Delicious

Healthy grab-and-go

Whetheryou need to eat a fast lunch before heading back to the office or you ran out of time to whip up a healthy dinner for the family, Zoës Kitchen has you covered. The restaurant is a fast-casual concept, meaning you can get in and out pretty quickly after ordering your food. But this isn’t your run-of-the-mill greasy fast-food joint. Mediterranean-inspired menu items such as wraps, pitas and Greek salads are all made to order, from scratch. “There are only four things that our kitchen can dump and serve: Kalamata olives, peperoncinis, bread and salsa,” says Tyre Stuckey, vice president of operations at Zoës Kitchen. “We get fresh produce six days a week and fresh poultry five days a week,” Stuckey explains. Having fresh produce is a necessity, especially considering that the restaurant’s small kitchen has no microwave, fryer or freezer. Because nothing is pre-packaged, customers can customize their orders any way they want. For example, you can order chicken cooked in rosemary oil or lemon oil, or if you’re watching your waistline, Stuckey says, “don’t order anything on it and just let the char-grill work its magic.” For customers wanting something heartier than a wrap, the charbroiled salmon kebabs served with zucchini, hummus made in-house, cucumber raita, Greek salad and pita bread is a popular choice, Stuckey says.

—Whitney Thompson

Zoës Kitchen

6025 Royal, Suite 104 469.341.0123 zoeskitchen.com

AMBIANCE:

FAST CASUAL

PRICE RANGE: $7-$12 PER ENTRÉE

HOURS: 11 A.M.-9 P.M. DAILY

TIP: THE GLUTEN-FREE MENU INCLUDES QUINOA SALAD, TOSSED WITH TOMATOES, CUCUMBER, CELERY, BROCCOLI, GREEN ONION AND LEMON VINAIGRETTE, TOPPED WITH FETA AND SERVED OVER MIXED GREENS.

| THREE MORE SPOTS FOR QUICK AND HEALTHY BITES |

1 Snappy Salads

Order a salad made with fresh-cut greens and house-made dressing, and customize with interesting toppings such as artichoke hearts, fruit and sautéed coconut curry chicken.

5915 Forest 972.991.7627 snappysalads.com

2 Asian Mint

Steamed veggies, gluten-free options and online takeout ordering make this Asian fusion joint a good option for healthy Thai food on the fly.

11617 N. Central, Suite 135 214.363.6655 asianmint.com

3 Café Express

Enjoy grilled chicken with steamed broccoli and tasty sides such as sweet potato fries and fresh fruit.

5600 W. Lovers, Suite 109 214.352.2211 cafe-express.com

Party wine

Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier ($10) Califorina

One of the dilemmas during holiday wine season is trying to decide what to spend. It’s one thing if it’s just immediate family for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, but start adding guests and the wine bill goes up accordingly. And that takes a lot of fun out of the holidays, which should be about enjoyment and not spending money.

Fortunately, there is great wine no matter how much you want to spend:

• Not much money: Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier ($10) is a white blend from California that is one of the best cheap wines in the world, with just a touch of sweetness and lots of white fruit. Planeta La Segreta Rosso ($10) is a red blend from Sicily that’s made for food — a little earthy and with some cherry fruit.

• A little more money, but still not a lot: Spy Valley Riesling ($18) is a New Zealand white that is about as close to a perfect turkey wine as possible — a dry wine with layers of flavor that range from petrol on the nose (a classic riesling characteristic) to citrus and tropical in the front and middle. Bonny Doon’s Clos de Gilroy ($18) is a dark and spicy red blend from California that still has enough red fruit to appeal to everyone.

• Not cheap: Hedges Red Mountain ($25), a Washington state red blend, is one of the best wines I’ve tasted this year, rich and deep and with lots of quality black fruit. Cornerstone Cellars Chardonnay ($35) is an Oregon wine made in more of a California style, rich and oaky with lots of green apple fruit.

—Jeff Siegel

Thanksgiving leftovers

Welcome to our fourth annual Thanksgiving leftovers extravaganza, because the world does not need yet another recipe for the holidays. Instead, let’s clean out that refrigerator:

• Turkey and dressing egg rolls. Who says egg rolls need to be Asian? Combine leftover turkey and dressing in grocery store egg roll wrappers and bake or deep fry according to package directions. Use leftover gravy for the dipping sauce.

• Turkey jambalaya. You can make this with leftover rice, which is even easier. Sauté some onions, celery and bell pepper in a little olive oil until the vegetables are tender. Add chopped garlic and, if you’re feeling adventurous, a finely diced jalapeño, and sauté briefly. Then add sliced smoked sausage and the leftover turkey. Mix carefully, add a couple of cups of cooked rice, mix again, and heat until warmed through.

• Turkey pot pie. The simple way is to buy two frozen pie shells, add a can of cream of mushroom soup along with leftover turkey and whatever other vegetables are in the refrigerator, and bake for 40 minutes in a 400-degree oven. Less simple, but not difficult, is Jacques Pepin’s chicken pot pie (substituting turkey, of course) in “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home.”

Ask the wine guy

What wine goes best with turkey?

The traditional answer is pinot noir, but any light red will work. This is also a good time to serve sweet whites. —Jeff Siegel

ASK THE WINE GUY taste@advocatemag.com