Page 102 ⋆ Jersey Bites

Whole Foods Opens in Clark

MStavrou

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August 13, 2015

There’s highly anticipated, and then there’s hundreds of people eagerly waiting outside for your store to open. That’s what happened when Whole Foods opened its doors in Clark on August 7. Large crowds gathered, excited to check out the newest NJ location of the popular grocery store chain. Whole Foods makes an effort to personalize every one of its stores, and the Clark location is no exception. It has local products from around the region prominently displayed throughout the store, and customers can be expected to find plenty of NJ produce when it’s in season. The store is a full-service grocery, with meat, seafood, and cheese departments, each bearing the Whole Foods imprint. The seafood department relies on Trinity Seafood in Asbury Park, and emphasizes seafood sustainability. The meat department has its own in-house smoker, which will offer 10 varieties of bacon.

In addition to traditional grocery departments, the Clark Whole Foods offers additional goodies that customers are sure to appreciate. The bakery will offer Jersey style diner cakes, with nearly all of the baked goods done in house. The coffee and juice bar will serve up a variety of coffee drinks (in partnership with Allegro Coffee), as well as fresh pressed juices, smoothies, and matcha drinks. Matcha, which is finely ground green tea, offers a slower release of caffeine and is making its Whole Foods debut at the Clark location. Prepared foods, something that Whole Foods is especially known for, will be offered in the form of an extensive salad bar, as well as with sushi, pizza, and BBQ departments.

The Clark location also boasts its own restaurant: Clark Bar. The restaurant has 12 beers on tap, all of them craft beers from well-renowned local brewers like Carton, Kane, and Bolero Snort. One of the beers offered, Markt Saison from Kane, is exclusive to Whole Foods. The beer selection will change seasonally, and the restaurant hopes to eventually offer craft beer dinners. The restaurant, open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, serves up burgers, flatbreads, salads, and even has a kids’ menu.

Red labels throughout the store call out local products, which are available in most every department. One of the partnerships the store is most proud of is with Dan Richer, co-owner of Razza Pizza Artigianale. Razza is packaging the amazing butter served at the restaurant, and selling it exclusively at Whole Foods. Whole Foods employs a local forager, whose job is to constantly search out local food purveyors for sale at the store. A quick walk down any aisle shows that connecting with the community is something that the company takes very seriously.

At the end of the day, Whole Foods wants people to view the store as their go-to grocery store. The Clark location is personalized for the community it serves, with a real family focus, large amount of local food, and the quality standards that people have come to expect from the Whole Foods brand. Discounts and samples will be in abundance as Whole Foods welcomes people into the store, so stop by and see why the employees pride the store on offering things you won’t find anywhere else.

Whole Foods Market
1255 Raritan Road
Clark

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Striking Lunchtime Gold at the Silver Diner in Cherry Hill

Michael Gabriele

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August 12, 2015

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Striking Lunchtime Gold at the Silver Diner in Cherry Hill

It was a warm, sunny Monday afternoon, and I was ridin’ the trails out west in Cherry Hill, in the saddle of my…SUV, when I had a powerful hankerin’ to rustle up some good ol’ bison grub.

OK, I’ll admit it—I don’t have a very convincing Texas accent and I would make a lousy cowboy. And that day I really didn’t have a hankerin’’ for bison—at least not until I walked into the Silver Diner, located on Route 38 in the Hillview Shopping Center in Cherry Hill.

First, a little background info on the Silver Diner. It is a diner, but it’s also a restaurant chain that was launched in 1989 by founders Robert Giaimo and Chef Ype Von Hengst. The first Silver Diner opened in Rockville, MD. There are a combined 14 Silver Diners in Maryland and Virginia. The diner in Cherry Hill (number 15) is the only one in the Garden State.

The basic concept behind the venture is to capture the “retro” charm and look of a stainless steel roadside diner while providing a contemporary menu. The Silver Diner’s “food philosophy,” as spelled out on its website is to create classic diner dishes, but also provide “new twists” with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. The franchise also touts its sourcing of fresh food from 15 farms in the mid-Atlantic region as a way to support sustainable agriculture.

It was lunchtime and it felt like a good day to be mildly adventurous, so the bison huevos rancheros was an inviting selection. The dish featured ground bison topped with two, over-easy Amish eggs (from a Pennsylvania farm, I presume), chorizo hash, goat cheese, salsa, guacamole, cilantro and scallions, all complemented by three soft, multi-grained tortilla chips.

Bison Huevos Rancheros_ Siver Diner — Bison huevos rancheros

It was absolutely delicious.

Having never sampled bison, I tried to isolate its qualities compared to ground beef. In terms of texture, it was very similar to beef, but the bison meat was moist, light and had a salty-sweet taste—not gamey at all. I consulted my attentive waitress on all this and she told me that my bison observations were right on target. In fact, she had assured me I would enjoy this dish while I was pondering my options for lunch, and I certainly did.

Scanning the menu, other temping lunch items included a ribeye Philly cheesesteak, a BLT club sandwich, and several lunch specials under 600 calories: Baja fish tacos, grilled salmon and flounder, mango veggie stir fry, and Santa Cruz chicken. Another option that caught my eye was the salmon sliders on locally baked artisan bread.

Bread Pudding_ Silver Diner — Bread pudding

Coffee, served in a large mug, was up to snuff. Continuing to push the envelope on my meal, I decided to toss caution aside and go big on dessert—bread pudding. It was a warm, heaping helping of moist bread chunks covering a savory sweet mixture of apples and cinnamon, drizzled with carmel syrup and topped with vanilla ice cream. Very nice. I ate half and brought the rest home, which I enjoyed as a late-night snack.

As for diner atmospherics, the Silver Diner’s interior is spacious and comfortable with soft lighting and numerous booths. The designers did their homework, as evidenced by the long cultured-stone counter. Sitting at the counter provides customers with an eye-level view of the kitchen—where flames leapt, food sizzled, and cooks smiled.

Other architectural highlights include a two-tone blue and white tile floor, glass brick appointments, neon signs, and stainless steel throughout. Jukeboxes are a nostalgic touch. In addition, there are numerous photo prints of vintage diner scenes provided by historian and author Richard Gutman, the dean of the study of diner history Americana. (Gutman is the director and curator of the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University, in Providence, RI.)

If there are plans for a sixteenth Silver Diner in the works anytime soon, let’s hope the decision makers consider finding a site in northern New Jersey. Now that’s something any diner-loving, Garden State cowboy would appreciate.

Silver Diner
2131 New Jersey 38
Cherry Hill

(Across from Cherry Hill Mall)

Shanghai 46 in Fairfield

Terry Krongold

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August 11, 2015

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Note: Jersey Bites was invited to visit Shanghai 46 and our writer received a complimentary meal.

During a recent visit to Shanghai 46 in Fairfield, we feasted on a non-stop parade of beautifully crafted dishes, starting with the famous (and one of my favorites) Steamed Juicy Buns (pork or crab), the delicate Shanghai Shepherd Purse Wonton Soup, and the crispy-outside/moist-inside Shanghai Marinated Duck. We were off to a very good start with these appetizers!

Owner Kevin Lin, who also owns Cheng Du 23 in Wayne, treated us to many courses during the evening. My favorites included the aptly named Lion’s Head meatballs. Fist-sized, these delicious pork and tofu meatballs with oyster sauce were so tender and flavorful. I also loved the pickled mustard greens with pork; the delicate Shanghai udon noodles; roasted garlic chicken; and moo shu pancake with beef. Yes, there was a lot of food!

New Jersey diners have many Asian restaurants to choose from and I think most people are more familiar with Cantonese or Szechuan styles. I asked Lin what makes Shanghai cuisine different from cooking in other parts of China. He told me that it’s much lighter, and with subtle spices. Not overwhelming or heavy. A good example of this was a unique dish that I’ve never seen anywhere else: pumpkin with salted egg yolk. This dish consisted of thinly sliced pumpkin coated with egg yolk and lightly fried. Crispy, delicious, and addictive!

Shanghai 46 also serves some of the dishes that may be more familiar to many patrons of area restaurants, such as General Tso’s chicken and kung pao chicken, along with a few Asian fusion dishes. We sampled the beef with Thai basil from this part of the menu and it was very good. But what you really want here is the authentic Shanghai cuisine. This is where Lin and his team excel.

Shanghai 46
14 US Highway 46 East
Fairfield
973-808-5888

Open 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Closed Tuesday
Dim Sum served Saturday and Sunday

A Decadent Dozen in Bergen County: Glaze Donuts

Lisa Pisano

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August 11, 2015

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A Decadent Dozen in Bergen County: Glaze Donuts

Behold, it’s the day of the donut.

And it’s about time, don’t you think?

I recently had the chance to check out Glaze Donuts, an artisanal donut shop in New Milford.

Quality and Care

What makes Glaze Donuts unique? Well, I can tell you that the aroma alone upon entering the shop transported me to another place in time. It smelled like an “old-tyme bake shoppe:” a buttery, yeasty, sugary smell with just a hint of coffee.

It was absolutely heavenly!

And that’s probably due, in part, to what goes IN to making these artisanal treats.

“As a child growing up in New Jersey, you could always find quality, great tasting donuts at farm stores or down the shore,” says founder Jules Hazou. “What makes us different is our commitment to producing premium quality traditional and eccentric donuts and baked goods.”

This means donuts made without preservatives, artificial coloring, or high fructose corn syrup. And everything is cooked in small batches.

If one gets too oily or over done? It doesn’t make the display case. Plain and simple.

Fab Flavors

If you pick up the Glaze Donuts flyer or visit the website, you’ll see more than 50 varieties of Classic, Glazed & Infused, and Artisan Donuts.

Sure, there’s your standard glazed, powdered, cinnamon, and chocolate frosted (my personal favorite). But then there’s – ready for this? – maple bacon, banana foster, white chocolate pretzel and sea salt, French toast, piña colada, Aztec chocolate, Twix style, bourbon caramel, mango, blood orange, Reversed Jersey, and more.

And even when we’re talking about flavors like lemon, wild strawberry, peach, and blueberry – the folks at Glaze tell me they’re not using factory-made, artificially dyed flavorings. If it’s strawberry season, you’re getting freshly preserved strawberries in your strawberry-filled donut.

And that maple bacon donut? It’s topped with premium cut smoked bacon and SO decadent that it might be best shared.(I did think it could have been a hint crispier for maximum flavor, texture, and overall WOW factor.)

Glaze tells me that they change up the flavors on a daily basis, but standards like chocolate frosted, glazed, powdered and the aforementioned rock star, maple bacon are pretty much always present.

My family sampled the sour cream, cannoli, chocolate frosted, maple bacon, glazed, and triple chocolate varieties. My favorites were a tie between the chocolate frosted and sour cream.

In addition to donuts, Glaze offers Zepps (zeppole), Beignets, Crepes, Muffins, Croissants, Cookies and Breakfast Sandwiches, along with a full hot and iced coffee menu.

Glaze Donuts
358 River Road
New Milford

NJ Fisheries: Harvesting Jersey Fresh Seafood Daily

Jersey Fresh

Cindy Dudas

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August 7, 2015

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NJ Fisheries: Harvesting Jersey Fresh Seafood Daily

New Jersey might be called the Garden State, but its agriculture expands far past the gorgeous green farmland out to the coast and beyond into another realm: aquaculture. New Jersey fishermen bring in tons of fresh seafood daily along the Jersey shore for our dining pleasure.

Even with all the wonderful seafood the Jersey coast has to offer, 91% of America’s fish is imported from other countries, according to Gef Flimlin, of the Rutgers Commercial Fisheries and Aquaculture Cooperative Extension. And do you really know where that fish is coming from or how it is harvested? Sustainability is one of the words that you hear a lot when discussing aquaculture. When it comes to fishing the NJ coast, sustainability is on the forefront of every fisherman’s mind.

By getting your seafood from local New Jersey fishermen like the ones at the Fisherman’s Dock Co-Op in Point Pleasant or Viking Village in Barnegat Light, you will know exactly where your dinner comes from, and you can rest assured that it has been harvested in a highly managed sustainable way. Each fisherman must comply with strict laws written by the National Fisheries Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that include restocking the waterways to maintain a successful crop each year while simultaneously improving the waterways. Clean water means higher quality products being harvested and brought to market.

One of the hang-ups people have when it comes to purchasing local seafood (as opposed to buying imported or skipping it altogether) is that local seafood can sometimes cost more than the alternative. However, not only does supporting local fisheries help keep our waterways safe, it also helps our local economy. When you purchase local seafood your dollars pay the fisherman who brought in the catch, as well as the boat repairman, the dock master, the crew, and everyone who had a hand in the operation. Everyone involved gets a portion, which they in turn use to stay in business themselves. Eventually, this cycle can lead to lower costs for everyone—if it is maintained.

Another reason for buying local is that the imports often include more commonly known types of fish, like shrimp, flounder, tilapia (which is actually a freshwater fish, not seafood). Learning how to cook the local seafood might seem like a hard task, but simple is the best way to prepare any seafood regardless of the type. And using local seafood will most likely help you end up with a much tastier dish!

On Fridays in the summer, Viking Village offers a dock tour to teach the public about the commercial seafood industry in NJ. You can see the facility in full operation while hearing about the delicious Jersey Seafood available each week. You can also learn how to prepare and cook those options with Chef Peter Fischbach. For more information on the tour, visit Viking Village’s website or call the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce at 609-494-7211.Support your local fisheries while enjoying the best seafood the East Coast has to offer!

Here are a few more resources for info about NJ’s commercial fishing industry and how to incorporate more local seafood into your lifestyle:

New Jersey Aquaculture

Fishermen’s Dock Cooperative

NOAA Fisheries

Rutgers: New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station

All photos are courtesy of Gef Flimlin.

North Eats: Asbury Park’s Beachfront Food Trucks

Melissa Beveridge

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August 5, 2015

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North Eats: Asbury Park’s Beachfront Food Trucks

Asbury Park has gained its fair share of delectable delights over the past few years. From new options in fine dining to countless takes on what good pizza actually tastes like, if you’re looking for a good meal, chances are you can find one in Asbury Park. So when North Eats debuted on the boardwalk this summer I was pretty excited to see what else would be thrown into the culinary mix.

Settled on the north end of the Asbury Park boardwalk, just past Convention Hall is North Eats. (It’s steps away from great surfing and the after hours dog beach.) Six food trucks are parked there for your eating pleasure, seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Under the canopy of bulb lights, this little food oasis has it all: Peruvian cuisine, organic pizza, pork roll sandwiches, sliders, ice cream and of course Korean tacos. I stopped by on a recent (hot) afternoon, ready to dig in, however my eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach. (A second visit is in order).

With my eating partner in tow, we divided and conquered. Deciding on a Bianca pizza from Neapolitan Express, a pork taco—Asian style—with spicy sriracha and kimchi made by Chef Andrew Mazza and Josh Scala from Seoul Fusion; Bourbon BBQ sliders (with fries, of course) from The Outslider, and a classic cebiche from RUNA Peruvian Cuisine.

After collecting all of our foodie goodies, we sat down at one of the picnic tables (after a game of cornhole) and were in awe at the range of dishes that we had just acquired—within feet of one another. It was like traveling to Korea, Peru, Italy, and, final destination—the Southern U.S. The two sliders were delicious—just cooked with a sweet BBQ sauce. The cebiche was amazingly refreshing, especially on a hot summer day. (We were sweating even though we were sitting under an umbrella). Chef Marita Lynn did an amazing job bringing the dishes that her customers love at her Red Bank restaurant of the same name, to the beach goers of Asbury Park. Onto the pizza, which Neapolitan Express touts as being the first organic and GMO-free pizza truck serving authentic Neapolitan pizza: three things I’m very into.

Made with “OO” flour and Ciao San Marzano tomatoes (well, not pie, because I went with the Bianca), the pizza tastes as good as it is for the environment. It’s actually the first eco-friendly food truck that’s powered by clean energy fuels. But really, who cares about all of that because it’s really the pizza we’re after and it’s stellar (especially coming from a food truck).

My favorite was the pork taco. It was incredibly flavorful and really hit the spot when it comes to taste and spice in my book. I’m looking forward to going back and trying out some more of their dishes including Bulgogi Bites that’s reminiscent of a Korean, meat-filled zeppole (sounds unusual, but you know you want a bite of it too).

Rounding out the food truck set (and on my to-try list for next time) is the Igloo Italian Ice & Ice Cream where owner David Hirschel, who owns a storefront in Oakhurst, brings ice cream up a notch (or ten) with his flavorful creations of homemade ice cream pops. Then there’s Johnny’s Pork Roll and Coffee Truck where pork roll aficionados can take a bite into New Jersey’s favorite meat anytime of day.

Chef Bryan Gregg to Compete at 2015 Great American Seafood Cook-Off

Veronique @ Food & Wine Chickie

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August 4, 2015

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Chef Bryan Gregg to Compete at 2015 Great American Seafood Cook-Off

Bryan Gregg, Chef and Owner of Escape Montclair, was recently crowned the winner of the 2015 Jersey Seafood Challenge held at Viking Village in Barnegat Light in late June. The winning dish,Barnegat Light Scallops, Creamless Creamed Corn and Jersey Chanterelles (pictured above), much like the food Chef Gregg serves at Escape, was created using locally-sourced ingredients and crafted specifically for the challenge.

As a result of his win at the 2015 Jersey Seafood Challenge, Chef Gregg will be New Jersey’s official representative at this weekend’s Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans. “It means a lot to me to have the chance to represent the Garden State at the national competition in New Orleans,” said Chef Gregg. “What I’m most excited about is showing people across the USA what we can do in the kitchen with the quality, local products available to us in New Jersey. I can’t wait to share my Jersey pride at the event and my twin boys think that dad being on Food Network is pretty cool.”

Only 20 chefs from across the country are invited to participate at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off, and the event champion will be named King or Queen of American Seafood. The cook-off will be televised by the Food Network (date and time to be announced) and is part of the Louisiana Foodservice Expo.

Chef Gregg generously shared the recipe to his winning scallop dish with Jersey Bites for readers to try to recreate at home.

To help show your support for Chef Gregg from now through the weekend, use hashtag #GASCO15 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and follow Jersey Fresh on Facebook or Twitter.

Good luck, Chef Gregg!

Veronique Deblois, Food & Wine Chickie: Veronique is a food and wine writer based in Morris County. As the author of the popular blog, Food & Wine Chickie Insider, Veronique shares recipes, wine and restaurant reviews and insight into the travel industry of which she’s a 15-year veteran. Follow Veronique on Twitter or like her Facebook page.

Recipe: Barnegat Light Scallops, Creamless Creamed Corn and Jersey Chanterelles

Veronique @ Food & Wine Chickie

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August 3, 2015

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Recipe: Barnegat Light Scallops, Creamless Creamed Corn and Jersey Chanterelles

Try this recipe from Escape Montclair‘s Chef Bryan Gregg.

Recipe yields 4 servings.

Creamed Corn Ingredients:

5 ears of corn, preferably from New Jersey
4 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper

Creamed Corn Directions:

Cut the kernels off 3 of the ears of corn.
Place the kernels in a blender with ¼ cup water and purée for a minute, until smooth with very few chunks.
Place a fine sieve over a bowl and pour the corn mixture in the sieve. Using the back of a spoon, gently push down on the corn mixture to extract all the corn liquid. Expect about ½ cup of liquid.
Cut the kernels off the last 2 ears of corn.
In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the kernels from the 2 ears and blanch for 1 minute. Strain the cooked corn kernels and place in a bowl filled with water and ice cubes for 5 minutes. Once cooled, strain again and dry over paper towels.
Over medium-low heat in a heavy saucepan, bring the corn liquid to a low simmer and whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes. Do not allow to boil or risk the liquid curdling.
Once the corn liquid has thickened, turn the heat to low and whisk in the butter until melted and fully incorporated. Add the cooled, blanched corn kernels and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over low heat until ready to plate, at most, 10 minutes.

Seared Barnegat Scallops Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
16 Barnegat scallops
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper

Seared Barnegat Scallops Directions:

In a large, nonstick sauté pan, melt the butter over high heat until slightly golden and frothy.
Season the scallops with salt and pepper and place them in the pan. Sear the scallops on the first side for 2 minutes without disturbing them. Once golden brown, flip the scallops and sear the second side, undisturbed, for 2 minutes.
Remove the scallops from the pan and set aside for later use. Reserve the butter-infused with scallop juices in the pan.

Jersey Chanterelles Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
½ pound chanterelle mushrooms (preferably from NJ), cleaned and cut in half if larger than bite-size.

Jersey Chanterelles Directions:

Over high heat, in the pan used to sear the scallops, add the 2 tablespoons of butter to the butter-infused with scallop juices.
Add the chanterelles and sauté for 4 minutes, or until softened and slightly browned.

Final Dish Assembly:

Divide the creamed corn among 4 bowls.
Top the creamed corn with 4 scallops per bowl.
Divide the chanterelles among 4 bowls and arrange around the scallops.

Just Jersey Food Truck & Music Festival

Jessica Herring

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August 3, 2015

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Sunflower Maze at Alstede Farms

Marina Kennedy

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August 2, 2015

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Alstede Farms is a vibrant, 600-acre working farm in Chester. For the first time, the team has introduced its own sunflower maze, with the theme of farming in the Garden State.

The giant sunflowers that tower over your head are planted in a clever design of pathways. They are currently in full bloom, making this a delightful spot for photographs. The maze itself is four acres. It features placards with interesting trivia about farming in New Jersey, covering topics such as farming practices, animals, fruits, and vegetables.

Beautiful, fun, and educational, the maze will be open for the duration of the bloom. Enjoy a casual stroll through as many times as you like. The maze opens at 9 a.m. and the last entry is at 6 p.m. (Guests must exit the maze by 7 p.m.) The maze access is included as part of Alstede Farms’ Pick Your Own admission. Entry prices vary according to the days and time of arrival. (The fee does not include the cost of the produce you pick.)

These beautiful flowers won’t last forever, so if you can, check it out soon!

Alstede Farms
1 Alstede Farms Lane
Chester
908-879-7189

Photo courtesy of Alstede Farms.

Served Fresh, Right to Your Table

Alex Esposito

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July 31, 2015

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If you’re a frequent visitor to Jersey Bites, you’re probably familiar with Jersey Fresh. If you’re new to the term, here’s a quick 101:Jersey Fresh began in 1984 as a government-sponsored radio ad campaign informing consumers about the availability and variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the Garden State. Over the years, it has evolved into one of the premier state-grown agricultural marketing programs.

We’ve got a partnership with the brand, exploring a variety of all things Jersey Fresh in our #JerseyFreshFriday posts, from CSA (community supported agriculture) initiatives, to recipes, farms, fisheries and much more. The following restaurants are active members of the local food sourcing community, and their upcoming events encapsulate what it means to be Jersey Fresh.

Terre à Terre
Located in Carlstadt, Terre à Terre offers a sustainable way to dine. Featuring fresh, locally grown produce and meat, owner and chef Todd Villani offers diners with a true farm-to-table experience. Next month, Villani will show off his culinary skills at Garden State Bounty, a special five-course dinner featuring local, farm-fresh foods, held at the James Beard House in Manhattan.

Heirloom tomato gazpacho, fresh lamb caramelized in a leek & bacon gratin, and juniper-cured duck prosciutto are just some of the delectable options that will be available at this unique dining experience. A showcase of some of the best produce and fresh food of the summer that New Jersey has to offer, tickets cost $170 each, and they can be purchased here.

The Frog and The Peach

New Brunswick’s The Frog and The Peach is another restaurant that embraces what it means to be Jersey Fresh. This summer, the restaurant gives a grand stage to one of the state’s tastiest fruits: the peach. The Festival of Peaches tasting menu is now in effect, and runs through mid-September. The Frog and the Peach ensures that every peach is locally grown.

For just $64, you can treat yourself to a variety of peach-infused dishes like duck carpaccio and braised suckling pig. The dessert menu has the potential to be the highlight of the meal, though, with poached peaches and cinnamon peach empanadas providing a perfect ending to a great dinner. Wine pairings are also available, at an additional cost. To book a reservation, click here.

The man behind Sparky, Jordan Anderson — The leader of Sparky, Jordan Anderson

Sparky
A one-night-only pop-up dinner event, Sparky will be hosted at Ristorante Giorgia in Rumson on Tuesday, September 15. The ten-course menu will be seafood-focused, showcasing seasonal produce and game from across the Garden State. All ingredients will be sourced from local farms or day boats. Dinner is $95 a person, and tickets can be purchased at the bottom of Sparky’s webpage.

According to Jordan Anderson, founder and head chef of the project, the experience will feature “casual fine dining with sophisticated service, but playful and ambitious food.” Jordan also told us the menu is supposed to be a surprise, but was able to share that each course “highlights an ingredient that represents something about New Jersey.”

Terre à Terre
312 Hackensack Street
Carlstadt
201-507-0500

The Frog and The Peach
29 Dennis Street
New Brunswick
732-846-3216

Sparky
102 Avenue of Two Rivers
Rumson

Laura Theodore’s Vegan-Ease

Cookbook Reviews

Melissa Beveridge

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July 29, 2015

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When it comes to cooking vegan-based dishes, Laura Theodore (a.k.a. The Jazzy Vegetarian) wants to make it super “ease-y.” Her latest cookbook, Vegan-Ease, which will be released on September 16, does just that, not only promising to make cooking vegan-based dishes easy, but also promising to make living a vegan-based lifestyle totally doable.

“This cookbook is for novice cooks and longtime vegans,” says Theodore, who lives in northern NJ. “I’ve created 130 wholesome, economical, and satisfying recipes that are quick and easy, with nutritional analysis.”

Ladies and gentlemen, this is not your average cookbook. Theodore could have just left us with 130 of her vegan recipes (26 of which are desserts), but no, she decided to take the whole cookbook thing to the next level. Each recipe has an “ease factor” of 1 to 3, depending on the number of ingredients, time it takes to serve, and how accessible the ingredients are to the average consumer (basically whether your average grocery store will have it or if you have to go to a specialty health market). All of the recipes take 30 minutes or less to prepare and even the 3s (the “hardest”) have, at most, 15 ingredients.

“There’s so many cookbooks with so many icons,” notes Theodore. “The crux of the book is the Ease Factor, which will help people prepare dishes much easier, especially when they’re tired at the end of the day.” If it’s rated an Ease Factor of 1, like the mini sweet peppers with hummus, it’s likely that you’ll have all the ingredients in your kitchen already—and it’ll take less than 15 minutes to prepare.

In addition to the “ease-y” recipes, the book also has a chapter about menu planning, packed with 12 full menu plans that you can mix and match for any occasion, whether it’s breakfast on a Monday or Thanksgiving dinner.

“I wrote this book around what I felt I needed in a cookbook,” says Theodore. And to help make your vegan lifestyle easier, there are entire chapters dedicated to nutritional concerns for vegans, a list for pantry, refrigerator, and freezer essentials as well as basic tools that will make every vegan cook’s life easier. There’s even help on what to do and say when you’re serving vegan dishes to a non-vegan guest.

As for the recipes themselves,Theodore outdid herself yet again. Including some recipes from her upcoming Season 5 TV show, The Jazzy Vegetarian (which includes guest appearances by Lynrd Skynrd’s Rickey Medlocke, celebrity chef and author Lidia Bastianich, and acclaimed author Victoria Moran), starting October 17, on NJTV at 2:30 p.m.

This includes her five-ingredient Hungry Guy burger that was concocted one night when she was cooking for her husband. It was a hit and I predict will be one of the star dishes of the cookbook. In addition, unlike many other vegan cookbooks, Theodore did something that will make those with a sweet tooth very happy: she focused on desserts, made from scratch, with no preservatives.

Lynrd Skynrd's Rickey Medlocke, Laura Theodore, Jersey Bites — Cooking with Lynrd Skynrd’s Rickey Medlocke

“Eight years ago I upped my dessert game,” says Theodore who began making muffins, and then moved on to desserts and cupcakes. “There are no fillers, no xanthan gum. All of them (the desserts) are made from scratch and many are gluten free.” Theadore substitutes tortillas for tart shells and makes a lot of other switches that even as an omnivore, I applaud her for. There’s something that makes a really great vegan brownie just a bit more scrumptious than a regular one, eggs and all.

Whether you’re baking her Greek lemon cake with candied lemon slices, serving up her eggplant stackups with vegan cashew cheese, or maybe trying out the Hungry Guy burger (see below!) Theodore hopes that it’s super easy for her readers to cook and live a vegan lifestyle.

It’s even easy to preorder the book on Amazon or at The Jazzy Vegetarian.

Hungry Guy Burgers

Makes 6

Ingredients:
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
2⁄3 cup plus 2 heaping tablespoons prepared salsa, plus more as needed (see note)
3 slices whole-grain bread, torn into chunks
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2⁄3 cup rolled oats

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking pan with unbleached parchment paper.

Put the black beans and salsa in a medium-sized bowl and mash using a potato masher or large fork until well combined. Put the bread chunks and cumin in a blender and process into coarse crumbs. Add the bread crumbs to the black bean mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the rolled oats and mix to combine. If the mixture seems dry, stir in another heaping tablespoon of salsa and mix to combine.

Scoop up a generous 1⁄2 cup of the black bean mixture and put it on the prepared pan. Form it into a burger, shaping it with clean hands, then flattening it slightly. Continue in this manner to make five more burgers (see note). Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the burgers and bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until golden.

Chef’s Notes
* You may use mild, medium, or hot salsa in this recipe.
* Once formed, the burgers may be covered and refrigerated for 2 to 6 hours before cooking. Add 5 to 7 minutes to the baking time.

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