Reel Chow Blog

Culinary Postings from the Original Gourmet Craft Service Industry Insider

Sapporo-Roasted Chicken

My mother-in-law recently gave me a beautiful pottery to roast chicken. At the center of the dish is a cup-like structure to set the chicken on vertically, with a hollow center for liquid of your choice. For this recipe I chose Sapporo beer to place in the center of the dish, then stuffed an herb mixture under the chicken’s skin. I also sprinkled sea salt and black pepper on the outside of the chicken. My 4.5 pound organic bird roasted for two and a half hours. It came out juicy and flavorful, just as I hoped and hungered for.

On one of our trips to Napa, Ron and I ate at The Wine Bounty Hunter, where we thought it would be funny to get a similarly-cooked chicken roasted with a beer can inside it. With the gift from my mother-in-law, it dawned on us we could now recreate this Southern classic, but not have any aluminum contamination from cans. It’s a double-win!

Sapporo Roasted Organic Chicken with a side of organic beet and dill salad tossed in an orange vinaigrette.

Sapporo Roasted Organic Chicken with a side of organic beet and dill salad tossed in an orange vinaigrette. ©Reel Chow

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Herb Salsa!

Reel Chow Original Recipe!I love growing herbs year-round in our loft. I use heirloom, or at least non-GMO seeds, which always seem to taste better. Even if they didn’t, I’d still feel better about eating them than something patented by a laboratory. Here’s a great original dish of mine which utilizes healthy, fresh herbs. It’s incredibly easy to make, I hope you’ll enjoy whipping some up yourself.

Herb salsa is possibly the healthiest side to any protein dish. It’s a blend of parsley, thyme, rosemary, dill, shallots, garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Add it to steak, chicken, fish, or pork. It’s even tasty on top of a sunny side up egg at a Sunday brunch.

Herb salsa served with beans and egg on a crispy blue corn tortilla.

Herb salsa served with beans and egg on a crispy blue corn tortilla. ©Reel Chow

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End of Summer Salad

Reel Chow Original Recipe!With summer coming to an end here in New York, I was craving my favorite summer salad before the hearty dishes take place in my kitchen for fall and winter months.

This meal strikes a nice balance between protein, vegetables, and fruit. It refreshes me, and I think it’s a great combination of sweet and savory on the palette. Enjoy.

Salad with chicken, fresh figs, strawberries, blueberries and toasted almonds.

Salad with chicken, fresh figs, strawberries, blueberries and toasted almonds. ©Reel Chow

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Chicken with Mushroom and Zucchini Medley

Reel Chow Original Recipe!With all the fresh vegetables from the Farmers’ Market, I tend to forget what I have in the fridge. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t over buy our food; I just forget what I buy because I have so much work-related tasks taking over. Now with New York Fashion Week at an end, I can finally get back to cooking!

My Chicken with Mushroom and Zucchini Medley dish is a simple recipe taking little time to prep and cook. It’s fresh, healthy, and filling. I love to serve it with a side of organic green salad topped with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt. I think when the main dish has plenty of flavor, why fuss too much over a salad?

Chicken with mushroom, zucchini and red onions.

Chicken with mushroom, zucchini and red onions. ©Reel Chow

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The Joy of Breakfast via Weekend Omelette

Reel Chow Original Recipe!I love cooking breakfast on a leisurely Saturday or Sunday. Sometimes I wake up late, sometimes it’s the early morning. I head down to our kitchen, start by making an espresso or latte. Sometimes I’m in the mood to make a fresh veggie juice. I then go on to make breakfast, all the while Ella Fitzgerald is playing in the background. No rush, no hurry.

With my farmers’ market omelette, I love to add a carbohydrate into the mix. I am not a huge fan of plain old bread, as I do my best to cut out the wheat and gluten. I’m not allergic to wheat or gluten, but I do find myself feeling tired and bloated after eating wheat, so I like to find substitutes that don’t taste or feel like substitutes.

Last weekend at a local, small health food chain called Mrs. Greens, I bought Light Brown Rice Bread, unfrozen. Usually when I go for the wheat-free and gluten-free breads my only choices are in the frozen isle section. This time I was fortunate to find rice bread in the bread isle. The best thing about this bread is it has the texture and flavor of whole wheat bread, but lighter. I love that I can eat it without toasting it if I choose, unlike the frozen options. It also does not sweat on my plate after toasting like the frozen ones do. Ener-G also makes tapioca bread, regular rice bread, flax bread and yeast-free bread. I have tried them all and love them!

Farmers' Market Omelette with light brown rice bread and fresh veggie juice.

Farmers’ Market Omelette with light brown rice bread and fresh veggie juice. ©Reel Chow

Here’s an original omelette I love to make on lazy weekend mornings. It’s full of delicious organic ingredients I regularly pickup from the farmers’ market. I hope you enjoy trying it yourself.

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Grilled Veggie Pita Sandwich

Reel Chow Original Recipe!While on set last week, the lunch caterer cooked up delicious red quinoa, roasted chicken and these tasty pita sandwiches with grilled vegetables and yogurt.

I decided to make my own version with a bit of a healthy, Mediterranean taste. This Reel Chow version is also meatless. My recipe calls for using one sweet bell pepper, one large cubanelle pepper, one red onion, and one zucchini. This created a medley of color and taste. The yogurt filling was made with 2% Greek yogurt, part skim ricotta, lemon juice and zest, dill, and parsley. The combination was delish and very light.

Grilled Veggie Pita Sandwich.

Grilled Veggie Pita Sandwich. ©Reel Chow

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Healthy Turkey Burrito

New York Fashion Week is around the corner, and this past week I’ve been doing a lot of work for our other company. Client demands haven’t left me much time to cook dinner, but I’ve been playing with the Healthy Turkey Burrito recipe in the back of my mind for a long time now.

One of the first dishes I used to make when Ron and I were first living together was turkey tacos. It was big treat to experiment in the galley kitchen of his old bachelor pad and work on different variations until I came up with unique ones I wanted to keep making over and over.

One of the other early things I made all those years ago was Brussel sprouts. Ron said it was the first time he’d eaten non-bitter Brussel sprouts. Healthy Turkey Burritos are a great way to meld those two early flavors from our first years together. That’s my personal take on this dish. Everyone else will think they are simple and delicious treats for when you’re pressed for time, but want a little fusion flavor in your dinner. Of course, these burritos are very healthy. Please enjoy them!

Healthy Turkey Burrito topped with brussel sprouts, leeks and cranberries.

Healthy Turkey Burrito topped with brussel sprouts, leeks and cranberries. ©Reel Chow

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Shrimp and Mango Salad

Reel Chow Original Recipe!I hardly ever make shrimp anymore. I think it’s because after Ron and I started dating we probably ate shrimp twice a week. We just enjoyed eating it. Shrimp is one of those foods with which you can have fun switching up the flavor. I went through a period of no shrimp after a while for a few years, but all things culinary come in cycles. The other day at the fish market, I saw fresh jumbo shrimp, and it gave me the craving for my old shrimp salad.

This is a recipe I have been making for years, way back while Ron and I were still dating. The shrimp is marinated in turmeric, fresh ginger, dried dill and sliced shallots with light extra virgin olive oil. It’s a spicy shrimp dish without the intense heat.

Shrimp and Mango Salad.

Shrimp and Mango Salad. ©Reel Chow

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Potato and Turnip Salad with Citrus Honey Vinaigrette

Reel Chow Original Recipe!For Memorial Day I made this dish in honor of my father who is a veteran. He served his country for over 13 years, including three combat tours in Vietnam. No matter how many Purple Hearts or Silver Stars he has, my dad is my dad who loves cold potato salad! I jazzed up the classic potato salad with turnips, green beans and fresh dill with a homemade citrus and honey vinaigrette.

Cold potato and turnip salad with citrus honey vinaigrette.

Cold potato and turnip salad with citrus honey vinaigrette. ©Reel Chow

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Moroccan Tacos

Reel Chow Original Recipe!I’ve always been fascinated by fusion dishes, but it always seems to me to be a hit or miss affair, no matter what cultures are force-collided in a pan or bowl. What follows is the melding of two flavors I’ve been playing with since we got married. An early dish I perfected was my turkey tacos, which Ron went crazy for when we still lived in his tiny bachelor apartment. This is how I brought that dish to Morocco.

I love making tacos, whether beef, fish, vegetable, turkey, etc. It’s a fun way to experiment with flavors. I have made turkey tacos many times and wanted to switch things up. This dish features spices used in eastern cuisine.

Cumin, turmeric, paprika and coriander can be found at your local supermarket. I recommend having these spices as a part of your pantry staples. I use them all the time when I cook, and they can add a nice kick to certain meats and vegetables.

I also made a yogurt herb sauce to top these international tacos, along with a radicchio and cucumber honey slaw. This dish may seem like it has many parts to prepare. It actually was simple, and the only cooking to do was the turkey mixture.

Moroccan Tacos.

Moroccan Tacos. ©Reel Chow

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