Review: The Pinch, Washington DC

You will never guess what in the world you're going to get here.  EVERYTHING is so above what you'd expect it'll knock your slippers off.  This is totally what happens when a bunch of foodie nerds decide to open up a casual, possibly hipster, possibly dive gastropub in upper Columbia Heights. Last night we split the Pretzel Crusted Fried Pickles with horseradish mustard.... which you HAVE to get when you try this place.  Then we also split the Jerk Turkey Burger which is like nothing you've ever tasted and the Pulled Duck Sandwich with hoisin bbq.  Oh and they all came with about a thousand parmesan fries.  They have plenty of healthy things on the menu but take advantage and make this the place for your cheat night.  Lots more is coming to this space including outdoor cafe seating, (bottomless?) brunch, and a lower level lounge with communal tables, couches, a stage for performances and big screen for movie nights.  CHECK THIS PLACE OUT!  The Pinch 548 14th St NW (4/5 blocks north of Target) http://www.thepinchdc.com   ....I might have to stop by again tonight on my way home.

easiest "stuffed" zucchini ever

This is so easy, you can prep it way in advance and it basically cooks itself.  Get your zucchini, wash and cut them in half.  Place them on an aluminum foil covered cookie sheet or baking pan, season with some olive oil, salt and pepper then spoon on your favorite Italian-style dip or tapanade.  A few spoons of pesto, an olive tapanade from Harris Teeter or even an artichoke bruschetta topping. Make your own or buy it already made.  Toss it in the oven at 275-300 for 15-20 minutes or until the zucchini are tender with your fork.  Serve warm or room temperature.  An awesome vegan, gluten & dairy free and light carb dish! 

skinny guacamole

Well, we all love our Skinny Margaritas and whole grain tortillas but look at this great tip I got from June Eating Well magazine.  Replace half your avocado with cooked zucchini to cut about 100 calories and 6 grams of fat per serving.  I tried and and it tastes great. Its the same color, consistency and even has more nutritional diversity than regular guac.  If you're not making your own I also don't see why you can't mix in half part zucchini into your favorite store-bought brand.  Eat up and stay skinny!

2 pot 1 platter meal. roasted lamb and risotto

So I told you a while ago how to make real risotto here and how to cheat and make a super easy risotto here, but now we'll quickly and easily round off our meal with a ruota di carne.  So easy it cooks itself.  Get a leg of lamb (you can use it whole or  butterflied and in smaller pieces is even easier) mix it with a pile of your favorite root vegetables like carrots, onions, and potatoes; season and marinate them however you'd like (I love to throw in fresh rosemary, sage, garlic and cured olives) then toss everything in an oiled pan or casserole, cover and cook at 400 degrees, for about 15-20 minutes per pound.  Calculate more or less how long everything will be the oven and plan dinner accordingly.  When the meat is done, take everything out, serve it over your favorite risotto and WHAM, that's a hearty dinner.

garlic shrimp with toasted almonds almonds over quinoa.

This is a stretched variation of a Bahraini dish I learned in college.  Cook some plain quinoa and set aside (2 parts water 1 part quinoa bring to a boil and let simmer for 15-20 minutes) in a serving platter.  Then in a large pan gently brown some garlic in olive oil then toss in some chili pepper and defrosted, peeled and deveined shrimp (figure at least a couple per person depending how large they are).  Let them cook 5-10 minutes on medium-to-high until they're pink and starting to go golden brown.  Remove and layer the shrimp over the rice then quickly, on low-to-medium heat toss in a handful of sliced almonds, let them brown (it only takes seconds, if you walk away they'll burn), if you like quickly deglaze with a few teaspoons of vermouth  then pour the almonds and seasoned oil over the shrimp and quinoa, crack some black pepper, garnish with chopped parsley and be ready to wow your guests.

fastest risotto on earth - and it's totally cheating

Every once in a blue moon I end up just having way too many peppers, or pumpkins or something I have to use up.  The easiest thing to do is cook whatever the heck down, maybe throw it in the food processor and make a soup. Freeze it in portion-sized containers and there's dinner when you're in a rush.  Well, having a semi-constant supply of soup in the freezer can make a guy a little creative... just use that instead of water when boiling rice.  If you don't have any frozen (and you probably don't because you're not a crazy person or your mom in the 70's) choose your favorite boxed quart of soup from Trader Joes or Whole Foods, bring 2.5 parts of the soup and 1 part rice it to a near boil then cover and shift off the heat or let simmer for 20 minutes.  If it's too "dry," raise the heat again and add a little more soup, a little too "wet" raise the heat to medium and stir till it's the right consistency (don't let it stick to the bottom!).  Use anything from butternut squash to creamy tomato, this is TOTALLY CHEATING but I love it.  This can be as vegetarian as you want - you decide how much cheese or pepper you want to add at the end.

sausage and raw olives

This is an extremely old and traditional meal from southern Italy but quite uncommon in the States.  As you may or may not be aware, lots of traditional southern Italian food is really quite bitter (think espresso, broccoli rabe, et cetera).  Well, so are uncured olives.   Raw uncured olives (pits and all) have a very specific [and bitter] taste.  Throw them in a pan with some sweet Italian sausage, brown it all, then deglaze with a little white wine or vermouth and POW.  Like nothing you've ever tried.

REPOST: Bacon Pancakes

This looks effing delicious.  Read more here: http://bacontoday.com/bacon-pancakes/

REPOST: omg how gross. i def can't handle the coke.

The rice cooker. Not only does this convenient little machine prepare a pot of rice with just the push of a button, but it can also be used to steam vegetables, bake cakes, and much more! (click here to read more)

tuna citrus salad

Possibly the most refreshing salad you'll ever have.  Prepare some lettuce in your bowl with chopped cucumber, half a peeled and sliced orange and half a peeled and sliced grapefruit.  Add a few bean sprouts or wheat grass and then lay a sliced seared tuna steak. For the dressing mix one part lemon juice one part orange juice, some olive oil, a sprinkle of garlic powder and salt and cracked pepper to taste.

For the tuna, season with salt and pepper and sear for 45seconds to a minute on each side in a hot pan drizzled with canola oil. Set aside so it cools a bit to room temperature, slice and serve.

A perfect summer lunch but look to this now- a February meal packed with lean protein with lots of fresh ingredients that will keeping you balanced and healthy.  Beach season is around the corner!