This cool Asian style salad is perfect for the warmer days of spring and summer. It started out with Penny searching the refrigerator to figure out what to serve with some chicken breasts that had been sous vided with garlic, ginger, scallion, and a touch of toasted sesame oil.
She found napa cabbage, carrot, cucumber, scallions, radishes and pickled ginger. The herb vase on the kitchen counter had Thai basil, mint, parsley, and flowering chives. Since we both love Bun Thit Nuong, that was her inspiration.
She decided to julienne the vegetables to take the place of the noodles and make a dressing with the same flavor profile as the chicken. That had seasoned rice vinegar, avocado oil, finely sliced pickled ginger, and a touch of toasted sesame oil. The chive flowers were sprinkled on top for color and fun.
Since this was just a salad for two, Penny used her Kuhn Rikon Julienne Peeler to shred a carrot and cucumber. If she were making it for a crowd, she might have taken out a mandoline or used our food processor. The cabbage, radishes, and scallions were sliced thin with a new Wusthof Nakiri knife that we bought on vacation this year.
We both love it and are slowly learning the chopping technique that works best with this style of knife.
Is a large piece of meat the centerpiece of your plate? Is eating the recommended daily serving of fruits and vegetables a chore for you? Maybe it’s time to make room for more plants on your personal menu. With so many people opting for alternatives to the meat-heavy American diet, it’s becoming easier to enjoy healthier produce-heavy recipes at home and away.
Chefs Leading the Way
For inspiration on the creative use of fruits and vegetables in main courses, I look at menus at small, local restaurants where a chef is creating new recipes to tempt diners. One great example is a lobster salad that has been on the menu the last few months at Select Oyster Bar (shown in the photos above).
Like many New Englanders, I love lobster. But for me a whole lobster meal or hot buttery lobster roll has to be an occasional treat. The lobster salad that Chef Michael Serpa created is something that I’m comfortable eating more often. He has loaded it with vegetables; dressed it with a light, zingy dressing; and used a generous amount of lobster as a part of a more complex and, in the end, more interesting dish.
Chef Jody Adams’ new restaurant Porto in the Prudential Center complex tempted me with a meatless meal made up of a wonderful salad and delightful pasta dish. Adding figs, pecorino cheese, and crispy, thin croutons to an arugula salad made it fun, filling, and delicious. That and a plate of pasta (campanelle with feta, soft herbs, pine nuts, and tomato) were all I needed for Sunday brunch. I didn’t realize, until I looked back on it, that I had selected a meatless meal.
Meat as a Condiment in Ethnic Favorites
If you are looking to boost your veggie intake, think about some of your favorite ethnic meals, especially from places where those dishes are less Americanized. A takeout order from a more traditional Chinese restaurant like Gourmet Dumpling in Chinatown or their sister restaurant Dumpling Palace on Massachusetts Avenue can easily be vegetable-forward.
I usually add an all-vegetable dish like sautéed string beans to our order. But many of the dishes that do include meat use that protein as a condiment rather than as the majority of the meal. With a more traditional, less Chinese/American approach, even a dish like Kung Pao Chicken has more vegetables than meat in these hands.
Think of your favorite noodle and rice dishes like the Bun Thit Nuong from Pho Basil shown above. How much meat vs rice or noodles do they contain?
Is a large piece of meat the centerpiece of your plate? Is eating the recommended daily serving of fruits and vegetables a chore for you? Maybe it’s time to make room for more plants on your personal menu. With so many people opting for alternatives to the meat-heavy American diet, it’s becoming easier to enjoy healthier produce-heavy recipes at home and away.
Chefs Leading the Way
For inspiration on the creative use of fruits and vegetables in main courses, I look at menus at small, local restaurants where a chef is creating new recipes to tempt diners. One great example is a lobster salad that has been on the menu the last few months at Select Oyster Bar (shown in the photos above).
Like many New Englanders, I love lobster. But for me a whole lobster meal or hot buttery lobster roll has to be an occasional treat. The lobster salad that Chef Michael Serpa created is something that I’m comfortable eating more often. He has loaded it with vegetables; dressed it with a light, zingy dressing; and used a generous amount of lobster as a part of a more complex and, in the end, more interesting dish.
Chef Jody Adams’ new restaurant Porto in the Prudential Center complex tempted me with a meatless meal made up of a wonderful salad and delightful pasta dish. Adding figs, pecorino cheese, and crispy, thin croutons to an arugula salad made it fun, filling, and delicious. That and a plate of pasta (campanelle with feta, soft herbs, pine nuts, and tomato) were all I needed for Sunday brunch. I didn’t realize, until I looked back on it, that I had selected a meatless meal.
Meat as a Condiment in Ethnic Favorites
If you are looking to boost your veggie intake, think about some of your favorite ethnic meals, especially from places where those dishes are less Americanized. A takeout order from a more traditional Chinese restaurant like Gourmet Dumpling in Chinatown or their sister restaurant Dumpling Palace on Massachusetts Avenue can easily be vegetable-forward.
I usually add an all-vegetable dish like sautéed string beans to our order. But many of the dishes that do include meat use that protein as a condiment rather than as the majority of the meal. With a more traditional, less Chinese/American approach, even a dish like Kung Pao Chicken has more vegetables than meat in these hands.
Think of your favorite noodle and rice dishes like the Bun Thit Nuong from Pho Basil shown above. How much meat vs rice or noodles do they contain?
Bowls filled with ramen, vegetables, grains, noodles, and soups will grow in importance on restaurant, food truck, and take out menus. Part of this trend is due to our growing acceptance of authentic ethnic cuisines. The need for gluten-free (GF) menu items has restaurants offering the GF-safe ingredients from something like a burrito in a bowl rather than a wrap.
In addition, many of these bowls contain warm, filling, comfort foods from the cultures where they originated and we quickly grow to love them for the same reason.
"What the Back Bay needs is a good deli," we hear this from neighbors all the time. We try to explain that the economics of rents in this neighborhood is probably going to prevent that from happening, but we do think we will have more great delicatessens popping up around the area.
And this new version of the old deli features high quality, often house-made meats, and prepared foods. This trend was started in Waltham by Moody's Delicatessen & Provisions. We are thrilled to learn that we will be able to sample their wares from shared space within the new Gordon's Boston store in Downtown Crossing.
While for us a deli sandwich is an occasional treat, we do have a few old favorites. Sam LaGrassa's is always on our list of recommendations for visitors. If we're in Coolidge Corner, we'll pick up sandwiches from Michael's Deli.
Tacos filled with lamb in barbacoa sauce from Tenoch Mexican Taqueria. (More photos here.)
Regional Mexican Food
A second national trend that seems to be slowly appearing in Boston is restaurants offering authentic, regional Mexican cuisines like our much loved Angela’s Cafe in East Boston and the small local Tenoch Mexican Taqueria restaurants and food cart.
What are you seeing in the world of local food that makes you smile? Add your thoughts in the comments below. Tweet them to @BostonZest or send us an email and we'll add your suggestions to this post as an update.
We have a few more trends to talk about and will link to that post when it is published.
Bowls filled with ramen, vegetables, grains, noodles, and soups will grow in importance on restaurant, food truck, and take out menus. Part of this trend is due to our growing acceptance of authentic ethnic cuisines. The need for gluten-free (GF) menu items has restaurants offering the GF-safe ingredients from something like a burrito in a bowl rather than a wrap.
In addition, many of these bowls contain warm, filling, comfort foods from the cultures where they originated and we quickly grow to love them for the same reason.
"What the Back Bay needs is a good deli," we hear this from neighbors all the time. We try to explain that the economics of rents in this neighborhood is probably going to prevent that from happening, but we do think we will have more great delicatessens popping up around the area.
And this new version of the old deli features high quality, often house-made meats, and prepared foods. This trend was started in Waltham by Moody's Delicatessen & Provisions. We are thrilled to learn that we will be able to sample their wares from shared space within the new Gordon's Boston store in Downtown Crossing.
While for us a deli sandwich is an occasional treat, we do have a few old favorites. Sam LaGrassa's is always on our list of recommendations for visitors. If we're in Coolidge Corner, we'll pick up sandwiches from Michael's Deli.
Tacos filled with lamb in barbacoa sauce from Tenoch Mexican Taqueria. (More photos here.)
Regional Mexican Food
A second national trend that seems to be slowly appearing in Boston is restaurants offering authentic, regional Mexican cuisines like our much loved Angela’s Cafe in East Boston and the small local Tenoch Mexican Taqueria restaurants and food cart.
What are you seeing in the world of local food that makes you smile? Add your thoughts in the comments below. Tweet them to @BostonZest or send us an email and we'll add your suggestions to this post as an update.
We have a few more trends to talk about and will link to that post when it is published.
Do you think cool, crisp, and refreshing when you think of Asian food? If not, it’s time to begin exploring the food of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. When dining out, we’ve even surprised some of our dedicated ethnic-food-loving friends when we add a selection of refreshing summer items to our table’s order.
Here's one of our favorite versions of Bun Thit Nuong from Pho Basil. We opted for grilled lemongrass chicken as our protein addition to this lovely noodle salad.
“Salads are such a basic part of eating along the Mekong that they can almost be considered a staple food. They can be as simple as a wedge of parboiled cabbage and a plate of fresh cucumber slices or as elaborate as a mixed array of greens and herbs flavored with a dressing of succulent fried minced pork and a hot-sour-salty fresh dressing …”
Here's the take out version from Pho Basil. However, if you are not near their Back Bay/Symphony location, you can find a food truck take on this dish from Bon Me.
Do you think cool, crisp, and refreshing when you think of Asian food? If not, it’s time to begin exploring the food of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. When dining out, we’ve even surprised some of our dedicated ethnic-food-loving friends when we add a selection of refreshing summer items to our table’s order.
Here's one of our favorite versions of Bun Thit Nuong from Pho Basil. We opted for grilled lemongrass chicken as our protein addition to this lovely noodle salad.
“Salads are such a basic part of eating along the Mekong that they can almost be considered a staple food. They can be as simple as a wedge of parboiled cabbage and a plate of fresh cucumber slices or as elaborate as a mixed array of greens and herbs flavored with a dressing of succulent fried minced pork and a hot-sour-salty fresh dressing …”
Here's the take out version from Pho Basil. However, if you are not near their Back Bay/Symphony location, you can find a food truck take on this dish from Bon Me.
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