Cooking Inside the Lines

Chickpea Stew

Emily — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:32:21 +0000

I really don’t have many words to describe this recipe from Bon Appetit except it’s…amazing, savory, spicy and deep in delicious flavors. This is one of my most favorite things I’ve made in really long time and it’s super simple to boot. In fact it was so good, I was a smidge jealous that David was getting the leftovers for lunch the next day…jealous, over leftovers, now that’s saying something.

Chickpea Stew (photo by Jonny Valiant)

Elizabeth Street Cafe

Emily — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:29:49 +0000

On Saturday, we had a few hours to kill before a friend’s birthday party and finally had the chance to nom, nom, nom some killer Bahn Mi at Austin’s new French Vietnemese restaurant Elizabeth Street Cafe. Founded by Chef Larry McGuire who is slowly taking over Austin’s food scene one restaurant at a time (seriously, the guy has Lambert’s; Perla’s; Jeffrey’s and a new restaurant concept, Fresas opening next year). You can definitely tell this has Larry and Liz Lambert’s, what is now, signature touches to it. The curved seating, clean, bright colors, and a blend of Austin funkiness – mismatched wood chairs, eclectic artwork – to round it out.

Now let’s get to the food. The French influence on Vietnemese food is evident in one item: the Bahn Mi. A French baguette stuffed with the flavors of Vietnam – cucumber, cilantro, carrots, jalapeño, daikon, fish sauce and yummy pork or pate. We started with the Niman Ranch Pork Belly Steamed Buns with cucumber, scallion and hoisin sauce. Ohh, delightfully good. The buns were steamed to that just perfect pillow-soft texture and with the delicious juicy, soft pork belly it was an A+ bite of food. Exellent way to start the meal Chef McGuire.

We saw a lot of things we wanted to try on the menu but we knew our first visit to the restaurant would have to be all about the Bahn Mi. David ordered the House Specialty of Chicken Liver Mousse, Pork Pâté, Roasted Pork and I got the marinated pork. I’ve made my own Bahn Mi at home and had some at eateries here and there, but this by far was my favorite. The baguette was crispy outside (without crumbs falling all over the place), chewy on the inside with some super fresh and crunchy daikon, cucumber, carrot, jalapeño and topped with cilantro, sambal and mayonnaise with the perfectly marinated pork. In fact, they were so good, we ordered a third one to split! The housemade spicy pork meatball to be exact and yes, we snorted it. Total fat kids I know, but completely worth it.

To finish out our meal I had to get what’s being deemed as the new cupcake (honestly, I really don’t think anything is going to be the new cupcake), the canelle. Given the fantastic house made bread (seriously, amazing stuff) I was super excited about the canelle and it had a nice moist interior with a crunchy caramel crust – it was a perfect sweet bite to end our meal. I’m happy that (a) I work down the street from this place (b) that our home is right not too far either since it’s a perfect grab-and-go restaurant for a quick Vietnamese coffee and pastry or a nice little spot to sit down and eat 85 Bahn Mi.

Niman Ranch Pork Belly Steamed Buns

Marinated Pork Bahn Mi

Canelle

Food Lover’s Cleanse – The Update

Emily — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:13:20 +0000

So we are almost through with Bon Appetit’s Food Lover’s Cleanse and let me tell you, we love it. We had to buy more produce this weekend and when we looked at the mound of fruits and vegetables piled in a bowl on the counter and the second mound sitting in the fridge, we both said “no way we are going to eat through all that.” Well, we did and I can tell you, eating that much greens makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something. Odd to say, but we liked the feeling that we were fueling our system with such goodness and the best part, the recipes were delicious. Not once did I feel like I was over or under eating and, I didn’t follow the plan to an exact “T” since well, life happens. For example, I have a standing date each week with my friend Kari that I wouldn’t miss for the world. We don’t exactly go to places that offer up quinoa and kale, but I try to make the best of it with a sensible eating all day and a healthy-ish salad for dinner and well, frozen margaritas. I’ve always liked a good balance in my diet, by mainly staying on the healthy track with lean meats, lots of fruits and vegetables, but with some breads and cheese in there because I’m not going to deprive myself of those little beauties while I’m still kicking.

Some highlights from the cleanse included the amazing miso dressing that was excellent on every salad I made; the good pot of lentils; Moroccan-Style Lentil and Chickpea Soup with Lamb and Roasted Tomatoes; Carrot and Brown Rice Pilaf with Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Mizuna with Tofu (pictured below from Bon Appetit). We loved this tofu dish so much I think it will continue to be on rotation in this house for the year. Yep, I said it, we love TOFU. While I was menu planning for the coming week, I found myself searching for recipes that had the same lean-protein/greens and/or fruit structure as these recipes did, and that my friends, is what this cleanse is about…continuing to find a happy balance in your diet. But heck, I really do want a juicy cheeseburger somewhere in the near future.

Bon Appétit’s Food Lover’s Cleanse

Emily — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:31:35 +0000

The holidays are by far one of my favorite times of year, but let me tell you, I might as well start stapling cheese plates and desserts directly to my thighs and get it over with! That’s why I’m glad Bon Appétit has created their Food Lover’s Cleanse complete with recipes, menu plan and a shopping list. We did our shopping yesterday and yes, you will be SHOPPING until you drop, but, keep in mind, this is for two week’s worth of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks and desserts. Also, after reading a few reviews from readers who tried last year’s cleanse, you shouldn’t feel compelled to do the entire plan or worry if you don’t want to spend mucho deniro on all the vinegars, crackers, produce, dairy blah, blah, blah. We were pretty committed to doing the entire thing but I still wanted to keep costs down regardless if it was two weeks worth of food, and the bulk bins at Whole Foods Market have become my super besties; trust me, they will save you money and time. Although, after having our first two meals on the cleanse, maybe I should have gotten boxes and boxes of quinoa, lentils and the like!

I’m sitting here typing the post and David just looked up at me and goes “I really liked that salad. I’m stilling thinking about it, that dressing was amazing! That was a labor-intensive though right?” Not in a million years actually. I think I’ve found a new crush and it’s white miso. Nom, nom, nom. Salty and savory and makes a saucesome salad dressing. We loved it on today’s butter lettuce, avocado, and orange salad, plus the lentils were a perfect and tasty addition to round out the plate. Having just had our lunch, and thinking about our 10-grain hot cereal breakfast, I can tell this is going to be very filling meal plan without making you feel like a million pounds. We still have a pumpkin smoothie to make and tonight’s dinner of Black Cod and Caramelized Onions and Apples looks amazing! I’ll keep you posted on our progress but so far, we are loving these recipes…let the cleansing begin!

Here Fishy, Fishy

Emily — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:39:13 +0000

It must be all of this cursed indulgence the holidays provide, but as I was menu planning last week I wanted something light, healthy and delicious. So, I laser-focused on salmon and lots and lots of vegetables. Food & Wine, I love you. I tried three amazing dishes this week and as I’m sitting here typing this we are eating the last of this AMAZING Crunchy Cabbage Icebox Salad.

Crunchy Cabbage Icebox Salad (Photo by Jenn Louis)

Let’s start with the beginning of the week. I made this delectable Slow-Roasted Salmon with Tarragon and Citrus and Cumin-Braised Swiss Chard for dinner. Ooooh, this was SO GOOD. I love slow roasting salmon since it tends to bring out its sweeter side and the blend of tarragon and citrus juices on top were perfect. To be honest, I chose the swiss chard dish because I really wanted a nice healthy green but hadn’t given it too much thought. Umm yeah, yowza. This was so amazing. For a side dish? Really? I could eat this every day!

So I saved some salmon for the next night’s meal which was the infamous icebox salad. Poodles, you need to make this for your next dinner party. First of all, it’s stunning in the bowl, second it’s so satisfying with its crunch and mixture of textures, three it’s quite healthy, and four, if you do like I did and add salmon you will be sending me thank you cards. Definitely give all three of these a try as soon as you can or in the New Year, when those resolutions kick in…cue dry heave.

Nailed it!

Emily — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:37:26 +0000

There is a hilarious photo on the interwebs that just make me giggle and, after last Tuesday night, it definitely hits closer to home.

Although my situation had nothing to do with baking and creating what looks like a very difficult Cookie Monster cupcake, this recipe was actually much easier which makes it even more pitiful in my case. I chose this Pumpkin Agnolotti from Bon Appetit because it sounded insanely good and was quick to boot. I was super tired after the kitchen, but got right to work on these when I got home. Reason number 4,023 I married David – the two of us can sit and talk for hours and hours. So you can guess what happened, right? I made the pumpkin raviolis and then placed in the colander after boiling to sit while I made the sauce. Yep, we start chit chatting and I come back 30 minutes later to a pile of coagulated pumpkin won tons. Ha! I made the decadent butter and creme fraiche sauce anyway and plopped my now pile of pumpkin/wonton goodness in the sauce. It all fell apart, but I was so tired, I said “screw you agnolotti” as I threw my fist in the air as a very weak sign of defiance and then helplessly plopped the finished pumpkin/wonton mass in our bowls. But you know what? It was still freaking delicious and we ate with sloppy abandon. Heck, I’ll take that 30 minutes of talking to David over perfectly pretty pumpkin ravioli any day. And for your viewing pleasure (I’m sure you are giggling too right along with me), here is the photographic evidence.

Oooohh pretty Pumpkin Agnolotti from Bon Appetit

Not-so-perfect Pumpkin Agnolotti

Let’s Give Thanks…

Emily — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:49:33 +0000

…for these recipes that I think would make a delicious addition to your Thanksgiving spread. I’ve chosen some of my favorites from year’s past, most are a little non-traditional but I figured you would have your basics down (turkey, gravy, stuffing) so I included ones that I thought might bring a little more oomph to the table. We alway have turkey at our family’s meal in East Texas but heck, I would love to have that Pork Tenderloin Agrodolce at the table too!

Mix and match to your liking, but most importantly, have a wonderful Thanksgiving with you and yours. So excited to celebrate our first Thanksgiving as husband and wife, ahhhh, such a lucky gal.

Appetizers/Drinks:

Protein:

Sides:

Dessert:

Leftovers:

The Pie Society's Leftover Quiches (sweet potato and whipped cream; vegetarian shepard's pie; Thanksgiving leftover pie)

Truffled Pommes Anna

Emily — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:20:45 +0000

I love making dishes where you have people asking you for the recipe over and over again. This, my friends, was one of them. We went to a friends cookout last night and I thought I would test this for our upcoming Friendsgiving celebration to see if it was delicious as it sounded. Yes, and then some.

This was unbelievably easy to make especially when you have a mandolin (thank you Leigh and Raul!) to shave the potatoes on. I think I won the Darwin award however, because as I was testing the mandolin with a potato, I sliced my pinky on the blade. WOW. Yeah, don’t do that. I’m typing like a five year old right now and it took quite a chunk out of my poor finger…I so smart. After sanitizing and Neosporin, I got back to work. All you do is layer the potatoes with salt, thyme and truffle oil. So easy, so delicious and a real crowd pleaser. YUM! Bless you Cooking Light, bless you.

Truffled Pommes Anna (Photo by Charles Masters)

Pantry Party!

Emily — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:59:28 +0000

Typically through my menu planning process, I go through pretty much everything I purchase if not in the first week, then definitely in the next. But there are those rare occasions were the beckoning of a Polvo’s Crackerita is too strong or I’m just too darned tired to cook after baking in the kitchen. I decided to check my pantry for these rare occasion relics that might be lurking in my pantry and found cream of mushroom soup, piquillo peppers in a jar and canned whole cranberries. As I sat trying to remember what recipes these ingredients were for originally, I started researching some new fun ones to try and voila lambs, I found two!

Bobby Flay’s Loin of Lamb Marinated in Merlot, Garlic and Parsley with Piquillo Pesto. Now I didn’t change much except for, well, the main protein. We are on a tight budget after all the wedding festivities so I turned to my most favorite, cost-effective cut of meat – flank steak. It’s juicy, flavorful and worked beautifully with this marinade. Talk about simple and quick. I marinated the steak, made the pesto (in our new food processor, yippee!!) and then when David got home, I threw the steak on the grill and bam dinner was done. I turned this into a small salad with arugula, bleu cheese, halved cherry tomatoes and then placed the steak on the greens and drizzled the pesto on top. I also had enough pesto the next day to make David a snack with pita chips. Am I getting good wife points yet?

Moving on to the cranberries. I found this Jack Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa from Cooking Light…yum! Keep this one in mind for the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays for sure. Although I substituted

Jack Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa (Photo by Randy Mayor)

rotisserie chicken for turkey, what really makes it is the salsa. I can see canning this and giving it as pretty holiday gifts or it would even be great over some baked brie or on an old shoe, seriously it’s really good. I made extra and now we both have quesadillas and cranberry salsa for lunch today. YAY!

Now, what the heck am I going to do with that Cream of Mushroom soup?

New Cookbooks = Dry Heaves

Emily — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:14:01 +0000

I’m in the midst of menu planning now that things are starting to settle after the wedding and we received two cookbooks that look amazing but give me goosebumps just thinking of trying to tackle one recipe in them – Alinea and The French Laundry. So, I’m asking my food friends out there on the interwebs if anyone has tried a recipe from one of these and if so, how did it go? I’m going to try and see what I can do too and share with you here…there is a recipe that has bacon powder. BACON POWDER! Yippee!

Also, I won’t be the crazy, just married wife, but I did want to share with you two of my favorite photos from our wedding last weekend. Awww lambs! Such a magical evening and if you live in Austin be sure to get Altared Weddings, ILD Lighting, Primizie Catering, Pearl Events (Jessica Brightwell is the BEST), Premiere Rentals (love Jeremy and Ken!) and Say Cheese! Photobooths as your vendors. They were amazing and so was the ArtHouse at the Jones Center – if you haven’t visited yet, I say why not? Support the arts!