My recent health crisis had left me twisting in the wind, so to speak. I was relegated to a low fiber diet for six weeks with little fancifuls allowed. No Pizza Friday. No steak. No sushi. No Chinese food. Frankly, nothing with real flavor beyond some chicken breast lightly sauteed with garlic. I ate more rice than I care to admit while sucking down Ensure Max Protein Nutrition Shakes three times a day. Though I have to say, it tastes good (no, I am not being paid to say that)! So this month, I wanted to try and give our readers some balance of their own in terms of health and flavor, after all this is the Health and Wellness issue!
That balance is not easy to achieve. And I wanted recipes that are turnkey and no-nonsense but still deliver on the deliciousness Great Bites has become known for. While thinking of what to include, I remembered that my friends at FreshDirect have some great, easy recipes on their website that I had recommended to a friend last year. So I asked them if they wanted to have some fun with me in this month’s column. After all, believe it or not, I was one of their first customers when they launched 23 years ago. Great company that has some amazing groceries, produce and much more!
I wanted to offer our readers two easy recipes, one focused more on health and the other on flavor, but that didn’t have too much fat, sugar or other cautionary ingredients. So after speaking with my friend in their PR department, we settled on two recipes; the Citrus & Rotisserie Chicken Salad for health, and the Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken for flavor. Next thing I know, a delivery of incredibly fresh produce, fresh chicken, Irish Soda Bread (to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day), a couple of veggie-oriented meal kits (as my wife is a vegetarian and hates to cook – yeah, I know – opposites attract LOL), and even treats for our furrever one, Brioreo, shows up at my apartment. Needless to say, I was not only touched, I was impressed.
I made both of the recipes, and filmed them, so that I could be sure it was exactly what I had believed them to be. Needless to say, I wasn’t just right… I was deliciously right. WOW! Head over to NYLM’s Instagram and you will see what I mean. Here we go…
CITRUS & ROTISSERIE CHICKEN SALAD
This salad is the most turnkey, yet flavorful, I have had in a long time. First of all, the rotisserie chicken they sell at FreshDirect is fresh, juicy and full of flavor. Second, the citrus fruit slices are complemented by the olive oil and lemon dressing while the red onion and salad greens add a beautiful, crunchy texture to the salad. All in all, this recipe delivers on every level and can be made at anytime; especially on those nights you are working late or just behind in your schedule. Personally I am going to start making this regularly as it just impressed me on so many levels!
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cara cara oranges, or other sweet citrus
• 5 ounces salad greens, like baby arugula or kale
• 1 cup shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken
• Half a red onion, sliced into thin rings
Instructions
Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Remove the peel from your oranges, trimming away any remaining white pith. Slice crosswise into pinwheels.
Place the fruit, greens, chicken, onion, and any additional ingredients in a large bowl. Toss with as much of the lemon dressing as you like and serve.
TAIWANESE THREE CUP CHICKEN
This dish will knock your flavor socks off and your waistline will never know! Think of it as a sneak attack of YUMMO without consequences! The name of this dish comes from the main sauce ingredients: soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil. And I can tell you, not only is it easy to make, but you can have it for dinner or even just for an appetizer to a larger meal. I flanked it with some Jasmine rice and it was unbelievably tasty!
Ingredients
• 3 tbsp + 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 2 tbsp water
• 3 tsp oil
• 6 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 2 inches sliced, unpeeled ginger
• 2 lb chicken wings or boneless thighs cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 sliced jalapeno
• 2 cups of basil leaves
• 1-2 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, white pepper and water. Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger. Cook until lightly browned. Remove garlic and ginger and set aside.
Increase heat to high. Add chicken. Sear 3-5 minutes, then pour in soy mixture. Bring to a boil, then return garlic and ginger to pot.
Cover and bring heat to medium low. Simmer until chicken is cooked and sauce is sticky, about 10 minutes for thighs or up to 15 for wings. Add jalapeño and basil leaves. Increase heat to high and stir well. Turn off heat and drizzle over sesame oil.
These recipes worked out better than I had hoped and I know so many of you will benefit from them! FreshDirect has an entire database of recipes varying in ranges of flavor profiles, dish types and cuisines. Most of them are straightforward and easy to make. Personally, like many foodies, I love taking existing recipes and adding my own bent to them, if you will. Though I have to say, in the case of these two recipes for this month, the only suggestion I might have is for the Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken: if you are looking to boost flavor and appearance, use only one tablespoon of sesame oil at the end. Then, plate your chicken with the aforementioned rice, and sprinkle both fresh cut strips of basil and sesame seeds. Then drizzle a few squiggles of sesame glaze across the top before serving to add some more color and texture to the dish.
By the way, you should know that FreshDirect also gives a lot of food to City Harvest, an organization I have worked with many times over the years that helps feed our city’s food insecure. I have a personal affection for this as I volunteer with seniors often and they are the largest food insecure group in New York. To learn more about City Harvest, please visit CityHarvest.org
Special thanks to my friends at FreshDirect for cooking with us this month. Their produce, meats and variety of grocery offerings is just perfect for anyone in the city looking to step up their quality game. To learn more about FreshDirect, to see their recipes and more, please visit FreshDirect.com
DECORATE YOUR TREATS FOR
EASTER/PASSOVER OR ANYTIME!
Let’s be honest, decorating food and beverage on a normal day is not the simplest thing, especially if you aren’t adept at using piping bags, icing, or cake spatulas, etc. And, often, what you may be making is not necessarily conducive to icing like foam on a cappuccino, cup of coffee with cream, flat cookies or a macaron. So, what is one to do?
I found this incredible EVEBOT PrintPen that not only helps to decorate both food and beverages, but it is also so easy to use! This is especially important if you are having a lot of guests over to celebrate the end of Lent or for Passover this month. The EVEBOT PrintPen makes it as easy as could be and uses an APP to program the pen. The ink in the cartridges is made of food coloring and water and certified by the FDA, so you can feel safe using it!
Look for a more in-depth story on this in May for Mother’s Day food and beverage décor.
To learn more, please visit printpen.myshopify.com
SNACK BITES
Every month, I will endeavor to bring you new, interesting and incredible snacks on top of the recipes, reviews and everything else that is Great Bites. Whether that is in the form of a new product, a new discovery or just something fun that I know you will love, this is where you will find it. In this month’s debut, I have two different new products that I know you’re going to go crazy over!
In the February issue, you read about my favorite chocolatier, M. Cacao. Well, they rocked my world in the most incredible way when Chef Delphin told me they were launching something new; The Shatter Collection. OMG! Each piece is a true work of art complementary of the great Masters! They are hand-painted and Chef-crafted, and while you may not want to, you MUST shatter them. As my friend who represents the brand says, “not as an act of destruction, but as an act of discovery!” Truer words were never spoken. There is something inside each piece of this delicious collection that simulates the interior of whatever is being shattered and is, as the French say, incroyable. As an example, inside the Koi is raspberry and passion fruit pate de fruit; inside the Star is lime marshmallow.
For more information, please visit mcacao.com
You’ve undoubtedly heard me wax poetically about Prospector Popcorn. Brilliant flavors with an even more incredible mission behind them: The company, part of the Prospector Theater in Ridgefield, Connecticut, employs people with disabilities who are called Prospects. Roughly 75% of their employee base self-identifies with a disability. I’ve had their popcorn many times over the last two months. Their flavors are creative, fun and the quality is unreal! They have this incredible new flavor hitting in April to celebrate Autism Acceptance Month called Superstar Crunch. It’s colorful candy-coated chocolate chips and brownie bits that are generously mixed in with their Classic Caramel gourmet popcorn. Cosmic blue sparkles are hand-mixed into Superstar Crunch, making it really shine. Talk about a great way to show support for such an incredible cause!
For more information, please visit prospectorpopcorn.org