Yogurtsoda Gratuitous food and travel.

I used to hate green beans. Growing up, I inexplicably dreaded the loobia polo that most kids loved: an Iranian rice pilaf of green beans, browned lamb, tomatoes, and spices. It wasn’t until recently when I tried Sichuan-style dry-fried green beans that I’ve come around to loving the legume. It was the spicy, garlicy flavor that made me change my green bean-hating ways, and now, I can’t get enough.

Long beans are traditionally used in this recipe, but green beans work as well. Feel free to omit the ground chicken as well for a vegetarian version. Last but not least, make sure your beans are completely dry before frying them — this will ensure a blistered texture.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or chili bean sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 pound green beans or long beans, ends trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths

1. Marinate the chicken: stir 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and cornstarch together in a medium bowl until the cornstarch is dissolved. Mix the chicken in the marinade until incorporated. Let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce: stir the chicken stock, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil together in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved.

3 Pour the oil into a 2-quart saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Carefully slip the green beans into the oil and cook, stirring continuously, until they are wrinkled, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to paper towels to drain. Reserve the oil.

4. Heat a wok over high heat until hot. Pour in 2 teaspoons of the reserved oil and swirl to coat the sides. Slide the chicken into the wok and stir-fry until the meat is crumbly and changes color, about 2 minutes. Add the green beans and sauce and stir until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Scoop the contents of the wok onto a serving plate and serve warm.

Sunrise Deli bills itself as “the best falafel in town,” and well, I think it’s true. With three locations in San Francisco and one in Berkeley, it’s become my go-to casual lunch spot when I’m craving Middle Eastern food. I frequent their SOMA restaurant, and on most visits, I can count on a line.

My favorite dish at Sunrise Deli is the falafel plate. Served with hummus, tahini, pita bread, and super-flavorful olives and pickled vegetables, the falafels are moist on the inside and crispy on the outside — no small feat. Best of all, Sunrise Deli’s falafels are fresh, with their vegetables picked from local farms and their bread baked at the Irving Street outpost. During my last visit, my dining companions had the chicken shawarma and shawarma plate and spoke similar praises of their freshness.

Sunrise Deli has been around since the early 1980s, so I fully accept my late pass in discovering this Bay Area establishment. But be forewarned — their SOMA restaurant closes at 4:30, so you’re better off satisfying your craving during the day.

Tequila and raw fish? This won’t end well, I thought to myself when I first heard of Hecho, the Financial District’s new robata and sushi bar boasting over 80 tequilas. I met a friend for dinner at Hecho the first time I visited, not entirely sure what to expect.

I was pleasantly surprised. We were quickly seated inside the small interior and and started off with a couple of house margaritas while we perused the menu.

We started with the smoked pickled daikon and tuna-cucumber maki. Hecho’s menu isn’t very lengthy, but what they offer is unique — no California rolls here. The vinegary daikon were super crunchy and the tuna was good quality and fresh, a welcome relief as I took another sip of tequila.

Next came the chicken karage, my favorite small plate at Hecho — perfectly crisped, super succulent chicken glazed with a spicy-sweet sauce.

Hecho isn’t the kind of place to go to if you’re ravenous — the small plates are, well, small. But they’re artfully presented and tasty. On my second visit with another friend, we ordered a few maki and finished off with a plate of cured hamachi.

Plated on a pink salt block and garnished with candied jalapeno and lemon oil, the fish was almost too pretty to eat. (Not that it stopped us.)

As it turns out, tequila and sushi can and do go together. After all, if sake is a mainstay in sushi bars , why not tequila?

Happy new year! I bet you’ve got some healthy, active resolutions lined up for 2012, right? Let me derail your plans for a minute. Don’t get me wrong, I’m just as much an advocate for mindful eating and exercise as the next Bay Arean, but moderation is key. When those tofu smoothies and kale chips become tiresome, I present to you: fried spaghetti.

Think of it more as an indulgent snack than a meal. Adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe, these addictive fritters are best eaten fresh. They’re easy to make, too — perfect for that post-workout reward.

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 dried red chili, crumbled
7 ounces spaghetti
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. Place all your ingredients, apart from the spaghetti and olive oil, into a bowl and mix. Meanwhile, add spaghetti to a pot of salted, boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse under cold water to cool it down. Once the pasta is cool, snip it with scissors into pieces roughly 4 inches long and add them to the bowl. Mix well.

2. Pour a few tablespoons oil into a pan and place over medium-high heat. Using a fork, add piles of the spaghetti mixture to the pan and fry until golden and crisp on both sides. Serve warm.

You know what’s delicious? Hummus. You know what else is delicious? Pizza. Now, hummus and pizza at the same time? Revolutionary.

This Middle Eastern-style pizza takes only a few minutes to assemble, and it’s health-conscious too. I prefer using roasted garlic hummus as the base, and I pre-soak my feta cubes in olive oil flecked with oregano and red pepper flakes for a hit of extra flavor. Feel free to experiment — this recipe can be endlessly customized.

Ingredients:

1 cup hummus, preferably roasted garlic
1/2 tomato, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 cup feta cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 pound whole-wheat pizza dough
all-purpose flour
olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, roll out dough to a 10-inch round on a lightly-floured working surface. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled baking sheet.

2. Spread hummus on pizza dough and top with tomato, olives, and feta. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes in the oven, or until crust is golden.

3. Sprinkle pizza with parsley, drizzle with olive oil, and serve warm.