And then it did. In the past few months, some of the former restaurants like the beloved El Pelon finally returned to their old locations while new establishments have also opened their doors. Among the openings included Swish Shabu.

Shabu refers to a Japanese cooking method. Using a table-side hot pot, individuals cook very thinly sliced meat, seafood and vegetables in a boiling Asian-style broth. Think fondue but far healthier. 

While I’m no Shabu connoisseur, I am a lover of good food. And this is good food.

The menu is packed with options for everyone–from meat lovers to vegetarians, you’re sure to find something, actually many things, to enjoy.  My favorites to date have been the white fish, sirloin beef, assorted mushrooms and watercress.  The Tom Yum broth is my soup base of choice, as it’s the perfect combo of bold flavors–both sweet and spicy.

With reasonable prices and a delightful wait staff, this new spot in Fenway is sure to be a star in the revived strip of restaurants.  Come to the Fenway ’hood and check out Swish Shabu. You won’t regret it!

(617) 236-0255

84-86 Peterborough St

Boston, MA 02215

Here’s an easy and delicious recipe for healthy chicken and veggie enchiladas. Follow it exactly, add in different veggies, or scrap the chicken–customize these to your liking but still feel guilt free afterwards.

What you’ll need: (With no sides, this makes 2 1/2 servings)

• 1 large breast of chicken (either a boneless skinless, or a split chicken breast)
• Low carb tortillas (Cedars or Joseph’s)
• 1 small can green enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup light Mexican shredded cheese
• 1/2 cup fat free refried beans
• 1/2 can corn
• 1/2 red pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 green pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 onion, slice thin
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1/2 tbsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• Taco Seasoning
• Hot sauce of choice
• Cilantro for garnish and extra flavor (optional)

Procedure:

• Boil chicken for 30-40 minutes, until cooked through. Cool and pull (so it’s shredded)
• Once chicken is shredded, place to the side and saute onions, peppers and garlic until tender in EVOO
• Once veggies are tender, add chicken, corn, toss and add taco seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, hot sauce optional at this point)
• Layer refried beans in the center of each tortilla, spread the chicken and veggies over the beans; top with a little cheese and a spoonful of enchilada sauce
• Use a little beans to help seal the tortilla closed
• Bake at 450 for 15 minutes; add the remaining cheese and sauce and bake for 5 more minutes (or until the outside of the tortilla is crispy)
• Serve with cilantro on top!

So, I thought that I at least owe you all a tip.

Love baked potatoes but hate those unhealthy toppings? Sour cream and butter add a lot of extra cals, so how about adding something equally delicious but far more nutritious. One word for you - Tzatziki.

My lovely fiance is the one who started this habit in our house, and he got me hooked. Tzatziki, for those of you who aren’t familiar with it, is a Greek cold yogurt sauce.  It’s made from cucumbers, garlic, salt and some variety of olive oil, pepper or other added flavors.  Sound familiar? Maybe you’ve had it on a gyro.

You can make your own, or buy it in the aisle at your local grocer where you would buy hummus.  We like the Cedar’s brand.

Restaurant Highlight: I’ve been to plenty of new restaurants in 2011–some new for me and some new to market. Across North America, across food genres, across styles. From the finest in dining in NYC at Wylie Dufresne’s WD-50 to a hole in the wall burrito place in the Bay Area to Central Grocery’s muffaletta sandwich in New Orleans. Some places stood out and warranted reviews and praise. Some were forgettable where I can hardly even remember what I ate.

It’s tough to pick a favorite dining experience of 2011, so I won’t. What I will do, as a Boston native, is to highlight a new Boston restuarant that was delightful and delicious.  I’m going to have to give a shout out to Sweet Cheeks Q in Boston. This new hot spot in Fenway opened just over a month ago. With a smokey aroma luring in all of Boylston Street and Top Chef runner up, Tiffani Faison, essentially cooking in front of you in the open kitchen, it’s no surprise this place draws in the crowds.  The food doesn’t disappoint, nor does the drink menu, so check this place out next time you’re in the Fenway ‘hood. This place is sure to continue to make a name for itself in 2012.

Recipes: 2012 was certainly a year of cooking for me. Trying new ingredients, flavors and just having fun in the kitchen. While I first whipped up this dish almost a year ago, my Asian Noodle Salad recipe has been prepared time and time again. As a quick healthy dinner option or a family party hit, this salad has all the asian fixins to delight.

And in case you missed ‘em the first time around, there are a few other faves that I recommend checking out: Chili Garlic Edamame, Fiesta Pasta Salad and the deliciously rich Pesto Genovese with Orecchiette.

So Happy New Year all and thanks for your loyal readership in 2011! I’m off to celebrate in Hoboken with good friends, good food and perhaps a cocktail or two.  Cheers!

Rice + turkey sausage. It was practically an instant meal.  I sauteed the turkey sausage patties with some chopped red bell pepper and then added in the rice.  No extra seasoning or flavor was needed because the rice was so incredibly flavorful on its own.

Well, maybe I did end up adding some hot sauce, only because I love me some spicy.

Following is a quick recipe, if you’re looking for an easy dinner idea. But even if you’re just looking for a side, I highly recommend the Neuva Cocina Mexican Rice.  You won’t be disappointed. The classic Mexican dish (original to the Oaxaca region of Mexico they tell me), combines onions, garlic,  traditional Mexican seasonings with corn, tomatoes, carrots and roasted Poblano chiles. This isn’t your standard box of rice!

What you’ll need: (for approximately 4 servings)

• 1 box of Nueva Cocina Arroz a la Mexicana  (Mexican Rice)
• 3 servings of turkey sausage (I used patties)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped (or any pepper you have on hand; I just liked adding a veggie of sort)

Procedure

• Cook rice according to the box directions
• Saute turkey sausage until cooked through
• Remove sausage from pan and cut sausage into bite size pieces
• Add sausage back into pan and add bell pepper; continue to saute for another five minutes
• Add cooked rice into sausage and peppers, mix
• Serve with hot sauce (optional) and enjoy!

Recently, Allen’s sent me a couple samples of its Popeye Spinach for review. I don’t traditionally buy canned spinach, so I was interested to give it a shot.  Combined with a few other ingredients, it made for a delicious pasta recipe!

What you need:

• 2 servings of whole wheat pasta; I love Wegmans’ Super Pasta
• 1/2 cup Popeye Spinach canned
• 2 tbsps Bella San Luci Sun Dried Tomato Halves (I’m officially obsessed with Bella San Luci Sun Dried Tomatoes and I’ve been using them in and on everything.)
• 1 tbsp chopped sun dried tomatoes (your standard dried version)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp Pecorino Romano Cheese (plus extra for serving)

Procedure: 

• Combine spinach, sun dried tomato halves and garlic in food processor
• Add 1 tbsp Pecorino Romano cheese
• Heat spinach pesto mixture in a pan; once heated toss in pasta and chopped sun dried tomatoes
• Serve with extra cheese and enjoy!

If you like this recipe, you should also check out Bella San Luci’s Sun Dried Tomoato Bruschetta and Pasta Genovese with Orecchiette Pasta.

We went to this new hot spot in Fenway last night. With a smokey aroma luring in all of Boylston Street and Top Chef runner up, Tiffani Faison, essentially cooking in front of you in the open kitchen, it’s no surprise there was a packed house.

While the place is still experiencing some growing pains (some overwhelmed bartenders and a kitchen in the weeds on a slammed Friday night), the friendly service, the ambiance and most importantly the delicious food will keep me going back for more.

The Eats: The menu is straightforward. None of that overly complicated stuff.  You can expect to order anything and everything you really need in terms of BBQ –from pulled pork, pork ribs, short ribs, brisket and pork belly to delicious sides like the aforementioned mac and cheese and baked beans.  Recommendations?

• We kicked off the dining experience with fried okra and honey biscuits — a great prelude to the meal.   The over-sized biscuits paired with honey butter were perfectly sweet and delicious. The okra was lightly breaded, crispy and not greasy.
• The pulled pork was my favorite, but I also tried the pork belly and short ribs which were impressively flavorful and tender.
• And for sides?  The broccoli and cheese casserole was especially rich but still quite yummy.  The creamy mac and cheese with breadcrumbs and bbq beans were my favorites.

The meat comes sauce-less, so you can enjoy every bit of the smokey taste.  As a condiment lover, I tend to pour on the sauce but it just wasn’t needed!  While I added a touch of the table bbq sauce and tad of the hot sauce, I didn’t want to overpower the incredible flavor packed in the meat itself.

The Drinks: Some southern-style stiff drinks are great complements to the meal while the beer list is impressive featuring some of our favorites from around the country (e.g. Abita and Bear Republic).

Get yourself some Q! Pricier than you’re typical BBQ joint (we’re talking $12 for a pulled pork sandwich; plus $6 for 2 sides), but worth every penny. Looking forward to checking this place again in a couple weeks when they smooth out the kinks, and it’s just good food, good booze and good times.

Sweet Cheeks Q is located in the Trilogy building on Boyslton Street (where the old Cambridge 1 was). If you’re going on a weekend, make a reservation because this place will be jammin’.

1381 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02215   |  617.266.1300

So instead, a close friend of mine went in my place.  As the editor of Cocktail Enthusiast and booze aficionado, Kevin was the perfect candidate for Jamaican rum tastings.  But in addition to his expertise of cocktails and spirits, Kevin has a refined pallet and appreciates good eats. A perfect fit for the tour!

Lucky for us, Kevin saved a special post exclusively for Cooking with Coley. I’ll let him take it from here…

Before my recent trip to Jamaica, I knew very little about the cuisine. My knowledge started and ended with jerk chicken and rum, so I was anxious to learn more about the country’s food. Naturally, my gluttony assisted me well, as I managed to cram about three weeks’ worth of eating into five days.

Some culinary highlights –

Jerk Chicken

There’s a reason it’s popular. This delicious style of cooking refers to the spice rub that’s applied to chicken, pork and seafood. The jerk seasonings are principally allspice and Scotch Bonnet peppers (more on these guys below), but can also include thyme, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and more. The result is intensely flavored food with a hearty kick. I sampled jerk dishes at several restaurants throughout Jamaica, but found the local favorite, Scotchies, to be the best. In the below photo, A Scotchies’ employee reveals the jerk chicken slow cooking over a pit fire.

Scotch Bonnet Peppers

This native pepper is a ubiquitous flavoring agent in Jamaica, finding its way into jerk seasoning rubs, soups and many sauces. To give

you an idea of the heat using the industry standard Scoville units, Scotch Bonnet peppers have a heat rating of 100,000–350,000 units. The jalapeño, for comparison sake, has a heat rating of around 2,500 to 8,000 units. Remember the fiery heat that a jalapeno’s seeds can give off, then imagine that heat intensified about 50 times. Therein lies the appeal of the Scotch Bonnet pepper. It’s extremely hot, but when used in moderation, it’s a delicious topping to jerk chicken or rice and peas, and it’s a great flavor enhancer for soups.

Speaking of soups, locals noted that Scotch Bonnet peppers are dropped whole into soups during cooking. But they’re always fished out before the soup comes to a boil, as boiling soup can cause the pepper to burst. A single burst pepper can ruin an entire vat of soup, rendering it too hot to eat.

Ackee and Saltfish

This breakfast staple is the national dish of Jamaica, and it quickly became a favorite morning treat, equally valuable for curing hangovers and fueling long travel days. Ackee resembles scrambled eggs, but it’s actually a West African fruit brought over to Jamaica in the 1700s. To prepare the dish, ackee is boiled and then sautéed with salted cod, tomatoes, onions and spices. 

June Plums

This new-to-me fruit grows in tropical climates like the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Eaten raw, it’s sour and slightly crunchy, like a mixture between a plum and a green apple. Locals often sprinkle the raw fruit with salt, which creates a fun play between sour and salty. The fruit can also be cooked down into jams, relishes and sauces, or stewed with water and sugar to create an applesauce-like treat. The June plum was also featured in a popular, refreshing Jamaican drink of June plum juice sweetened with sugar and spiced up with a hint of ginger.

Thanks Kevin, for doing the heavy lifting and taking one for the team by going to Jamaica.  ;) Luckily, I’m off to explore the region myself in two days to celebrate a close friend’s wedding on 11.11.11. Looking forward to trying those scotch bonnet peppers, and finding out for myself if cod for breakfast is really a good idea.   

Kevin Gray is a Dallas-based journalist and cocktail enthusiast who’s work has also appeared in AOL, The Huffington Post, Gear Patrol, USAToday.com and Where Magazine. Check out Cocktail Enthusiast and follow Kevin’s journey through new spirit tastings and classic cocktail reviews.

I received a fun tip from Nueva Cocina on what to do with those pumpkins that you didn’t get around to carving.  It’s creative and healthy, so I’d thought I’d pass it along!

Tip:  Don’t toss those pumpkins, use ‘em to make something yummy!

Here’s their recipe:

PUMPKIN FIESTA RICE

What you’ll need:

• 1 Package of Nueva Cocina® Mexican Rice Mix (of course you can use the rice mix of your choice)
• 4 small pumpkins (3 for serving purposes and 1 for recipe ingredient)
• 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
• 2 to 3 small pumpkins, depending on serving size, for baking or steaming

Procedure: 

Cut pumpkins in half, leaving the rind on.  Remove seeds and strings.  Rub pumpkins with olive oil and some salt. Place halves on baking sheets with rind side up. Place a small amount of water in the pan. Bake for 45 minutes in a 350-degree oven.  If you prefer to steam the pumpkins, place halves in steamer with rind side up. Steam until meat and rind are soft.

Combine 1 Cup of pumpkin meat, peeled and cubed with all the ingredients in a package of the Nueva Cocina® Mexican Rice Mix and follow the cooking directions on the box.  When done, serve the rice in half of a small pumpkin for an excellent presentation and great added texture and flavor.

Note: I haven’t tried this recipe.  In fact, I’ve yet to try any of Nueva Cocina’s products before now, but I like the sound of them – they are 100% natural – which means only premium ingredients with nothing artificial added and no preservatives.  Plus, I dig Latin flavors.  I’m expecting some review samples and will report back soon!

Well anyways, last year it was apple pie, and now this year I bring you a caramel apple cupcake recipe adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray.

What you’ll need:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 small apples, peeled and shredded (I used Macs)
• 1 cup chewy caramel candies
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts
  

 Procedure for cupcakes: 

• Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350°
• Line a mini cupcake pan with baking liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth.
• Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the apples and hazelnuts.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan until almost full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely (note: if you’re making normal size cupcakes, you want to cook for 25-30 minutes)

• In a small, microwavable bowl, combine the caramels and cream. Microwave for 1 minute at medium power, then stir; repeat in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth.
• Let cool. Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes.
• Sprinkle with more hazelnuts.

Note: I’d try a different frosting if I were to make these again. The caramel was a little sticky to bite through at first, but then after 24 hours it started to soak into the cupcake and didn’t look quite as pretty. I’d recommend a light amount of cream cheese frosting.