Roasted Squash Heaven

Posted on February 18, 2016 by melsmosaic

Made another delicious recipe from Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem cookbook the other day as pary of a friend’s 50th birthday dinner. I can’t find anything bad from his book. Just love it! This time it was Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Onions with Tahini & Za’atar

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash (2 1/4 lb), cut into 3/4 by 2 1/2″ wedges (I peeled it and cut into cubes)
2 red onions, cut into 1 1/4″ wedges
3 1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 1/2 tbsp tahini
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp water
1 garlic close, crushed
3 1/2 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp za’atar
1 tbsp coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt & pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Put the squash and onion in a large mixing bowl, add 3 tbsp of the oil, 1 tsp salt and some pepper and toss well. Spread on a baking sheet with the skin facing down and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the vegetables have taken on some color and are cooked through. Keep an eye on the onions as they might cook faster than the squash and need to be removed earlier. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

To make the sauce, place the tahini in a small bowl along with the lemon juice, water, garlic and 1/4 tsp salt. Whisk until the sauce is the consistency of honey, adding more water or tahini if necessary.

Add the remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil into a small frying pain and place over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts along with the 1/2 tsp salt and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the nuts are golden brown. Remove from heat and transfer the nuts and oil to a small bowl to stop the cooking.

To serve, spread the vegetables out on a large serving platter and drizzle over the tahini. Sprinkle the pine nuts and their oil on top, followed by the za’atar and parsley.

This was served with a spinach salad from the same cookbook and some roasted shrimp. Could barely stop eating this stuff. Definitely on the list to make again.

Green Bamboo

Posted on February 9, 2016 by melsmosaic

Had a recommendation from a friend for a great Asian restaurant in Rockville, MD right next to the Twinbrook Metro station to check out. It’s Green Bamboo. They have various food and drink happy hours as well as evening food specials.

I started with a simple house Asian salad with ginger dressing — a whopping $2 for the special of the evening. It was made with spinach, which was unique. This thing was huge, with a great taste.

I ordered the Sashimi dinner that had 6 different fish on it. It also comes with soup. The pieces were all so good. I very much remember the salmon and how it just melted in my mouth. The platter also had these great spirals of carrots. Very nice presentation.

My friend ordered some rolls and sashimi pieces that were very nicely done and apparently tasted very good.

My one comment, don’t ask about wine here. The waitress had little awareness of dry wine, or even what sauv blanc vs riesling are. So go basic or know what you want.

Overall, great dinner, check this place out. Good prices, good service and good to have on your list.

Taqueria el Poblano

Posted on February 9, 2016 by melsmosaic

Was finally able to visit a Mexican restaurant that I have only heard great things about. Checked out Taqueria el Poblano in Alexandria/Del Ray, VA. They also have 2 locations in Arlington.

At such a restaurant one much always start the meal off with a margarita. Very nicely done! Found out later they also make them with some Grand Marnier and decided to give that a try…can’t complain at all.

Opted for the other mandatory piece at such a restaurant, guacamole. Just the perfect balance of smooth vs. chunks and nice spices in there. The chips were ok.

One of their specials that night was lobster tacos. Uh, yeah, I think I’ll order those! AMAZING. I don’t think I’d ever had lobster tacos. Huge chunks of meat in those things, some non-mayo coleslaw and other great flavors. So much good food.

My friend opted for pork tacos that came with green peppers, cheese and other great stuff.

We were stuffed to the brim. Definitely have to go back here.

Green Vegetable Soup

Posted on January 11, 2016 by melsmosaic

Cold weather, new soup. Went for one I saw in Cooking Light — Green Vegetable Soup.

Ingredients

3/4 cup uncooked orzo
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leeks (about 2) (used frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
1 cup thinly sliced celery (didn’t use this because I didn’t feel like getting a whole head of celery)
1 tablespoon minced garlic, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 cup water
3 thyme sprigs (went for dry)
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1/4 pound) (used frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups baby spinach leaves, divided (used frozen ones from Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

2. While pasta cooks, heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil; swirl to coat. Add leeks, celery, 2 teaspoons garlic, and salt; sauté 5 minutes. Add stock, 1 cup water, and thyme. Cover; bring to a boil. Add peas and beans, and simmer, uncovered, 4 minutes. Discard thyme. Stir in pasta and 1 cup spinach.

3. Place 1 cup spinach, basil, cheese, rind, juice, 1 teaspoon garlic, and 2 teaspoons oil in a food processor; process until smooth. Divide soup among 4 bowls; top with pesto. (I didn’t make this part).

This stuff was ok. I think there was way too much orzo in there. Nothing to write home about. It was missing a lot of flavor, thought that could be because I didn’t make the pesto. I’m not keeping the recipe.

Founding Farmers

Posted on December 15, 2015 by melsmosaic

After one runs the MCRRC Jingle Bell Jog in shorts & tshirt, because of 60-degree weather in mid-December, why not continue the great day?

My friend and I visited Founding Farmers in Potomac for brunch. I had heard mixed reviews on the restaurant, based on the locations, so was excited to give it a try.

Photo source: wearefoundingfarmers.com

Knowing the popularity of this place I made a reservation a few days ahead of time. So glad I did. It was packed!

When we arrived the #1 priority was coffee. Good stuff. After skimming the menu I opted for a nice basic breakfast; you get to pick eggs, meat, bread, veggie.

I went for scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, wheat bread and a green salad.

Very nicely cooked eggs. The salad was great. There were grapes tomatoes, avocados and almonds in there with a nice light dressing. The price was under $10.

Complaints: they wondered why we wanted jam for our bread and brought us maybe a single serving for the two of us. It frustrated them to bring more.

Then we got the check. It was just over $20 — my friend ordered the sausage, mushroom & spinach pan scramble. We were floored (in a good way)! Then we noticed they didn’t charge us for the coffee (not a major cost to the restaurant). After we gave the waitress the credit card to run, she came back and let us know she forgot to charge us the $3+ each for the coffee and would now need to include it. Seemed like something unnecessary based on the fact that it was her fault and it was only coffee. Not worth the fight.

Bark Bites

Posted on December 15, 2015 by melsmosaic

Human aren’t the only ones who deserve homemade goodies during the holidays. Pups do too! Had to pull out my recipe for Bark Bites (I can’t remember where I actually found this and I gave it this name).

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup oil (I used canola)
2 eggs
3 tbsp peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup oatmeal

Blend wet ingredients together. Whisk dry ingredients together and mix into wet mixture to form ball of dough. Roll out and shape.

Instead of getting fancy with cookie cutters (like I think the recipe originally said), I just use a pizza cutter. Dogs really don’t care what these things look like. And that way you get a heck of a lot more treats out of this dough. I probably got 5-6 dozen.

Put onto a non-stick cookie tray or lightly greased one. Cook 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. Turn off oven and allow the biscuits to cool in oven until crisp and hard. Store in airtight container.

When you think about it, this is all stuff we eat. Couldn’t taste bad. I think it’s just missing sugar (yes, this means I had to take a little bite at the end).

Woof, bark, devour. Good dog!

Blue Star Brewing Company

Posted on December 11, 2015 by melsmosaic

Last Day in San Antonio…time to try some local brew. I had seen this place on a super long exploratory walk (10+ miles) the first day I was there. Now had 4+ hours to kill before catching my plane, why not walk a bit to check this place out for some local fare, in more ways than one?

So, walked a couple miles (south) on the Riverwalk to the Blue Star Brewing Company.

Checked out the beer menu and wanted to do a sampler. You can pick any of their brews and get as many as you’d like in 4-oz. pours. Great idea! And they cost $1-$3 each. After reading and reading the descriptions I finally picked four — I’m not going to start with more than a pint’s worth of beer. And, some of the ABVs on these were high.

So I went with:

Texican: South Texas Lager, dry, crisp & mild. Flavors with leave you thirsty for more, 4.0% ABV. — This was my favorite!

Flying Pig: Extra Pale Ale, Refreshing, beautifully hopped, well balanced light colored ale, 5.0% – good hops, not overpowering.

Dunkelhead: Dark, bold and refreshing lager, 5.6% — not my style, glad I tried it, though.

Wheathead: Refreshingly satisfying wheat beer, ABV 5.2% — off/odd for wheat. I was expecting more of a Hef.

There food was good. Had a delicious salad with salmon.

Great way to close out my week in San Antonio. Check this place out if you’re looking for some local brew and you’re in the area.

La Paloma

Posted on December 11, 2015 by melsmosaic

Venturing down the Riverwalk in San Antonio a few more times in San Antonio of course means more restaurants had to be enjoyed. This was also because I was there for a week-long work event.

Another place I decided to try was La Paloma. Since I love mexican food I have to eat it any chance I get.

Of course had to start with margaritas, chips, guac and salsa. Unfortunately it took a good while to get all of these items because even though the restaurant was near empty, it was a good 10-15 minutes before we got a waiter, even though the hostess was watching over us.

I was lured to this venue because when glancing at the menu I noticed they had ceviche, one of my favorite ‘things’ — had to get that.

It was Ceviche de Camaron, fresh shrimp marinated in olive oil, lime and orange juice, oregano, and pico de gallo. When it finally arrived, I was a bit disappointed. They used cocktail shrimp instead of decent size shrimp. And it tasted like they’d been cooked first then tossed with the juices. This is versus being ‘cooked’ in the juice. It was not that good, but still edible.

My friend opted for Camarones a la Diabla; jumbo shrimp sauteed in Chipolte butter and garlic seasoning. Served with Spanish rice and black beans.

He said it was quite good and the black beans were amazing. Can’t go wrong there.

So, I personally don’t give the place a resounding endorsement, but it was nice to sit outside and, it was nice out by the end of the week so there were decent temps to enjoy the evening while sipping the decent margaritas.

Cauliflower Meets Immersion Blender

Posted on November 25, 2015 by melsmosaic

Another new magazine… This time it’s a recent issue of Food & Wine and a recipe that caught my attention was Cauliflower Soup with Goat Cheese. I read through it and it does call for dairy but it can so easily be eliminated. It’s an accent (and really just unnecessary extra calories). The recipe is another great vegetarian (I used veggie stock because it’s what I had on hard), lactose free (you can nix the cheese, too, if needed, though goat cheese is good for most lactards) and gluten free one.

Ingredients

One 2 1/2-pound head of cauliflower, cored (went for a bag of frozen stuff, did 2-12oz bags)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, coarsely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
Kosher salt
1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 quart chicken stock or low-sodium broth (used veggie stock — great option for the vegetarian version)
3 thyme sprigs tied in a bundle, plus 1 teaspoon chopped leaves (used dried)
8 brussels sprouts (6 ounces), trimmed and separated into leaves (back to the freezer…so much easier)
4 ounces cold fresh goat cheese, crumbled (I actually used feta because I needed it for the next night, tasted great)
2 tablespoons snipped chives
1/4 cup heavy cream (nixed this so I could eat it)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°. On a work surface, cut one-fourth of the cauliflower into 1/2-inch florets. Coarsely chop the remaining cauliflower.

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the leek, garlic and a generous pinch of salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the potato and the chopped cauliflower, then add the wine and cook over high heat until reduced by half, 4 minutes. Add the stock and the thyme bundle and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Discard the thyme bundle (since I used dried stuff, it stayed in there).
Meanwhile, at either end of a large rimmed baking sheet, separately toss the cauliflower florets and brussels sprout leaves each with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt. Roast for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring each halfway through, until lightly browned and tender. In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese with the chives and chopped thyme.
In a blender (I used the much handier immersion blender), puree the soup in 2 batches until very smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the cream (did do this). Rewarm over moderate heat, adding water if the soup seems too thick; season with salt. Ladle into bowls and top with the roasted brussels sprout leaves and cauliflower florets. Sprinkle the herbed goat cheese on top and serve hot.

Delicious soup! The flavors all came together and worked so well. Totally worth trying.

Make Ahead

The soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat gently before serving.

Avocado, Hearts of Palm & Heaven

Posted on November 25, 2015 by melsmosaic

When you read a recipe where all ingredients are ones that you absolutely love, you must make it. I found this Avocado–Hearts of Palm Salad in Health magazine and had to try it ASAP. And, it could not be easier to put together.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large ripe avocado, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup drained, coarsely chopped canned hearts of palm (about half a 15-oz. can) — I used more than half a huge jar from Costco
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, lime zest and juice, garlic and salt until combined.

2. In a medium bowl, combine avocado, hearts of palm, cilantro and scallions. Pour dressing over avocado mixture and gently fold together. Season with additional salt, if desired.

This was just so good. Definitely needs that salt. So fresh, so delicious. I ended up making it two days in a row for appetizers. Served it with crackers.