Emily


Peanut Butter Brussels Sprouts
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Brussels Sprouts Gone Wild: Peanut Butter Edition

Peanut Butter Brussels Sprouts

I stumbled upon the most interesting thing last night! Brussels sprouts are a hot menu item everywhere in Austin (and the general country, I feel) but usually I see them one of two ways: Asian style with fish sauce, cilantro, etc. or uh, Bacon style, as in they’re sautéed with tons of bacon, pancetta, etc. But we were trying out a new-ish restaurant, The Hightower, when I noticed something a little different on the menu: Peanut Butter Brussels Sprouts.

Well, I love peanut butter and I love Brussels sprouts, so obviously the universe had already made this choice for me.

These were some of the best sprouts I’ve had in recent memory – they weren’t too goopy or sugary, thanks to the addition of sambal and lemon. A sprinkling of plump, golden raisins added just enough contrast. This would be really easy to replicate at home — quarter some sprouts, sauté with some coconut oil, add in some natural peanut butter, a scoop of sambal, a squeeze of lemon, and a handful of raisins at the end. Sweet, sour, spicy, what’s not to love?!

Peanut Butter Brussels Sprouts 2

in Recipe / Restaurants / Veggie 1 comments
Detroit Style Pizza
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Detroit-Style Pizza is Your New Favorite Pizza

Detroit Style Pizza

Look at that giant brick of cheese. Just look at it. Under that dazzling layer of cheese, prosciutto, and balsamic goodness lies all sorts of delectable toppings and a thick, chewy crust. What is this? Detroit-style pizza! I’m sure some areas of the country are more familiar with this treat than I am, but allow me to gush for a few minutes.

After a particularly long day/night at SXSW, I was grabbing a beer with some friends at a beer bar called Craft Pride when a food truck in the backyard caught my eye. Via 313 has a reputation for being some of the best pizza around Austin, but I’d never checked it out before. I’m not always a huge pizza person—I have to be in a certain mood. That night, after walking miles around town to different festival events and drinking a few brews, I was definitely in that mood. I wandered up to the window and ordered the most rich, indulgent variety I saw. The Cadillac: gorgonzola cheese, fig preserves, shaved prosciutto, shaved parmesan, and balsamic glaze. “For $16, it better be as good as people say,” I thought to myself.

When the pizza was carried out to our table, I was kind of surprised by how thick and…square it was. This is deep-dish like I’ve never seen deep-dish before. Generous on the toppings with the sauce (in this case, balsamic instead of tomato) as the very top layer, this was a bit daunting to bite into but gloriously greasy and satisfying once I took the plunge.

What makes Detroit-style pizza so decadent and special? As the Via 313 menu explains:

Detroit-style pizza features a semi-thick but light and airy crust (similar in texture to focaccia bread). The pizza is baked in industrial steel pans from the Motor City that were traditionally used to hold small machine parts in automotive assembly lines. The pans allow for the cheese to be baked all the way around, creating a delicious caramelized cheese edge.

While I generally eat more thin crust pizza, I really looove me some deep-dish and this one takes the cake (or pie?) Those crispy corners with the caramelized cheese and crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-and-chewy-on-the-inside texture are probably the best part. I’m definitely a Detroit-style convert.

Detroit Style Pizza Slice

in Cheese 0 comments
Pinnacle® Coffee King
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Cocktail O’Clock: Coffee King

Pinnacle® Coffee King
Okay, so we’re already past Fat Tuesday, but let’s be real. You didn’t give up alcohol for Lent and you loooove a sweet, sweet iced coffee. So why not combine all of these facts (Fat Tuesday happened + still drinking + coffee is great) into one glorious cocktail?

Pinnacle Vodka recently released a King Cake flavored vodka that I guarantee is perfect any time of the year, Mardi Gras or not. They shared this recipe with us, and I’m gonna say it just might replace my morning Starbucks run… so maybe my Lenten resolution is to drink yet more alcohol? I’m sure that’s what they had in mind with the whole Lent thing, right?

Coffee King Cocktail

1 part Pinnacle® King Cake Vodka
1 part Kamora Coffee Liqueur
2 parts Cream

Shake all ingredients with ice. Pour into double Old Fashioned glass.

in Drinks 0 comments
Red Quinoa Cabbage Kale Salad
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Sweet and Spicy Triple Red Quinoa Salad

Let’s talk about cabbage. I love cole slaw—like, really love, it’s one of my favorite sides/snacks. Sometimes I will eat a big bowl of slaw for dinner. Is that weird? Probably. Other than cole slaw, though, I don’t really do much with cabbage. So I had to get a little creative with the huge head of crisp, red cabbage that came in our Johnson’s Backyard Garden CSA box last week.

Red Quinoa Cabbage Kale Salad

What’s my go-to when it comes to using up vegetables? Mixing them into some quinoa, of course. What’s my other go-to? Adding a runny egg to anything/everything. Using these two standby moves, I transformed a head of cabbage into a super flavorful, easy, and healthy dinner for the household. (Let me tell you, it’s fantastic living with a boyfriend and roommates who enjoy healthy cooking as much as I do.)

This warm salad is red on red on red on red! We’ve got red quinoa, red cabbage, and red onion mingling with kale, sour apple, rich tropical coconut oil, and sweet raisins. The addition of curry and red chile flakes kicks up the spice and keeps this combination from becoming too sugary. Make sure you don’t overcook your quinoa or produce—mushy quinoa is a bummer and you want to be able to savor the crispness of the cabbage, apples, and kale.

Sweet and Spicy Triple Red Quinoa Salad

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in Eggs / Recipe / Veggie 0 comments
Ramen Taco
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Screw Ramen Burger, it’s Time for Ramen TACO

Ramen Taco

The title of this post really tells you everything you need to know. The Ramen Burger craze of Fall 2013 was only the tip of the iceberg. Now we have the RAMEN TACO. That creation above was brought to you by Nash Ruin of the Vulgar Chef, presented to the world in a succinct yet effective blog post. Shine on, you crazy diamond.

in Trends 0 comments
Carillon Pansy Panna Cotta
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Artsy Photo of the Day: Bleu des Basques Blossoms

Carillon Pansy Panna Cotta

How lovely! I sampled this Bleu Des Basques Panna Cotta at an event called the Official Drink of Austin here last Thursday. There were more creative cocktails and bar bites than one stomach could handle, but this flowery creation from Austin restaurant The Carillon wins my personal prize for the prettiest dish. It tasted as good as it looked, too. (You can check out the full recap of Official Drink of Austin here!)

in Cheese / Photos 0 comments
CSA box rainbow carrots
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CSA Cooking: Sweet Potato Rainbow Hash

Rainbow Breakfast Hash

Big news! We finally made the leap into signing up for our own CSA box! This is something my bf Rob has wanted to do for awhile, and the rest of the roommates and I quickly got on board.

The natural choice was Johnson’s Backyard Garden, an Austin favorite. If you’re not familiar with CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), here’s an explanation from JBG:

Community Supported Agriculture is much different than going to the local grocery and buying your vegetables. It is a direct partnership between you the consumer, and our farm. CSA members pay in advance for a share of the upcoming harvest and are ensured access to truly nourishing food, food that is grown locally, organically and is delivered when most nutritious and fresh. What’s more, the shareholder cultivates a relationship with their farmer, the land, and with other shareholders. CSA is an opportunity to use your money to support valuable causes: responsible land stewardship, a vibrant local food economy, a healthy community, and the success of local farmers.

Can’t argue with that. Especially considering the amount of vegetables I eat on a weekly basis. We’re getting a medium box every two weeks, plus a half-dozen farm fresh eggs. Our first box, which was delivered last Tuesday, held delights such as sweet potatoes, rainbow carrots (absolutely gorgeous!), kale, spinach, parsley, and even daikon. The fun thing about getting a CSA box is it’s kind of like being on Chopped, except for instead of crazy ingredients it’s a bunch of super fresh, organic produce. You still have to figure out ways to cook it at its peak before it starts going bad, though!

CSA box rainbow carrots

Last Saturday morning I wanted to use up some of our beautiful vegetables and, obviously, try out some of those eggs in our morning meal. I decided to go the hash route. I’ve never put carrots in a hash before, but their crisp sweetness was great with the sweet potatoes. I added some leftover chopped organic chicken breast to bulk up the protein, plus some leftover red  and green onion (not from JBG, but duh, gotta have some onion). The result? A gorgeous rainbow of colors, flavors, and texture. Adding a runny-yolked egg was really just gilding the lily.

Sweet Potato + Carrot Rainbow Hash

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in Breakfast / Eggs / Fowl / Recipe 0 comments
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