happykatie :: katie rocks out the interwebs

Best of 2009: Eating Out (Day 2)

 

Cutie Gwen Bell has kicked off her Best Of 2009 Blog Challenge - taking the last days of this year to review the peeps, events and awesomeness that has made 2009 the bomb diggitiy.  Each day has a different focus that hundreds of Bloggers are making their own.  Check it!

Food is a big big deal in our family - we love shopping for it, cooking it and... most definitely... going out for it.  Today's Best of 2009 is all about our favorite restaurant moment - the flavors, company and experiences that made one shared (or solitary) meal something to remember.

Problem is, my favorite meals are mostly prepared at home (we dig our combined cooking powers) but I have gobs of great food-related memories that are pretty fantastic:

• Connecting with Adam over posole at the lovely Orlando's New Mexican Cafe in Taos, New Mexico
• Every Sunday brunch experience ever with Ella and Adam - I am such a brunch junkie, seriously
• Italian enchiladas and peach Bellinis with Buffy and our crew at Spaghetti Western
• Brunch with a book in NYC at Moby's vegan teaNY - sitting next to and chatting with Alicia Silverstone and not realizing it was her until after I had already left (hah)
• Catching the literal tail end of lunch with Courts at the Guggenheim in NYC after being lost for 2 hours in the subway (sigh)
• An impromptu dinner with Jonti and Denise at their completely awesome little casa on wheels - we just love those ladies.
• SXSW lunch with Erin in Austin at the delish Iron Cactus
• Countless cupcakes with some of the sweetest friends I know
• Discovering our current favorite Buddhist vegetarian restaurant in our hometown - gawking at the fearlessness of Ella's veggie appetite
• A surprising number of amazing lunches at this great French cafe in Houston - Andres Cafe.  Without fail, every meal I shared there was with another amazing woman that has impacted my life greatly this year.
• This year I've eaten more sushi than any other year before (and that's REALLY saying something), mad love to the sushi chefs at Nori Sushi for not getting sick of my random fish questions.
• A recent dinner to kick off the opening of (Schipul client) Bistro Alex with the glowing JJ and her fab! hubby Karl was astoundingly delicious - and a fun double date to boot!  Also totally cool that our server is on Twitter and is now the restaurant's Social Media advocate :)  I love the Internet...
• And last but not least, this has been the year of the Spicy Pickle - a chain sandwich shop that I stood in line for a grand opening and won a free lunch every week for a year (YAY!!!).  The food is very good, but our memories of family soup and sandwich dates are even more delicious.

Cupcake Monday: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

 

A random somewhat cupcake-related note:  I have started (or actually, re-started depending on how long you've been reading my happykatie blog) a separate food blog called happymeal.  This is the spot you'll find my recipes, food notes, kitchen gadget geek outs and oh-so-much-more. 

I cook primarily vegan food (A is vegan and E is vegetarian - and I am...  constantly hungry :) ), but am primarily interested in food that tastes good so don't let that be a deterrent for you if the whole animal-less cooking freaks your little carnivore self out.  Please please come and visit! 

In honor of my happymeal blog launch, I am dedicating this Cupcake Monday to one of my inaugural happymeal posts:  Hot sips for the holiday.  There is nothing quite as delicious as the combination of vanilla (one of my favorite flavors of anything ever), cinnamon, chili powder and chocolate.  Check 'em out:

• Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcakes (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World cookbook) 
• Cinnamon vanilla cupcakes with Mexican hot chocolate buttercream
• A great variation with chocolate orange buttercream and chai spices
  

Photo thanks to Flickr user ciao chow (found via yumsugar)

Frugal Friday: Homemade granola round up

 
Our house eats granola and cereal like a drowning man eats oxygen.  Which really made so much more sense in my head, but whatever.  We really, really like the stuff and sometimes are guilty of spending too much cash on it.

Here are a few homemade granola recipes that are healthy, delicious and much more cost effective than, say, even taking the deep dive into the Whole Foods bulk bins granola.  Just go for the rolled oats instead :) 

• Granola most similar to what we whip up (with fruit, sweetener and nut variations)
• Alton Brown's granola recipe
• Quinoa and vanilla bean granola
  
• Pumpkin butter and pepita granola from Smitten Kitchen
• Almond vanilla granola
• Raw granola (for those with a dehydrator - or low oven)

Got your own special recipe to share?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Photo thanks to Flickr user KayVee Inc.

Cupcake Monday: Mastering marzipan for autumn cupcakes

 
 Ah, the Fall.  Bright colors on trees, brisk sunshine-y air worthy of unpacking pretty handknit scarves and cute tall boots to wear with corduroy skirts.  It's my favorite season, even though in Houston we really only get to enjoy it for a couple of weeks (if we're lucky) and it's not nearly as pretty here as in other more northerly states.

But now I'm just being ungrateful.  I'll take the Fall in whatever shape, form, temperature or length I can get it.  On a culinary note, it signals the arrival of a something quite welcome in my kitchen - thick stews and simmering chilis, posole with homemade chile (New Mexican style!), hearty savory souffles, vegan pot roasts and lovely squash and pumpkin temptations at the farmer's market.

In the cupcake world, these months give us the opportunity to explore an entirely new realm of spices, flavoring and garnishes.  One of the more popular garnish medium around is Marzipan.  Can you hear me practically start to salivate when I type that word?  Marzipan Marzipan Marzipan.  I could eat pounds of this heavenly almond paste in one sitting with nothing but me and a spoon, it's so glorious.

While it's certainly not a seasonal ingredient (eep!  love this La Murier cupcake for a light summer treat), I love some of the cute Fall themed cupcake recipes out there.  The sweet-but-not-too-sweet almond flavor also lends itself well to some of the heavier and more spice laden holiday recipes you'll be trying out this year too.  Here are some helpful links to get you going:

• Marzipan recipe - although you can buy marzipan pretty inexpensively in your grocer's baking aisle, specialty food shops or at World Market Plus
• Martha's gold gilded marzipan acorns and leaves
• Pumpkin cupcake toppers (another Martha creation)
• Basic tips on making Marzipan shapes
• Lovely apple cupcake recipe with marzipan leaves
• Holy cow - chocolate squash cupcakes with marzipan centers!!

Photo thanks to Flickr user corypina

      

happycook: Gigantor book of 660 curries

We live in Houston, TX so are lucky enough to live in a big city with an ample supply of Indian and Pakistani restaurants.  Lately, some of our favorites have been getting pricier and, in one notable case - much to our chagrin, have been lowering their standards of deliciousness.

I've always enjoyed making simple meals like aloo gobi (Adam has long been addicted to this dish), lentil anything, naan and impromptu curries.  But the entrance of the ginormous 660 Curries cookbook has been a welcome one - bringing with it a cumin-scented waft of hope to qualm even more soundly the Indian food cravings within.

Even more exciting than the sheer numbers of unique recipes is the high percentage of vegetarian options.  There are over 150 pages of legume-based curries alone.  Heaven much?  Yes, heaven.

I didn't have quite everything I needed for the chickpea, potato and tomato curry we were starving for, so I used a ginger chickpea recipe from the book and tweaked it a bit until we got this simple and completely unimpressive looking curry below. 

Pair it with with Adam's homemade tortillas (made extra-thick to give a nice chewy roti texture to sop up the goodness) and you've got a good thing goin':

Thrifster: Quinoa the (affordable) Mother Grain

Nothing says healthy good eating like a bowl full of Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah).  It is a perfect food.  The Mother Grain.  A sacred Incan crop.  And absolutely delicious.

With the highest protein of any grain, all 8 amino acids, Vitamins A and E, calcium, fiber and more...  it is a complete protein and a versatile ingredient to substitute for most rice, pasta and even ground meat-based sides and entrees.

And best of all, you can buy it in bulk for about $2 - 3 a pound.  Given that a cup of this gorgeous stuff will get you pretty far, that's a phenomenal deal for a tasty grain with just the right amount of bite to it.

Here's a great recipe I made the other night, after suffering from severe Freebird's Burrito Bowl cravings.  Eet smakelijk! :

happykatie's Scrumptious Burrito Quinoa Bowl

-->  1st prep the quinoa
1 Cup quinoa (rinsed a few times to get rid of that bitter coating)
2 Cups of veggie or mushroom broth

Place the quinoa and the broth in a pot - your quinoa will double in size as it cooks, so judge your pot size accordingly.  Cover and bring to a boil and immediately bring back down to a simmer.  Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes.  I like to stir occasionally and season to taste with garlic salt, dried basil, poultry seasoning, whatever...

--> 2nd prep your veggie mixture
Half a large white/yellow onion, cut intro thin strips
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red/green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 carton of your favorite mushroom blend, sliced
2 small zuchinni, diced
1/2 Cup veggie broth or juice from can of tomatoes
(optional) 1 - 1 1/2 Cups of chopped seitan

Saute your onion, garlic and bell pepper in oil (try coconut or substitute water instead), stirring regularly and adding broth as needed for moisture, for 8-10 minutes.  Toss in your mushrooms, zuchinni, seitan and any other veggies you love until the onions and peppers are nice and soft - everything else should be nicely browned and flavorful.  Season to taste as needed, with whatever you've got that makes you smile.

--> 3rd prep your bean mixture
1 can of black beans, drained
1 cup of frozen corn
1 can of Mexican flavored diced tomatoes
1 small jalapeno, leave some seeds for heat and dice

Simmer all of your bean mixture ingredients in a covered pot on Medium for 10 - 15 minutes.  Make sure you give plenty of time to meld those flavors together and get everything all one temperature.  Season generously, be creative.

--> Put it all together
Layer your quinoa, veggie saute and bean mixture in a bowl.  The more the better, seriously.  Garnish with freshly cut tomatoes, fresh cilantro, a bit of chopped raw onion, avocado, garlic and jalapeno, a dollop of Tofutti sour cream, your spiciest and tastiest salsa and finally a sprinkle of shredded rice cheese (I prefer the mozzarella flavoring on most anything).  A little dried cilantro, basil, dash of red chili powder and garlic salt never hurt either.

Drench your creation in a Tablespoon or two of a nice fresh lime - that's the kicker.  Enjoy your bowl of deliciousness with a cold beer or a nice sipping glass of Patron.  Voila - no waiting in line at Freebirds and no shelling out $9 for a less tasty and less healthy version of one of the greatest foods ever.

Photo thanks to Flickr user FranUlloa

Eating in (June 1st - 7th edition)

We are passionate about the food we eat.  Sure, we're the kind of food / hippie nerds that love to add hemp seeds, nutritional yeast flakes and New Mexican chili powder to everything - but that's what's makes us "special". 

And really, the more we cook at home, the more vegan-friendly, tasty and **cheap** it is to do so!  This means we can buy more Tito's Vodka Tokidoki stuff kitty litter for Moji.  

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Breakfast
Last week I baked a batch of Breakfast Cookies, hoping to find a tasty and cheap on-the-go breakfast for to fill our bellies when we weren't noshing on cereal (addicted to Kashi U Cereal) and fruit.

They worked out great (easy to make and uber-cheap), but were so dense that none of us have really bothered finishing them (past a couple of morning's worth munching). This week, we're going to try something a little more savory.

1. Mini Crustless Tofu (Eggless) Quiches (via Fatfree Vegan)

Lunch
A. and I can usually swing our lunches pretty easily (leftovers, avocados/tomato/flour tortilla, Naked juice, whatever), but now that Ella is in school and bringing her own lunch, we've got to plan ahead much better.  For a veggie kid, you have to be extra imaginative (pb+j gets real old).

1. Vegan white bean lunch "meat" (via VeganDad) thinly sliced with brown mustard + accoutrement on bread, diced and sauteed with onions and BBQ sauce on a roll and crumbled Sloppy Joe style on a bun
2. Goddess Garbanzo Sandwich on whole wheat tortilla (via cookbook Eat, Drink and Be Vegan)
3. Sugarless strawberry preserves, coconut oil and bananas on whole wheat bread

Dinner
I'm especially excited about this week's dinners as these are all recipes that we haven't tried before (minus our seitan cutlets).  For sides, we're going to have steamed veggies, gently sauteed greens, homemade country fries and possibly some couscous on whatever nights we darn well feel like it.   

1. Sweet Chili Lime Tofu (with quinoa and steamed collards) - via Vegan Yum Yum
2. Baked Sweet Potato Falafel - via 100 Cookbooks
3. Skillet Gardener's Pie - via Fatfree Vegan
4. Tofu fish sticks - via Shmooed Food
5. Sauteed seitan cutlets (with Deconstructed Green Bean Casserole)  - via our kitchen's impromptu cookery skills (and Vegan Yum Yum)

What YOU got cooking?

Photo thanks to Flickr user teenytinyturkey

Thriftster: How to shop at Whole Foods and not go broke

I love Whole Foods with a PASSION!!  There is literally no other store (of any kind) that makes me feel soooo chilled out and happy to be there.  Yeah, I'm cheesy.  But good food comes with a pricetag, so there is no way we can make this our primary grocer for everything that fills our pantry and bellies. 

We get pretty creative in finding the affordable must-haves at Whole Foods and shopping elsewhere for the rest.  Here are some tips on how to navigate the Whole Foods awesomeness without breaking the bank -- and after the jump you can check out our Whole Foods product must-haves.

1. Be part of the Whole Foods Community - sign up for your local store's newsletter to stay updated on their specific sales and specials. Plan your weekly menus (in conjunction with other stores' specials) to incorporate more discounted and seasonal ingredients. Also check out their Whole Deals brochure in stores and visit their Sure Deals page for other ideas.
2. Read the Whole Story blog - this is really super Blog for food geeks and Whole Foods fans alike.  Keep an eye on their fun contests (this week their giving away free tickets to Bonaroo - woot!!!) for chances to win free gift cards and such, learn about their newest products (which are sometimes on sale) and jot down their yummy recipes that typically use very seasonal (read:  often cheaper) products. 
3. Take a tour - you can request a tour (typically in advance by phone or email - details on your local store's info page) to get the lowdown on Whole Foods and often some coupons and an extra discount after the fact too!  Rock.
4. Attend a class - Many Whole Foods have really great (and pretty cheap) cooking classes to attend.  It's a fun activity to do in a group and will teach you new dishes and techniques to incorporate in your kitchen magic.  And really, the more you know how to cook from scratch or prepare yourself the less you'll need to spend on food (and the better you'll eat).
5. Sign up for Mambo Sprouts - this is a great health food coupon site that offers coupons for products you're probably already buying at Whole Foods.  Used in conjunction with in-store sales and you've got one heck of a deal.
6. Prioritize your purchasing - pick out the items that are most important to you.  Organic dairy products?  All organic veggies?  Grassfed beef?  Local products?  Select what you care about the most and those will probably guide you in what to buy and NOT to buy at Whole Foods.

Read on for our Whole Foods staple purchases:

Cupcake Monday: Vegan knitted cupcake toppers

A video how to (with frigging MARTHA STEWART) on a great VeganYumYum knitted cupcake topper post that I saw last year - somehow I missed that she was hanging with the Martha.  Awesome!

Open source action for online foodies

This weekend brought many interesting events and discoveries - everything from sewing class at Sew Crafty to a giant/swollen knee to fried tofu yumminess to giant cupcakes.  But what I'm most excited about as I blog are 2 new sites I ran into that I'm already using like crazy:

1. Open Source Food (www.opensourcefood.com) - A really gorgeous social networking site centered around recipe sharing, food rating and cooking.  It's a very new site, but is already populated by some really amazing recipes and members. 
   
   Almost better than the food (to me at least) are the terrific photos members post - it is truly a visually pleasing site, which is important to visual learners like me who miss not watching cooking shows to get the true idea of how to create a dish.  The membership base is pretty international, bringing in a variety of different cuisines and new ingredients to try out - really super.
   
2. The Daily Plate (www.thedailyplate.com) - A simple site to help keep track of your caloric intake and exercise regiments.  Have a goal weight by bikini season?  The site guides you through what you should be eating and how you should be active to help you make it there. 
   
   They have different features for paying members, but none of them are really what I need at this point.  The site's super powerful search feature makes it easy to search for restaurant dishes, major brands and other more commonly consumed foods.  If you can't find what you've eaten during the day, it's no problem to add your own item - with calories and fat info required to help other searchers too.