Garlic Turkey Stuffed Balsamic Portobello Mushrooms

Last week I decided that I was REALLY craving stuffed mushrooms. I wanted them and I wanted them now. Since I’m doing this wonderful Health and Happiness Cleanse, it became a challenge for me to come up with a really great and healthy way to indulge my craving. I’m making a concerted effort to eat as many veggies as possible as well as lean protein, with the least amount of additives! So I focused on veggies stuffed inside of veggies! And it truly came out to be one of the most flavorful and decadent dinners I’d ever made.

Grocery List:

• Big Portobello Mushrooms (for stuffing)
• 99% lean ground turkey breast
• 1 bag of baby spinach
• Crushed/Minced garlic
• Diced white onions
• Fresh Parmesan
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Garlic Powder
• Worcerstshire sauce
• Olive Oil
• Coconut Oil Spray
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper

Directions:

Prep and Marinate the mushrooms first. This will make them taste the absolute BEST! Remove the stems and then drizzle about 1 to 2 tablespoons  of extra virgin olive oil over the mushrooms, then douse them in balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle them with garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper and put them aside for now.

Now add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to a big saucepan, and a heaping amount of crushed garlic on medium heat. Saute that for a minute, then add the diced white onion. Cook that for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions cook down and become soft and translucent. Next add the ground turkey, season with sea salt and black pepper. Break the turkey up with a big cooking spoon or spatula. While this is cooking, drizzle with a heavy hand worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. Season with a bit more salt and pepper. Turn the oven on and pre-heat to 425 degrees fahrenheit.

Now add the bag of spinach, cook for a few minutes until it’s cooked down but not too soft. Grate some fresh parmesan cheese into the turkey and stir until it melts into it. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Once it’s cooled, stuff the portobello mushrooms with the mixture and grate some additional parmesan cheese on top. Pop them in the oven and cook until the mushrooms are soft between 15 to 20 minutes. Voila! I had a lot of leftover stuffing so I ate that for lunch too!

Marinated Mushrooms Pre Bake

Sauteeing the spinach with the turkey and onions

Grating fresh parmesan cheese

The amazing stuffed final product

Lemon and Dill Spiced Chicken

So call me crazy, but most of us know that grilled chicken is one of the best and healthiest forms of lean protein out there. The only thing that it can lack is flavor. So I whipped this recipe up when I was in need of a good, healthy protein but I didn’t want to spend forever cooking (chicken is incredibly easy and fast to cook on the stove). The dill and the lemon give this chicken phenomenal flavors, and the spices are divine.

Ingredients:

• Coconut Oil Spray (I use this instead of PAM, and most of time, instead of olive oil or any butter and it’s DELISH) Got mine at Trader Joes but most Grocery Stores carry it
• Organic Chicken Tenders (I find these by far and above the easiest to deal with in terms of chicken)
• Fresh Dill
• 21 Seasoning Spice or Poultry Spice
• Sea Salt
• Fresh Lemon

Directions:

Cube the chicken tenders so they’re more manageable (and easier to saute). Spray a big pan with the coconut oil spray and turn the heat on medium. Add the cubed chicken. Heavily season with sea salt and the 21 seasoning spice (If you don’t have this or can’t find it, just use as many flavors as you like like garlic powder, paprika etc.). While the chicken is cooking, add the juice of half a lemon, continue to cook. Shred as much fresh dill as you’d prefer (I used almost half a cup cause I’m a huge flavor girl). Continue to cook until the chicken is fully cooked and somewhat brown. Serve! This chicken is honestly the most flavorful chicken I’ve ever made, it goes great with veggies and would definitely be a wonderful salad topper!

Cacio e Pepe Kale

This recipe is incredibly simple, flavorful and filling, it actually makes you totally enjoy eating your greens! It’s great on it’s own or can be served with chicken or fish. Something so light and healthy is a great way to improve the health and happiness of your body and soul. (And the fresh grated parmesan at the end doesn’t hurt).

Ingredients:

• Tuscan Kale, destemmed
• 1 tbsp Butter and 1 tbsp of EVOO
• 2 cups of chicken broth (I use bouillon cubes)
• Red pepper flakes
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper
• Fresh Parmesan Reggiano

Directions:

Destem the kale, rinse it and put it aside. Melt the butter in the olive oil in a big saucepan. Add the kale, stirring while it cooks down, then add the 2 cups of broth. Cook it until little to no juice remains on medium heat, while generously seasoning with cracked red pepper, sea salt and black pepper. Remove kale from the heat once it’s cooked down significantly, serve hot and grate 2 tablespoons of fresh parmesan reggiano over it.

Welcome 2015! The Health and Happiness Cleanse.

Join me in the a Health and Happiness Cleanse this January!

 Almost Faymous is back! And while I’m woefully behind on my fabulous dining out and #OOTD posts, I’m ready to start something new! (Though I promise you I’ll be doing at least a post on that fabulous day trip I took to Nantucket and the amazing clothes I wore from Kerry Corcoran Clothing).

 So for the next month, I’m going to be doing a health and happiness cleanse, which is something I’ve kinda made up and amalgamated for my own purposes to give my body a chance to recover and kick start a really healthy year heading into my first NYC marathon! First thing I want to share is that I’m not doing this to be rigid or so incredibly strict by the rules that I can’t have fun, I’ve created guidelines for myself rather than a strict set of “to do” and “not to do”. (Cause hey I’m a girl who loves truffles).

 Basically I’m focusing on what’s good and what’s not, and allowing for occasional indulgences in between, (like tonight I’m going to get hot cocoa when I go to Bryant Park to watch the ice skaters.

 For my own personal reasons and sake, I am going to be cutting out all alcohol and coffee/caffeinated beverages until the end of January. Don’t feel you need to do that, really the focus should be more on adjusting the reigns; having a glass of wine vs. a bottle of champagne (or like 20 bloody mary’s at brunch, yes I’ve been there).

 

Here are my goals/guidelines during this time:

1. Limit unhealthy carbohydrates such as processed white flour, unnecessary breads, white rice and pastas etc. to no more than 3 times a week, but do have healthy beans, greens and sweet potatoes and squash!
2. Try to make each meal consist of 3 parts: lean protein, veggies/fruits and FLAVOR! (Trying to make that 80:20, where 80% of what I’m eating is that).
3. Eat as many vegetables as possible each day, and a lot of fruit too! But not too much fruit that I make myself diabetic.
4. Eat things I enjoy that I know are good for me (I’m such a savory girl and I really just don’t like eggs!).
5. Buy organic whenever possible.
6. Minimize processed foods, added sugar and chemicals to as little as I can.
7. Limit dairy to parmesan cheese, plain greek yogurt and some skim milk for herbal teas.
8. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
9. Don’t get mad at myself for indulgences (looking at YOU Lobster Mac and Cheese!) really try to keep “indulgences” to once or twice a week at the max.
10. Experiment and enjoy myself with cooking!
11. Do/Make/Create/Burn things in my joy to try things out!
12. Not consider myself a failure if I’m not perfect, or if I can’t keep it up. This is really just about trying to help improve my heart, health and soul! Which we ALL deserve.

I’m not a nutritionist or a dietitian but I’ve read a lot of information and I think this is a good fit for me. I’m going to attempt be post all the food I’m making/creating each day online! A lot of you asked me about recipes and I’ll be honest, I find them everywhere (and make them up!!!). So I figured this is a great way to share with everyone. Listed below is my first shopping list! I’ll explain later what I plan to do with everything but if you want to purchase some of them, to cook along with me, it’s shared below!

Want to join in the fun? Follow along and hashtag with me #HealthandHappinessCleanse

Shopping List for 1/5/2015:

1. Bag of Organic lemons
2. 4 Macintosh Apples
3. 1 Box of Heirloom Tomatoes
4. Fresh Basil
5. Fresh Dill
6. Organic Tuscan Kale
7. Organic Chicken Tenders
8. 21 Seasoning Spice
9. Mushroom and Asparagus Pre-Chopped Stir Fry
10. Pre-Cut Butternut Squash
11. Fresh Parmesan Reggiano
12. Sea Salt
13. Cracked Black Pepper
14. Fat Free Greek Yogurt

Diner En Blanc

Hello lovely followers! So many of you were curious as to what the fabulous all white dinner party was that I attended a few weeks ago and I’m here to tell you. So sorry for my delay in posting, as you can see if you’ve been following along on Instagram, I’ve been jetting, ferrying, and boating off all over!

So what is Diner en Blanc? Basically it’s a secret surprise pop up dinner party that happens throughout the world on one night near the end of summer. It was started in Paris by some sartorially inclined people who wanted to do something new and unique; to curate an evening fine tuned to perfection. Each year over 20,000 people apply via the wait list and only 4,000 get in. But once you’re in, you’re family.

I’ve been a part of Diner en Blanc for the past few years, missing only the first 2 dinners, down in the financial district and in Lincoln Center. Last years fabulous soiree was in Bryant Park and this years was in a glorious west side park where we shared a sunset with a view of the Empire State Building. Now many of you are probably thinking to yourself. how does this all work? Well first of all I should explain the ground rules, which are as follows: 1. Everything must be brought to the site, in exact dimensions, and following exact specifications. You can bring as elaborate and over the top platters and meals as you like, but your table, chairs, silverware, candles and provisions are all provided by YOU. You can choose to purchase food if you want (this years picnic basket was curated by Todd English after all), but honestly it’s more fun to bring your own! And as I’m sure you guessed everything (except the food) must be white. If show up with anything that is colored you will be asked to leave, and stricken from the guest list. We’re serious about our standards.

The hardest part of the entire evening is getting all of your stuff from your meeting spot to the secret locations. No one has any idea where the location is until we get there, and then everyone files in simultaneously for an absolutely glorious tidal effect of white. We set up our tables based on group, to touch, so we all sit together as one big, extremely upscale picnic. I always attend with one of my favorite friends I’ve made since moving here and this year we went all out, with elaborate fresh flower crowns by Crowns by Christy, an impeccable spread, and bottles of champagne and wine. We toasted, we gallivanted, we snapped photos in a pop up photobooth, we dined while listening to opera and a violinist, and then danced the night away to a live DJ. After the pop up winds down around 10pm, everyone heads to a secret after party (with a coat check for tables and chairs!) and this year was no exception, with a special DEB cocktail featured at PH-D at the Dream Downtown, of course with more fabulous views on the city skyline.

The Food I know you’re all SO curious as to what we brought to eat! And if you know me, you know I went all out (With my pictures eventually featured in Time Out New York and Guest of a Guest!). We brought prosciutto and italian charcuterie, a fresh baguette, heirloom tomatoes, organic strawberries and burrata cheese, and a cheese plate with honey chevre and rosemary sage asiago. The pairing of the honeyed goat cheese with ripe organic strawberries and the crusty baguette was simply divine. For dessert we brough chilean chocolate, and perfect freshly baked cupcakes from Tribeca Treats. It was the perfect plate, and an incredible feast to share a New York sunset with.

How Faymous Was It $$$$$, it’s  expensive to provide all your food, chairs, tables, flower crowns etc. but at the end of the day it is absolutely incredible. It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve done in New York City and I encourage you to apply on the wait list. It’s a night that will literally take your breath away and you get to share your appreciate for the finer things in life with all of the rest of the New Yorkers who agree.

 

 

End of Summer Introspection: #WhySoManyHashtags

 

So I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, mostly while I wandered the East Village this past weekend drinking in the rest of summer and snapping little visions. And I know for every one of you who loves to read my blog and see my pictures, there’s probably 2 or 3 who find it incessant and most likely unsubscribe from me or unfollow me. Now, I know I post A LOT, (Really even I am aware of this I promise), so I wanted to give you a little bit of insight into they Why of it all.

 When I first moved to New York I found it INCREDIBLY intimidating. (Also I had a blackberry). I was frightened to walk 5 blocks back to my apartment, I hated the subway, I hated the smells, I hated the rats, the bugs and all of the trash. I had a really hard time. It took me at least half a year to start to like it, and to live comfortably. New York is 100% somewhere you have to actively live, and if you don’t you kind of get washed away like a day old sandacastle. Or you become a New York City ghost. SO what does this have to do with all of my posts/pictures/blogposts/hashtags? Well first of all I started working in Social Media Analytics. So I got to have an almost insiders access to research that showed me what worked and what didn’t, what people liked and what they didn’t. Again this was pretty hard to learn, it’s not as intuitive as it may seem. So I acted like a sponge. I absorbed all of it, and I kind of fell in love with all of the research and the niche it represents, and that’s how I learned about all of the hashtags. Using the top hashtags on Instagram is the easiest way to get more followers and to share with more people.  Secondly, I figured out that instead of actively hating and despising New York and wishing I was living at home with my bedroom with a window, with trees, and grass, and good smells and long runs, that I had to figure out a way to LIKE New York.

 At first I don’t think it was an active decision, I think it was more self preservation. I had to pay attention to the moments that made me happy. And that took me months to figure out. It’s always easier to go back to your apartment after a long day and cuddle up with netflix and your bed, but I started to convince myself to go out. I went on dates. I met up with new friends. I made friends with people who had only been acquaintances before. And I started to fall in like with New York. I started to LOVE all the incredibly tasty things she had to share with me. I started to love the way the light hit some of the apartment buildings and streets after it rained. I started to love street carts with iced coffee, and 24 hour delis, and stale bars with pool tables. And so I started to capture all of these moments.

 This blog is an extension of all the pictures I capture and share on Instagram, and it’s a virtual wardrobe for me to store all of my memories. I consider it a moving, living, breathing piece of personal art. I absolutely love to write, and I’ve written blogs before, blogs filled with poetry, with study abroad experiences, with tragedy and with comedy. And this gives me a chance to share what I find. And make no mistake, that’s what this is about, I simply want to share my experience, both with you and with myself. And I know some of you may find it incredibly obnoxious, or just way too much content, but for every person who unfollows me or who unsubscribes from me, I know there are others who love to share my (mostly delicious) adventures. Because that’s all this really is, it’s a prettier form of sharing. It’s what I brought to show and tell. And it reminds me of all the happiness that New York can bring me even on the darkest of days. 

I Fell in Love with a Bar

It was unconventional and definitely not who my dad wanted to date but I loved it from the moment I walked in. Entirely nondescript, with 3 steps down to a slightly chilled room filled with people who have stories. It’s not the type of place you’d dream about or the place you’d want take someone to show off, but it’s wondrous in its lack of assumptions. Hidden in the fanciest and my most favorite part of Manhattan, Greenwich Village, lies Kettle of Fish. I’ve heard people say before that a bar had character, and I think I finally know what that means. It is a place that manages to be both comforting and sexy, with indulgent low lighting and more quirks than a charm bracelet.

It was filled with furniture almost like a curio closet, with adirondack chairs, aged velvet couches, christmas lights and a large man with a surfboard. But while a lot of bars play into and try to attain kitsch, this bar never veered in that direction. It was warm, and inviting, a place to go after work, a spot to rally the troops at the start of the night, and a humble friend to end the night with.

It’s a place that serves delicious prosecco in a champagne flute, and that has $4 drafts. It’s a place that lets you order multiple pizzas to the back room. I played Pac-Man and sipped prosecco, and tried to win at Galaga and lost while doing shots of fireball.

 I was exhilarated and in love and it was a heady, bubbly feeling much like the bubbles in my wine. I got to spend the evening with the best of friends somewhere I’d never been before but turned out to be perfect just the same. And I had one of those nights where life aligned like a perfect note struck on a tuning fork and for once in this big, bustling city, I felt home. 

Outfit of the Day: Beach Glam

Even though summer has sadly decided to wind it’s way down, that’s no excuse to not milk every last minute out of summer dressing. I’m never happier than when I’m laying dormant in the sunshine by the water, but going to the beach is no reason to not dress up. I’m usually on a boat in the sound most weekends in the summer (seriously no better escape), but when I’m gifted with a beach day I take it and run with it.

This outfit was inspired by what my mom wore growing up, though I glammed it up a bit. She was (and still is!) a foxy lady with her own style, whenever we were going to play down by the lake she’d throw on a tropical pareo over one of her original J.Crew one pieces (that as we all know made an epic come back this year). Effortless, flawless and completely at ease, it was exactly the vibe I was going for.

I just snagged this amazing oversize nautical stripe inspired wrap from Zara that I artfully tied to be my pareo, and threw on my favorite swimsuit of this summer, a Triangl bikini (which if you haven’t heard of, they’re amazing and I highly recommend grabbing one!). Next I grabbed my favorite straw hat from banana republic, added some wedges and my blue chrome ray bans and I was good to go. It took me all of 5 minutes to pull together, was decadently comfortable and chic (perfect for the Yacht Club drinks we went right to after) and made me feel as glamorous as JBKO on a yacht with Aristotle Onassis. What better way to spend a day then frolicking at the beach with friends?

With Love,

Amanda Faymous

 

Tasting Menu at The General: Ladies Night Date Night

There’s nothing quite so much fun as date night with a bestie. One of my fave NYC ladies and I have a long standing “date night with my boo”, once a month where we get together, let our hair down, and treat ourselves. We try to make each and every date totally unique and individual, and we don’t just limit it to eating and drinking. She’s who I went to Diner en Blanc with (and will be again this year!) and who I went to Queen of the Night with. It’s a fabulous time and an experience we’ve both decided we deserve to indulge for all of our hard work and late nights. So recently we decided to treat ourselves to the tasting menu at The General.

 The General is an EMM owned restaurant, helmed by Top Chef Season 3 winner Chef Hung Huynh. It’s home to elaborate and creative asian inspired cocktails and food, with specialty sushi and a secret downstairs jazz room. If you’re looking for an upscale and intoxicating NYC vibe in the Lower East Side this is the place to go.

 The Drinks: We both started with the incredibly delicious G.I. which had Avion Silver Tequila, Grapefruit, Orgeat, Sriracha and Sage. Incredibly refreshing and the sriracha added a kick but not too much that it was undrinkable. One of the best spicy themed drinks I’ve had to date, like a medley of sass in your mouth.

The Food: SO much food. The first course featured wasabi salt edamame, and the Mercy Roll. The Mercy Roll was one of the most inventive sushi rolls I’ve ever had, served with spicy tuna, jalapeno salt, and salsa verde instead of soy sauce. The salsa verde dressed the sushi perfectly in my opinion. Next up were Chinese chicken tacos, topped with avocado, bell pepper and sweet chili. The fried shells they were in simply melted in your mouth.  The second course, was heavier and even more indulgent. Crispy shrimp with spicy mayo, and house specialty Spicy Schezuan chicken. Already I can feel how full I’m getting just remembering this. The third and final course featured a HUGE serving of fried rice with pancetta and a glorious fried egg on top, and robata skewers with blistered shishito peppers, kobucha squash, shiitake mushrooms and sweet potatoes. Talk about YUM.

How Faymous Was It: $$$$, it’s pretty pricey but it’s totally worth it. You get a lot of food, and it’s all beyond delicious. It also goes well outside the realm of typical asian fusion food which is really fun to taste.

 It’s totally worth going if you’re looking for a swanky and delicious way to share a meal. Go with an empty stomach and be sure to try the sriracha coctails!

The G.I.-Sriracha Cocktails

Robata Skewers

Crispy Shrimp and Chinese Chicken Tacos

Wasabi Salt Edamame

Dat Fried Rice, with pancetta and egg

Szechuan Chicken Special

DrankssssMercy Roll

Faymous Friends: Kerry Corcoran Clothing

So one of my amazingly lovely Boston based friends recently started a clothing line known as Kerry Corcoran Clothing! It’s grown phenomenally in the past year or so, with countless happy customers and great vibes. Kerry Corcoran Clothing currently features the most heavenly comfortable tanks, tee’s and sweatshirts you could imagine. Her brand is curated to embody effortless, meaningful positive messages that you can wear every day!

From sharing good vibes on a tee at Soul Cycle, to throwing on an adorable sweatshirt to run out for that Juice Press fix, to dressing up the most perfect tank ever with a high waisted skirt and pony hair wedges for dinner at Gradisca, there’s literally something for everyone. And the comfort is second to none, it l feels like I’m wearing 900 thread count egyptian cotton. So casual. We’ll be collaborating to feature some of her AWESOME products in my upcoming #OOTD’s (Outfit of the Days) for you all to see in the next few weeks. And the BEST news is that at the end we’re going to do a fabulous giveaway! 

Head over to KerryCorcoranClothing.com to check out all of the amazingness and stay tuned for the upcoming outfits!

With Love,

 Amanda Faymous & Kerry Corcoran