Coffee or Beer?

It's a terrible choice to have to make, but on $50 per week, something's got to give. Today's dilemma: meeting friends for drinks I haven't seen in a while. In terms of grocery budget, that's a ten dollar unit. That generally buys me 2-4 protein servings, or a pound of coffee and change. It's Wednesday, I have $22 in my pocket, and I need food.

I'm low on coffee. A thought of a morning without it is a thought of sadness. Which is ridiculous, because I have plenty of delicious teas to start my day, and who's to say a day without coffee needs to be a sad one? It's also not exactly food.

Then again, either is beer, but I'd rather have at least one if I'm giving up my food budget for one vice over another.

So I hit the markets with a mind to spend $10 on food, and leave the rest for beer.

On the way, I'm thinking about the perfect brew. The hearty aroma. The moment the first sip passes my tongue. I can't bear it. A pound of good coffee is worth more than a beer.

I go to Union Market, a place I love to go and look and never buy. At least not on my current budget. Except for their coffee--whole bean prices hard to beat.

I make it home with a big bunch of arugula greens from the Windsor Terrace greenmarket ($2), a pound of coffee ($6.99), and 6 California peaches--on sale at C-Town ($1.95). I would have liked a nice loaf of bread for the rest of the week, but I'll take it in beer form instead.

Dog Days Summer Salad

It's August. It's hot. I'm lazy. However, I still need to eat. So, I keep ingredients that I can eat raw, mix up, dress up, and that require little to no preparation.

And that take less than 5 minutes to throw together.

Today's salad:

arugula

radishes

yellow bell pepper

soft-boiled egg*

potato*

goat cheese

sunflower seeds

dried herb blend

grape seed oil

vinegar

*My one day of cooking this week amounted to boiling a few eggs and potatoes and chilling them later to throw in salads.

Substantially satisfying.

Heirloom Lunch

Enjoy these tomatoes, simply, while they last.

Goat cheese, fresh parsley, radishes, a drizzle of olive oil.

Simply Breakfast

Blueberries, peaches, yogurt, sunshine.

Beat the Heat Spicy Cold Carrot Soup

In my ongoing avoidance of cooking in this swelter, I took out something frozen to thaw for lunch. I had no idea what it was, but by color guessed that it might be cooked and mashed pumpkin from which I could make a pureed soup. Oh lucky day--I was already a step ahead of myself--flecks of thyme in the mix told me I'd already done that.

The problem was that I had no idea which soup it was. By taste-test, I narrowed it down to curried pumpkin soup. It was very likely this batch.

I instantly decided I needed a whole lot more in the cold soup department to get me through several more weeks of New York summer.

So, I bought a bunch of carrots.

Ingredients:

1 quart broth (I thawed some frozen turkey broth--yes, I still have some.)

1 bunch carrots

2 turnips

1/2 bunch parsley

coriander

cumin

thyme

chipotle

ginger

salt

Step 1.

I cut up the carrots and turnips and simmered them in the turkey broth until they were soft to pierce with a fork. I added spices and tasted along the way. Toward the last minute or two of simmering, I added the fresh parsley.

Step 2.

I whirred in the blender.

The real question is: Will the puree be more orange, or more green? It all depends on how long you choose to blend.

Step 3.

Chill. Serve cold.

Mine turned out more green. Nonetheless, refreshing yet hearty. Just right for a hot night.

Olive Oil, Garlic, Tomatoes. Flip. Done.

I've been wilty in the summer heat; I haven't cooked in ages, and sustenance has been sporadic and Spartan at best. So, when my foodie friend Morgan recently had to restrict his diet to quinoa and lentils (for medical reasons too horrifying to repeat) and offered to bring over some extras that he'd cooked, I welcomed it.

He brought:

roma tomatoes
garlic
cooked penne
cooked red quinoa
cooked lentils

He chopped:

He added red pepper flakes, pepper, and salt to the tomatoes.

Then, threw the garlic in the skillet with heated olive oil.

He threw in the tomatoes for a quick turn on high heat.

Then he turned off the heat; tossed the precooked pasta, lentils, and quinoa into the mix.

Delicious at room temperature. Even nice chilled for lunch the next day.

Ba Xuyen No. 1 Sandwich

This may be the best Vietnamese sandwich in New York City. And the price isn't bad either: $3.75.

Thanks to Sara's father-in-law who's been talking about this place for ages--and to Sara for stealing a half hour to grab this most mouthwatering sandwich with me.

Ba Xuyen

4222 8th Avenue (at 43rd St.)

Borough Park, Brooklyn