Thai Adventures

One of my favorite restaurants from back home is Araya's Vegetarian - a Thai restaurant that I have been going to since I was in high school. It's all vegan and all delicious - especially their lunch buffet! For years I went weekly to catch up with a friend and stuff as much food as possible into our bellies (I really miss those days when my metabolism was my friend!).

I bought a vegetarian Thai cookbook when Jonathan and I were in Phuket last October, but I've found the recipes to be a little too vague and perhaps advanced for me - perhaps I need to just give it a better try, but I think the translation to English didn't work out that well for them.

If it wasn't lunch buffet time at Araya's my favorite dish was the Orange Tofu. I was exploring different food blogs this weekend and came across a recipe for Orange Pan Glazed Tempeh (ok I know this is the same website that the Ravioli Salad came from, but at least it's not my usual!). It reminded me so much of that dish at Araya's that I had to give it a try. The verdict? The sauce had the perfect flavor, but I didn't think there was enough leftover once it had reduced to a glaze - it left the rice a bit dry. I also think I should have marinated the tofu and then dried it out so the flavor was throughout - I always struggle with that with tofu, lots of flavor on the outside and none inside.

Thinking of this Orange Tofu (I used tofu instead of tempeh - forgot to mention that, but it was probably clear from the picture) made me think of the dessert that Araya's always had as part of the buffet - Black Sticky Rice with Coconut Milk! I had never tried making it before, but figured it couldn't be that tough - luckily I was right! Here it is - simply Forbidden rice (black sticky rice) cooked with coconut milk, palm sugar, and a little cinnamon topped with a little of the remaining coconut milk!

Up next: the most Oregonian thing I have done since living in Oregon!

-C

All of My Favorite Things

I finally got around to uploading the pictures of a few of things I made this weekend. I'm excited because I've been messing around with Photoshop some and downloaded a bunch of new custom actions to use!

I didn't quite get around to making the things I mentioned in my previous entry, but I think it was pretty close! First off I made Banana Bread - I love banana bread so much, I think I would make it all the time except that I rarely buy bananas! If you read my last post where I mentioned how much I love VegWeb you probably know that is where I got the recipe - you can find it here. I like it because it uses very few ingredients (and ones I always have on hand, except the bananas of course) and it tastes just like the bread I remember as a kid except  there are no eggs or dairy!

Speaking of bread, I also finally got around to making the Gruyere Stuffed Loafs that I have been meaning to make for quite awhile now (Roma - if you're reading this, thanks for the recipe!). Luckily it was a three day weekend because I planned to make the bread Sunday only to realize I needed to let the starter sit over night! I'm glad I noticed that and was able to get it started and still make the bread on Monday! This bread was a little bit messy to make, but I think it was worth it - how can you go wrong with bread stuffed with cheese? I don't think it's possible.

To go with the bread I made a recipe that I came across back around Thanksgiving time but never ended up making. It is for a Hazelnut and Chard Ravioli Salad from 101 Cookbooks. I'm still really into kale and not as much a fan of chard, so I used that instead. I also used a Butternut Squash ravioli - I can't recall the name of the brand, but they come in the freezer section and they make several vegan varieties! Other than that the only change to the recipe I made was to throw in a bit of butter when I tossed the ravioli with the vegetables. I really recommend this recipe - I think it's a perfect winter meal (and it sure feels like winter here still, there was snow today!).

But now on to the best part - candy! Since I made Sea Salt Truffles last week I decided I wanted to do the same, but with caramel. Do you remember how much I love caramel? It's a lot. Since the last (and only time) I tried making it it came out a little too soft I tried to get the temperature just a tad higher - that backfired and I ended up with inch-thick toffee. Not very edible unfortunately, unless you want to risk breaking a tooth. Thanks to the three day weekend (again!) I had time for a redo. I made some that were coated in chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt and a few that had caramel wrapped around a hazelnut and dipped in chocolate.

Two people at work told me the hazelnut ones were the best things they had ever eaten, one person told me the sea salt ones were better than anything at See's, and another person told me that it was their new favorite caramel (and that they also really like caramel)! I'm thinking I should really set up a business here! Maybe someday...  wouldn't that be nice?

Speaking of, I'm actually going to take a weekend class here in another month on starting your own catering business. A girl can dream, right?

-C

P.S. As I was adding photos I realized I forgot to mention the Olive Oil Cakes with Lemon and Thyme! They were pretty good - nothing too eventful. Unfortunately I didn't think you could really taste the thyme at all and I was really hoping for a nice flavor combination there. If you like lemon though, these cakes were great!

Five Things

Because I have the day off but because I haven't felt like uploading new photos I decided to share with you five things that I am currently in love with.

1. Turquoise Cast Iron Pots from Staub, exclusively at Anthropologie

I want, I want, I want! I don't know if I can justify all that money just for the beautiful color though. Instead I go back and stare at them online every few weeks and reconsider over and over again.


2. About 90% of the dresses on Modcloth

I have never actually ordered one because I feel like dresses often fit me strangely and I only like ordering things online that I'm pretty sure will fit or I can return in person. Still - I browse through these dresses often, adding ones I like to my cart but never actually checking out. Maybe someday...


3. Chef's Coats - this one is from Sur La Table

 

I think this is because I watch that Mandy Moore movie all the time where she runs a catering business - Because I Said So. I really love that movie, and she looks so cute in that chef's coat. I wish I had her job in that movie - I also wish that I had her apartment. Look, I'm not saying it's a technically good movie but I definitely think it is watchable.


4. Field Roast - a Seattle based company that makes artisan vegan meat products

Based on their website, it looks like you can find their products in most states. Consider yourself lucky. They make some of the most delicious fake meat products I have ever had. I am currently in love with their Apple Sage Sausage, but their basic Field Roast loaf is delicious too (and was my protein addition to our delicious Thanksgiving meal).


5. VegWeb and HappyCow

I couldn't pick just one of the two websites. VegWeb has gotten me through many egg-free road blocks. French Toast, Banana Bread, Brownies? All my go to recipes for these came from VegWeb. And HappyCow is just the world's best guide for finding places to eat while traveling. They list out all Vegan/Vegetarian/Veggie-Friendly restaurants for places all over the world. From traveling around the States to Europe to Singapore - this website has never failed me.

Note: I know I started this saying I had the day off. That was yesterday. I'm a procrastinator and didn't actually finish in time. I'll blame it on all the real work I still had to do yesterday... and the fact that Gossip Girl was on. Sigh.

-C

Dancing in the Kitchen

It has been a ridiculously stressful week at work, but things finally wrapped up this morning (I think)! My brain still in this fuzzy state of stress and I can't quite think about what I should do this weekend, so instead I think I will gather some new recipes and just cook.

Things I am thinking about:
Banana Bread (ok, not new - bought the bananas I bought are finally perfect for this)
Risotto (Squash or mushroom, I haven't decided)
Gruyere Bread (I keep meaning to make this, I think now is the time)
Olive Oil Cakes with Lemon and Thyme (!!?!! - these will be coming to work with me I think)

I'll let you know how things turn out! Hopefully well otherwise I may just end up more stressed than when I started!

-C

P.S. If you're anything like me, something to make you ridiculously happy - not cooking related, but who says you can't dance in the kitchen?

Valentine's Day Recap

The truffles were a hit at work - I'm almost a little sad though that there weren't any left for me to bring home. Probably better that way though I suppose! I made these using a recipe from The Pioneer Woman (where else? I really need to start finding recipes from other sources) - I ran out of chocolate to coat the second half of truffles in so I ended up just rolling those in cocoa powder (also delicious), but then I ran out of cocoa powder so the last few were just rolled in sugar... I think the moral of the story is I should really be better prepared for candy making!

Anyway, I told you I'd share more about the (pre)Valentine's Day dinner I made for Jonathan yesterday. I'll get this part out of the way right now - I also got the recipe for the pasta I made from The Pioneer Woman... I told you, I really need to start looking for recipes elsewhere (but I can't help it - they're just so good)! You can find the recipe I used here - I used Parmesan, Fontina, Fromage Blanc, and Smoked Gouda as my four cheeses. To be honest I was a little stressed about picking four different cheeses that were supposed to go together, but I think this turned out pretty delicious even if I did spend a good ten minutes staring at the cheese section in our grocery store. The Fromage Blanc is even produced (with LOVE) right here in Oregon - how cute is their package? I think a lot. I also really appreciate it when cheese makers tell me that they use microbial or bacterial rennet - thanks for making my cheese purchasing decisions a million times easier!

Sorry - I got distracted by the cheese. You may get used to it, that happens a lot...  I really love cheese. So because I'm cheesy (ha ha... I didn't even get the pun until after I wrote that) I made up menus to go along with dinner. I couldn't get a decent picture of the entire menu, but you get the idea. I think they were a hit.  ;)

To recap yesterday's post - dinner consisted of Tomato Bruschetta, Lemon Butter Asparagus, Four Cheese Pasta, and a Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Raspberry sauce (seriously drooling just thinking about the last part).

The Tomato Bruschetta was pretty good, although I think it would be a hundred times better in the summer with nice ripe tomatoes. For middle of the winter tomatoes though? Pretty delicious. The asparagus dish was great - the recipe I used was actually one for green beans, but asparagus are way better than green beans. Jonathan also thought they were more elegant, so bonus points there (yes!).

The pasta was tough to get a good picture of because I was running around trying to get everything else finished up and the whole "serve immediately" thing that shows up at the end of recipes always makes me really paranoid...  what happens if I can't serve it immediately!? Is it suddenly going to be terrible!? So then I run around like crazy trying to get it on the table RIGHT AWAY and don't always have time for nice photos.

And for the grand finale - dessert! This was seriously amazing (not to praise myself too much). I modified a recipe I found in a magazine (yay - from somewhere new!) for a Honey Almond Chocolate Torte. Again, I like hazelnuts better so I just went with those. I also had some Hazelnut syrup that is meant to go in coffee - I used a tiny bit of that for the filling along with the honey. It was just so good and so easy that I have to share the recipe with you!

Chocolate Hazelnut Torte
3 chocolate graham crackers (6 squares)
1 Tbs (or a little more) toasted hazelnuts
2 Tbs softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs. honey
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a food processor, combine the chocolate graham crackers and hazelnuts until finely ground. Add in the butter and pulse until incorporated. Press into two small dessert dishes (or you could use a spring form pan). Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes and set aside to cool.

In the meantime, combine the cream and honey (and this is where I added 1tsp of hazelnut syrup) in a glass measuring cup - whisk until incorporated. Microwave on high for one to two minutes until the mixture is simmering. Add the chocolate and let sit for one minute before stirring to combine. Pour the melted chocolate over the baked crusts and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (I took mine out of the refrigerator when we started dinner to allow them to soften up a bit, but I supposed you could eat them cold too!)

You should really think about trying these - they were so easy and so delicious! We only ate one of the two since they were so rich, plus with the ice cream and everything that's all we really needed. The best part about that? More dessert for tonight!

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

-C

Pre-Valentine's Day Dinner

I know that Valentine's Day isn't actually until tomorrow, but there is no way I would be able to pull of a fancy dinner after rushing home from work so I decided to do it tonight instead. I like doing big dinners on the weekend - gives me an excuse to spend all day cooking and then I feel productive!

Tonight's dinner is full of firsts - I don't usually like trying a new recipe for the first time when it's a special occasion, but I also didn't want to make the same old stuff we've eaten a hundred times before. Keep your fingers crossed for me that everything turns out well!

On the menu: Tomato Bruschetta,  Lemon Butter Asparagus with Pinenuts, Four Cheese Linguine, and Chocolate Hazelnut Tortes with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Raspberry Sauce.

I wish I could share pictures now, but I haven't had a chance to upload what I have taken so far and not everything is finished yet! I also made some truffles for my coworkers - I'll share those after dinner (or more likely, tomorrow) as well!

-C

Las Vegas: Cupcakes and Guacamole

This is my friend Stephanie. We go way back - like to when we were 6 years old. She has been living in Las Vegas for the past year, but now she and her boyfriend are moving to Chile to teach English and I have no idea when I will see her again (ok, except for in 10 days or so when they drive through here and again when Jonathan and I go to visit... but besides that). We decided it was only right to have one last girl's weekend in Vegas, so that's where I was this weekend.

First things first - we made it a priority to stop at the cupcake shop that we didn't make it to last time I went to visit. Retro Bakery is a bakery specializing in all kinds of delicious cupcake flavors - I tried the Salted Caramel Crunch (a chocolate cupcake with caramel buttercream, drizzled with caramel sauce, sprinkled with sea salt, and topped with a chocolate covered pretzel) and I couldn't help myself so I also got the Cherry Cheesecake (a white cupcake with cherries mixed in topped with cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs) to have for breakfast the next day. I can't decide if the best part was the chocolate covered pretzel or the cherry cupcake - I think I'll go with the cherry cake since the bakery didn't really have anything to do with the whole pretzel part.

We also celebrated many things - both Stephanie and Allison's birthdays as well as our last weekend together for the foreseeable future with a dinner at Dos Caminos, a fancier Mexican restaurant in the Palazzo. I know Mexican food isn't usually associated with fine dining, but check out this quesadilla I got! Pretty fancy looking if I do say so.

Besides my quesadilla we also had some delicious guacamole (you know it's delicious because they charge you $13 for it) which we thought they were going to make in front of us at the table but ended up just being brought out. It still tasted pretty amazing though, so we can let it slide.

Oh! And you know the most amazing thing? The Yard House now has an entire section of the menu devoted to Gardein products (faux meat) - do you know the last time I ordered chicken strips in a restaurant? Me either, that's how long ago it was. I was super excited to be able to eat at a brewery and eat "typical" brewery type food! To tell you the truth though, I guess I'm sort of glad they don't offer that stuff everywhere because man are chicken strips greasy!! Didn't get a picture of this one to share -I was too excited to taste it, oops!

-C

P.S. If you're interested (and I don't know why you wouldn't be) you can read about Stephanie's travel adventures at her new blog here:  http://www.adventuresofstephanie.com/