Spice Up Your Spice Cabinet

Try cooking with fresh and/or dried herbs and spices! In addition to helping you cut back on salt, herbs and spices have health properties all their own, including their antioxidant properties to help reduce risk of chronic diseases. Perking up your pantry is a great way to make sure affordable meals are never too long of a process. It can be daunting to dive into the spice rack world all by yourself, so check out some combinations below to match what flavor profile you're in the mood for:

• Curry + Cumin + Coriander Get the great taste of take-out without all the added fat and salt! This adds beautiful yellow color to roasted cauliflower, caramelized onions served over grilled chicken, or bean stews.
• Basil + Oregano + Caraway Seeds A new take on Italian classics. This mixture with anise flavor mimics the flavors of Italian sausage. Use either fresh or dried basil & oregano and dried caraway in tomato sauce with a bit of garlic or used to flavor lean cuts of meat. 
• Cinnamon + Cayenne Pepper Cinnamon is too rarely used in savory dishes! The natural sweetness of carrots or sweet potatoes go great with a dash of cinnamon and a bit of hot and spicy flavor. Can't handle the heat? Try it with chili powder instead of cayenne which has loads of flavor but won't leave your lips burning. 
• Rosemary + Thyme + Sage  This combo always makes me dream of Thanksgiving feasts. While it is delicious on poultry alongside a squirt of lemon, it is also a fabulous addition to roasted beets and parsnips. 

Highline Park Walk

NYC's High Line is a unexpected way to view the city in a historical and environmentally forward Park. From a unique vantage point, it offers gorgeous views that you can't get in a high-rise or from the street below. Earlier this summer, the second part of the park opened up, so you can now walk from Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District up to about 30th Street. In addition to enjoying the view, walking up and back is about 2 miles, and will burn you about 200 calories.

Get there hungry to enjoy some of the awesome vendors along the stroll--including my newest favorite, meltbakery. They have a variety of tasty cookie ice cream sandwiches, including Molasses with Pumpkin ice cream (middle) just in time for fall, and a classic Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Ice Cream (right).

Jeffrey's Grocery

For a laid back atmosphere with to-die-for dishes from start to finish, try Jeffrey's Grocery in the West Village. A close former New Yorker friend and I stopped in Saturday night for bar-side dinner. I often find myself more impressed by appetizers than entrees, and although I wouldn't take back a single bite of the starters,the hangar steak was a force to be reckoned with as well. As we looked around, we kept ordering--that's how good everything looked and tasted. We luckily saved room for the bartender's dessert recommendation and a tasty bottle of red wine on one of NYC's first fall-like weekends. Stumbling upon this restaurant was one of the weekend's highlights. Go hungry!

Octopus special with potato salad and zucchini ribbons.
Best dish of the night!

Tomato and Watermelon salad, conveniently split for 2. 

Hanger Steak (what was left anyway...) and chips with market crab dip.

Berry Shortcake a la mode to finish. 

Whole Wheat Pizza

Most Americans love pizza. But why waste the calories on the terrible 30 minute delivery place down the block? Thin-crust, fresh toppings is way more up my alley. I decided a couple weeks ago to get out my standing mixer and whip up a batch of pizza dough. This was my first attempt, but I was certain I could give this "junk-food" staple a new reputation. Using whole wheat flour instead of refined to boost vitamins and fiber and using fresh herbs, cheeses, and farmers market veggies as toppings, I felt like I got a lot of taste without the grease.

The dough recipe I used makes enough to serve about 8 people, 2 slices per person. I froze half, and was able to share round 2 with a dear friend. In addition to fabulous wine, we dined on 2 different whole wheat pizzas: White Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Prosciutto and Zucchini (recipe below), a simple Margarita with Heirloom Tomatoes, as well as an arugula and fig salad. I dare you to try it--you'll never call Domino's again. 

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Adapted from The Williams Sonoma Cookbook

Ingredients

1 package (or ~2.5 Tbs) active dry yeast

1 ½ cups warm water (105-115F)

1Tbs salt (plus ~1 tsp for seasoning)

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil, plus about 1-2 tsp additional for greasing

3 ½ -4 cups whole wheat flour, divided

Preparation

1.       In bowl of a standing mixer with dough hook, sprinkle yeast over warm water and let stand until foamy (about 4 minutes). Add olive oil, ½ cup flour, and 1 Tbs salt; mix until creamy. Add additional flour, ½ cup at a time, and knead in mixer until dough is smooth but not sticky (about 10 minutes).

2.      Form dough into a ball, put in lightly oiled bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with towel or plastic and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). Divide dough into 4 balls, kneading as you shape them.

NOTE: If freezing or refrigerating dough, after step 2 (first rise), wrap each ball in aluminum foil, and freeze up to 2 weeks or refrigerate up to 4 days. To re-use, thaw in refrigerator, then following steps 3-5 to complete.

3.      Place dough balls in bowl and cover with towel. Let rise (second rise) until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

4.      Preheat oven to 450F. Flatten each ball and gentry roll on floured surface, until about 8 inches in diameter (smaller if you like a thicker crust). Place rounds on flour-dusted baking sheet.

5.      Add toppings, and bake until edges are golden brown (about 10 minutes). 

Prosciutto, Zucchini and Caramelized Onion White Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust

Ingredients

¼ recipe Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (1 dough ball)

2 tsp olive oil

¼ cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 ounce part-skim mozzarella, sliced

½ large white onion, sliced and caramelized

2 ounces prosciutto, sliced and torn into small strips

1 cup zucchini, sliced

1.5 oz (a handful) Parmesan cheese, shredded

Freshly cracked black pepper

Preparation

With back of a spoon, spread ricotta and about 1-2 tsp olive oil over rolled-out pizza dough. Layer prosciutto, mozzarella, onions, and zucchini strips. Top with parmesan cheese and black pepper. Bake at 450F for about 10 minutes, until crust edges are golden brown and cheese begins to brown.