Baked Salmon Poppers

I owe this recipe inspiration to the ever-so-lovely Giada de Laurentiis. While lazily indulging in my morning routine, the food network's Giada At Home caught my attention. More specifically, the episode's theme: "Noshes and Snacks." Obviously, I abandoned my attempt at taking a shower before noon and sat down on the couch in my towel to watch Giada's nosh contribution.

That woman knows whats up.

One of the featured noshes was a snack she dubbed "salmon sticks" (classy fish sticks). I immediately decided that I, too, wanted some salmon sticks and vowed to pick up fresh fish for dinner.

Cut to my kitchen, 7 hours later. Who knew how tricky "skinning" a 9oz piece of salmon would be? Needless to say, my salmon "sticks" looked more like salmon...balls. Messy salmon balls. I thought, "C'est la vie!," and tuckered on with the recipe. And so, salmon "poppers" were born.

These babies ended up being good--really good--and pretty healthy, too (baked, not fried, plus plenty of omega-3's from the salmon...great for skin!) To make them, you need:

-An 8-10 oz center cut salmon fillet
-1 cup flour
-1 egg white
-1 cup breadcrumbs, seasoned to taste (I used salt, pepper, oregano & thyme mixed with store-bought breadcrumbs).
-1/2 cup shredded parmigiano cheese
-butter or butter spray (for greasing baking sheet)

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Start off by "skinning the salmon" (this is hard when you're seriously lacking in any skinning technique. Do your best to separate the meat from the skin using a serated knife). Next, cut the salmon steak into 1 inch chunks, or cubes. Set aside.

In three shallow, wide bowls, separate the other ingredients: flour in the first, egg white in the second, breadcrumbs and cheese in the third.

Take a salmon cube and roll it lightly in the flour until the whole surface is covered. Then, dip in egg white. Last, roll cube in breadcrumb/parmigiano mixture until generously covered. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat process until all cubes have been "dunked." Note: a 9 oz salmon steak yields about 20 "poppers." Place baking sheet in oven and bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees, or until golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and serve immediately. I ate mine with a homeade dipping sauce consisting of equal parts honey, dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning, though I'm pretty sure good ole ketchup would do the trick too! The poppers are a great combination of crispy on the outside and tender on the inside...fish sticks for grown-ups!

Homeade Lemonade

Let me proclaim the following: I will never again drink store bought lemonade. Well, never is a strong word, but that's how excited I am about my insanely delicious, freshly squeezed, homeade lemonade.

I found myself with a jumbo bag of lemons after Whole Foods put them on sale (8 huge lemons for $2?? Sweet, man!) When I arrived back at my apartment, I was hot and sticky from the June humidity. All I wanted was something cold to drink. That's when I had the brilliant idea to make myself some lemonade and simultaneously use up half of my jumbo bag of lemons! And boy, let me tell you. It absolutely hit the spot.

To make two glasses of lemonade, you need:

1 large lemon, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups water
ice

Using your hands, squeeze half a lemon into each glass. Drop each quartered piece into the glass when the squeezing is complete. Add one tablespoon of sugar* and an ice cube or two to each glass, then fill with water. Stir rigorously. Enjoy!

*The amount of sugar can be increased or decreased according to personal preference. I found that one spoonful worked well when using half of a lemon in a full glass of water.

What's in a Kitchen?

The kitchen is often the deal breaker for home buyers. That, and wood floors. My mom (licensed in real estate), firmly insists that this is true. I (not licensed in real estate), would agree.

What's so great about a kitchen? When you think about it, it's just a room filled with large beeping boxes and odd smells in rapidly changing temperatures. But alas, it is in the kitchen where the majority of my childhood memories lie, where a lifetime of conversations take place, where report card honors are displayed, where chocolate chip cookies and chicken pot pie are born.


Food naturally brings people together. We store, create and prepare food in kitchens. Kitchens, then, bring people together. And that which brings people together, is very very special indeed.

I love my quaint New York City kitchen. It is the main reason I chose my apartment (though, the wood floors didn't hurt either).

Pancakeology

Summer, for me, means fresh fruit. And lazy mornings mean pancakes. What do you get when you put the two together? A deliciously indulgent breakfast of buttermilk pancakes with fresh strawberries, blueberries and honey!

I woke up around 10:00am this morning, ran to the kitchen in my pj's, and turned on the stove. I was craving pancakes. I mean, I needed pancakes immediately. Luckily, pancakes take about four minutes to make, so my stomach didn't have too long to wait.

The history of the pancake is not something I often think about, but, for some reason today, as I was holding the spatula waiting for the telltale surface bubbles to form (indicating readiness to flip), I found myself thinking, "Pancakes are strange. Where do they come from?" And so while eating my pancakes, I did a little research. If the history of the pancake tickles your interest as well, click here for a quick read: pancakeology

Otherwise, go make some pancakes!

Slow Down, You Move too Fast, You Got to Make This Morning Last, Oh!

A few months ago, a friend introduced me to Leo Babauta's blog, Zen Habits, and subsequently, changed my life. I kid you not, when I check my email and see that I have received the daily Zen Habits blog post updates, my mood dramatically improves.

I suggest you explore Leo's blog and all of its glory at http://zenhabits.net/about/ but here at Nosh Spot, I'll be specifically sharing some his food & health related posts.

So, I give you all...

5 Powerful Reasons to Eat Slower

By Leo Babauta

One of the problems in our daily lives is that many of us rush through the day, with no time for anything … and when we have time to get a bite to eat, we gobble it down.

That leads to stressful, unhealthy living.

And with the simple but powerful act of eating slower, we can begin to reverse that lifestyle immediately. How hard is it? You take smaller bites, you chew each bite slower and longer, and you enjoy your meal longer.

It takes a few minutes extra each meal, and yet it can have profound effects.

You may have already heard of the Slow Food Movement, started in Italy almost two decades ago to counter the fast food movement. Everything that fast food is, Slow Food isn’t.

If you read the Slow Food Manifesto, you’ll see that it’s not just about health — it’s about a lifestyle. And whether you want to adopt that lifestyle or not, there are some reasons you should consider the simple act of eating slower:

1. Lose weight. A growing number of studies confirm that just by eating slower, you’ll consume fewer calories — in fact, enough to lose 20 pounds a year without doing anything different or eating anything different. The reason is that it takes about 20 minutes for our brains to register that we’re full. If we eat fast, we can continue eating past the point where we’re full. If we eat slowly, we have time to realize we’re full, and stop on time. Now, I would still recommend that you eat healthier foods, but if you’re looking to lose weight, eating slowly should be a part of your new lifestyle.
2. Enjoy your food. This reason is just as powerful, in my opinion. It’s hard to enjoy your food if it goes by too quickly. In fact, I think it’s fine to eat sinful foods, if you eat a small amount slowly. Think about it: you want to eat sinful foods (desserts, fried foods, pizza, etc.) because they taste good. But if you eat them fast, what’s the point? If you eat them slowly, you can get the same amount of great taste, but with less going into your stomach. That’s math that works for me. And that argument aside, I think you are just happier by tasting great food and enjoying it fully, by eating slowly. Make your meals a gastronomic pleasure, not a thing you do rushed, between stressful events.
3. Better digestion. If you eat slower, you’ll chew your food better, which leads to better digestion. Digestion actually starts in the mouth, so the more work you do up there, the less you’ll have to do in your stomach. This can help lead to fewer digestive problems.
4. Less stress. Eating slowly, and paying attention to our eating, can be a great form of mindfulness exercise. Be in the moment, rather than rushing through a meal thinking about what you need to do next. When you eat, you should eat. This kind of mindfulness, I believe, will lead to a less stressful life, and long-term happiness. Give it a try.
5. Rebel against fast food and fast life. Our hectic, fast-paced, stressful, chaotic lives — the Fast Life — leads to eating Fast Food, and eating it quickly. This is a lifestyle that is dehumanizing us, making us unhealthy, stressed out, and unhappy. We rush through our day, doing one mindless task after another, without taking the time to live life, to enjoy life, to relate to each other, to be human. That’s not a good thing in my book. Instead, rebel against that entire lifestyle and philosophy … with the small act of eating slower. Don’t eat Fast Food. Eat at a good restaurant, or better yet, cook your own food and enjoy it fully. Taste life itself.

That's a Wrap!

I eat this delectably simple wrap on a weekly basis for either lunch or dinner. It could be considered my staple nosh:

Flour Tortilla filled with
-tomato
-avocado
-beans (black beans were used in the photo, I also enjoy re-fried)
-grilled chicken

Top with sour cream or plain yogurt.

Seriously, so easy and so so SO good.

Scrumptious Summer Salad

My first year of teaching ended two days ago which means I am greedily & hungrily savoring in the sweet smells of summertime! I found myself alone in my apartment on this balmy Sunday evening, staring into the refrigerator trying to decide what to make for supper. I was craving something cold, refreshing, zesty...and this is what I came up with:

The Super Fast, Super Scrumptious, Super Healthy Summer Salad! Now, I am a major salad fan and appreciate a variety of assorted salads, but I must say, this creation has found a place on my "favorite" list.

Here's what I put in mine:

Mixed lettuce (Romaine, iceberg, & Raddicchio)
Dried cranberries
Feta Cheese
Candied Walnuts
Sauteed Chicken in olive oil & light seasonings, chopped
Lemon Tarragon dressing


I paired my lovely salad with a hunk of Ciabatta bread and a cold glass of Riesling.
So perfect.