Weekend of Sweet Brooklyn Eden (Eatin')

This weekend Mom and me spent the most beautiful weathered weekend together gallivanting through the city! We spent the first day at the High Line Park and Chelsea Market where we found an unopened bottle of wine left in a store next to a chair and liberated it from being consumed by people who didn't need it as bad as we did! After hitting up the market, we walked to the East Village to try and go to dinner at Souen, a super delicious macrobiotic restaurant, but the 13th st one was closed. We decided the the Alphabet City Souen would be too far to walk to so we went to Sacred Chow on Sullivan St in the West Village.

I didn't have my camera, but we ate delicious collards with sesame seeds, steamed asparagus with Dijon mustard, and absolutely scrumptious eggplant and millet cakes with Dijon mustard. We also ordered a pitcher of Sangria which wasn't that good, but it was such a nice day for it, the idea of delicious Sangria might have been enough!


The next day, we spent the day in Williamsburg, we checked out a bunch of used clothing stores and vintage shops and stopped in the afternoon for a beer. I had a Flower Power IPA from Ithica Brewing Company. It is something that I have been wanting to try for a long time! It was delicious, very robust and full of sensuous flavors of bitter hops and grapefruits! We also snacked on Falafel chips (my mom got me hooked!) and the most amazing vegan cheese I have ever eaten, Dr. Cows Aged Cashew Cheese. It seems like it might be a tad expensive, but once you take your first bite, it is entirely worth every penny.


We stopped at the farmers market and bough a bottle of tart cherry nectar, we decided to make our own Sangria later with the Nectar, the wine we commandeered, some raspberry vodka, and a granny smith apple I had in my apartment. We also decided to do dinner in that night and made a super delicious Coconut Curry with tofu, cauliflower, carrots, kale, and mango over Basmati Rice. we Ate on my roof and watched the sunset with the sangria and a few beers.

The next day we planned to go to the Brooklyn Flea market in Park Slope and then the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. We saw some beautiful roses and an English Weeping Beach Tree and relaxed in the grass. Later we ran into a street fair and then stopped for dinner at The V Spot in Park Slope. After dinner we went to Lula's Apothecary and got a pint of PB+J and Banana Vegan Cashew Ice Cream. Superb!!!!



SE FIN!

SOUP NAZI-- Cream of Broccoli with Cheddar and Chicken

Making homemade soup is such a visceral experience, rewarding and believe it or not, easy to do. Not only that, but delicious and nutritious and a way to WOW the crowd. Ever watch the episode of Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi"? Well, it's that good. Stand in line for an hour good. Better yet, simmer on the stove all day good. BETTER the next day good, that is, if it lasts that long.

I never use a recipe to make soup and tonight was no different. I've been craving broccoli cheddar soup for a week, but tonight, it's whats for dinner. I used a left over chicken carcass from last night's precooked chicken (for chix Caesar salad) and added water to cover, 2 celery stalks with tops on and a tablespoon of peppercorns or so. Since it was precooked, I didn't add salt, but if it is a fresh whole chicken I would add salt to the water. Simmer for a few hours until the chicken is falling off the bone. Let sit until cool (or over night as I did) and strain. Add fresh broccoli florets to fill the liquid, cover and simmer until soft. In the mean time, saute an onion with a little olive oil in a pan. When softened, add a tsp of red pepper flakes or so. Saute 1 minute and add to broccoli and broth. Continue to cook until broccoli is very soft. Puree with a "boat motor", one of those little hand held blenders. Turn off burner and add half and half, a cup or until creamy looking. Add grated sharp cheddar cheese, like Cabot's, oh about 1 1/2- 2 cups. Add a squirt of Srirachi Hot Sauce to taste. Then add any chicken that was left from the bird, maybe 2 cups. Let sit for a few minute and serve with a loaf of crusty bread. OK, I know, I always say that, but add a hot crusty loaf of bread to any meal... well it just makes it better.

Check out the Soup Nazi on Youtube :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2lfZg-apSA