Avocados were considered as fruits where I grew up. Avocado ice cream and milkshakes were not an uncommon sight, and I remember how my mom would serve a dessert of avocados mashed with milk and sugar right after dinner. So just imagine how disconcerted I felt upon learning that this fruit is treated like a vegetable here in Southern California! Mixed with savory dishes, I avoided it for the longest time until about 3 years ago. A coworker offered me a fresh, ripe Hass avocado for lunch one day and I became a believer ever since. I ate it raw and was intrigued by its rich buttery taste. Avocados are a good source of vitamins and minerals, so I try to incorporate it into my diet especially when it's in season.

Below is a recipe of one of my favorite healthy snacks. You absolutely do not need to use the exact same ingredients, especially Vegenaise. I am in no way, shape, or form a vegan but I can't deny how tasty this stuff is. I also used oat bran bread, but any similar bread with a wide surface area will do. The microgreens are for an extra serving of nutrients; I used kale particularly in the accompanying pictures.

Avocado Toast

1 ripe Hass avocado
oat bran (or whole wheat) bread
microgreens
Vegenaise
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and pepper

Toast a slice of bread and spread Vegenaise on one side. Split the avocado in half, then slice it into thin vertical strips. Add a layer of microgreens, then top with the avocado. Drizzle a bit of evoo, and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper. Enjoy!

New York City - Part 2

On our second day in New York, we planned on having breakfast at Russ and Daughters, a place my co-worker recommended for Jewish food and egg creams. We arrived at our destination when lo and behold, we were slapped on the face with a two-hour wait time! Plan B was to head towards the general direction of Central Park and make a stop at the Grand Central Terminal on the way. The station was quite remarkable, boasting of 44 platforms and 67 tracks. We took a few minutes to soak in the scene before moving along, watching bustling commuters and tourists alike.

DIY: Cold Brew Barako

Caffeine is my drug of choice, and coffee is my medium. I don't fair well in the presence of questionable substances and my tolerance for alcohol is abysmal. When I'm all out of luck, I turn to a cup of joe for an instant buzz. I, however, am not the type to fuel my mornings with coffee, so make it too strong and unpleasant results may follow. I'm left with a very acidic feeling in my gut and a crazy wired state lasting several hours too long--try the morning after!

Cold brew coffee is slowly gaining popularity and I remember taking my very first sip from the farmer's market a few months back. I was allured by the promise of a sweeter, less acidic drink from the lack of heat involved in the brewing process. Could this be the answer to my coffee-drinking problems? The Pioneer Woman taught me how to make this on my own, without breaking a sweat. In this batch, I decided to use barako grounds my sister brought back from the Philippines. I'm not very particular with coffee varieties but local Philippine coffee has a special place in my heart. The final product will be a concentrate, and you can make your coffee to your liking (which in my case, involves heaping amounts of condensed milk--see the thick layer below, ha!).

Cold Brew Coffee

Place ¾ cup coffee grounds in a large bowl or pitcher. Add 3 cups room temperature water and cover. Let steep for 8-12 hours in room temperature (see first image). Line a mesh strainer with a coffee filter, and fit it over another container. Slowly pour the mixture through the strainer to save the liquid concentrate. Enjoy immediately, or chill until ready to serve. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
7) Recommended serving - one part coffee and one part water/milk over ice.

Recipe adapted from Whole Foods

New York City - Part 1

Last September, I headed to my very first trip to the Big Apple and it was just an amazing experience overall! We took a red eye flight Thursday night and arrived at JFK Friday morning--3 AM Pacific time! Needless to say I was a bit disoriented upon landing, but with excitement rushing through and the power of Dunkin Donuts, Ryan and I managed to navigate our way through the subway system and make it to our hotel in one piece.

Fodor's recommends doing the Statue of Liberty tour pretty early in the day, since lines get very long and unforgiving as the day progresses. Lady Liberty was incredibly massive and surely deserves her iconic status! I was so pumped to get to strike an item off my bucket list--visiting a UNESCO World Heritage site--booyah! We also breezed through Ellis Island (at my nagging) despite being on the verge of collapsing from a sleep attack. Factoring in ZERO sleep into an equation filled with a lot of standing and waiting, we were more than ready to rest our heads on the nearest set of pillows. However I couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit an important cornerstone of American history, especially since I'm an immigrant myself. The great hall pictured below is the Registry Room, where immigrants queued to be interrogated and verified by an official.

Also featured on the photos below are the Manhattan skyline and the One World Trade Center. It may not look it but the latter is dubbed to be the tallest skyscraper in the Western hemisphere!