Whole Wheat Oatmeal Banana Nut Bread

Mmmm, just finished baking Whole Wheat Oatmeal Banana Walnut Bread! My breads tend to not be as sweet since I normally cut out some of the sugar and try to maintain the integrity of the banana's sweetness. Some people like the banana breads sweeter so I also made a Maple Cinnamon Glaze as an "optional" topping. You can also cut out the butter or oil fat by using applesauce instead of butter and add flax seed or ground flax seed meal to the batter for extra fiber. If anyone is allergic to nuts, just omit the nuts or add chocolate chips or raisins for that extra bite.

- 1/2 cup butter (you can substitute applesauce here)
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-1 large egg
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
-1 tablespoon flax seed
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-(2 large or 3 small) mashed bananas
- 1/4 cup milk or plain yogurt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts

Bake in a 9x3 bread pan in a 350-degree oven for 50-55 minutes.

M Noodle Shop (Restaurant Review)

As you all may already know, I absolutely love noodles. I think it developed while I was living in Beijing in college where fresh hand-pulled noodles were readily available at almost every corner canteen. Ever since returning to the states, I've definitely been keeping an eye out to find the best noodle shop in town.

So of course when I spotted this wooden beamed noodle shop on Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg, I was dying to go inside and order a big bowl of noodle soup. However, I decided to wait because a steaming bowl of hot noodle soup isn't all that appetizing on a sweltering summer day. The fall weather has finally kicked in and I find sitting at the wooden counters of M Noodle Shop where I order the Turnip Stew Noodle Soup along with their delicious Sesame Pancake with Vegetables as an appetizer.

Overall, it was very good and filling. I think the only negative thing I could say was that the turnips were definitely a bit overcooked or maybe over-boiled. The turnip flavored vegetarian broth reminded me of my mother's version of Pork Turnip Noodle Stew that she made when I was a child. I was pleasantly surprised that the flavors of the broth were very much on par for being a vegetarian broth. My favorite part of the meal was the crunchy Sesame Pancake that had sweet pickled veggies tucked inside.

My friend ordered the Sauteed Ho Fun with Tomatoes and Tofu which was equally as tasty!

So definitely check out M Noodle Shop if you're ever in the neighborhood. Prices are cheap for Williamsburg, portions are big, service is quick and friendly, and the decor emulates traditional Chinese noodle shops in Beijing and Shanghai with all the beautiful wooden beams built into the infrastructure.

Kombucha (Part Deux)

Kombucha is slowly coming back onto the shelves of a few health food stores and it looks like a few of the locals are trying to take a stab at Synergy's market share of raw health drinks.

Kombucha Brooklyn has decided to take a hand at bottling their own kombucha elixir with a few flavors: Red Ginger, Urban Passion, Straight-Up, and their most newest shown below, Blue-Green Envy. I have to say that I was quite disappointed by the flavor and lack of that famous kombucha fizz and odor. It was flat, bland, and not at all comparable to Synergy. I say, don't waste your time or money and go for the real deal. I was trying to support local and organic, but due to lack of credibility in flavor, I think I'll have to go with the company that did it first and knows how to brew up my favorite fermented tea! Till next time, drink up!

Thai Inspired Dragon Noodles

Our new housemate moved in recently over the Halloween weekend so I decided to cook dinner to welcome her into our humble little abode. The menu? My all time favorite--NOODLES of course!

So I'm calling this noodle dish the "Thai Inspired Dragon Noodles" because I made a spicy tamarind garlic peanut sauce to stir-fry the noodles in and added a ton of veggies. The most important veggie in this dish is the broccoli rabe which was chopped up to look like dragon scales. =)

The side dish consisted of roasted caramelized brussel sprouts with celery and onion. I served the meal with a Rose wine from Provence to help balance the spice in the tamarind sauce, but I think Riesling or a Savignon Blanc would have worked just as fine.

Cheers to new beginnings and good food!