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My Father’s Famous Omelette Recipe

Posted by roodonfood on April 29, 2012 in Recipes

My father is not into cooking at all. One item he takes great pride in though is his famous omelette. He made it for Ma for her birthday and it was quite successful.

Yields 3 Omelettes:
6 eggs
A fistful of cilantro: chopped
1 plum tomato: diced
3 teaspoons of onion: chopped
2 tablespoon bell pepper: diced
Cheese (to taste)
Green Chili (to taste)
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon water
3 cloves garlic: chopped as fine as possible
salt – to taste
Crack eggs and pour into bowl. Add in all other ingredients except for cilantro. Whip with a fork or mixer until eggs begin to get a little frothy.

Baba diligently chopping tomatoes.

Add oil to frying pan. Heat up pan to low (to retain moisture). Once the pan heats up, add in 1/3 of egg mixture. Allow omelette to solidify (roughly 7-8 minutes). Once solidified flip one side towards the center, followed by the other side. Remove omelette from heat and place on plate. Garnish with cilantro on top. Repeat process for the next two omelettes. Enjoy.

Feel free to share any tips or recipes with your favorite omelette recipe. Here are a few others I came across which looked good:

http://sjhealthyeating.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/my-favorite-healthy-meal-a-simple-healthy-omelette/

http://honeyzandvinegar.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/omurice-aka-omelette-rice/

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On the Border: Deleted Mexican Food

Posted by roodonfood on April 28, 2012 in Uncategorized

For Ma’s birthday she asked us skip her usual Red Lobster in favor of a chain Mexican place called On the Border.  I was excited to have Mexican because generally my father in unwilling to go, picturing nothing but “beans and cheese.”

Negatives: All the food fell into either the dry or too salty category. My parents got the fish with lump crab on top. The fish was overcooked and salty. I got the Dos XX fish tacos which I think provided my salt intake for 3 days. The refried beans had way too much manteca. The rice would be what I’d describe as “classic” meaning from several hours prior and unintentionally crunchy.

Customary Split Entree – They liked their food.

The offending fish tacos and manteca-d refried beans

Positives: The service was great. The waitress was attentive and the manager came around multiple times to check on us. The portions were quite large. My parents made the smart decision of splitting an entree. The drinks were great as well. My father and I had margaritas and Ma had a pina colada. The desert, Kahlua Ice Cream Pie was great. We split it three ways, even still it was decadent.

My parents being old school and more tolerant than I enjoyed their food at On the Border and would go back. Dad even avoided getting “beans and cheese.”

Kahlua Pie: Delicious but Dangerous

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Awesome Foods: toasted muffins with butter

Posted by roodonfood on April 26, 2012 in Uncategorized

One of the simple pleasures of living in the NJ/NY/CT area is the toasted muffin with butter. I got this Banana Nut Muffin at Bagels and Wraps located at 523 5th Ave between 13th/14th in Park Slope Brooklyn for $2.25. I go to this particular shop because there is a curmudgeonly man who works there who rarely smiles. I take that as a challenge. My theory is that the more curmudgeonly, the better the food. It’s worth noting though that he’s been smiling a lot more.  Maybe he got some good news? In any case the happiness translates to good muffins.

I didn’t ask them too but they cut the muffin into three pieces for extra buttery goodness. It’s delicious no matter what type you get but Banana Nut and Lemon Poppy are my favorites. It’s debatable that there is anything tastier than a warm, buttered muffin on an unseasonably cold day.

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Sesmark Rice Thins: Sesame

Posted by roodonfood on April 25, 2012 in Uncategorized

I guess it was bound to happen. I finally had a rice cracker I didn’t care for. The Sesmark Sesame Rice Thins are good quality but don’t taste the way you expect from rice crackers. The package contains around 64 crackers and the weights 4.25 ounces. Again rice crackers weigh a lot less but still get quite a few. These were $2.99 at the local grocery.Other flavors include Cheddar, Brown Rice, and Teriyaki

The Sesame Rice Thins are made with tamari soy sauce allowing it to be gluten free. This is probably why the crackers are a little salty (they also have garlic powder and salt).

They actually taste very similar to wheat biscuits. This in itself is impressive, especially for those who are gluten free but miss that flavor. I’m not a fan of wheat biscuits. Overall, A for approximating wheat, but C for taste. I’d suggest eating these with a lighter cheese or dip to lighten the cracker flavor.

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Jay’s Caribbean Cuisine in Lawrenceville (metro Atlanta)

Posted by roodonfood on April 21, 2012 in Uncategorized

One of my favorite things to do while visiting family is to introduce them to new foods. My parents are based in Lawrenceville Georgia, an Atlanta suburb. It’s easy to drive around this large metropolis and only notice the strip malls full of nail salons, bail bondsman and laudromats. If you drop your cynicism though and really take a close look, you’ll notice the thousands of independent groceries and food establishments.

On the way back from taking my parents to the doctor’s office on Hurricane Shoals Rd we came across a small strip mall with an establishment called Jay’s Caribbean Cuisine. I’m a big fan of Jamaican patties as previously mentioned so I very excited to stop somewhere for a snack other than McDonald’s.

They knew that roti, fish and goat were common to the Indian and Jamaican diet but they weren’t familiar with my favorite snack. I got a veg pattie ($1.70) and they both loved it. The inside was piping hot and full of stewed veggies. I liked the slight black peppery flavor. I knew it was a success when my father suggested getting patties for a snack today as well. I suspect they’ll be back as reward after their next stop at the doctor’s office.

Jay’s Caribean Cuisine
150 Hurricane Shoals Rd #H
Lawrenceville, GA 30045
(678) 682-8200

My father eating the veggie pattie contentedly.

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Hershey’s Special Dark – a serious question

Posted by roodonfood on April 16, 2012 in Snacks, Sweet Beat

Why do they place you in variety packs when we all know you’re so much better than the other chocolates?

You are forced to live with inferior chocolates like Krackel and Mr. Goodbar. Of course, to make you last longer I must eat the others but it feels laborious at times. I have love for the regular milk chocolate but the other guys? We all know you’re the only one of the bunch to eat. If I were you, I’d get a new contract.

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Snikiddy Baked Fries: Gluten Free (Classic Ketchup Flavor)

Posted by roodonfood on April 13, 2012 in gluten free, Snacks, vegan

Here’s the deal. Because of this gluten free thing I’ve tried to keep my eyes open for new tasty snacks which meet dietary restrictions. In the crunchies category there are tons of corn/tortilla, or sweet potato chips out there. Very few however aspire to have flavors beyond the base ingredients. The Snikiddy Baked Fries are exciting because they’re ketchup flavor. Ketchup flavor initially doesn’t sound terribly appealing but I think it’s important to support a company trying to add additional flavors to the spectrum, besides which it was on sale for only $2.50.

The fries are primarily potato flake and corn. It’s important to know ahead of time that the pack is ketchup flavored lest you have a weird reaction. The ketchup comes through loud and clear. I really like the mild sweet and sour from the tomato. The fries are thin and crunchy. There is a decent crunch as well despite being baked not fried. Because they’re “fry” form they remind me of Andy Capps. I’d get these again for their uniqueness. I’m also open to trying some of the other flavors they offer including BBQ, Southwest Cheddar and Plain. It’s worth noting that they have a handy store locator feature on their website: http://snikiddy.com/purchase

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Asian Gourmet Rice Crackers (Sesame): Gluten Free

Posted by roodonfood on April 12, 2012 in gluten free, Snacks, Uncategorized

When my girlfriend switched to gluten free it caused a reassessment in what to buy when we snack together. A happy discovery was rice crackers. Lately I’ve enjoyed the Asian Gourmet Rice Crackers (Sesame) (another good brand is the ubiquitous KA-ME). They’re baked and low in fat. The packet was only $1.79 for a 3.5 oz packet from Eagle Provisions. That’s not a lot of weight but keep in mind that rice crackers don’t weight much (there are around 50 crackers to a pack).

They feel decidedly lighter than most wheat flour based crackers but still give you an awesome crunch without fear of breaking your teeth. Other flavors include cheese, plain and wasabi. I recommend pairing the sesame ones with cheddar cheese for maximum benefit. If you check them out let me know what you like to eat them with.

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Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry: A disturbance in the force

Posted by roodonfood on April 10, 2012 in Random, Sweet Beat

My brother is on the snack beat in London currently. One of the first things he sees: a sign for the Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry. My love for the quintessential Easter candy is documented but this sounds waaaaaay too rich. Warning: Image (in my opinion) is disturbing:

Call me old fashioned but I don’t think a “gooey” shake sounds terribly appealing. Hopefully the Cadbury Egg McFlurry stays on the other side of the pond.

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Primorski Restaurant: Brighton Beach, Brooklyn

Posted by roodonfood on April 8, 2012 in Food Adventures

I took a college buddy to Coney Island and down the boardwalk to Brighton Beach recently. I’ve gotten food to go several times in Brighton Beach but was never bold enough to try a sit down place. Places such as the National looked so ostentatious I assumed every place would be too high end. Bolstered by the presence of this open-minded friend I finally tried one called Primorski.

The inside is fairly dark and feels very much like a lounge. It’s packed with tables and has a small stage.  There are large pictures of old fishing vessels evenly spaced on the wall. Primorski means “near the sea.” The dining area, while windowless had it’s doors open and felt comfortable. Going in for lunch at 12pm, we were a little sheepish because there were no other customers.

The waiter though was very friendly and spoke decent English. After long deliberations because everything sounded amazing we opted for quite a few things. First as appetizers we got an order of lavash, an extremly fluffy bread with butter. Secondly, we ordered the cold appetizer, beef tongue, which was a new for me. It was fairly tasty but honestly reminded me a lot of regular roast beef. Thirdly, we got the khachapuri, a square filo dough based pastry with cheese inside. It was amazing. As I think of it now I’m having a Pavlovian reaction.

From Left to Right: beef tongue, khachapuri, kharcho, lavash bread

As part of the lunch special ($6.99), the Kharcho Lamb Soup was perfect for a breezy day. It had pleasant sour taste and had bits of rice, lamb, and celery. As my main course I tried the Goulash with a side of Kasha. The goulash was delicious though my complaint is that the only vegetable was carrots. My friend got the Chicken Kiev which was a generous portion alongside with eggplant wrapped with walnuts.

Goulash and Kasha

Chicken Kiev with Walnut-Stuffed Eggplant and Veggies.

As a first visit to a Brighton Beach restaurant  I was really, really happy. We waited for a long time for our food but it was worth it. The waiter was very attentive. We learned that Primorski is 30 years old. At the end he suggested we come back in the evening for the singing of songs in Russian, Polish, and English. I’ll be really excited to go back.

Primorski Menu

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