Noshtopia

Nosh idea: Tofu fries

Zao Noodle Bar is one of my favorite food places, and every time I go there I order their tofu fries because they make them crunchy, and their sauces are delicious. You get three dipping sauces with the fries and they are basically a peanut type, a spicy chili type, and a sweet.

I like to dip my fry into each one and create different types of flavors or degrees of flavor. It's like playing my own little sauce game. So yeah, I'm easily entertained like that.

Reenie has a recipe for tofu fries that is inspired by the Zao Noodle version so you can make it at home. Tofu fries are a great tasty snack and something different. Yes, it's a bit fatty because of the deep frying but if you use a healthier oil you can help minimize the bad fat effects.

Review: Hot Chocolate Mochi Krunch Spicy Brown Rice Crackers in Dark Chocolate

At Whole Foods the other day, they were sampling these Hot Chocolate Mochi Krunch Spicy Brown Rice Crackers in Dark Chocolate made by Impressions Fine Foods the brainchild of Karen Shintaku who owns a gift basket and catering company. She and her daughter, a Pastry Chef, developed this "hybrid fusion treat" as they call it, and it totally rocks! The second I bit into these things, I wanted more....and more. The Mochi's are a tad bit bigger than the size of a nickel, and seriously, I have to be careful around these Mochi Krunches because I could eat half the bag lickety split.

The outside is Dark chocolate and the chocolating is done by artisan chocolatiers so you'll see inconsistencies in batch to batch because of the handcrafting. I thought that was really cool. In the picture above, I broke one of the Mochi Krunches in half so you could see the inside of it because this is where things get different.

The inside is made of Thai Glutinous Rice and Thai Brown Rice for the crunchy part, AND they add a hint of chili. So, when you take a bite you'll get the chocolate taste and crunchy sound first, but then the chili kicker comes right after. It's like a little surprise in your mouth because you don't see it coming. They call it a "Zensation" and yes it's kind of a corny word, but it does fit.

The chili kicker though is very mild so those who don't like anything hot will be okay with it. The chili adds a nice hot zest just ever so slightly, if I may be food cliche for a moment. Calorie wise is a nice story too. You can eat 20 pieces for 180 calories. If you like, you can get the complete nutritional breakdown.

I highly recommend these Hot Chocolate Mochi Krunch treats. They would be great to eat at the movies, for airplane snacks, or as a small dessert in a picnic lunch.

Leftover chicken Pad Thai

One of the best nosh foods is leftovers. Ah yes! We've all already gotten that nosh exercise at Thanksgiving. Yesterday my friend Tim and I had Thai food for lunch at this quaint place on Castro Street in Mountain View. Bad me, forgot to get the restaurant name. It was a great place, and the waitresses wear traditional Thai dresses, very pretty.

Today, for lunch, I'm having the chicken Pad Thai leftovers. Pad Thai is my favorite Thai dish and I get it every single time I go to a Thai restaurant. As well, I always get a Thai Iced Tea because it's something you can't get at Starbucks. Okay, yes, I'm such a slave to mainstream consumerism sometimes ;-)

Venezuelan hot chocolate

Off University Avenue in Palo Alto on Ramona Street is Coupa Cafe, a splendid place that features coffees and chocolates from Venezuela. More on the chocolate:

"Coupa Café is the exclusive representative in northern California of Chuao Chocolatier, and offers their Chocolates made from Venezuelan cacao produced by Chocolates El Rey in Venezuela."

I met a new friend over there a couple weeks ago, and was just blown away by their hot chocolate. I mean this drink was truly heavenly. So dee-lish. I have never had a better cup of hot cocoa in my life. I'm tap dancing, it's so delectable...LOL...

The chocolate is thick but not too rich or sweet. Matt has converted me into a dark chocolate lover, so although Coupa's hot chocolate is not dark, it has a taste that will be stimulating to the dark chocolate lover's pallet. Matt and I went over to Coupa on a Wednesday afternoon and sipped on the hot cocoa and nibbled on a blueberry pastry. Simple pleasures in life.

California rolls with ginger and wasabi

California rolls are my favorite Japanese nosh. I like them best with the real crab mixed with some creamy sauce. I'm not fond of the artificial crab because it's not crab, it's fish. I still don't understand why they just don't call it fish.

One of the best California rolls I've ever had was at the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas. The rolls had just a slight hint of fried tempura on the outside rim of the rice to add a crunchy bit to the experience. It was so yummy yet light.

No California roll joy is complete for me without the ginger. I put hunks of ginger on the rolls when I eat them. I know that you're supposed to use the ginger to clean the palate for the next bite, but I never was good at following rules.