Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Nanoosh Exotic Healthiness

Mention Mediterranean cuisines  and people think of spaghetti or moussaka or even tapas. However the Eastern Mediterranean has produced healthy foods for two thousand or more years.- One of the stars is  hummus. Now this delicious and ancient dish is being the prominent player in Nanoosh restaurant  - a mini chain that's sweeping the New York City area.

I 'm lucky that the restaurant has a branch in my local mall. I had wanted to try it and today I had the rare chance to do such. To be honest I'm not a big hummus fan however this changed my view of it. I ordered the unusual chicken hummus which is a deep bowl filled with grilled chicken chunks over creamy fresh made chickpea mash. The hummus is made Israeli style without the usual garlic. It was still delicious and wonderful with the whole wheat pita bread served with it. There is olive oil along with other additions that can be added.I am planning on going back this weekend and would like to try the other variations. There is a mushroom and onions as well as sun dried tomatoes and a  red and green pepper mix. Another sort is made, again with meat, this time ground beef with onions, tahini and onions.

 Since the emphasis  is on healthy eating, Nanoosh also  has fresh made organic  salads and wraps, The soups are tomato, lentil and butternut squash.These are all natural without any preservatives - rare for restaurants that usually have to rely on prepackaged , overly salted mixes. Salads  are varied as well , using  everything from  the South American quinoa to the Mediterranean tuna and Greek salads. There are also wraps and these feature hummus along with extras, such as beef , chicken and eggs (!). Nanooshserves desserts too  These are  a yummy sounding organic yogurt loaf chocolate cake and rice pudding made with arborio rice.

Whether you're in Northern New Jersey or Manhattan  try Nanoosh for lunch for dinner. There are fresh made dishes made with good for you ingredients. It's a healthy spin on exotic Eastern
Mediterranean fare.


Nanoosh's locations are The Garden State Plaza Mall , Paranus New Jersey, and in New York City, 2012 Broadway at 68th and 69th Sts, Union Square, 111 University Place , between 12th and 13th Sts and Murray Hill, 173 Madison Ave, between 33rd and 34th Sts.

Go to Nanoosh.com for more info and to order online.