My Evening With Somaly Mam

Wow.  What an amazing night. 

When I offered to host a Dinner by Lany supperclub event for Somaly Mam and her foundation, I had no idea that it was going to be such an extraordinary, surprisingly informal, lovely, unforgettable, HANDS ON, and empowering event.  Before meeting the highly celebrated Cambodian activist, I was a bit nervous. For one, her inspirational story and strength of mythological proportions was something that I've always greatly admired. Secondly, I knew that her home was in Phnom Penh and that she probably had her own repertoire of favorite Cambodian dishes.  

Luckily, all of my "first date" jitters instantaneously melted away as soon as Somaly walked through the door.  Immediately after she took off her coat, she made a beeline straight to the kitchen. 

"Hi, Lany! How can I help?"

Taken aback by the glamour that is Somaly Mam, I had to reassess the situation. Her eagerness to help was definitely not expected. 

"No, no, it's okay! Have a seat and I'll bring out the first course..." I managed to stammer. 

"Eh? First course? What about Prahok. I know you have some in the fridge." 

It was then that all my nervousness began to vanish. Yes, Somaly has been awarded with several prestigious accolades for her work to end sex slavery across the globe and was considered to be one of the most influential people by TIME magazine. But, at this particular moment, I was comforted by the one thing that we had in common.  We both shared a love for prahok, food of Cambodia, food of our family, food from home.  

"I am happiest in the kitchen."

"No apron needed, I fry fish all the time at the center!"

The wonderful  Somaly Mam Foundation staff.

The Somaly Mam Foundation

With Somaly, Lilia (IPhone photographer extraordinaire), 
and Somaly's assistant, Sylor

Ending to a perfect evening.

Veganication - Teaching at the Whole Foods Tribeca Wellness Club

I know I can sometimes be a little bratty when it comes to cooking vegetarian.  The truth is, I'm actually starting to warm up to other realms of protein.  It doesn't always have to be riblets and lamb chops at the dinner table.  Sometimes, especially after yoga, you'll see me indulge in a big bowl of bulgar salad, or a nice winter squash hash accompanied with a nice seitan steak (mleh, not really. That actually sounds really gross).  

You'll most likely find me flex my veggie muscles while teaching my Wellness Class at the Whole Foods Tribeca.  It is there where I teach students how to make tasty vegan Cambodian treats without using any of my usual decadent ingredients (such as bacon and butter). Below are my favorite recipes!  

Hot and Sour Soup

5 Cups Vegetable stock

1 large Jalepeno  

2 Stalks of Lemongrass — smashed

4 Kaffir Lime Leaves — Bruised 

4 Cloves of Garlic

2 tablespoons of Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Agave Nectar

Juice of One Lemon

4 oz Oyster Mushrooms — Coarsely Separated 

1 bunch of Cilantro

Directions

Add lemongrass, kafir lime leaves, garlic to vegetable stock and allow to simmer for ten minutes.  Add the mushrooms,soy sauce, agave nectar and lemon juice and simmer, stirring well until the mushrooms are just cooked but still al dente. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

Cambodian Tempeh Lettuce Wraps

Sauce

¼ cup lime juice

2 tbs agave

2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tbs. rice vinegar

Filling

2 8-oz. pkg. plain tempeh, broken into chunks

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

¼ cup lime juice

2 Tbs. chopped shallots

1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tbs. rice vinegar

2 tbs. agave

1 tsp. chile sauce, such as sriracha

Toppings and Wraps

½ lb. green beans, thinly sliced

2 cups bean sprouts

1 cucumber, peeled into thin strips

1 large carrot, shredded

Fresh mint, cilantro, and basil

18 whole large lettuce leaves

½ cup chopped peanuts

1. Sauce: whisk together all ingredients in small bowl.

2. Filling: Coarsely crumble tempeh. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Add tempeh and broth, cover, and cook 
5 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook 10 minutes, or until liquid has evaporated. Stir in remaining ingredients.

3. Mound vegetables, herbs, and tempeh mixture on platter. Let diners fill lettuce leaves with Filling and Toppings. Serve with bowls of Sauce and peanuts.

  

Dinner By Lany is featured on Keenhaven.com!

Photo courtesy of Jill Futter

Check out the article here! 

My Saturday Morning at Saluggi's

There are a couple of reasons why I love my neighborhood. The first being my amazing neighbor, Jose.  He lives only one block away and I love unexpectedly running into him, his hubby and dog while strolling down one of our cobblestone streets.  Unplanned sightings of familiar faces make me feel like I live in a sitcom.  

The second reason why I love my neighborhood is because Saluggi's is right around the corner.  Saluggi's is a downtown pizzeria that makes all of their pizza components from scratch and on site. When you take a bite of their slice, you can feel the TLC invested into each ingredient. The only downside of Saluggi's is that once you have their pie, you won't be able to eat anywhere else.  I've tried to go to other pizza joints, but I always end up kicking myself for the mere attempt of trying to find an adequate substitution.  Why do I bother with other pizzerias when I have Saluggi's right around the corner?? Best.DANG.pizza in New York.

So, when I was invited to spend a beautiful summer Saturday morning in their kitchen, I thought to myself... why not invite Jose along?  He has the same Saluggi's obsession as I do, and the man appreciates the process involved in making exceptional creme de la creme food. Plus, favorite neighbor and favorite pizzeria just go together like mozzerella and pizza dough!

Resident Pizza Maestro, Pedro

The Curd Before Mozzy Perfection

This actually was harder than it looks! 

Oozy, Gooey, Rich and Cheesy. Mozzarella Heaven

Hot Neighbor Jose Mastered the Art of Sexy Eating

Whereas, I have not. I think I need to watch more Nigella.

I DID, however, Master the Art  of Kitchen Karat-TAY! Hiiii YAH!

Beautiful Piece of Pie. Simple. Majestic. Perfection.

Chambord Soaked Berries Shortcake with Vanilla Whip

I am not the biggest sports fan.  All of my sports trivia knowledge comes from watching basketball, football and boxing with my dad, circa 1990 - 1996.  

What do you mean?!  Patrick Ewing doesn't play for the Knicks anymore?  Really??  Jim Kelly isn't the quarterback for the Buffalo Bills? Wait a second, why does Charles Barkley look so hefty*? Why is Michael Jordan walking around with a golf club and not a basketball? What in the world is going on!?!  

*I was informed by Clara Mae James that Charles Barkley is a Weight Watcher's member and is no longer hefty.  Sorry, Charles. You are not fat, you look fabulous. Keep up the good work! 

I am pretty much clueless about anything that happened in sports after the second millennium.  I guess you can call me sport's own Encino Man! Speaking of a true classic from the nineties! 

Even though I've never in my adult life watched a game in its entirety on TV, I do love a good ole fashion sports outing! I love the comradery that takes place amongst spectators while mutually witnessing a sporting event live in a stadium. I always get caught up by the infectious team spirit and applaud  with gusto whenever the home team scores a point or makes a winning play. Who cares that my cheers come with a two second delay? I am never entirely clear on what is exactly happening on the field. Whooo cares. Shouting boisterously with a large crowd is always good fun! 

Sometimes, to shake things up, I would use outings as an opportunity to proclaim my love for other things not related to sports.  For instance...

Devoted Jets fans - 

"Go Jets, Jets, JETS!"

Me -

"I love ICE CREAM!!"

Fun, right?

Anyway, when my friends suggested a trip to the MetLife Stadium to not only watch the NY Jets play the Carolina Panthers, but to also have a serious pregame tailgate feast, I enthusiastically said yes! The only problem was, because we all lived in Manhattan, neither one of us owned a car. 

No car? No problem!

Equipped with a parking lot pass.... 

We decided to have a tailgate picnic right there in a parking spot! 

Sure, there were some heckling from people tailgating out of their hummers and SUVs. Much to my surprise, one fellow gas guzzling tailgater even had the audacity to call our picnic "sad"! 

I thought our tailgating picnic was far from sad! Don't you? On the contrary, I thought a more accurate description would be innovative and exceptionally earth friendly! Losers. 

Besides, who needs a car when you have Popeyes fried chicken?

Oh, and Coronas.

Despite the light heckling from passersby, I had an amazing time at MetLife stadium.  Don't ask me who won or how many touchdowns so and so made, all I know is that Popeyes is always awesome and oh, yeah, Tebow was there (thanks, Karen). 

Chambord Soaked Berries Shortcake with Vanilla Whip

This recipe requires absolutely no cooking and is super easy.  Perfect for a tailgate! Beware, football fans will stare and make fun of you due to its "bougie" presentation. 

"What is this?? Organic tailgating??" 

1 small carton of mixed berries

1 travel sized Chambord bottle

1 package of store bought shortcake 

1 tub of whipped cream

1. Soak the berries in Chambord overnight. 

2. When you're ready to eat dessert, top soaked berries on a shortcake and top with whipped cream.  Done! Go Jets! 

Maharlika Balut Eating Contest

If you are in search of pretty photos of 

ingredients and delectable dishes, 

this post is not for you.  

If you seek culinary inspiration to 

help you cook a beautiful meal for your loved ones, 

this post is not for you. 

If you are looking for a post that will make 

your tummy rumble with excitement and anticipation...

THIS POST IS NOT FOR YOU!!

I REPEAT!!!

THIS POST IS NOT FOR YOU!!

However, if you ARE someone who is on a diet and is in desperate need to find images of intense unabashed food RAWNESS that 

will help SUPPRESS your appetite...

then please, by all means, do continue. 

Sigh. Here we go. 

I did something stupid. 

I entered an eating contest. 

It wasn't your run-of-the-mill state fair pie eating contest, 

it was a balut eating contest. 

Photograph courtesy of Jill Futter

I am not a girl with many talents, but one of the talents 

that I do posses is the ability to eat and enjoy 

large amounts of food in one sitting. 

When I heard that my favorite Filipino restaurant, Maharlika, 
was hosting a balut eating contest in Brooklyn, 

I knew immediately that I wanted to give it a shot.

I have this insatiable curiosity for food that will either guide my stomach towards food utopia or lead me down a very dark path.
  This balut eating contest lead me down a very dark, black path.  

For a NORMAL person, the mere thought of scarfing down a juicy balut (aka duck fetus) would immediately tickle your gag reflex and cause a 
SANE person to dry heave uncontrollably. 

I guess I am not a normal or sane person. 
I will try anything once, even if it means shoving 
multiple duck fetus down my throat.   

The thing is, I've had it before in Cambodia 
and actually liked it.

When I stayed on my grandfather's duck farm outside of Siem Reap,
 I probably ate a dozen of these ominous little eggs 
(little being the operative word). 

The duck fetus in the eggs are barely developed when 

the eggs are at a smaller size. Thus, making the 
duck fetus less duck like and more palatable. 

HOWEVER, when they sat the tray of four ginormous 
eggs in front of me... 

I knew I was in trouble. 

At this point, I should have 
shook everyone's hand and leisurely eat this instead. 

But, no. I stayed in the competition. 

The night before, a friend asked me why in the world was I willing to risk having a serious puke session 
for all of Brooklyn to see. 

"For mad props, yo!"

Let's get this party started.

"On your mark, get set..."

Ready and steady, stomach. Don't fail me now! 

"GO!"

As my teeth pierced through the grey webbed membrane that surrounded the yolk, I was hopeful because it tasted similar to the yolk of hard boil egg. 

HOWEVER, once I saw the furry baby duckling nestled peacefully on the hard cartilage, I knew it was game over for me.  

It didn't help that I had a human baby looming over me while I was chomping mercilessly away on another baby of a different species.  

From the corner of my eye, 

I felt the baby's stares stab right through my conscience.  

"Why are you eating a baby duck?  Do you not like babies? 

Will you try to eat me next?"

At this point, my stomach started to get woozy as my 

teeth begin to grind on Daffy's little cousin's beak.

Thinking I can mask the blatant WRONGNESS of the situation,

I begin to season my balut with salt. 

Exhausted from guilt and chewing, 

I knew there was no hope for me. 

The final nail in the coffin was when 

I stole a look at my competitors.

I saw fierce warriors, whose internal fire still burned bright.    Whereas, my fire sputtered and spewed, begging me to stop. 

  

It was time to throw in the towel.

I went in this competition hoping to at least scarf down a dozen.

I ended up eating three in five minutes. 

The winner ate 18. 

All in all, I do not have any regrets. 
At least now I know competitive eating is not my cup of tea, especially when it involves duck fetus.  My forte is eating copious amounts of food slowly at my own time discretion with a beautiful glass of fragrant wine.  

P.S. Don't expect any egg or duck recipes any time soon. 
I am still a touch traumatized. :) 

Help, Batman! I'm Drowning in Vegetables!

Like Batman, I received a distress message
and was summoned to Brooklyn. 

Clara Mae James had bought a beautiful summer veggie 

basket from Llama Mamma Good Farm and was having 

trouble coming up with meals incorporating  

all of her green goodies. 

Once I arrived and laid eyes on the bright yellow squash, 

fresh fragrant thyme, and green zucchini,
I knew exactly what I wanted to make. 

"Ratatouille!"

"I love ratatouille!"

"Then we shall make ratatouille, Robin!"

"Huh?"

"Let's get started!"

Perplexed 

Pop! Bam! Pow! Punches of color!

Clara Mae James gracefully checking the cupboards for spices

 Maple Syrup screams pork dish.

At the Market to get odds and ends

Clara Mae James checking out the sales
in my bat mobile 

We are incapable of shopping like normal people.

The plan of attack?
Mix the sweetness of maple syrup with the savory flavors of Asia!  

Would you like some wine with your pork?

Presentation is one of the key
 ingredients of Ratatouille!

So, make it pretty!

Time to get saucy!

Collard Green wrapped Maple Soy Pork Tenderloins
p.s. I absolutely LOVE this plate.

Ratatouille with
Garlic Tomato Sauce 

serves 4

I wasn't crazy about the collards as a wrapping for the pork. It was a little too tough for this recipe. Being a southern gal, I like my collards nice and tender. Next time, I will use a green that requires less time to cook, like spinach.  When I revisit this dish, I will make sure to post! 

2 zucchini, thinly sliced

2 yellow squash

2 tablespoons of crushed thyme

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, shredded 

1/2 cup of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 can of crushed tomatoes

1/2 head of garlic, minced

1/2 yellow onion diced

1 tablespoons of crushed thyme

1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes 

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Arrange 1 layer of zucchini and squash in baking dish.

2. Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme and cheese. 

3. Add another layer of squash and zucchini.  Drizzle with more oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme, and cheese. 

4. Insert tray into oven and allow to cook for approximately 40 minutes.  

5. In a medium size saucepan over med/high heat, drizzle olive oil and add garlic and diced onion.  

6. Once fragrant, add thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Saute. 

7. Add crushed tomatoes and liquid.  Cover and allow to simmer for ten minutes. Serve with Ratatouille.