BoWorkwear

WOW. I still remember this blog!

So much has happened since 2012, but one of the best things I can tell you is that I started my own line of eco-friendly aprons.

BoWorkwear is a design driven eco-friendly uniform company.
Our mission is to disrupt the uniform business with beautifully designed workwear made from organic and recycled fabrics, that are better for the planet.

Uniforms w/in the hospitality industries are often made from conventional fabric, dyed with toxic dyes, stain repellents and are often cleaned with toxic solvents.

For chefs and restaurants in particular there seemed to be a disconnect between caring about the food they sourced and served (organic, local, sustainable) and the uniforms their staff wore.

We believe beautifully designed eco-friendly uniforms that are in alignment with your core beliefs presents a powerful opportunity for your brand’s story.

We believe it’s more than just a uniform.

Spread the word! We launch our website on March 1st. In the meantime, sign up for our newsletter for updates, special events, and features of cool AF peeps.

A behind-the-scenes video from our Vday X CNY shoot. It's year of the dog and Shy, the resident Shiba Inu knows it!

Beef Shanks Braised in An Onion Broth

This past week has been a devastating week for so many New Yorkers and New Jersey residents. Hurricane Sandy came and went, leaving a whole lot of damage. It broke my heart when I saw so many people without homes, and the death toll kept raising. 

I decided I needed to do something more than donate money, so I chose to volunteer at a shelter where I could easily catch a working subway line. The only thing about volunteering is that it really saddens me and it drains me. I know this from past experiences and I want to stay strong for those in need. Today, I decided to cook. I mean really cook. It calms me, and I love the aroma of cooking that permeates throughout my apartment. It's comforting, especially when it's cold outside.  I found this recipe by Food Wishes. Chef John is very thorough in explaining, so the cooking part was easy. I have to warn you though, it needs to sit on the stove for 3-4 hours so be prepared. 

This is what mine turned out to look like: 

I think it's worth the wait. The recipe calls for very easy ingredients. He used polenta and I used homemade mashed potatoes. I also used less beef and more veggies, but that's really your call. I'm a veggie freak. Below is his recipe, or you can click on his website and check out his other great recipes. 

Recipe from Foodwishes.com 

Ingredients: 
Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 beef shanks (about 1 1/2-inch thick)
3 large onions
1 bay leave
6 springs thyme
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 sprigs rosemary
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 cups beef broth
chives to garnish

Panko Drumsticks and Spinach & Carrot Salad

I've been so busy that I haven't really been able to post, but I think this one is great. It's economical, quick and easy. I got the drumstick recipe from Eating Well , except that I used Panko instead of bread crumbs. The sauce is awesome. It is Greek yogurt with honey mustard and honey. Really good.

As for the spinach salad, it was so easy. It consists of red wine vinegar, brown sugar, and olive oil. I got this recipe from Food.com. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Pan Fried Rib Eye Steak with Tomatoes, Red Onions, Garlic

I was feeling like a good steak dinner today. When I made this I loved it so much that I thought I'd share:

Tomatoes, Red Onion, Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Chopped Grape Tomatoes
1/4 Cup Minced Red Onion
1 Clove Minced Garlic
1 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

Combine red onion, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil in bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes so the onions and garlic can sit for a bit. Then add salt, pepper, tomatoes to the mix. While this is sitting...

Let's cook the steak.

Ingredients
1 10 oz Rib Eye Steak
1 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

In a medium saucepan, preheat to medium heat. While the pan is heating, pierce the steak with a fork a few times and add salt and pepper. Once the pan is hot, add the steak to the pan and let it cook on each side for 5 minutes, or until it is slightly pink on the inside. I like mine medium well, so you may want to cook each side more or less depending on how you like your steak. It also depends on how hot your range gets and what pan you use. Mine is nonstick, but I think a stainless steel pan would make the perfect consistency. Once it is done, put it on your plate and add the tomato sauce. It's that easy!

I made a side of roasted broccoli to go with my steak. I found a great recipe for this on foodnetwork. Click here for the recipe.

Healthy Lemon Chicken Dish

I am attempting to be healthy, and wanted to see how I could use less salt. I made this meal tonight and liked it so much I had to share.

I'm not going to get into detail about the veggies and the couscous, b/c you just steam or boil the veggies until they are soft enough but not so soft it loses its crispness.
2 heads of organic broccoli (stems cut off)
1 head of cauliflower (stems cut off)
2 tablespoons Agave Nectar
2 tablespoons cooking wine (I used the Japanese one shown in the picture)
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
Boil or steam your veggies, and toss it with the nectar, lemon juice and cooking wine. That's it.

As for the couscous, it's self explanatory. Just follow the box directions and you're set.

Now the chicken.
1 package organic chicken breast (3-4 pcs)
1tablespoon roughly chopped parsley
ground pepper
1 medium sized lemon

Preheat oven 450 degrees. Add chicken to a baking dish. Grease it if needed. Squirt the lemon onto the chicken until lemon has no more lemon juice. Add pepper on top of the chicken along with the parsley. Bake for 20 minutes. Voila. You've got a really healthy meal with barely any salt. The key is to not indulge. Just a handful of couscous and veggies, small piece of chicken and you're set. Add more lemon before serving if you'd like!

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower, Parmesan and Lemon

Happy New Year everyone!
I am starting the new year with a good long run, kirtan, yoga and meditation. So to continue my efforts with having a fresh mind, it would be good to have some good, healthy food in the system.

Over the holidays, I made roasted broccoli from a recipe I found on Food Network. It was so good, except that I had added a little too much salt.

Recently, I was at Trader Joe's, thinking about the same dish. Instead of buying stalks of broccoli, I decided to get a bag of cauliflower and broccoli. Well, I must say it turned out well.

Serving size: 2

Ingredients:
1 12 oz. Bag of Broccoli and Cauliflower Duet from Trader Joe's (pre-washed)
1/4 Lemon
1/2 Cup Parmesan Reggiano
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Directions: 
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Add foil to the baking pan and add broccoli and cauliflower. Drizzle olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat evenly and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Try to turn over the florets, they should be a little browned which is okay. This is what brings out the roasted flavor. Keep them close together, and add a layer of cheese and slide it back into the oven. The cheese should melt nicely, adding a crisp to the top of the florets, about 10 minutes.

Drizzle with lemon and transfer to a serving dish with a spoon or spatula.

Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Triangoli with Sauteed Mushrooms

We live in a day and age where sometimes we just don't have time to make things from scratch. I don't, at least and if I do, it takes hours of preparation.

I went to Trader Joe's and one of the items I found were these Butternut Squash Triangoli Pasta. It comes in the package pictured below. Sorry, I emptied it out already before I took the photo. I also bought a 10 oz package of sliced white mushrooms, and it was SO EASY to make and SO GOOD. I tell ya, I really liked it.

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients: 

Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Triangoli
10 oz Package of Sliced White Mushrooms
1T Olive Oil
1T White Cooking Wine
2T Non Salted Butter
2t Kosher Salt
2-3t Ground Pepper
Fresh Parmesan



Directions: 
For the mushrooms, turn range on to medium heat. Use a medium sized nonstick pan and add butter. When the butter melts, throw the mushrooms into the pan and stir constantly until mushrooms are evenly coated with butter. Keep stirring, then add white wine, salt and pepper. Sautee for about 5 minutes then turn stove off and move mushrooms to a plate. Do not clean the pan.

Follow the directions on the package for the Triangoli. When they are ready to go, drain then transfer Triangoli to the saucepan. Give it a good coat of the butter that is left in the pan and add the olive oil. Add parmesan and stir this in (optional). When transferring it to a serving plate, add the mushrooms on top or on the side. Add more parmesan and pepper.

Okay, it doesn't look that tasty with mushrooms on top of it, but it is really good!