Three Little Drunken Monkeys

Greetings from New York! I'm back in the big apple this week with my grown-up job and delving into new and old spots. Being away from the city, I forget just how cool and exciting the food scene is here. I guess I've just been distracted with my own hometown heros as of late!

Drunken Munkey's infamous punch

First up on the list to report back is Drunken Munkey a favorite I've frequented with SP, my partner in crime and former roomie. DM serves up delicous, authentic Indian food alongside a killer cocktail list. The place has great lighting, hilarious monkey-themed decor, wonderfully warm staff and is always packed!

I must admit that prior to last night, I had only sampled their cocktails so I was definitely excited to sample their bombay bites. SP and I ordered chili cheese toast points to start along side our bubbles. I really love how the Munkey serves their drinks in vintage glasses, it's a nice touch of class. The toast was perfectly crispy with a nice kick of heat off the chili.

Nothing like some good cheesy toast!

For mains, I went with the Drunken Munkey Lamb Biryani and SP chose the Butter Paneer Tikka Masala. A word to the wise - bring your appetite! The portions are huge, and the flavors just as big! My Biryani was both rich and nicely spicy with big chunks of tender lamb, all baked in a thin dough. The side yoghurt sauce blended really well to soften some of the heat off those delicious Indian spices. SP was just as happy with her cheese-fest of Paneer.

Beautiful Lamb Biryani

LOOK AT THAT

SP's cheese fest continued

We washed our meals down with DM's seasonal punch with the warm glow of good food and good times on our faces.

Pretty glasses for pretty people

I know I'll be dreaming of that biryani when I'm back in Buffalo in the best way possible. If you're up on the Upper East Side, or heck anywhere in the vicinity of the five boroughs, Drunken Munkey is a must-do!

Drunken Munkey
East 92nd St
New York, NY 10128
646.998.4600

We Just Call Them Sausages Over Here...

Healthy Bangers & Mash Oye!

If Mrs. Featherbottom had asked, "would anybody like a banger in the mouth?" last night, I would have answered with a resounding yes. Comfort food from across the pond was what I desired, however no Tobias Funke was in sight.

Off to Whole Foods I went on a very snowy Saturday in the hopes of gathering ingredients for this stodgy fill. I wanted to make a healthier version of this classic dish so I substituted in chicken sausage and sweet potato like a pro. I also whipped up my own version of baked beans. All in all I was very pleased with the result and gave this twist on a classic an A-.

Try it out for yourself and let me know how it goes!

Healthy Bangers & Mash

Serves 2

2 sweet potatoes
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 chicken sausages (I used Bilinski's Roasted Red Pepper & Asiago Cheese)
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup kale
1 cup garbanzo beans
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, cut into strips
1/3 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 pinch dried basil
1 dash paprika

1 splash red wine

The healthy way to sausage!

In a medium to large pot, bring water to a boil and add the sweet potatoes. Lower to medium heat after 10 minutes and keep cooking.

In a large NON-STICK frying pan, sweat the onions and mushrooms until soft. Add the sundried tomatoes and garbanzo beans. Splash the red wine in along with the spices and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

While the bean mixture is cooking, turn the oven on to broil. Pierce the sausages and put in for about 12-15 minutes.

Go back to the bean mixture and add the kale to wilt. Sweet potatoes should nearly be done now, take these out of the water and peel off the skin, careful not to scald your fingertips! Mash the sweeties up and portion out onto two plates. Sprinkle with the feta cheese

Fancy Sweet Potato Mash to the left; "Baked Beans" to the right

                              
Scoop out the "baked beans" and top with the sausages once done. Voila! Guilt-free bangers and mash!

And for the AD fans... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtW7eaSvd6A

Dig In? Don't Mind if I Do!

I work in midtown, where there are a plethora of options at lunch time. Most days I bring from home, but if I don't, I find myself nearly overwhelmed with all the choice and end up defaulting to Chop't. Last week, I completely dropped the proverbial brown-bag ball and frequented Chop'd twice, so by Friday I was pretty much salad-ed out.

Yes, please do suggest!

With my belly grumbling and no idea of where to go for lunch, I asked my coworker C where a good, healthy(ish) spot might be. She suggested Dig In on W 55th Street between 5th & 6th. Dig In's philosophy is to make healthy food delicious and fun, with a menu based on the seasons. I was intrigued so I bundled up and hit the pavement on this very chilly Friday.

Daily specials menu

When I got to Dig In there was a decent sized-line formed outside. I took this to be a good sign because if people are excited enough of DI's food to wait outside on a blustery Friday, the product must be good! The line did move fast and before I knew it I was inside the warm interior with the rich smell of roasting veg wafting about. I grabbed a menu and decided to go for the big plate : 1 protein, 1 grain and 3 sides. (Hint: it's a good idea to peruse the menu either online or in line while you wait as they do try to move you along quickly through.) The layout of the 55th St location actually reminded me a bit of Blazing Salads in Dublin, with the small space and kitzy decor. The menu changes seasonally which is cool so you can always try something different. I went for the spicy meatballs, raw baby spinach for my "grain" (love that option to substitute!) beet salad, macaroni and cheese, aaanndddd BRUSSEL SPROUTS! I have oft said that I eat anything except these little gems, but Friday I thought I would face my fear after all and dive right in. I am so glad I did, also because these sprouts were perfectly roasted with a hint of sea salt and a bit of crispiness! The mac & cheese was a substitute for the chickpea salad as it was sold out. I was kind of bummed about the chickpea salad but the homemade M&C had an expert ratioed of cheese to pasta.... mmm mmm mmm.The beet salad was super fresh and hopefully balanced out the rest of my plate with it's superfood qualities! Spicy meatballs were the piece de resistance: lovely ground lamb with a kick of cayenne and smoky chili in the sauce. Certainly warmed up my belly!

My delicious feast!

I am so happy to have found Dig In and can't wait to go back for lunch again! If you're visiting, do take into account that there probably will be a line but don't let it deter you! It's well worth the wait!

Dig In
(Six locations across Manhattan)
40 W 55th St
New York, NY 10019
212.246.6844
http://www.diginn.com/home/

Chickpea Delight

It's recipe time y'all! This next one is a staple of mine, I usually make it at least once a month: it's great to prepare on a Sunday night as it makes enough for almost the whole week's dinner and the ingredients are very wallet-friendly. Plus the flavors only get better as the week goes on! I tend to improvise a little bit each time so I encourage you to get creative and maybe even go off the grid :-)

Ingredients

Base ingredients

• 1 14oz can chickpeas 
• 1 22oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 white onion, chopped roughly
• 1 sweet potato, softened and cubed
• 1/4 lb chorizo
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt, pepper
• pinch chili flakes, cumin, etc
• 1 cup rice
• creme fraiche/sour cream/crumbled feta

Start off by preparing your rice. A few years ago my good friend FT taught me the secret to perfect rice: use a ratio of 2:1 water:rice. So for 1 cup rice, cook with 2 cups water. Bring the water to a boil, add the rice and take down to medium-low heat. 20 minutes later and rice is ready! But I digress. I've also used couscous so if you're going that route, don't start until you're at the simmer stage of the chickpea mixture.

Simma Don-NA

Next, grab a large, deep frying pan or a wok and saute the garlic and onions together in the olive oil. If using chorizo, add this now along with the sweet potato. Once the onions are soft and chorizo is slightly browned, add the chickpeas and stir slowly until everything has mixed, about 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and any other spices you want. I sometimes also add a pinch of sugar if the canned tomatoes taste bitter. Bring to a boil then simmer for approx 5-10 minutes.

Scoop out a portion of rice, add your chickpea mixture. I usually top with some creme fraiche, sour cream or a crumbled feta depending on my mood (or how spicy I went!) Put the remainder in Tupperware to cool on the countertop and there you have it: chickpea delight!

What a delight of chickpeas!!

P.S Chickpeas are the best! How did your delights turn out?