Monthly Archive for March, 2011

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Shake Shack & Best Buddies

Published on March 18, 2011 in Field Trips, Kids, New York City, Nonvegetarian and Restaurants. 0 Comments

My son’s best buddy is moving back to his parent’s native Texas and we are heartbroken. The good news is we’ll be seeing them when they come back to visit, which will (we hope) be often.

The boys had so many fun adventures together — from the Holiday Train Show at the Bronx Botanical Gardens to visiting Santa at Macy’s — and they were doubly fun as G & J are two peas in a pod. But one of our favorite outings was going to the Museum of Natural History, followed by everyone’s favorite part of the day…Shake Shack.

I know it’s blasphemy to talk about burgers on a vegetarian-focused blog, but damn, they’re good (and 100% natural hormone- and antibiotic-free Black Angus, ground fresh daily).  This is no ordinary burger stand. Well, actually, it is a burger stand, but it’s from Danny Meyer, owner of Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Café…so the quality is top-notch.

photo credit: Robyn Lee for Serious Eats: New York

And Shake Shack doesn’t leave vegetarians out in the cold. There’s the insane ‘shroom burger, which consists of a portobello mushroom stuffed with muenster and cheddar cheese, breaded and deep fried. Nothing wrong with that. And yes, you can get the ‘shroom burger on top of a shack burger, known as the Shack Stack. And I haven’t even started on the fries, which are to die for. And then the frozen custard. Be still, my heart. Flavors like Chocolate Chuckles (think Snickers ice cream) and Coffee & Donuts (*sigh*)…

photo credit: GlenwoodNYC.com

The wait at the original in Gramercy Park can be arduous, but the payout is always worth the wait (plus you can always check the website’s “shack cam” before heading over and they give you these pagers once you order, so that’s extra fun for the kiddos). The good news is the one on the Upper West Side by the museum is pretty mellow if you get there before noon on a weekday.

We spent quite a few mornings this winter letting the boys run amok amongst the whales, prehistoric people and butterflies, followed by a hearty lunch at Shake Shack. We will miss those mornings, but just as Rick and Ilsa will always have Paris, we’ll always have Shake Shack.

And what’s really exciting is that I just found out Shake Shack will be opening right down here in Battery Park City! Yes, that’s right — the land of Nothing Good To Eat. This is so very exciting — and dangerous. It’s set to open towards the end of the year, along with a new restaurant, North End Grill (helmed by Floyd Cardoz, former chef of the late great Tabla) and another Blue Smoke barbecue place. I’m all aquiver just thinking about it.

Safe travels to Katie, Rob & Jack!

Shake Shack Locations

    Flatiron: Madison Square Park, Madison Ave and East 23rd Street; 212-889-6600

    Upper West Side: 366 Columbus Ave (between 77th and 78th Street); 646-747-8770

    Theater District: 691 Eighth Avenue (at West 44th Street); 646-435-0135

    Upper East Side: 154 East 86th Street (between Lexington & Third Avenues); 646-237-5035

    Queens: Citi Field (Home of the NY Mets) 12301 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing

    Carrot Muffins/Cupcakes

    Published on March 17, 2011 in Breads + Muffins, Desserts and Holiday. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .


    Happy St. Patrick’s Day! As I am 1/8 Irish, we will be drinking green beer, sporting “Kiss Me, I’m Irish!” pins and playing bagpipes in the parade today (although I always thought bagpipes were Scottish, which I’m also 1/8 of, so it still works).

    photo credit: http://nyc-st-patrick-day-parade.org

    Actually, not really. Although the Irish are very inclusive and welcome anyone to be Irish today, we are actually doing none of the above. But we did make carrot muffins this morning and I briefly thought about adding green food coloring to the cream cheese frosting, so does that count?

    Great. So, these carrot muffins, also known as “cupcakes” in our household (much more appetizing, no?) are basically an update of this carrot cake recipe based on the fact that I’m not in Argentina any more and can get things like brown rice syrup and Greek yogurt. Yippee for brown rice syrup availability…boo for not being in Argentina (it really is a lovely place, you must go. Now. Really. Just stop reading and get on Kayak and buy a ticket. Or wait. Finish the post, make the muffins/cupcakes and then do that. OK, good).

    So, what are y’all doing for St. Patty’s (Paddy’s?) — wearing your favorite green jumpsuit? four-leaf clover stickers on your face? playing bagpipes in a parade somewhere? Do tell.

    Carrot Muffins/Cupcakes

    Makes 15 standard-sized cupcakes

    Muffins/Cupcakes:
    3/4 cup whole-wheat flour, sifted
    1/4 cup oatmeal
    1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    1/4 teaspoon cardamom
    2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    2 large eggs, lightly beaten
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/4 brown rice syrup
    1/8 cup canola oil
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used 0% fat)
    1-1/4 cup carrots, finely grated (about 2 big or 4 medium carrots)
    1/2 cup chopped pecans

    Frosting:
    3-4 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese, softened
    1 tablespoon butter, softened
    1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Preheat oven to 325°F/165ºC.

    Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, canola oil, sugar, brown rice syrup and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients; stir just until moist. Stir in carrots, yogurt and walnuts. Fill cupcake liners slightly more than half full and bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in one of the cupcakes comes out clean.

    To prepare frosting, combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Mix until combined. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth.

    Quinoa Spinach Casserole

    Published on March 14, 2011 in Beans + Legumes. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .


    Ryan has been reminding me about the fact that I haven’t been making much quinoa lately, and he’s right. I was all jazzed up about switching over to quinoa for breakfast from our usual oatmeal, just for a change of pace, but then never really got around to doing it. I hate when that happens.

    But as part of our “health kick” (see here for the first and last post about that…whoops) and because it’s the beginning of the week and we need to atone for our weekend sins, I thought a nice, clean quinoa recipe would be a great idea. I’ve been buying these giant vats of Earthbound Farm organic baby spinach (which keep surprisingly well, by the way), so I went hunting for ideas out there in Webland and prompting fell hard for a quinoa casserole recipe from the NY Times, which of course, has cheese in it. Not exactly part of the “clean” plan, but I figured that, for Ryan, I’d take half the recipe and do a non-baked version without cheese (and the kiddo and I can hoard all the cheesy goodness of the other half).

    You can go in a lot of different directions with this dish too, which is nice. I used feta, but Gruyère, which is what the original recipe calls for, would be really nice and melty. You could also do chickpeas or another bean or cut that out altogether. Yet another flexible dish — this is becoming a habit (a good one though). Now if I can just keep up the healthy theme…

    In the interest of my health (and bikini season, which is fast approaching), I’d love to hear about your favorite clean and healthy dishes. Me and my thighs thank you.

    Quinoa Spinach Casserole

    4 cups/6 ounces baby spinach*
    1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    1 medium onion, chopped
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    4 cups cooked quinoa, (1-1/3 cup uncooked)
    3 large eggs
    1 cup black beans, rinsed
    3/4 cup (3 ounces) feta cheese, crumbled (3/4 cup)
    2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage or thyme (or whatever you have on hand)
    3 tablespoons Parmesan, grated or a few slices of fresh mozzarella

    Preheat the oven to 400ºF/204ºC. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish.

    Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Wash the spinach and without spinning dry, add to the pan and wilt in the liquid left on the leaves after washing (you may need to do two batches). When the spinach is wilted, take off the heat and rinse it in a colander with cold water. Squeeze out as much water as you can and give it a rough chop. * If you use frozen chopped spinach, you can skip this step. Just thaw and squeeze out the liquid.

    Wipe the pan out and heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic cook for about a minute. Add the spinach and season with salt and pepper.

    Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl. Add the quinoa, beans, cheese, herbs, the onion and spinach mixture, and black pepper and stir to combine. Pour into a gratin dish and sprinkle with Parmesan or mozzarella, which is what I used this time. Bake until browned on top, about 20-25 minutes. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

    Black Bean Burgers

    Published on March 11, 2011 in Beans + Legumes and Main Courses. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

    This recipe is an adaptation of the infamous lentil burger recipe, which is, in essence, the basis for just about any “burger” type recipe. That is, protein + egg + bread crumbs = burger. But it’s the details that take a burger from basic to bananas (to quote Rachel Zoe, whose show, the aptly named Rachel Zoe Project, is a guilty pleasure of mine).

    Like, in this particular recipe, I think the chipotle peppers are essential. They add that smoky spiciness that you wouldn’t get without them. However, I did do half the batch without them for the hombrecito, who likes spicy foods, but not necessarily hot-spicy, you know? But if your kids like spicy, then go for it. The cilantro is key too, and lemon always adds a lovely freshness that I like.

    These burgers are so easy to make and so much better than those frozen hockey pucks masquerading as veggie burgers you find in the grocer’s freezer section (yes, I’m looking at you, Boca Burger). You can make up a big batch and cook however many you plan to eat (cook a few extra, they are that good). The uncooked mixture will keep for another day, but as there’s raw egg in there, best to cook it up fairly quickly — they taste better hot off the grill.

    Also, sorry for my radio silence this week. Things seem to be so busy and I honestly haven’t been doing much new cooking — lots of zucchini pie and homemade pizza…let’s call it my late-winter blogging/cooking slump week. I’m over it and will be back on track next week.

    Now for a bit of shameless promotion…ignore this part if I’ve already harassed you.

    Babble.com did a “Top 100 Mom Food Bloggers” story and while we’re not in the top 100, you can still vote for your favorites and Whisk It Good needs some love! Please click here and find “Whisk It Good” and “like” it — we’re on page 2 right now, but movin’ on up. It only takes a second — thanks and feel free to tell all your friends.

    Have a great weekend everyone!

    Black Bean Burgers

    2 15-oz/425g cans black beans, drained and rinsed
    1/2 cup frozen edamame, defrosted
    4 large eggs
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
    1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce plus a bit of the sauce
    1/3 cup fresh cilantro
    1 onion, chopped
    Zest of one lemon
    1 cup bread crumbs or panko
    1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

    Combine the beans, edamame, eggs, half the onion, cumin, cilantro, and salt in a food processor. Purée until the mixture resembles thick hummus. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the rest of the onion and zest. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture.

    Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and add 3 patties (if you’re making standard burger-sized ones), cover, and cook for about 5 minutes or until the bottoms begin to brown and firm up. Flip the burgers and cook the second side for about 3-4 minutes or until browned.

    I often eat these on top of a piece of toast — a bun is too much bread, I think. Or they’re great plain too or even sandwiched between big leaves of romaine. Top with mayo (chipotle mayo would give a nice extra kick of heat, but as you can see from the photos, sriracha sauce works in a pinch) and slices of avocado.

    The Hypocrite

    Published on March 9, 2011 in Nonvegetarian. 0 Comments

    Sorry for my absence…busy week.

    But this is amusing.

    I hear that bacon is the gateway drug for vegetarians to go back to meat. Hmmm…