Fun With Your Food

This weekend was another one of our almost monthly food blogger potlucks in Austin.  We chose a hatch chile theme.  What interesting hatch chile creations presented themselves?
Below are some of my favs (well the ones I could snap pictures of before they were all scooped up)

Hatch tempura sushi with cucumber, avocado and a mango chili sauce. YUM!

MORE hatch sushi- roasted Hatch chilies, cilantro, avocado, garlic tempeh, and shoyu lime for dipping. NOM

Hatch BROWNIES!  I was lucky enough to take some of these home too

There were also chocolate hatch truffles, queso, even ice cream with a hatch reduction to drizzle on top!  As per usual I ate far too much but in a really good way. I know there were at least 486749 other dishes that I’m forgetting to mention.  This potluck I didn’t take as many pictures and I was intently focused on EATING.  I’m sticking with that decision, it was a good one.  Next time I’ll be sure to steal more photos for those of you who weren’t able to make it.

Now it’s time to my nose back to the grind and keep on workin!

Teddy

PS- I didn’t take picture of my own dish either (whoops). I made my cucumber avocado gazpacho and blended in some roasted hatch peppers.  Not too bad if I do say so myself.

Vegan version of Kheer

Well my computer at home has been crapping out on me again.  I might need to bite the bullet and just get a new one.

I wish that this didn’t happen the same month that I had to bite the bullet and get myself new tires.  It’s turning out to be an very expensive month!  Good thing I’ve been cooking at home a lot.  Now I affordability is driving me to eat even more at home yay!

Back to the new recipe. Kheer is an Indian dessert that’s similar to a sweet rice porridge with dried fruits and some nuts. My idea was to boil rice in an excessive amount of sweet liquid. Add dried fruits and nuts and let stew for at least 2 hours.  I’m really excited with how this turned out.  I had a friend sample it and she FREAKED OUT.  At first I thought she was just being nice but she ate a huge bowl of it.  You don’t eat a HUGE bowl of dessert unless you genuinely enjoy it.  I made to different batches with 2 different base liquids.  This is the recipe that my friend enjoyed. To be fair she didn’t try the first version because I ate it all myself lol.

KHEER:

½ cup brown rice

1 cup amasake (or coconut milk)

1 cup water

¼ to ½ cup of blanched sliced almonds

½ cup dried fruit (I used cherry and raisin)

2 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

1 vanilla pod (optional- you can use 2 teaspoons extract instead)

2 teaspoons agave (optional)

1st wash your rice with cold water at least 2 times to remove any dust or dirt it may have picked up on the way. Combine all rice, liquid and spices in a sturdy pot and let simmer for 1 hour.  After an hour check the liquid levels (you may need to add more) and add the dried fruits and nuts.  Let simmer for another hour more on low heat and you’re done.  I like this beset cold but it can be eaten warm as well.

I just watched one of my netflix while this simmered away.  Half way through I took an intermission break and by the time the movie was over, the dessert was done cooking.

Let me know how it turns out for you!  I’ve loved it so far.  Talk to you from my new computer soon

Teddy

Recipe number 3!

Looks good right?  Since you can’t lick the screen and tell, it tasted fantastic as well Here is one of the reasons I love quinoa- you can make it in your rice maker! That’s exactly what I did.  This cooked in the rice maker for 20 mins while I chopped the peaches, nuts and mint.  Now the recipe:

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

1 chopped peach- note my peach was large

1/4-1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

1 inch of ginger root (graded with a micro-plane)

1 teaspoon hemp oil (or other oil)

Salt to taste

I prefer to add all the ingredients to the quinoa while it’s still warm but it’s not required. First add the oil and squeeze the graded ginger on the quinoa and throw away the pulp.  Mix well to incorporate the flavors. Add the remaining ingredients, let cool and enjoy!

I’m making my second batch of Kheer tonight.  Will post pics and info this week!

Teddy

Wait, did I say BEER braised cabbage??

Should have mentioned that too

It’s still summer time here and I’m learning that we’re on track to be the hottest summer in the history of Austin(and that’s saying something).  We’ve had more 100 degree days than I care to count now.  All this means I’m still doing quick and easy meals. Here we go:

1/2 a head of napa cabbage (chopped thin)

1 package tempeh (chopped into strips)

1 onion (I used purple this time)

1 green apple (bite sized pieces)

1/4 cup pale ale

Teaspoon Shoyu

Safflower oil to coat pan

In a skillet on medium high heat add oil, tempeh, onions and shoyu and sautee until the onions are translucent (about 5-10 mins).  Then add the apple, napa cabbage and beer. Now you must you napa cabbage instead of regular hear cabbage. Napa will cook faster and in this heat, faster = better. Okay, cook until liquid has mostly evaporated.  Serve with a lovely sour dough bread and sop up that lovely extra beer “sauce”.

That’s my recipe TWO of the recipe challenge.  I’ve actually already got another recipe so I’m on track in real like but blogger world falls behind sometimes. It’s a vegan verison of the Indian dish KHEER but I forgot to take pictures.  I’ll make it again this weekend and post that for you guys.

Hope you like KHEER!

Teddy

First of all, get your laughs out with the name now.  This is serious dim sum here and I don’t need to hear you giggling while I’m trying to explain how I had a fantastic experience here.

Done now?  Good. Let’s move on to the food.

Follow these steps to fresh dim sum.

This chili oil was spicy and hell and fantastic! If you don’t like spicy, I wouldn’t try it.

Veggie dumplings

Veggie Bao (steamed bread)

My favorite part, the dessert, a sesame ball filled with red bean paste

I chose one of their combos (by far the best deals on the menu). The total came to $9.20 for all this dim sum.  Normally each item is only $3-$5 but this adds up quickly and before you know it, you’ve had a $20 or $30. I like this set price combo.  There was more than enough food and I can’t wait to head back again!

Teddy

Welcome to my first new recipe of my challenge to myself of making 2 new recipes a week.  I wanted to come up with a summer soup. Soup is a more flavorful way for me to stay hydrated in this extreme heat. It was another 100+ degree day in Austin and there’s no end in sight to this.  This soup was very fast to make and if you let it sit in the fridge for a few hours, it’s creamy and cooling.

Cucumber Avocado Soup

1 peeled cucumber (chopped)

1 small white or sweet yellow onion (chopped)

1 teaspoon sweet white miso (mix with 1 tablespoon water to create a miso slurry- there should be no large chunks of miso)

1 avocado (cubed)

1 1/2-2 cups filtered water

Sautee the onions in oil on a medium high heat until they are translucent.  Add the cucumber and sautee for another 2-5 mins. Add filtered water and miso slurry. Bring mixture to a slight simmer (not a full rolling boil) and reduce the heat to low. Let the mixture simmer for 10 mins then remove from heat and let the soup cool.

I was so hungry it could only last 10 mins before I plopped it in the blender with the chopped avocado. Blend until smooth and feel free to add any toppings you like! Suggestions are: tomatoes, cilantro (can be blended in as well), fried tempeh, croutons… I could go on

I’m going to bed eatly tonight so I can get up early and make another new recipe tomorrow morning. Sleep tight everyone!

Teddy

Yesterday was the first annual cupcake Smackdown here in Austin.  It was a day of competition for caterers, store fronts and average Joe’s/Jill’s and even their pups. Over 700 cupcakes flowed in and out of Austin’s One2One bar.

Over 700 cupcakes – no 2 the same!

I was lucky enough to be one of the judges for the amateur entry competition (thanks again Jenny!). We were deciding 1) the best chocolate cupcake 2) the best vanilla cupcake and 3) the best freestyle cupcake. In total, our group tasted about 30 cupcakes.  That is a LOT of cupcakes. Jokes about not being able to finish were timidly thrown around more than once.

This was my first taste of cupcake.

There were SO many more to follow!

(picture from John of Austin)

We all survived our sugar-filled adventure and I was happy for all the contestants who worked so hard on their dishes.  Seriously, great job folks.

A complete is of the winners can be found here.

I’m still recovering from an intense, and greatly enjoyed sugar hang over.  The plan from today is grocery shopping, perhaps some dim sum, and creating 1 new recipe.  I still need to post my Cucumber Avocado Gazpacho Recipe from last week.  You’ll have to wait till tomorrow!

I’ve set a new goal for myself. Creating and/or trying 2 new recipes a week.  It may seem modest but between school, working full time and events like these finding time for recipe creating is challenging to say the least.  I’m excited to keep this one up, hope you like seeing them too!

Teddy

I prefer to eat my way through new cultures and places.  Perhaps it’s my indie side that drives me to seek out the smallest, unheard of, hole-in-the wall place to eat when I travel.  I deserve a virtual high five for this one. My favorite spot in Taipei has no sign in English and is off one of the most crowded busy train stops. 

Here are the directions I used to find this vegetarian oasis. Lonely Planet Xiangyi Vegetarian Heaven 

It’s a vegetarian buffet!  There were so many choices, it was a little overwhelming (in a great way).   Besides it being vegetarian, my favorite part was the ease for me, as a foreigner who didn’t speak any of the native language, to order.  I knew anything I chose wouldn’t have any meat.  Paying wasn’t confusing either, they charge you a flat rate based on the weight of your food.

 I visited this restaurant twice and loaded up my plate each time.  Dumplings, taro cake, sushi… the food was fantastic

Next favorite part of Taipei wasn’t a specific place to eat but more of a style of places that were EVERYWHERE. 

  Fresh BAKERIES!  I ate at different bakeries everyday and had a different pastry each time. The varieties of pastry reminded me of Paris but there definitely was a Taipei twist to some of the items.  I saw treats that used Taro, corn and ever a soy milk/sesame pastry! (yes I tried all 3 of those)

 Finally, fried STINKY TOFU.

  The line to get this native treat was about 15 people deep but it was well worth the wait.  The chef were used to having a crowd and put on quite an impressive show while we waited for a fresh batch.  

Like most cart food, stinky tofu is served in a plastic bag. 

Find a place to squat, or preferably sit, and chow down.  Stinky tofu has a very distinct flavor/odor but I enjoyed it.  You should note that I now am no longer offended by the smell of Durian either so my senses may be a lil different from yours.

I’m already planning what city I’m going to eat my way through next. It will have to be within the US so my top three picks are: Chicago, NYC or Portland. Hopefully I’ll see one of those this fall/winter.

[View with PicLens]

 

I’m baaaccckkk!

I tried posting while I was on vacation but for some reason had problems logging in. You’ll be happy to hear my week overseas was FAN-TASIC.  Jet lag has taken over my evenings.   I think I fell asleep at about 430 am last night. 

There are about 300 pics from my trip and I wish I could post all of them!  I will be doing a review of my fav foods from my trip.  For now you can admire my mini gallery of Taipei and Teddy

Enjoy the preview post, see you tonight for foodie faves of Taipei!

Teddy

It’s only a an hour before I’m in the air on my way to Taipei.  This week has been exhausting. Now I’ll have a 20 hour flight with nothing to do but sleep, read and perhaps catch a movie.

I leave you with a new cookie!

I’m taking these on the plane with me as treat (in case the food is completely unbearable).  The cookie base is from 101 Cookbooks and can be found here.

The only adjustments I made were adding less salt, using a mixture of maple syrup and agave (I ran out of maple) and I added a peanut butter cup- or 3- on top as soon as I pulled them out of the oven.

Hopefully I can blog once or twice while traveling.  Wish me luck on my trip!

Teddy