Not Your Mom's Brussel Sprouts

Typically, when you see brussel sprouts in the produce section, you probably think back to those miserable days when your mother forced you to eat overly cooked green mush balls. (Interestingly though, you'd never actually see her consume them, as well). Little did your mother know that her attempt to provide you with a healthy diet actually scarred you into running far, far away from sprouts.

Luckily, we've learned other methods of preparing veggies, rather then over boiling them and causing them to lose most of their nutrients. So, be progressive and hide this brussel sprout misconception under your dinner napkin.

I recently became addicted to this vegetable after having the fried buffalo brussel sprouts from Somerville's Highland Kitchen. So I made a healthier, homemade version. Enjoy!

Roasted Buffalo Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients --
1/2 pound of Brussel Sprouts
1/4 cup of Pete's Buffalo Sauce
1/4 cup of Olive Oil (Might be too much. I just splashed a bunch until I felt guilty).
1 TSP of Butter
Salt & Pepper

Dipping Sauce --
1/4 cup of Mayo
Splash of Pete's Buffalo Sauce

Preparation --
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat medium sauce pan of medium heat. Once hot enough, add olive oil. Place brussel sprouts on pan and lightly sautee. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Place pan in oven and bake for around 20 minutes. Occasionally, pop open stove and shake up the brussel sprouts to cook evenly.

Meanwhile, heat up buffalo sauce, butter and dilute with a bit of water (just to take some the heat down). Bring to light boil.

Once brussel sprouts are cooked all the way through, add in a medium-sized bowl. Add buffalo sauce mixture and toss until sprouts are evenly coated with sauce.

For a dipping sauce, mix mayo and buffalo sauce together. Or you can just blue cheese.

Olala Chickpea & Onion Salad

Been ultra low on groceries lately, so I made this bomb-shelter friendly salad to go with my dinner tonight. Good way to get your protein in for the day.

Ingredients:
Can of Chickpeas
1/2 red onion
1 TBS of Parsley
1 TSP of Pepper
1 TSP of Salt
1 TSP of Garlic Powder
Some squirts of lemon
Splash of Vinegar
Splash of Olive Oil

Preparation:
This is an easy one! Drain Chickpeas and rinse in water. Throw in a medium sized bowl. Add olive oil, vinegar, and lemon. Chop up some onions and toss in bowl. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley. Mix until everything is evenly distributed. Taste and if it needs anything, add whatever you think is missing.

Restaurant Review -- Oleana in Cambridge

Day 57 (Starting to lose track) -- Red Wine, Success by Cold War Kids

So after about a month of drooling over the Oleana menu online, I managed to drag two carnivore pals over to this Turkish, vegetarian-friendly spot in Inman Square. This place is the perfect happy-medium for both vegetarians and meat eaters.

Besides having a great selection of vegetarian options, Oleana also offers a menu that changes seasonally. So, you'll always be eating the freshest ingredients. The restaurant even gets all of its produce from a local, independently owned farm out in Western Massachusetts. At this progressive restaurant, your inner-hippie will dine in peace, knowing that your produce grew pesticide-free!

Onto what you're interested in -- the food! I went with the vegetarian 5 tapas sized-course tasting menu for only about 36 bucks. Seems a bit pricey, but it's completely worth it for the innovative food that your evening has in store. If you're a picky eater, this might not be the best option as your dinner is entirely up to the chef's whim.

First Course -- Creamy Carrot soup
Second Course -- Chickpea yogurt deliciousness (honestly, I wasn't sure what I was eating, but I wanted more).
Third Course --Fried Beans with Mushrooms & Celery Salad
Fourth Course -- Ricotta & Bread Dumplings with Red Wine, Porcini & Black Kale

If you do make it out here, get the whipped feta as an appetizer. As you scoop the last mound of cheese, you'll throw all manners out the window and be licking the bowl clean. (Don't worry, I didn't have that much wine yet to resort to this).

To polish off this entirely gluttonous evening, I got a sorbet dessert. It was good, but I'd rather eat the calories in a chocolate form. Let's just say you had to roll me home, because I was so full!

Rating: 4.5 tofu cubes

Tip: Make a reservation as this is a hot spot. Also, it's a great date place!

Deli Guy's Vegetarian Caprese Sandwich

After the Deli Guy looked at me in disgust after ordering a half-pound of the questionable egg salad, he asked me if I really wanted something so unappealing. After I told him my difficulty in finding a good veggie sandwich, he wrote me this recipe on some receipt paper. It's a winner!

Ingredients:
Basil
3 slices Tomatoes
Roasted red peppers
3 slices of buffalo mozzarella
1 tbs of capers
1 loaf of sub bread
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Some salt and Peppers

Preparation:
This is an easy one! Heat pan up at medium heat. Once hot, add some olive oil. Add roasted red pepper, tomatoes, and capers. Cook until properly sauteed.

Meanwhile, slice bread open and add cheese and basil. Add ingredients from pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and oil on cheese for flavor. If desired, heat sandwich on Panini Press or george foreman grill.

Meatless Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Picked up some Boca Spicy Chicken Patties over the weekend. Maybe, I already forgot what chicken tasted like, but I was fooled into thinking I was really eating a chicken patty. Take a look at the below Buffalo chicken wrap I made tonight. It's a bit on the processed side, but we can't be perfect every night.

Ingredients:
1 Boca Chicken Spicy Patty
1 Whole Wheat Flour Tortilla (Burrito Size)
A couple squeezes of some Mayo
3 Tomato slices
Pete's Buffalo Sauce
1 Slice of American Cheese (or, Blu Cheese. I was out. But might be kind of overwelming with the Mayo).

Preperation:
Heat up skillet on medium heat. Once hot enough, spray with olive oil. Cook patty evenly on both sides and melt cheese on it.

Meanwhile, nuke the tortilla in the microwive for 15 seconds. Then, squeeze some mayo on the tortilla and squirt the buffalo sauce on top of the mayo and spread together with spoon.

Once patty is come complete, cut in half and place on tortilla. Add tomatos or any other toppings you dig and roll.

Got a killer, quick recipe? Post it and I'll give it a try!

Vegetarian Trip to NYC

Day 32 -- A Mouth-Watering Trip to New York -- New York, New York by Frank Sinatra

Was fortunate to take a trip out to New York City this weekend. It was the perfect opportunity to treat my inner-vegetarian foodie. My number one priority when traveling besides seeing the sights is filling my belly with the best food that the area has to offer. As most of you know, New York is the place to check out for any food obsessed individual out there.

Before heading out, I mapped out a few budget-friendly places that I wanted to try out. So if you find yourself in the Big Apple soon, check out a few of these vegetarian spots. (Rating Scale: One tofu cube being the lowest and 5 tofu cubes being the highest).

Spice in East Village

Some colleagues took me over here, praising it for its affordable Thai cuisine. Spice is certainly one of those stereotypical she-she NYC restaurants, where they could sucker you into paying for cupped air. Though, the interior is on the swanky side; the food is actually quite affordable. (But a bit on the pricey side for lunch. Average menu item is around 12 bucks).

You get a free appetizer with your lunch here; so make sure to mention that to your server. For an app, I ordered the vegetable steamed dumplings. There was nothing remarkable about them, but were somewhat worth the calories.

For an entree, I believe I ordered the drunken spicy noodles with Tofu. This dish proved that this Thai restaurant deserves its real estate space in the Village. The noodles were uniquely shaped like grilled calamari or something. The tofu was perfectly prepared and took in the great, spicy sauce.

Spice gets 3 out of 5 tofu cubes.

Taqueria el Fogon in Buswick Brooklyn, NY

This small Taqueria definitely doesn't see its share of tourists, being hidden in an industrial and less than picturesque neighborhood in Brooklyn. But that's what makes this restaurant so charming. The servers don't understand a word of English, but generally get what you're saying with a few hand motions and points to the menu.

I ordered a vegetarian burrito with a side of green salsa. Not to quote Rachel Ray, but this place was yum-o and dirt cheap! I got a water and a burrito, the size of my head, for around 7 bucks. I really didn't notice that any meat was missing from this dish. My friend sat in awe as I housed the burrito in about 5 minutes.

4 out of 5 tofu cubes

Le Barricou in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC

This charming, French restaurant sits in Brooklyn's hipster neighborhood, Williamsburg. Walking into this place was like stepping into a scene out of a Roaring 20s film. The interior was completely comforting and historic of those prohibition days.

Not gonna lie, I had a major challenge of will power with the primarily seafood dish menu. Seafood is like my kryptonite. So if you feel like cheating one day, check out the mussels and sea-friendly dishes. Don't stress, I fought my temptations off and stuck to a vegetarian dish. I grabbed the vegetable risotto, which was quite delicious. According to the server, Le Barricou uses seasonal items in this dish, so mushrooms were the main component.

Everything down from the complimentary olives to the excellent service, makes this place a must-stop for vegetarians or not. Also, the prices were very affordable. My dish was only 12 bucks.

4 out of 5 tofu cubes (bad veggie options, but that's not why you go here).

Fan of NYC? Post a comment on some vegetarian-friendly places I should check out!

Best in Boston Falafels

Day 30 -- Take a bite out of Falafel Heaven

As a big fan of Middle Eastern/Greek food, I struggled with substituting my favorite ingredients, lamb and chicken. My main lunch eatery spots consisted of meat carts in the city. (I may have even reviewed a few of them on Yelp). So when I decided to give up meat, I found myself missing the sight of that lamb carving station. That's where falafels came into the picture. Once considered a great late night munchie snack has now turned into my main course when eating Middle Eastern Food. So if you find yourself out in Boston, check out the spots below to gobble down food or places to run by. Rating is based out of 5 Falafel points; 5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest. Not digging fried food? Check out this baked falafel recipe.

Falafel King in Downtown Crossing

Sure, this place may also be the residency to many homeless people, but leave your peripheral vision at the door and make sure not to sniff around too much, because that's definitely urine you're smelling. Keep your eye on the prize. Despite the dumpy food court location, Falafel King is one of the premier destinations of business people around the city. As you wait in line, the owner, otherwise known as the King, gleefully greets you with a free Falafel dipped in the delicious hummus.

Usually falafels can be on the dry side, but this business lives up to its namesake -- Falafel King. The fried ball of chickpeas are moist and taste great dipped in with their homemade hummus. Their hummus tastes watery compared to the packaged kind in stores, but it's a welcome change.

Whether you're more of pita or salad person, there is something for all. I usually get the salad and fafafels with the hummus and pita. You can assemble your own sandwich this way.

Rating: 3 Falafels

The Greek Corner in North Cambridge

I used to frequent this place quite a bit during my carnivore days. Their chicken gyro is worth coming here. The falafels, on the other hand, are so dry that you'll need a gallon of water to toss these suckers down. The tahini sauce is also extremely bitter tasting and doesn't compliment the sandwich. So if you do come by here, ask for taziki sauce instead. The cucumber sauce moistens up the dry falafels.

The buttery pitas and sides almost make up for how bad the falafel is, but I still don't think I'll be coming back here until they stop over frying their food.

Rating: 1 Falafel

More reviews coming soon. In the meantime, take a look at what Yelpers have to say.