Calling All Contributors

I think Mythias and Kerry have abandoned the Hot Lunch cart. Where are you? What are you eating? Our four readers want to know!!

Tofu Pups(R)

Lightlife Tofu Pups(R) with ketchup, mustard, a slice of soy cheese, green-leaf lettuce and a slice of whole-wheat bread. I've been eating these things since high school, and I'm totally brand loyal to Lightlife. I don't even know why - I guess because they are good and I've never felt the need to try another brand. And I never knew "Tofu Pups" was a registered trademark. So make sure when you refer to a "tofu pup" you are referring to a Lightlife brand Tofu Pup(R) or you might find a cease and desist letter in your inbox!

Instant Rice Noodle Soup

Thai Kitchen Spring Onion Instant Rice Noodle Soup with Cascadian Farm broccoli florets. These are low-fat, fast, and delish. I've tried all the flavors and there really is no discernible difference. Each pouch comes with two smaller pouches: a powder packet and an oil packet. I try to only use half the powder, as I'm suspecting that's where all the sodium is coming from. Still, 18% of your daily sodium intake doesn't seem too bad, especially considering the astronomical sodium content of most packaged foods like this.

Fresh Direct Vegetable Lasagna

Here we have Fresh Direct Vegetable Lasagna with a spinach, green leaf, carrot and green pea salad and a Naked Berry Blast juice. The lasagna was actually really good. I ate half and saved the rest for a late afternoon snack. I'm glad I got two meals out of it, as that justifies the $6.99 price tag. My roommate and I placed our first Fresh Direct order yesterday, and overall I have to say I'm pleased. It seemed a bit expensive, but there's no way I have time to make a vegetable lasagna or whip up a batch of Thai Peanut Ship on Noodles, so it seems worth it. I suppose I could just get take-out, which is direct, but is it also fresh? Who knows. Probably all the same in the end, but you can't order a six-pack of Quilted Northern with your Kung-Pao Chicken.

Weekday Breakfast

This is what I eat for breakfast, everyday: organic maple and brown sugar oatmeal with a heaping tablespoon of ground flaxseed and cinnamon. That's a carrot/orange juice on the left, which I usually save for lunch.

Margaritas

My contribution to Saturday dinner with the neighbors was to whip up a pitcher of Barefoot Contessa Real Margaritas. Once you make margs with fresh-squeezed lime juice you'll never go back to mix. It's well worth the effort. This batch came out pretty frosty, and I'm not sure why. I only used three cups of ice as called for. The last time I tried to reduce the ice the margs were so potent we were dropping like flies. So not sure what the happy medium is, but regardless, this is a good recipe.

Martha Stewart Coconut Cake

G cracked open the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook this weekend and made a coconut cake. Here he is frosting the final product, and of course in my contact sugar high I forgot to take a picture of the done deal. We had dinner with the downstairs neighbors on Saturday and brought this along. Thankfully the rest stayed down there, otherwise I surely would have eaten another giant hunk. So, so good. Good job G!

Big Breakfast

Toast, veggie sausage, Kashi Go-Lean Crunch cereal with soy milk, and carrot-orange juice.

Quaker Breakfast Cookie

Today I was handed a Quaker Breakfast Cookie outside Grand Central on my way to a workshop. Looks just like a cow patty. When I took a bite I almost had to sit down. This thing tastes exactly, 100%, totally like a Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie. The taste similarity is truly shocking. It's almost worth trying one just to see for yourself. With high fructose corn syrup as the second ingredient, this is not something I would make a habit of eating for breakfast, or anytime really. My favorite part is this little blurb on the pacakge: "When choosing a breakfast cookie..." How many "breakfast cookies" are there? Do they mean donuts? Who is actually choosing between breakfast cookies? I'm not sure "breakfast cookie" is something this chronically overweight country should be adding to it's lexicon. This guy also got one outside Grand Central, back in February.

Gnocchi with tofu pink sauce

Another one of G's inventive creations, tofu replaces the heavy cream found in a traditional pink sauce. You might be gagging at the thought, but this was rich and hearty and delicious. Other ingredients: tomatoes, fresh grated parmesean, and black pepper.

How it Works

This sign is from Naidres in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Hats off to Naidre for addressing one of the most important and oft ignored questions in restaurant/cafe patrongage.

Egg and Cheese on a Roll

My favorite. Nothing like a good ole' egg 'n cheese on a roll from the deli, with salt and pepper. Plain and simple. I haven't come across a bad one yet, which is funny as most of the deli's I've gotten them from are less than savory. I probably wouldn't buy any other kind of prepared food from them, but for some reason an egg on a roll seems safe (knock on wood).

Martha Stewart One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

This recipe is from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, and boy is it awesome. I've never seen a batter like this: it was literally soup. I was shocked when the stuff actually cooked, and cooked nicely. They are so moist and chocolately. We frosted them with chocolate ganache, recipe also from the book (the book is gorgeous, by the way - totally recommended). We made these for a birthday party on the Upper West Side, so we trekked these things from Brooklyn up to 76th and Amsterdam in a cab. Thank god it was a wine and cheese party - I needed a little vino to recover from the near-death experience of a cab ride. I'm amazed the frosting didn't slide off with all the sudden braking and swerving. Jeesh!