Sarah's Gastronomic Adventures: It's GREEK to Me!

One of my favorite things about food is that with one bite, it can magically transport you to any time or place or memory in your life. Fresh buffalo mozzarella, basil, vine-ripened tomatoes, and a drizzle of hand pressed olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar always brings me back to The Jazz Club (a hidden, little restaurant that I was fond of) in Venice, Italy.

Greek food always reminds me of when I lived in Cluj Napoca, Romania. Yes, kind of a weird jump....who thinks Greek when you're in Eastern Europe?  The Akropolis was the most amazing Greek restaurant and a nice change from all of the pizza and pasta offered everywhere. The atmosphere was fun, the service was good, and the food was always delicious.  I have some very fond memories of celebrations at the little white and blue corner eatery.

The Akropolis Restaurant in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

My time in Romania was years ago at this point, and I'm still on the search for another memorable Greek meal.  Reno has some decent options for "one-the-go" Greek. I love Nick's Greek Deli (keep an eye out for an upcoming review). They do a mean gyro and Greek salad.  But Nick's doesn't offer that sit-down meal atmosphere, with linen tablecloths, plates with patterns of gods and goddesses, souvlaki that comes to your table in a fiery blaze, and an owner who will serenade you with Greek love songs.  You can't find that anywhere in Reno...that I know of.

So when I was craving Greek food the other day, I was THRILLED to stumble across this recipe in one of my cookbooks:

Greek-Style Chicken with Tzatziki Sauce

I found this recipe not only quick and easy (it was in my 20 minute cook-book after all), it was also way yummier then I had expected.  The lemon juice and oregano really brightened up the whole dish.

For the most part, I followed the recipe. I did add some extra veggies to the salad mixture -- had some extra carrots, peppers, and a few olives sitting around from a previous recipe.  I also opted to use a "spring mix" of greens instead of the called-for romaine lettuce.

Lettuce/salad mixture, tzatziki sauce, wild rice, and garlic-oregano chicken.

One of the biggest changes I would make to this recipe would be the tzatziki/yogurt sauce. 

I thought all of the flavors were spot on, but the combination of the non-fat plain yogurt and the wet cucumber made for a liquidy end result.  When I make this again I will "drain" the yogurt before adding the other ingredients.  This is done by putting the yogurt in some cheese cloth, which allows for some the extra liquid come out.  I will also remove some of the cucumber's extra moisture by blotting with paper towels. Taking those two extra steps, will result in a thicker and creamier sauce.

This meal easily serves four people.  Since I am just one, it made for one great dinner and three grab-and-go lunches.  Two of the days I opted to leave the rice out.  I felt the vegetable packed salad, chicken, and cucumber/yogurt "dressing" was plenty for my mid-day meal.

While this dish doesn't come close to that served at The Akropolis, it most definitely curbed my craving for Greek!

Rediscovering Reno: The Eatery Built on Granite

Do you ever get stuck in an "eating" rut?  You feel uninspired.  You're sick of your usual places.

Last week one of my friends and I decided to catch-up and chit-chat over a nice meal.  After throwing around several ideas, and vetoing the "usual suspects" we both decided on Old Granite Street Eatery in downtown Reno.  We had enjoyed a memorable meal at this cute restaurant when it had first opened, and decided it was time to give it another go.

We were not disappointed this time either!

Old Granite Street Eatery: 243 S. Sierra Street, Reno

One of my favorite things about Old Granite Street is the location itself; a brick building on Sierra Street that was erected in 1940, formally housed a wedding chapel. The inside is now simple:  a large chalk-board advertising the daily specials, black and white checkered floors, high-backed wooden booths.  The staff are cute, personable, hipster-type, with a great knowledge about the food they make and serve.  The cocktails are handcrafted (and strong). And the menu, while not extensive;  is complex, well thought out, and has all of your basis (and cravings) covered.

On this night my friend and I started with cocktails.  She had a Dark n' Stormy (rum and ginger beer) while I sipped on a Sloe Gin Fizz (sloe gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white & soda).  Both of these classic cocktails were delicious, but not at all what I expected.  The Sloe Gin Fizz was pink, frothy, tart...and DELICIOUS!  I would without a doubt order this again.  We split an order of creamy, smooth deviled eggs as we decided on our main course.

Classic Cocktails: a Sloe Gin Fizz and a Dark n' Stormy

Our patient waiter took our order after we spent much time deliberating.  Bless his heart for checking back so many times to see if we were ready, darn girl-talk was getting in the way!

We both started with a salad (she ordered the Lentil, I ordered the Summer).  Each were equally delicious and unique.  My favorite part of the Summer Salad was bed of couscous the salad was piled on top off.  We shared a bottle of wine as our main course came out. 

My friend ordered the Wood Grilled Burger with aged white cheddar and shoestring potatoes.  If you are craving a REAL hamburger, you definitely want to go to this.  It's big, juicy, and so simple that the quality of the ingredients really have a chance to shine. 

I opted for the Pan Seared Salmon with barely risotto, seasonal veggies, and preserved lemons.  I LOVED this dish!  The preserved lemons added a sweet, citrusy zing to the perfectly cooked salmon.  The barely risotto was not what I expected, and I was pleasantly surprised with the dish. The barely added an extra "toothiness" that you don't find in a rice-based version.  The creamy risotto paired with the light salmon made for the perfect bite.

I had planned to take some home, but it was all too good.  We both cleared our plates. Filled to the brim with delicious food, and a bit sleepy from the libations, we ventured out into the beginnings of a beautiful Autumn Evening in Reno.

An after-thought....Old Granite Street Eatery may have one of the best hidden secret Happy Hours in town. I need to remember this when my co-workers and I are looking for a place to enjoy our end-of-the-week-cocktail!

Sarah's Gastronomic Adventures: Bangkok Meets Bear

I LOVE THAI FOOD!  I mean, how could you not?  The vibrant spices, the complex flavors, the creamy sweetness of coconut milk.  Every time I eat a Thai Curry, I dream that I'm in Bangkok or along the water in Phuket (both locations I've yet to travel to, but are HIGH on my list).

What I don't love about Thai food is how calor-ific it is.  Lucky for me (and now you too) I found this awesome recipe in one of my Weight Watcher's cookbooks.  It's quick, and surprisingly easy.  You too can make amazing Thai Curry at home!

Chicken and Coconut Curry

Click on recipe to enlarge.

When I ate it for dinner, I served it with wild rice. For lunch, I just ate the curry as is.  The curry paste I used was a bit spicy (weird that something was too spicy...I like it HOT!) so I also ate this dish with a little non-fat plain yogurt.  SO YUMMY!

I would without a doubt make this recipe again. Because I bulked up the curry a bit by adding extra carrots and cauliflower, I had plenty of leftovers.  Enough leftovers actually for two days of lunch for me, and dinner for two for my mom and one of her friends while they went camping.  

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we all did!!!

  

Heart-Mind-Body-Soul: Man-tox Time (aka The Removal of Toxic Men)

Detox
(noun) Treatment designed to rid the body of poisonous substances, esp alcohol and drugs.

Reading over the definition, I find the words "poisonous substances" interesting. Are poisonous substances the only thing that you can rid your body of via detoxifying?

This is the second week of my "clean eating" and I have to admit that I'm feeling better. While I know I'm still not drinking enough water, it hasn’t been difficult to stick to eating fruits, veggies, and lean protein. Over the last week I have discovered (or re-discovered):

• How AMAZING summer fruits and veggies are.
• Cooking for one is ultimately really rewarding, but also a little depressing.
• Gazpacho while delicious is really just like eating a big bowl of pico de gallo.
LOOK FOR A YUMMY RECIPE FOR GAZPACHO THIS SATURDAY.
• It's really not that hard to make good choices while eating at a restaurant.
• When you eliminate the junk in your life, the simple things taste SO much sweeter!!!

It’s that last line that got me thinking about what other “junk” I can remove from my world to help me become a happier, healthier, more whole person. I decided in addition to a food detox, I also needed to do a:

Mantox
(noun) The process which involves removing men or a particular man from one’s life.

For those of you who know me, you know my history of men and relationships. You know that I seem to be perpetually drawn to the bad-boy who; has financial issues, is afraid of commitment is a player, has a huge ego, has a complete charming quality to them, likes to hear themselves talk, and has some “conflict” in their life that “only I” can help them with.

You also know that while I’m fully aware that the relationships I get myself into can be toxic, I continue on even if the outcome leaves me hurt. As a friend of mine said, I ALLOW the guys to take advantage of me.

Those of you who don’t know me, now you’re caught up. :-)

This leads me to my need for a MANTOX. How am I supposed to find the caring, confident, thoughtful, supportive man I deserve to be with if I still surround myself with men who talk big and take until I hurt?

There a few men in my life that I need to remove. The tricky thing about living in a city like Reno is you can never FULLY remove someone because of how small it is (they don’t call it the “Biggest Little City” for nothing). In my case the men on the chopping block are also people I see in the “real-world” so some interaction is inevitable. I realized that while our paths are bound to cross, there is no reason to stay friends with them. There’s a complete difference in being friendly and being a friend.

As part of this mantox, I plan on putting an end to all “interpersonal relationships” with these guys. While I hope that my social interactions won’t be effected, I’m willing to take that risk to better myself. And in the spirit of a true mantoxicification (???) I feel it’s time for a digital removal too. Yes, that’s right…time to delete phone numbers, emails, and most importantly ::gasp:: Facebook! I don’t know what it is, but I hold on to contact information like a hoarder holds on to…well, everything. It’s time to purge it all.

So if you are one of those who are scheduled for deletion, this is your open warning as to why you won’t be hearing from me. I didn’t lose your number, I purposely deleted it.

And in the words of the amazing, talented Taylor Swift (yes, y'all I'm quoting country):

You're a redneck heartbreak, who's really bad at lying.
So watch me strike a match on all my wasted time.
As far as I'm concerned you're just another picture to burn.
Burn, burn, burn, baby, burn!

Sarah's Gastronomic Adventures: Grilling without FIRE

Although I think Mother Nature is still a bit bi-polar, Summer for the most part, has arrived to the Truckee Meadows.  Between the warmer weather, and my renovated patio/backyard I was inspired to do some outside-entertaining.

I invited two of my Besties over for some "gourmet" shish-kabobs.  The fundamentals of shish-kabobs are simple: take the items you want to eat, skewer them onto some kind of stick, put over fire, eat once cooked.  The barbarians did it, this is easy.  I however was looking for some kind of yummy marinade for our skewerable food.

While I could have scoured through my bookshelf of cookbooks, I went to the internet.  Good ol' FoodNetwork never lets me down.  They had the perfect recipe, which included different marinades for each item you were cooking.

NOTE: Instead of re-writing the recipe like I do some weeks, I'm just going to post the link for this one. 

CLICK HERE for this recipe from FoodNetwork.com

I followed the recipe exactly this time around and didn't make any modifications to the marinade ingredients.  The ladies that were coming to eat aren't big red-meat eaters so we didn't make the steak kabobs (although they sounded amazing). My friends provided the veggies (mini-bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, artichoke hearts).


Not the prettiest presentation, but it sure tasted good!

The verdict?  This recipe was a HUGE SUCCESS!!!!  Besides the fact that my grill decided not to work at the last minute, and I had to use my grill pan instead (which totally defeated the whole inspiration for wanting me to cook this recipe). The chicken, by far, was the best part. It was so moist, and the simple citrus/herb marinade made it delicious.

I would totally make this dish again, as soon I can figure out how to make fire in my backyard!

Rediscovering Reno: SPICY Tuna Handroll

As most of you know by now, I'm a Foodie.

While my love of food has come from many sources, I attribute most of my passion to the years I spent as a youth eating out with my family.  For most of my childhood, my mom reviewed restaurants for the Reno Gazette Journal.  Through my mom's job, it allowed little me to experience types of food the average 8 year-old in the early 90s wouldn't be exposed to. 

For those of you who have lived in Reno long enough, think back. Remember the early 90s?  We were still a quiet little town.  We didn't have big chain restaurants (BJs? Claim Jumpers? Even Applebees.  What were they?).  We had a few good "Nevada-Style" Steak Houses (remember the Glory Hole?).  We certainly didn't have much variety when it came to ethnic food.  To find a Vietnamese restaurant to have a bowl of pho was difficult.  And to enjoy some korma or Indian curry, you had to go to some obscure places.  When it came to sushi, it was simple.  None of those crazy rolls that I eat (and enjoy) now. 

Sushi & Teri (still in the Toys R Us shopping center) for many years, was the only place in town you could get good sushi.  And it was basic.  Nigiri.  California Rolls.  Those sweet teriyaki tofu-pockets stuffed with rice.  Definitely no All-You-Can-Eat.

And you know what? With just those basics, I fell in love with my favorite food in the whole world. There's something about the balance of flavors with the fresh fish and the seasoned rice, a bit of wasabi, and a small dunk of soy sauce.  PERFECTION! 

When Groupon offered a few months ago a discount for Nothing To It Culinary Center, my mom and I both jumped on it.  A few years past, she and I had attended a "Taste of Thai" class and thoroughly enjoyed it.  We scoured the class catalogue, and decided to take a sushi making class. 

I thought this evening out, would be a perfect for my "Rediscovering Reno" post.  Nothing To It! is without a doubt one of Reno's hidden treasures.  The center is tucked away and you would think you were in Napa, not in South Reno by Meadowood Mall.

 The class was taught by the Center's amazing chef and instructor, Lara Ritchie.  Lara started off by making everyone feel welcome and then went through the history and basics of making sushi. 

We learned that traditionally, people in Japan would choose their sushi "hut" by how dirty the curtains covering the door were.  Napkins weren't used at the time, and people would wipe their hands on the curtains on their way out of the restaurant.  The dirtier the curtains, the more popular the place.  We also learned how to choose a good piece of fish (and were in this land-locked city we can do so), how to properly slice the fish for nigiri or sashimi, how to make sushi-rice, and how to construct rolls.  

After the interesting lesson, Lara broke us up into "teams" and we got to work constructing our mountain platter of sushi. I've made sushi before, but this was the most fun I've had doing it.  We had such variety of ingredients: tuna, salmon, imitation crab, a variety of sauces, a variety of vegetables, tempura shrimp, and new to me...WASABI TABIKO (so good!).  This was the first time I used a bamboo rolling mat.  It made things so much easier and my rolls actually looked presentable. 

All of the sushi we created during the cooking class!

We spent close to an hour building our sushi.  By the time we sat down to enjoy it I happily looked at our creation.  It looked, dare I say it, almost professional!?!  And though I enjoyed every single bite of our masterpiece; the nori (seaweed) was a little soggy, and the tempura shrimp weren't crispy.  We just took too long for those items to retain their crunch.Without a doubt it gave me an extra appreciation for the sushi chefs at my favorite joints here in town.

Mmmmm....the perfect bite!

For those of you who have never been to Nothing To It!, I would HIGHLY recommend it.  It's the PERFECT date night outing, or even fun for a girls night out (they always serve wine).  For those of you who burn water, no fear!  They have demo classes, where you watch them cook and just eat what they create.  For those a bit more adventurous, take one of the cooking classes.  The recipes are always simple enough that a novice in the kitchen will feel like a pro.  And for those who have a little Julia Child in them (like me), you will learn new techniques and feel a bit like a "master-chef".

Nothing To It! also has a Gourmet Deli that is open Monday - Friday from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. and offers summertime deck dining and catering for your office party or other special occasion.  It's worth a trip to the south side of town for lunch in this hidden location.  I will talk more on their deli at a later time.

They are located just two blocks from hwy 395, right off South Virginia Street. Heading south on South Virginia Street, Take a right on Crummer Lane, 1 block past Barnes and Noble. They are right at the end of Crummer Lane.

Nothing To It!
225 Crummer Lane
Reno, NV 89502
(775) 826-2628
Website: http://www.nothingtoit.com/

Sarah's Gastronomic Adventures #2: Falling into Autumn

I am blessed to have some really FABULOUS friends in my life.  Friends that will be there for me in a drop of a hat. Friends who can make me laugh and smile. Friends who know how to give it to me straight and tell me the truth (even if it hurts).

Over the past year or so, I have become really close to an amazing group of women.  I felt so blessed when one of my best friends brought me into her group of friends.  These ladies have introduced me to a side of myself that I didn't know existed, and for that (among other things) I'm thankful. 

One thing I love about my girls is that we can have just as much fun staying in having dinner as we do hitting the bars around town.  We try to get together for a pot-luck dinner party at least every other month.  There is always a theme for the meal, and we always end up with such a feast!

Last night we had an amazing Fall-Themed Extravaganza! Homemade GBC (Green Bean Casserole).  Quinoa (a high protein grain) with sweat potatoes, edamame, and other veggies. A roasted Pork Loin.  WINE!!!  I made a homemade risotto as my contribution to the dinner.

Risottos can seem intimidating to make, but really they're SUPER easy. Here's my version:

Wild Mushroom and Herb Risotto

The trick with risotto's are to use short-grain rice

(it's starchier and will make a creamier end result),

have plenty of stock/liquid on hand (I always have a little more than what the recipe calls for at the ready), never walk away from it (this is a dish that needs to be watched the whole time), and never stop stirring!!!

Dried porcini mushroom reconstituting in hot water

Onion and Olive Oil cooking for 5 min.

Garlic and Mushrooms are added to the pot and cooked down for 4 min. 

Time to add the rice!

Porcini mushroom (with its liquid) and wine are added

The vino I used....YUMMY

Vegetable Stock is added to the pot a 1/4 cup at a time. 

Herbs: Sage (on the left) and Oregano (on the right)

After cooking for about 25 min. (all stock is absorbed and rice is tender), the herbs and cheese is added

The finished product!  De-LISH!

 Again, this recipe was taken out of a Weight Watchers cookbook. 

 You would never know the difference,

 and you feel like you're indulging when you eat this!

NOTE: The recipe calls for using a beef stock.  I used a veggie stock instead.  I'm currently not eating any meat except for fish

 (I will write about this in a future blog)

and wanted to make this a truly vegetarian dish.

Cooking Confession: When shopping for ingredients I thought that I had short-grain rice at home.  Turns out I only had a long-grain. I didn't feel like going back to the store, so I made the dish with what I had.  Obviously the recipe turned out just fine, but it would have been "creamier" with the other rice.

ENJOY!!!

Sarah's Gastronomic Adventures #1 : Are You Ready for Some Football?

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a "love-affair" with food. I love everything about food. Taste, smells, how a dish can invoke memories, how certain foods can comfort you. As a child, my mom would review restaurants in town. At a young age I was an adventurous eater. I mean, what 13 year-old asks for sushi to be catered at her Bat Mitzvah (mind you this was 1996 before the sushi craze swept the nation).

Through my love of food, I also have found a love for cooking. I've been cooking for as long as I can remember; ever since I was able to reach the stove and counter-tops. My early childhood specialties included scrambled eggs, microwave chocolate chip cookies, and potato salad. My cooking has definitely evolved over the years, and cooking ethnic foods doesn't scare me. My most requested dishes (and most "acclaimed") are my Hot and Sour Soup, Chicken Parmesan, and Eggplant Parmesan.

As much as I love cooking, I find it hard to cook for just one. The average recipe makes four servings. I absolutely LOVE leftovers, but eating the same thing four times in a row gets old. And I find that I rarely recover previous meals from the black-hole of my freezer.

This leads me to my love of entertaining and hosting dinner parties. I find cooking therapeutic and nothing brings me more joy then to see my food eaten by good friends. I can do "cabinet cooking" where I turn pantry items into a complete meal, and I can easily follow the most complicated recipe. I have begun to start with base recipes created through Weight Watchers. I figure it's better to start with a low-fat recipe, and if it needs to be adjusted I can do so accordingly.

Yesterday was my first Nevada Football Game of 2010. My friends and I have gotten into a tailgating routine over these past years. Hibachi for grilling? Check! Coolers filled with beer, JAGER, vodka, rum, and mixers? Check! Some kind of "Sarah Specialty"? Check!

In honor of our first tailgater of the season, I made a crowd pleaser:

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

Everyone seems to love this recipe.

They love it even more when they find out it's low-fat!

I mean, you get a quarter cup of dip per serving!

And when you think about it (or actually measure the amount of dip you eat) this is truly a good portion. One of the best things about this recipe is that it holds up throughout the day. It's best right out of the oven, but it also is great after sitting on a table during tailgating for three hours. The recipe says to serve with reduced fat tortilla chips. It's also good with fresh veggies (I like carrots).

And if you're lucky enough to have leftovers, it can be converted into a pretty good dish with pasta.

When you read over this recipe, you will notice it calls for reduced-fat items. Some people think taste is lost by using these ingredients. Trust me. IT'S NOT!!! Here are a few pix of my cooking process.

Next time I do this I will remember to have my real camera charged.

These iPhone photos don't do my cooking justice.

Melted butter, garlic, and chopped onions saute in pan for 5 minutes

Spinach, water chestnuts, and artichokes are added and sauteed for 2 minutes

Remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese sprinkled on top of dip before going into the oven for 18-20 minutes

I put the dip into a smaller (unbreakable) dish for the purpose of tailgating.

Already being enjoyed at the UNR vs Colorado Game.

No tailgating is complete with out Nevada BLUE Jello-Shots and Jager!

Tailgating was a blast. Nothing beats spending the afternoon with great friends! The weather was beautiful (prob one of our last 80+ degree afternoons we'll have for a while). And best of all, The Pack won by an astounding 51-6. Next week's game against Cal should be even more exciting. Can't WAIT!!!