The Robot Chef http://www.therobotchef.com Chewings and Musings Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:30:06 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 I Went To A Vegetarian Restaurant For The First Time http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/02/i-went-to-a-vegetarian-restaurant-for-the-first-time/ http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/02/i-went-to-a-vegetarian-restaurant-for-the-first-time/#comments Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:27:31 +0000 KC http://www.therobotchef.com/?p=1541 Keeping with the 80/20 rule (80% plant based/20% everything else) diet guideline that I recently established for myself, I took the dive and went to a vegetarian/vegan restaurant for the first time on Friday. If there’s one thing I learned from others is, it’s that one’s first experience at a vegetarian restaurant can really make it or break it for you. If the place sucks, well, that sets a negative precedent for me to continue on my current path, and if it’s good, well, then there is much promise on working towards that goal on further reducing meat consumption.

Living in a big city does have its benefits. Vegetarian options are plenty and easy to access. For my first comprehensive meatless dining experience, I went to The Chicago Diner. I’ve heard that this is the place to go to if I want to experience great vegetarian or vegan food. After a 25 minute wait, I was led from the back patio waiting area, through the kitchen, and into the loud and croweded dining room at around 9:30pm.  I thought to myself, wow, this place must be good.

I expected to see tofu loving hipsters and treehuggers, nope, all I saw was people of all types enjoying conversation and great food.  Now that I had that misconception out of the way, it was time to dive into the food.


The “Buffalo Wings” – Crispy and spicy and had the texture of meat.  I could eat this stuff everyday.


The Chipotle Firehouse Wrap – My friend ordered this, the “chicken” was pretty good, had a slight chewy texture to it though.


Radical Reuben – This sandwich blew me away.  It was fantastic.  I think if I was blind-folded and given this.  I would have thought it was the most tender corned beef I have ever had.  I don’t think it will be a problem to continue reducing animal meat intake.

]]> http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/02/i-went-to-a-vegetarian-restaurant-for-the-first-time/feed/ 0 The EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/the-ewgs-shoppers-guide-to-pesticides-in-produce/ http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/the-ewgs-shoppers-guide-to-pesticides-in-produce/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:55:32 +0000 KC http://www.therobotchef.com/?p=1533 There are some fruits and vegetables that should be bought organic, and some that should not, do you know which ones?  Well, the Environmental Working Group has done the work for you!

The Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides ranks pesticide contamination for 53 popular fruits and vegetables based on an analysis of 51,000 tests for pesticides on these foods, conducted from 2000 to 2009 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the federal Food and Drug Administration. Nearly all the studies on which the guide is based tested produce after it had been rinsed or peeled.  ~ http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/methodology/

Be sure to visit the website for more details!

]]> http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/the-ewgs-shoppers-guide-to-pesticides-in-produce/feed/ 0 Spaghetti Squash, Scrape Away! http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/spaghetti-squash-scrape-away/ http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/spaghetti-squash-scrape-away/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:44:16 +0000 KC http://www.therobotchef.com/?p=1525 I don’t eat squash much, but when I do, it’s usually pumpkin pie.  About a few months ago, I had spaghetti squash for the first time at a local restaurant and was amazed by the flavor and the texture.  I didn’t think much of it afterwards, but when I passed by them at a local grocery store earlier this week, I decided to make some on my own.  The squash is pretty versatile, I can treat it like traditional pasta and lay on the sauce, or coat it with garlic infused olive oil with a touch of salt and pepper.  The crunchy texture provides a nice bite and one squash yields many servings.

 

]]> http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/spaghetti-squash-scrape-away/feed/ 0 The Easy Pork Belly Recipe http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/the-easy-pork-belly-recipe/ http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/the-easy-pork-belly-recipe/#comments Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:39:35 +0000 KC http://www.therobotchef.com/?p=1520 Once in a while, I break my good eating habits and indulge in one of my vices…pork belly.  Oh yes, that magical cut of fatty meat is just too hard to resist.  Rather than spending too much time preparing the pork belly marinade, I just bought a jar of pre-made Chinese BBQ Roast Pork Sauce at a local Asian grocery store.  It’s so simple to do and the results are melt-in-your-mouth fantastic.

 

]]> http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/the-easy-pork-belly-recipe/feed/ 0 This Documentary Will Make You Reconsider Your Dietary Habits http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/this-documentary-will-make-you-reconsider-your-dietary-habits/ http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/this-documentary-will-make-you-reconsider-your-dietary-habits/#comments Sat, 28 Jan 2012 07:59:17 +0000 KC http://www.therobotchef.com/?p=1515

I’ve watched a bunch of food documentaries, and to tell you the truth, none of them have made me consider changing my dietary habits, but after watching Forks Over Knives, well, I’m ready to reduce my consumption of meat and diary by quite a bit.

I’m not going to spoil it for you, just watch it and decide for yourself. Much of the information in the documentary seems to be common sense and it will make you wonder why not more people adopting a healthier lifestyle. The data from long term studies presented in the documentary make quite a compelling case. Who knows? It may make you reconsider the way you eat.  You can purchase it online or catch it on Netflix.

http://www.forksoverknives.com/

]]> http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/this-documentary-will-make-you-reconsider-your-dietary-habits/feed/ 0 Sweet Potato Fries Showdown! http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/sweet-potato-fries-showdown/ http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/sweet-potato-fries-showdown/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:56:45 +0000 KC http://www.therobotchef.com/?p=1509 Oh sweet potato fries, thank you for being so delicious, nutritious, and…delicious.  I ate Alexia’s Sweet Potato Fries for the longest time, but I recently switched over to Trader Joe’s brand of Sweet Potato Fries.  While the price of the sweet potato fries from Trader Joe’s did play a role in changing brands, they just taste better!  Below is a completely non-scientific comparison of the two brands.

]]> http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/sweet-potato-fries-showdown/feed/ 0 Popovers Do Exactly Just That…Popover! http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/popovers-do-exactly-just-that-popover/ http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/popovers-do-exactly-just-that-popover/#comments Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:01:49 +0000 KC http://www.therobotchef.com/?p=1504 I had popovers for the first time at Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco last week.  Sadly to say, I think I liked them more than the main course.  The restaurant was good, but not great.  When I returned to Chicago, I found  a recipe online for making popovers from scratch, but the instructions left out some important details, so I did my best to fill in the gaps.

]]> http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/popovers-do-exactly-just-that-popover/feed/ 0 It’s Time for Lemon Thyme Chicken Wings http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/its-time-for-lemon-thyme-chicken-wings/ http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/its-time-for-lemon-thyme-chicken-wings/#comments Sun, 08 Jan 2012 03:30:41 +0000 KC http://www.therobotchef.com/?p=1500

]]> http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/its-time-for-lemon-thyme-chicken-wings/feed/ 0 San Francisco Does Sushi Right http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/san-francisco-does-sushi-right/ http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/san-francisco-does-sushi-right/#comments Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:23:31 +0000 KC http://www.therobotchef.com/?p=1490 There’s something about sushi and sashimi in the San Francisco Bay Area.  It’s damn good.  As a matter of fact, I find the sushi in that area to be just as good as what I had in Japan.  The authenticity is right on and the quality of the seafood is nothing like I’ve had at any place else in the states, except in Los Angeles.  Of course, not every sushi restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area is good, but from the places I’ve dined at so far, the experience has been great.  So when I visited San Francisco for fun last week, I naturally heard the call of the ocean and stuffed my face with raw fish.  San Francisco, you’re doing raw fish right.  I’ll be back.

]]> http://www.therobotchef.com/2012/01/san-francisco-does-sushi-right/feed/ 0 Add Some Sweet Milky Goodness to Oatmeal with Condensed Milk http://www.therobotchef.com/2011/12/add-some-sweet-milky-goodness-to-oatmeal-with-condensed-milk/ http://www.therobotchef.com/2011/12/add-some-sweet-milky-goodness-to-oatmeal-with-condensed-milk/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:56:48 +0000 KC http://www.therobotchef.com/?p=1484

About a month ago, I ran out of brown sugar and went to the refrigerator looking for something to sweeten up my bowl of oatmeal with. I noticed an open can of condensed milk begging to be used. How could I say no?

I went ahead and mixed a heaping tablespoon of condensed milk into my bowl of oatmeal. Holy crap,it’s as if the oatmeal and condensed milk were making sweet love in the bowl and both had orgasmed in my mouth. It was awesome, I don’t think I can go back to using brown sugar as a topping anymore. Breakfast just got exciting again!

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