include “a large waistline, high blood pressure, elevated fasting blood sugar, high triglyceride level, and low HDL cholesterol”. These symptoms often lead to cardiovascular disease in the long term. Ultimately, based on these two studies, more studies and research need to be completed to validate the health benefits of brown rice. In the meantime, we should limit food and products containing arsenic due to more consistent findings.
Add spinach to the rice mixture and stir until wilted.
Spinach is one of my favorite vegetable because of its versatility but more importantly this vegetable contains a large amount of health benefits. I have shared recipes in past blog posts containing spinach:
Recent research reveals another another component that is found in spinach called Betaine. Betaine has been known to help regulate homocysteine levels in the blood, which may contribute towards disease prevention such as heart disease, and stroke, Betaine has also been shown to with endurance, reduce fatigue and improve muscle power and strength.
After the spinach is wilted, remove pan from heat and add walnuts. Walnuts usually adds another layer of flavor and texture. They are great for garnishes. I personally like to include them when baking banana bread or incorporating them in a salad. There have been recent research showing that walnuts are beneficial for improving cognition and reducing the risk and/or progression of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. In additions the properties found in walnuts may provide protection against neuroinflammation.
Happy National Rice Month! I hope to continue to blog more successful dishes before the year ends!!
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Starting tomorrow, it’s Bastille week. Bastille Day is a national holiday in France that is celebrated on July 14th. The holiday commemorates the start of the French Revolution in 1789. Traditions that usually take place on this holiday start off with a military parade followed by food and wine with fireworks ending the night.
Usually pastries, wine, and champagne are consumed on this special occasion. In New York City, Bastille week is celebrated with French Restaurant week. This year French Restaurant week will take place starting from July 1st thru July 14th. There are 12 restaurants participating. Not all the restaurant have published their menu for the French Restaurant week yet. It is $46 for lunch and $60 dinner for a three-course prix fixe.
Out of the 9 menus I reviewed to date, I developed a wish list of restaurants I would go to for dinner, but priorities have changed, therefore, it is highly likely that I won’t end up going.
Le Tout Va Bien
Gaby Brasserie Francaise
Supper Club
I’ve had the privilege to dine and participate in French Restaurant Week in the past. I’ve dined in:
2022
La Sirene Soho: all these dishes below except possibly dessert will be served during this year’s restaurant week
Six weeks later, Chinese New Year – Year of the Dragon.
I made more lucky foods.
1) Dumplings
2) Soy sauce chicken
3) Roast pig
4) Vegetarian pancit
5) Lumpia
6) Baked Maple Syrup salmon
7) Nian Gao
8) Shrimp Rice Noodles
Now it’s Songkran, which is celebrated in Buddhism throughout most of Southeast Asia. Unlike the 15-day festival celebrated in the Lunar New Year. This New Year is celebrated for three days. It is a religious festival where water is poured to wash away the old year. The day begins in the temple where monks are offered food in exchange for a blessing and words of wisdom. Then water is poured on top of the Buddha statue to purify and cleanse sins and bad luck.
I was doing some research on the foods to consume during Songkran. So far, I have found some dishes that is worth having during the water festival.
Prawn Pad Thai – Zabb ZabbSatays – Zabb ZabbChicken SatayShrimp roll and fried tofu – AyadaSom Tum- AyadaShrimp Pad Thai – Ayada
I am hoping that we get to dress up for Thai New Year. I can’t wait to share more stories and post on Instagram @tablespoonsandteaspoons.
As we are approaching the last 31 days of 2023, there is a lot to be thankful for. I am grateful for the support of my family as I not only balance out parenthood, work travels and cooking family meals that are toddler approved. I am grateful for the short term partnership opportunities and approvals through likes, post shares and story posts from restaurants to food brands to chefs and supermarkets.
Over the summer, I have the privilege to attend the Gavi World Tour 2023 in the Midtown Loft and Terrace. Thank you Irene Ferri and the Wellcom team for having me attending this amazing and informative session of Gavi.
Prior to the session, I enjoyed the variety of pastries and cappuccino from Il Gattopardo.
The 90 minute session was packed with a lot of information about the Consorzio Tutela del Gavi, which was founded 30 years ago. The goal is to promote, enhance and protect the Gavi DOCG, which houses 1,600 hectares of vineyards in south-east Piedmont, Italy. All of the Gavi white wines are produced from a native Piedmontese white grape called Cortese. These grapes are planted, grown and harvested in either red clay soil, white soil or a mixture of both. The session began with an elaborate presentation by Lars Leicht, the Vice-President of Education for the SOMM Journal/The Tasting Panel Magazine.
From what I gathered from the elaborate presentation and display of Gavi white wines. Gavi white wines have a pale straw yellow color. The wine quality is determined by the type of harvest. For wines made in 2020 and 2021, the harvest was normal and the wines made this year came from the grapes that were harvested early.
This world tour had about 44 Gavi wines to sample.
The wine tasting table was set up to taste a flight of six wines at a time. I only made it to four flights within the 60 minute time limit.
The first flight I picked were wines that were not yet imported and these wines came from the grapes that were harvested in the white soil terroir. The grapes that are nurtured in white soil terroir have been shown to provide a great balance between structure and flavor.
From this list of wines on this first flight, my favorite was the (#15) Barabba Gavi DOCG Del Comune di Gavi, 2022 from the Ghio Roberto Winery. This wine has a fruity texture and according to the winery’s website, it pairs well with appetizers, cheeses, white meats, fish and vegetables. There are two wines in this flight that I can use to cook and consume with the cooked meal. The first wine I could cook with is the (#8) Ronco del Mandorlo Gavi DOCG Del Comune Di Gavi, 2022 from the Cascina Delle Monache Winery. When I sipped this wine, the texture was full-bodied and I learned that these grapes were harvest from the oldest vineyard whose plants are over 45 years old. The second wine I would cook with is the (#34) Tuffo Gavi DOCG Del Comune Di Gavi, 2022 from the Morgassi Superiore Winery. When I sipped this wine, it tasted initially light and tart with a bitter aftertaste. From what I read on the winery’s website, this wine has an aging potential of 20 years.
For my second flight I went with the Gavi wines, whose grapes were harvested from mixed soil, and red soil that were not yet imported. The last two wines were from the Soilair selection and the grapes from both wines were harvested from mixed soil terroir. The transitional taste of the previous six wines that were produced from the white soil terroir to mixed soil terroir was obvious. Wines produced from grapes grown on mixed soil terroir adds another layer of flavor. The first wine I tasted was the (#7) Canti Gavi DOCG ’22 from the Canti Winery. This wine was light, refreshing and the additional layer of flavor worked pretty well. From the Soilair selection, I preferred the (#35) Gavi DOCG ’22 from the Ottosoldi Winery over the (#36) Rovereto Gavi DOCG Del Comune Di Gavi ’22 from the Picollo Ernesto Di Picollo Gianlorenzo Winery. The Rovereto Gavi could be used as a cooking wine because I could taste the alcohol in this wine and personally I’d probably would appreciate the flavors once the alcohol is burned off. The last three wines in this flight were produced from the red soil terroir. My favorite of the three wines from the red soil terroir was the (#44) Girossa Gavi DOCG ’22 from the Alvio Pestarino Winery. This wine was heavily bodied yet versatile, which would taste great both cooking and drinking. For the remaining two wines in this flight, I preferred the (#21) Selection Gavi DOCG ’22 from the La Cedraia Winery. over the (#14) Costa Donnio Gavi DOCG ’22 from the Fratelli Parisio Winery. In addition, the Costa Donnio Gavi was the first wine tasted from the red soil terroir after tasting the three wines from the mixed soil terroir so it was definitely a different taste note from grapes from a different soil terroir.
For my third flight of wines, I went with the Gavi wines that are currently distributed in New York. My two favorite wines in this flight were the (#31) Masera Gavi DOCG ’22 from the Massone Stefano Winery and the (#6) La Meirana Gavi DOCG Del Comune Di Gavi ’22 from the Broglia Winery. For my final flight of wines, I sampled wines that were favorites from other people sitting in the same table. I didn’t take a picture of last six wines I’ve tasted but I can state that my two favorites were the (#28) Terrarossa Gavi DOCG Del Comune Di Tassarolo ’22 from the La Zerba Winery. This wine had a smooth buttery finish. I also enjoyed the La Battistina Gavi DOCG ’22 from the Araldica Castelvero Winery. This wine was the last tasting and it was had a neutral finish. After the wine tasting session, there was another reception of food to absorb all 28 of the different Gavi consumed.
I’ve learned so much about Gavi wines and appreciate the process of wine production from the very beginning. When I got home from the session, I looked into the potential health benefits of consuming this wine. Since Gavi is a type of white wine, I’ve searched evidence based research articles on whether white wine is healthy. There are so many articles and press about the health benefits with moderate consumption of red wine, but not so much on white. There was an article published 19 years ago from a group in Germany who showed that over a 3 month period, 40 overweight and obese patients who consumed moderate amounts of white wine lost weight ranging from 3.75 kg to 4.73 kg (Flechter-Mors, Biesalski, Jenkinson et al, 2004) in a clinical trial study. Another study in 2018 on mice showed that the incorporation of polyphenols from white wine in their diet may help reduce chronic inflammation in Alzheimer’s Disease (Mendes, Olivera, Moreira et al 2018). However, excessive consumption of white wine my increase the risk of acne (Li, Cho, Drucker et al 2017), melanoma (Rivera, Nan, Qureshi et al, 2016) and weight gain.
I’ve been exploring restaurants in NYC that focuses on Piedmontese cuisine, which was mentioned by the Lars Leicht in his presentation. One restaurant I’ve eaten in recently was San Carlo Osteria Piemonte. This restaurant is located in Soho/Nolita and it was definitely pricey. This restaurant was also listed in this year’s Michelin’s guide. The restaurant was only offering one type of Gavi wine by the glass, which was the Rovereto from Picollo. I’ve sampled this wine at the Gavi World Tour and I’ve ranked it in the middle of the pack. However, when I had it together with the classic Piedmontese dish of vitello tonnato, the wine complemented this dish so well. Every sip of this wine together with a bite of the cold veal was the well balance of flavors partying in my mouth. This is a wine and food pairing worth trying, hands down.
VITELLO TONNATO CLASSICO paired with a glass of Gavi (Picollo, Gavi Rovereto).
On my birthday two months ago, I was treated to dinner at Sandro’s Italian in Manhasset. This local restaurant also offers one type of Gavi wine by the glass, which is the Principessa. This wine was pretty good and refreshing. It hit the spot and the notes from this wine cuts through but also gets absorbed by the richness of the homemade bucatini carbonara. This pasta dish was deceivingly huge and I took the leftovers home.
Finally, after eating at two different restaurants that sell Gavi wine, I’ve searched numerous liquor stores in my neighborhood only to discover that majority of them do not sell Gavi wine. I’ve explored the liquor stores in downtown Manhattan and I finally found a place that sells Gavi wine. After months of searching I ended up purchasing a bottle of one of the wines that I enjoyed at the World Tour – the Masera Gavi ’22 and I made spaghetti carbonara with a fish cake. This carbonara didn’t look so hot, but I’ve made a better version of this dish during the pandemic using regular dried pasta.
My Gavi adventure has just begun. I’m looking forward to exploring the world of Gavi wine in both cooking and dining. Hopefully, there will be another World Tour of Gavi next year and I’ll get the opportunity to participate in it.
References: Flechtner-Mors M, Biesalski HK, Jenkinson CP, Adler G, Ditschuneit HH. Effects of moderate consumption of white wine on weight loss in overweight and obese subjects. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Nov;28(11):1420-6. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0802786. PMID: 15356671.
Mendes D, Oliveira MM, Moreira PI, Coutinho J, Nunes FM, Pereira DM, Valentão P, Andrade PB, Videira RA. Beneficial effects of white wine polyphenols-enriched diet on Alzheimer’s disease-like pathology. J Nutr Biochem. 2018 May;55:165-177. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2018.02.001. Epub 2018 Feb 10. PMID: 29525608.
Li S, Cho E, Drucker AM, Qureshi AA, Li WQ. Alcohol intake and risk of rosacea in US women. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Jun;76(6):1061-1067.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2017.02.040. Epub 2017 Apr 20. PMID: 28434611; PMCID: PMC5438297.
Rivera A, Nan H, Li T, Qureshi A, Cho E. Alcohol Intake and Risk of Incident Melanoma: A Pooled Analysis of Three Prospective Studies in the United States. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2016 Dec;25(12):1550-1558. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-16-0303. PMID: 27909090; PMCID: PMC5137801.
It’s been a while since my Throwback Thursday post. I actually can’t remember when I last posted. I guess parenthood plays a huge part. Anyways, over the recent holiday weekend, I went to the US Open. Thank you, American Express and Mount Sinai, for the awesome experience. Thank you to the chefs and restaurants participating in an awesome Flavors of the Open. It was great seeing familiar faces and new ones as well. The weather was hot and beautiful. The food at Flavors of the Open was great, not so much at the US Open itself, maybe because the chefs are not present to do quality control. Here is a video highlighting this year’s experience.
2023 US Open
This video is a little over 5 minutes, and it highlights my views watching several players compete, including US Open Women’s champ Coco Gauff and the comeback of Caroline Wozniacki.
I have sampled the food at the actually US Open, particularly the Heineken bar and Mojitos. I was drinking Aperol Spritz. The burger with the fries and the yucca fries were my top dishes for this year. I also had the tuna ceviche, and it was a lot of avocado and less of the tuna. The steak quesadilla was good, too.
There were lots of fun activities such as pictures, virtual reality games, and 5 minute massages.
I’m hoping that next year or when the child turns 5, we can go to the US Open Fan week.
It’s the last official week of summer and three weeks since the last post. Well, I’m close to being caught up with my previous posts from six weeks ago and finally cooked most of the meals planned.
Roasted the rest of my string beans and cauliflower in the oven Ground beef enchilada Ramen with mushroom and spinachRavioli Avocado toast and truffle Mac and cheeseChicken sausages and eggs with leftover gnocchiGnocchi with tomato basil sauce
I finally this week off to bond with my child when I still can, so at least I have more memories to treasure because nothing lasts forever. Kids grow up sp fast, and in the blink of an eye, they are off to school, making friends, and I’m no longer needed.
While the child is sleeping or napping, I’ll be prepping or cooking to clean out the fridge.
– Spaghetti carbonara
– Sinigang with shrimp
– Crockpot lemon butter chicken thighs
– Braised Chicken in wine sauce
– Plum Oat Crisp
– Banana Pancakes
– Oat banana Muffins
– Bittermelon and eggs and tomatoes
– Scallion pancakes
I’ll be sharing and posting the ingredients along with methods for the dishes that were made on Instagram. Stay tuned.
Well, it has been two weeks since my last post, and we are entering the third week of restaurant week. Guess what happened?! I sprained my wrist and hand, and I’m still recovering while making my baked hake two weeks ago.
Baked Hake and fish was still overcooked
Ultimately, as long as I’m OK, I’ll still continue posting content. As a result of not really utilizing my left hand, I couldn’t do things in a timely manner. Therefore, I had to change my game plan from two weeks ago.
I have resorted to air frying string beans and cauliflower instead of steaming the beans and roasting cauliflower.
I also only did two restaurant week meals. The first was at David Burke Tavern for early dinner.
Caesar SaladHanger steak with hipster friesKey lime pieConundrum white wine
Second, more recently, I went to La Marchande for restaurant week lunch.
Ginger mocktailFrench Onion DumplingsChopped Nicoise Salad – lasted two days
There’s more to write, but my wrist is now bothering me again, plus this electronic device is dying. So, please stay tuned for more updates.
This weekend was productive and exhausting. We did a lot of food shopping since Friday, but it was mostly snacks and I defrosted lots of stuff from the freezer which took at least two days to defrost. So here’s this week’s plan:
Baked Hake Scrambled Eggs with Andouille Chicken Sausage Scrambled Eggs with Spinach Steamed Green Beans
Roasted Cauliflower Ravioli with a red pasta sauce Ramen with Spinach Avocado Toast (if the avocado ripen this week)
Ground beef enchilada for Saturday
Eight-nine dishes should be enough considering that I’ll be doing NYC Restaurant Week Lunch or Dinner tomorrow and maybe Thursday or Friday. The website for restaurant week was revamped resulting in less multitasking. I am hoping that two posts will cover it (one for Manhattan and the other for the remaining four boroughs). These restaurant week posts here are my wish list for each borough/neighborhood because I’ve been very busy juggling motherhood and my paid job, which financially funds this project for the last seven years. As of today (07/23/23), there are 548 restaurants participating and I’m reviewing so far 383 menus that have already been posted. Hopefully by the end of the week, I’ll post my restaurant week game plan wish list.
Tablespoons and Teaspoons 