Restaurant review : Pho Apple, Frisco Texas

Looks like the first restaurant review is going to be about a restaurant in Frisco Texas , as posted on yelp.com :

Website : http://phoapple.com/Default.aspx

(Nice place to get Pho, I live in Maryland and googled Vietnamese food in the Frisco area since I was here for work and I love me a good Pho. I got the Curry Chicken Pho (which I have never seen in any of the Vietnamese restaurants in the Maryland area). I got the Medium spicy kind and the soup was excellent. Very flavourful sort of like the Mullogotawny soup. I guess this soup was created for the strong south asian community in the area. I also tried the Grilled pork Sandwich (Banh mi) which was delicous as well. A Baked Crunchy French baguette stuffed with grilled pork, chili sauce, mayo, pickeled carrots,cucumber, cilantro and some other goodies .

If I'm ever in this area again I will definately be back for the Curry Chicken Pho.)

Food : Very Good
Ambiance: Decent
Service : Good

On a similar note this place got me thinking about why Banh mi sandwiches are not mainstream in this country, I would love to see a chain for these sandwiches (#businessidea) and would personally prefer these over the Jimmy John and Subway chains.

Facts about Greek Yogurt

In the recent times Greek Yogurt has come about to be an extremely popular snack competing with the regular Yogurt brands. And you can see why, it has a smooth thick texture similar to sour cream with out the calories and it is high in protein content. But again not all Greek Yogurts are made the same.

So before you reach out for the Greek yogurt in the grocery aisle and put in your cart make sure you read the content on it. If it has any mentions of Milk protein concentrate or thickners avoid it. It is the cheap stuff which is made to look like Greek Yogurt.

This link provide good information about the issues with Greek Yogurt production and how some companies are straying away from the intended production processes.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/07/19/156997600/high-tech-shortcut-to-greek-yogurt-leaves-purists-fuming

This link provides a interesting read about the issues while producing Greek Yogurt :

http://www.wnyc.org/npr_articles/2012/nov/21/why-greek-yogurt-makers-want-whey-to-go-away/

Hope you find this informative!

Post Workout Sandwich

Many times after getting back home from a long strenuous workout in the gym the last thing you want to do is cook. But again you don't want to reach for the junk food/order takeout and ruin all the gains in the gym. So came up with the need for a quick meal which satisfies the post gym hunger and provides the body with  a protein punch and good carbs. Aaand this sandwich was created :

Ingredients :

• Sliced Bread (I prefer whole wheat)
• Few Slices of Turkey Breast
• Few Slices of Ham
• Boiled Egg (Always keep few boiled eggs in your fridge for a quick snack)
• One Avocado
• Mustard for taste (Honey Mustard works good too!)

Pile all of the good stuff on the bread and Viola, you have a sandwich which will keep you full for at least couple of hours!

Breakfast Smoothie!

I was never a big fan of eating my breakfast. So I decided to drink it instead. Of course it has to be nutritious and tasty ,so here I am sharing with you my breakfast drink which I drink every weekday before heading to work. The good part about this smoothie is that it is healthy and keeps me full until lunch time.

Ingredients :

• Milk
• Greek Yogurt (For an extra protein punch but you can use regular yogurt too!)
• 2 Bananas
• Handful of Berries (Rasberries, Blueberries,Blackberries,Strawberries)
• Oatmeal (Optional, I use it sometimes to make the smoothie thicker)
• Honey 

In a blender add all the bananas and the berries. Add two to three big spoons of greek yogurt. Also add a cup full of milk. Blend together. Add a teaspoon of honey and blend some more. Enjoy 2-3 glasses of  a delicious breakfast.

Tip : If want to reduce your grocery bill, substitute frozen berries instead of fresh ones. The nutritional benefits are supposed to stay the same.

Baked Chicken with a little heat!

One of my favorite quick dishes to make is Baked chicken. It is so easy and quick to make that even a novice to the cooking world can make it and enjoy it.

Ingredients :

5-6 Boneless and Skinless Chicken thighs (Chicken thighs are perfect in the oven compared to breasts because chicken breasts turn dry!)
5-6 Cloves of Garlic (more if you love lots of garlic in your food like me!)
Pinch of Chili powder (which provides the heat!)
Pinch of Turmeric
Pinch of Pepper
Salt to taste

Chop the garlic into fine pieces. Mix it together with the turmeric, chili powder, salt and pepper to create the marinade to rub onto the chicken.

Wash the Chicken thighs and poke them all over with a knife or fork. Rub the marinade liberally over the Chicken . Keep it aside for 2 hours minimum.

Set the oven to 375 F . Place the chicken in the oven for 45 minutes and remember to turn it once through.

So there you go , enjoy this delicious chicken with a side salad or enjoy it in a wrap!

Introduction

I'm a late 20s single professional living in Frederick, Maryland.  I've created this blog as a means to share my passion for food, eating and cooking it. So expect a few posts on restaurant reviews in the Frederick/Montgomery county area and also cooking tips for creating healthy and quick meals as a single guy.