Happy (almost) Cinco De Mayo! Here in Austin, we never need an excuse to eat Mexican food – but if you do, here are just a few of our favorites: (pictured above) Spicy Serrano Corn Salsa / Jalapeño Margaritas Veggie Cevice Tacos / Tequila Lime Fish Tacos Mexican Street Corn Salad / Chilaquiles Poblano “Crema” Enchiladas / Spicy Black Bean Soup I’m off to go pour the margaritas!
This vegan carrot cake recipe is a riff on my mom’s traditional recipe. That cake is Jack’s all-time favorite dessert, so she makes it whenever she comes to visit. Then, I make it again for Jack’s birthday. This year, instead of making her recipe as written, I adapted it to make a vegan carrot cake instead! My mom’s recipe calls for applesauce, which makes her cake super moist and light. Using applesauce, you can actually veganize carrot cake relatively easily. Along with the shredded carrots, it adds enough moisture to eliminate the need for flax eggs or other unconventional ingredients.…
By the end of this weekend I’ll be craving a big kale salad, but for now – the Austin Food & Wine Festival continues. Here’s a little interview I did with pastry chef Jodi Elliott. Last year, she was named Food & Wine’s People’s Best New Pastry Chef. This year, she’s opening a bakery & dessert bar called Bribery – I can hardly wait! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Let’s see – I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. I went to the CIA in Hyde Park, NY when I was 19 yrs. old!…
Oh, kohlrabi… I first learned of this alien vegetable years ago when I received my very first CSA box. At the time, I wasn’t adventurous with vegetables, so I had no clue what it was and no clue what to do with it. Kohlrabi has seemed to gain some popularity since then – I often see it on restaurant menus – but back then it was barely google-able. Fast forward to now – it’s one of my favorites. People say it’s similar to broccoli stems, but I think it’s closer to daikon or even jicama. Slice it up into sticks,…
My Dukkah Recipe Inspiration I recently contributed this dukkah recipe to Food 52’s Small Batch series. When they first suggested it, I had to look up how to (authentically) make it. It turns out — there’s no one way. The word dukkah literally means “to pound” and it generally consists of hazelnuts, sesame seeds, and a few whole dried spices. To me, this was the perfect opportunity to use up the nuts and spices I had just cleaned out of my pantry shelves. (Specifically, the ones that didn’t fit when I transferred them from little bags to little jars). Along with the…
Two things happened on Monday: It was Jack’s birthday and also we won the Saveur Reader’s Choice Best Cooking Blog award! Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of you who voted for us! As someone who’s not used to winning things, I really didn’t see this coming. I’m shocked and just so flattered. I realize — I probably should be posting cocktails and cake, but it’s been a heck of a busy week, so today I bring you: Celebration Salad. (Although, stay tuned, I have some yummy birthday carrot cake coming up next week). But for now, this…
Easter weekend might be a whole week away, but I figure it’s never too soon to start gathering with friends for a spring brunch. We could call it Friendster—get it? Like “Friendsgiving” but for Easter instead… (and not like the late 90’s social media website). Ok, maybe not. I can hear you groaning through the computer screen. Whatever you decide to call your spring gatherings – make this easy asparagus frittata. First thing: blend your eggs in a blender. I’m sure many of you do this already. I, myself, have been lazily ignoring this tip for years thinking my whisking…
Since starting this blog, I’ve gotten over a number of foods I didn’t think I liked: radishes, carrots, and, most recently, pepper. (I know, pepper is a weird one). I have a list going for Jack too: peas, asparagus, avocado. Check, check, check. And now – with this watercress salad – beets! (Yes, Jack, I lied. These things I told you were turnips were in fact beets). My husband is not a picky eater by any means — there are about five foods he’s adamant about not eating. I just find it a fun game to work these things in.…
I keep a pretty full pantry (to say the least). I love to have a variety of oils, vinegars, grains & nuts on hand… but every now and then “on hand” becomes completely out of hand. This little sauce came about one day when I was cleaning out my shelves and found five separate stashes of hazelnuts. Some were newly purchased, some were tucked waaay in the back. Also, back beyond my immediate reach was a still-pretty-new-yet-forgotten-about jar of tahini. I had pasta noodles to use up, but this would be great as a dressing drizzled over a farro salad, or over…
Grains & greens. Avocado & eggs… I could probably stop blogging right here and be happy eating this meal every day. Or at least in theory. In reality, I need variety otherwise I have a way of wrecking foods for myself. (One year in college, I ate plain oatmeal 2x a day — breakfast and lunch — and now I can’t stand the sight). The beauty of the grains and greens meal is that it can be changed up a thousand different ways. (Although, I get it — oatmeal can be changed up too. By the time I learned that it was far too late).…
I just realized that I have a pattern of only posting cocktails on Fridays. I don’t know if it feels more socially appropriate that a cocktail should be a pre-weekend treat or if I’m trying to cover up the fact that I’m known to have a glass of wine (or two), on any given day(s) throughout the week. I like to celebrate the little wins in life, even if a “win” is just getting through an ordinary Monday. This week, however, is not about ordinary Mondays. I just about fell off my chair two days ago when I found out…
We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.
