this was the dish i was most excited about though…

poke-poke.

we recently scarfed this at poke-poke while in venice beach, ca.  so.   yummy.  and oh so healthy.

my version sort of combines a few of their signature dishes and has kale, carrots, ginger, sesame seeds, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, tuna (duh), white onion, scallion, macadamia nuts and avocado.  yummy!!!!

Hey there fancy pants!  Looks like you could use a fancy top!

We here at The Fashionable Foodie are all about fashion and food, and our buds at Stove Monkeys are taking that to a literal next level with their line of chef-inspired tee shirts and apparel.  In case you missed it, check out the short write up we did earlier this month.

Well, the generous folks at Stove Monkeys have let us spread the love like butter on bread.  We’re hosting a giveaway and not one, but TWO lucky winners will each receive a shirt from the Stove Monkeys line!!!  That’s right folks, we will have TWO winners this month.

All you folks have two awesome ways to enter!

1. Leave a comment below telling everyone exactly which shirt from their line you would want to win, but please make sure you leave your email address (no one will see it and I promise we won’t bother sending you anything unless you win).
2. Follow @fashionablefood and @stovemonkeys on twitter, then tweet this post:

Hope I #win a #free @stovemonkeys T-shirt on the @fashionablefood contest http://wp.me/pqeAA-1wX

At the end of the contest, we will pick two people from the pool of entries to win…and remember, you have to be a follower of @fashionablefood and  @stovemonkeys for your twitter entry to be considered valid.

Can we be real folks? (Oprah moment)  We’re just a tiny little blog trying to make our way through the world and Stove Monkeys is just a tiny little company trying to get some people talkin.  It’s all word of mouth folks!  Help a brother out, if you dig what’s going on, spread it. Spread the love.

The deadline is September 30, 2011…as the political parties say, vote early and vote often!

i was lucky enough to score a head of cabbage freshly picked from my coworkers garden and decided to saute it up for a simple summer side dish.

• half a head of cabbage, shredded
• 1 tsp brummel and brown
• 1/2 tbs fennel seed
• 1/2 tbs mustard seed
• 1 tbs honey
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper
• grated parmesan

heat a skillet and add brummel and brown (you can use butter if you choose) once it’s melted, add your cabbage, fennel seed, mustard seed, salt and pepper.  cook about 10 minutes, add your honey and lemon and continue cooking another 10 minutes.  just before serving, top with grated parm.

james is pretty amazing.  today, he treated me to some fresh shucked oysters from wegmans in honor of national oyster day!

upon shucking though, we came across something quite interesting…

a pea crab!!  apparently, these little buggers feed off of oysters.  kinda gross, but he was so cute!

• 1 nectarine, chopped
• 1 peach, peeled and chopped
• 1 beefsteak tomato, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 salmon filet
• 3 tbs lime ponzu sauce
• 1 tbs black sesame seeds
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• zest of 1 liime
• 1 tbs rice wine vinegar
• sriricha to taste
• salt and pepper

season your salmon with salt and pepper and place in a preheated skillet that’s been generously coated with non-stick spray.  cook about 4 minutes per side. 

remove fish from the pan and flake with a fork.  combine in a large bowl with all other ingredients.

i’ve been trying to get my hands on these for a while now but every time i’d go to the store, they have the “temporarily out of stock” sign up in place of the cookies.

well yesterday, as i strolled past the cookie aisle and saw that all too familiar sign, i was about to walk away but wait!  what is that i see?  could it be?? yes!!  it was one lonely box and it was practically screaming my name. 

i have to say the wait for these cookies was well worth it!  these are seriously delicious.  as soon as you open the bag, you think ‘blueberry muffins’.  the taste is very reminiscent of them as well.  but they also have sort of a shortbread/buttery thing going on. 

they come in a few other varieties but so far, i’ve only been lucky enough to try the blueberry brown sugar.

go buy them!  if you can get your hands on a bag! 

 this looks like an absolute mess but it was heavenly!

How did the concept of Stove Monkeys come about and where did the name come from?

Anthony (my business partner and childhood friend) and I came up with the name Stove Monkeys because as chefs we’re always monkeying around in the kitchen. We wanted the name to be playful and to represent the fun we have when cooking food!

I love the quirky nature of the line.  How do you come up with ideas?

The design process is an everyday evolving process. The ideas come to us randomly. Mostly the ideas are whimsical and come about from the love of food. For example The I Love Pork shirt was spin off from the I love NY shirts.

Do you have a favorite piece from the line?

My favorite shirt is the Flatware T. Growing up I always had an obsession with graffiti & this shirt is a food shirt with a graffiti style. A typical style with graffiti is lines of paint dripping at the bottom of the design. I like to think of the dripping as sauce for the flatware T.

What chefs do you draw inspiration from?

I can’t say that there is certain chef we’re inspired from because we are inspired by our customers. The chefs doing the daily grind working in restaurant and the foodies enjoying their hard work creates our inspiration.

What are your favorite dishes to prepare?

I love cooking French/Mediterranean food, Latin, and BBQ. Growing up in TX def created a love for the Latin and BBQ!

Where do you see Stove Monkeys going in the future?

In the near future I see Stove Monkeys being worn from all chefs and foodies across the globe.

stovemonkeys.com

sensible portions cinnamon apple straws.   sooooooo goooooooood!

if you haven’t tried these you aren’t living life to the fullest.

seriously, GO BUY THEM NOW!!!

went into dc last night for a yummy dinner at ping pong with alex and the hubbs.  ping pong is a dim sum fusiony place and it’s hella good.  the drink menu is killer too.

one of the star dishes: baked chicken puff

st. germain and lemongrass sangria

 

satay squid

chewing on some lemongrass

after dinner dranks at the argonaut

 

lincoln's bout to throw down

 

dancing at alex's!

 

 

dinner in ten minutes?  sure!  this recipe couldn’t be simpler, it’s super yummy and perfect for summer.

• 1/2 mango, chopped
• 1 kiwi, chopped
• 3 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbs onion, chopped
• salt and pepper
• splash of white wine vinegar
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast

combine all ingredients in a bowl (except chicken obviously) and set aside.

season your chicken with salt and pepper and place under the broiler.  cook about 4 minutes on each side.

serve chicken with a generous dollop of salsa.

sweet, savory, crunchy and salty, this yummy little appetizer has it all!

first, get your chutney going.

• 6 dried figs, stems removed and chopped
• 1 fuji apple, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 3 tbs champagne vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbs lemon juice

add all ingredients to a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally about 35 minutes, or until apples become soft.  using a potato masher, mash up until you have a chunky consistency.

while your chutney is cooking down, get to work on your pork belly:

• 1 lb pork belly in 3″ strips
• salt and pepper

turn your broiler on and use a pan with a rack to allow some of the fat to drip off while the pork cooks.  season your pork with salt and pepper, lay the strips on your rack and place under broiler.  cook about 5 minutes each on side.  keep an eye on it though so it doesn’t burn.  our pieces were about 1/2″ in thickness.  obviously, they’ll need more/less broiling time depending.  transfer pork belly to a paper towel to drain.  then chop it into little pieces and toss in a heated skillet.   this is really gonna crisp it up!  saute for about 8 minutes or until you’ve got lots of crispy little porky bits.  transfer back to paper towel and set aside.

once your chutney and pork belly are ready, you can toast your bread.  we used a whole wheat loaf but you could use any crusty bread that looks good at the store that day.

slice in half lengthwise and toast.  while still warm, top with a generous dollop of chutney, pork belly bits and some fresh chopped parsley.

now – EAT!!!

this salad is nice and hearty due to the black beans.  the corn and apple impart a hint of sweetness while the radishes lend a nice pungent bite.

preheat oven to 350.  keep your corn in the husk and place directly on the oven rack.  roast for 30 – 35 minutes. allow to cool for a few minutes, peel away the husks and using your knife, remove the kernels from the cob.

• 2 ears of corn
• 1 fuji apple, peeled, and chopped
• 2 tbs sun dried tomatoes in herbs, drained and chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbs flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbs champagne vinegar
• 3 medium sized radishes, chopped

combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve along side your protein of choice.  we had ours with some yummy flat iron steak.   this would also be great served on top of chicken or fish, or even solo if you’re not feeling the meat.  the beans are a great source of protein.

i’m a HUGE fan of dogfish head beers and festina peche is one of my favorites.  it’s a summer seasonal that is fermented with peaches and has sort of a sour flavor.  not for everyone but i happen to love it.  i wanted to take that peach flavor a step further though, hence this cocktail.

ginger lime simple syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• knob of ginger
• zest of 1 lime

place sugar and water in a pot and bring to boil.  remove from heat and add in ginger and zest.  let steep for about 15 minutes.  strain and store for up to 3 days.

peach puree:

• 6 peaches, peeled and chopped

simply place them in the food processor and puree.

cocktail:

• 1 1/2 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce simple syrup
• 1 tbs peach puree
• about 1/4 cup festina peche

fill a glass with ice.  add vodka, syrup and puree and stir.  top off with festina. 

if you’d like, you could shake the first three ingredients, then top if off but i was being lazy.