Nobu Made Me Do It

Ten years ago, I walked into a Japanese restaurant. I had less than a year of Open Table experience and a referral from someone I never met. I learned quickly that if you want a job at Nobu, the phrase "fake it till you make it" are words to live by. I walked out with an audition on the books - a weeklong stint as a reservationist. I made it out alive and soon, I became a hostess.

A hostess gig meant more human interaction and the chance that someone might ask me about the yellowtail sashimi or the difference between wagyu or washu beef. This terrified me. I was the girl who pounded a bag of Cheetos and a Pepsi on my 10-minute break. I was not a foodie by any means. But in true New York City fashion, I was peer pressured into changing my eating habits. After all, who in their right mind eats Cheetos while walking the streets of Tribeca...besides me. So there I was, giving sushi a try, consuming sashimi with the tiniest jalapeño slice I've ever seen. My ten-minute break now consisted of string cheese, a Naked juice and some tic-tacs. My appreciation for food (when I wasn't forced to eat like a model) and the people who are skilled enough to prepare food grew tenfold. 

Today, I'm dairy-free and gluten-free - a decision I made only one month ago, but one I would have never even considered if it weren't for five years at Nobu. I'm now open to trying all sorts of foods, understanding how they break down in my body and respecting the origin of ingredients. 

Sushi is something I've always wanted to learn how to prepare since my Nobu days, and recently I made baby steps in this department. Like any gluten-free newbie, I was fooled by white rice and started to experiment with cauliflower rice. Avocado, cucumber and carrots made this roll vegan - even cooler.

Keep scrolling for the recipe!

• 1 half head of cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 3-4 sheets nori
• assorted veggies  (carrots, cucumbers avocado)
• bamboo sushi rolling mat

Start by preparing the cauliflower rice. Cut the cauliflower in half and remove the thick center stem. Cut or break each half into smaller pieces and throw in the food processor. A few pulses is all you need.

Transfer the cauliflower rice to a microwave-safe bowl, add olive oil and cover with plastic wrap. Cook on high for three minutes. Remove from microwave, uncover and set aside.

Slide veggies into thin strips and it's time to make some sushI!

Lay a sheet of nori on the sushi rolling mat and spread the cauliflower rice onto the nori. You want to cover the nori from edge to edge, but leave a one-inch space at one end of the nori without rice. Add your filling, placing them close to the end of the nori where the rice comes all the way to the edge. 

Time to roll, but make sure to have a small bowl or glass of water on hand. Place the sushi mat so that the side of the nori with the filling is facing you. Start to roll by pulling up the mat slightly and tucking the row of filling into the first complete roll. Press down with the mat around this to help make a nice tight roll. Continue rolling with the help of the mat and pressing/tucking as you go to keep the roll tight until you get to the end of the nori sheet with the one-inch section without rice. Dab a bit of water on the end of the nori to help it stick to itself and then complete your final roll.

Using a sharp knife, cut the sushi into pieces and serve with tamari!

Enjoy, my friends!

Farro Avocado Veggie Bowl

This endless rain situation has me craving warm and hearty foods, so while my husband was busy making homemade pasta for the first time yesterday, I decided to whip up what I consider healthy, comfort food.

The recipe was inspired by the avocado stone bowl at Franchia - a quaint vegan tea house on Park Avenue in Manhattan. However, over the years, it's kind of morphed into something a bit different yet still delicious! What's great about this bowl of goodness is that you can mix as many different toppings as you want. I usually opt for snow peas and mushrooms, but tofu or a sunny side up egg feel like they'd be nice additions too. And instead of rice, I've switched to farro which adds a nice nutty, creamy texture. To learn more about the benefits of farro, click here. 

The key to this recipe, though, is the dressing and unfortunately, I can only find in NYC. It's called Jo's Japanese Dressing and my absolute favorite flavor is Miso. I stocked up the last time we went back and I've emailed numerous local Pittsburgh markets to ask if they can add to their inventory - fingers crossed. For my NYC friends, you're in luck and for my readers not in NYC, I'm sorry. I'm going to try my best to recreate, but if you know of a similar dressing - please share! I'd love to hear about a more accessible option. 

But anyway, I basically feel like I just shared an unattainable recipe. Hopefully the feeling is not mutual and you give it a shot without or without Jo's. Like I said, I'm open to hearing your substitution! 

Enjoy!

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• 1 bag of Trader Joe’s 10 Minute Farro 
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 small head of red cabbage, cut into strips
• 1/2 small head of green cabbage, cut into strips
• 2 julienne-cut carrots
• 1/2 cup snow peas
• 3/4 cup mushrooms 
• 2 avocados, diced
• Jo’s Japanese Miso Dressing

Cook farro as instructed on bag. 

In a sauté pan, add coconut oil plus onion and garlic. Cook until translucent. Add cabbage, carrots, snow peas and mushrooms and stir over medium heat. Add salt and pepper to season and cook for about 15 minutes. 

Combine cooked farro and veggie mix in a large serving bowl. Add avocado and stir. Top with miso dressing or place on side for guests to use. 

Simply delish!

Grilled Chicken and Tzatziki Lettuce Wrap with Roasted Chickpeas

This weekend was perfect for grilling and last night, we cooked a big batch of chicken for the week because we are on a mission to save money! Here is a quick and easy recipe for dinner and it also makes a perfect lunch to bring to work since you can prepare everything the night before!

• Tzatziki (learn how to make here)
• Chicken breasts
• Romaine lettuce 
• Italian dressing
• Skewers soaked in water
• Salt
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp spice of choice for roasted chickpeas (I used Garam Masala)

Cube chicken breasts and place in Tupperware container, covering with Italian dressing. Marinate for at least an hour. 

Meanwhile, prepare tzatziki. To make, finely dice the cucumber and squeeze out the juice. You can do this with your hands and then let dry on a towel. Combine diced cucumber, yogurt, garlic, dill, lemon juice salt and pepper and mix everything together. Let sit in the refrigerator for about an hour for the flavors to meld. 

Once you're ready to grill, place chicken cubes on skewers, season with a little salt and throw on the grill for about 10 minutes or until cooked. 

Remove chicken from skewers and assemble lettuce wraps. Dollop tzatziki over chicken and add a few slices of extra cucumber if you like. 

For some added crunch, serve with roasted chickpeas - my new favorite snack! Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and drain and rinse chickpeas, laying on paper towel to dry. Once dry, place in a bowl with olive oil and spice of choice. Pour onto baking sheet and bake in oven for 30-40 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Curried Cauliflower Tacos with Pickled Slaw and Avocado Cream

Hey hey! I must be in that LA mood still because I was craving tacos all last week. In fact, my friend Lany texted me a Yelp review of a place she wanted to check out and I misread tapas for tacos! The entire day I was pumped to chow down on some delish Mexican, but the meal was great nonetheless and if you're in Park Slope, you should check this place out. 

Here I combined a few recipes that I've made in the past with some tweaks and this is something I do quite often. I find it to be much less stressful than trying to experiment when you need tacos in your stomach ASAP :) 

It's vegan, so there's some major points right there and it's very tasty. I did my best to layer lots of different flavors and took careful time to prepare each element - I hear that's the key to great cooking!

For the Cauliflower:

• Handful currants
• 1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon double-concentrated tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 pinch cayenne

For the Slaw:

• 2 cups thinly sliced purple cabbage
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon agave nectar or other liquid sweetener
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

For the Avocado Cream:

• 1 avocado
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Place currants in small bowl and cover with warm water. Let sit for 20 minutes then drain and set aside

In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, tomato paste, 2 teaspoons curry powder, paprika, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. 

Pour dressing over cauliflower and toss to coat. Spread vegetables in a single layer onto a sheet pan. 

Roast cauliflower until tender, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. 

While it’s cooking, prepare the slaw. Add the purple cabbage, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, agave nectar, and salt to a small bowl. Toss to coat and let rest, stirring occasionally.

For the avocado cream, combine garlic and cilantro in a food processor and pulse to mince. Add the lime juice and avocado. Process until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Heat each corn tortilla in a small skillet over medium heat for 20-30 seconds on each side. Fill with avocado cream, slaw and cauliflower. For some extra punch, drizzle some lime juice on top and garnish with leftover cilantro.