Tag Archives: veggies

Winter Banana

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Highlights from the week…

We are both really enjoying this flavored s’mores coffee from Bones Coffee Company.

Extra-purple smoothie – frozen grapes, frozen berries, Greek yogurt, and butterfly pea tea.

Yogurt bowl with fresh persimmon, caramel apple granola, honey, and nutmeg.

This giant apple was labeled a “Winter Banana” at the farmers’ market so obviously we bought it.

Such good packaged snacks this week. Jalapeño and honey chicken jerky (9/10) / peanut butter dark chocolate Over Easy bar (8/10).

Abomination Brewing’s marshmallow double IPA with a marshmallow fluff rim!!

True or False – I buy anything new Ben & Jerry’s has to offer? At least once! The peanut butter cup cookie dough bites were a new favorite, 2nd only to the s’mores option, but the Oat of this Swirled flavor wasn’t for me.

We also shop Seed & Mill pretty indiscriminately! These halvah coated pecans were a 10/10.

Take-out steak soft tacos from our local Mexican place. With zucchini, chopped tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and hot sauce.

Noodle bowls loosely inspired by Khao Soi. Hand-cut noodles / shredded chicken breast / brothy sauce with coconut milk, red curry paste, and chicken broth / dinosaur kale sauteed with shallots, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, and rice vinegar / topped with tons of cashews and chili crisp.

Caribbean-inspired rice and beans (brown rice cooked with yellow onion, habanero pepper, coconut milk, chicken broth, and dark red kidney beans) / roasted broccoli / curried chicken salad (shredded chicken with mayo, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, sauteed onion, dried cranberries, salt and pepper, and Jamaican curry powder). I topped my bowl with pineapple Blind Betty’s hot sauce and the whole thing was divine.

Macaronis And Marshmallows

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Things from the weekend…

We made scones! Chocolate chip and dried cherry. They were yummy and so easy.

Brunch at Agi’s Counter in Brooklyn. Dirty Ovaltine was a hit.

We were head over heels for these palacsinta – Hungarian crepes layered with honey butter and wine poached figs.

We also shared the hashbrown with trout roe and scallion sour cream.

And the confit tuna melt sandwich. It came with great house-made pickles.

Sugar Hill Creamery. We tried a split scoop of the Unicorn (vanilla with birthday cake and sprinkles) and the Don Cartagnea (cream cheese ice cream with guava and croissant).

But really we were there for the hot chocolate! Topped with torched marshmallow fluff!! This couldn’t compare with drinking chocolate but it was definitely the best hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted. It was dark and bitter in a way that really complemented the fluff.

See also – I ended my weekend with a scoop of this dark chocolate and mint Ben & Jerry’s topped with fluff at home.

Chopped turkey sandwiches in nacho form – one of my best dinner ideas yet. A mix of smoked turkey, honey maple turkey, sharp cheddar, garlic sauteed baby broccoli, pepperoncinis, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, mayo, and yellow mustard; chopped and baked on top of Kettle pepperoncini chips.

Leftover rice casserole and broccoli salad plus Whole Foods’ pimento mac and cheese balls. This plate got doused with Cholula and honey.

Take-out from Datz Deli for some 10/10 Caribbean food. Wonderfully spicy jerk chicken and the best baked mac and cheese I’ve gotten in NY (mind you, not as good as my favorite from Pueblo back home). Plus we shared one of the sandwiches they are famous for – stewed oxtail and mac and cheese stuffed into a chicken patty stuffed into a coconut bread. Every component was perfect and together it was a dream! Plus roasted romanesco on the side.

Best Ever Broccoli Salad

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Highlights from such a yummy week…

I enjoyed the (new?) chocolate and cherry 88 Acres bar.

These 12 Tides kelp chips are perfect; great crunch and very garlicy and savory.

I’m holding out on eggnog and peppermint until after Thanksgiving, but a winter-themed beer felt appropriate for November! Abomination Brewing’s Wandering in the Snow – double dry hopped IPA with lactose and marshmallow.

The Roast special this week was a shortrib smashburger with pickles, roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, arugula, white cheddar, and aioli on a potato bun – we obviously had to try it. Plus fries and amazing homemade green beans (sauteed with butter, garlic, and honey dijon).

Cajun-ish rice casserole. I baked brown rice with Trader Joe’s turkey summer sausage, red kidney beans, cream of mushroom and roasted garlic condensed soup, fire-roasted Rotel, red bell pepper, yellow onion, salt, pepper, and paprika. Topped with Cholula and Greek yogurt and served with a side of garlic sauteed broccoli rabe.

A new variation on a broccoli salad we made almost one year ago that I’ve thought about ever since. Roasted broccoli, roasted red onion, roasted cannellini beans, dried cherries, and the sauce (in the food processor – cilantro, roasted jalapeno, garlic, white cheddar, smoked sardines, pine nuts, honey, salt, paprika, gochugaru, evoo, and water). I topped my serving with Trader Joe’s hot and sweet pickled jalapenos. Plus a side of roasted honeynut squash that we also swooned over.

One of the best salads we’ve ever made at home. Romaine and chicory blend lettuce / charred asparagus / strawberries / white cheddar / Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy candied pecans / Greek yogurt marinated baked chicken / homemade honey mustard vinaigrette (equal parts mayo, honey dijon, yellow mustard, honey, lemon juice, and vinegar).

Cinnamon And Sugar Cookie

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Things from the weekend…

I signed up for an online CEU in GI Nutrition this weekend. The speakers were former UVA colleagues so that was neat! It was four+ hours on a Saturday though so I needed a fun breakfast – Adam and I split a Roast breakfast burrito (scrambled eggs, avocado, crispy potato, peppers and onions, hot sauce aioli, and I added sliced turkey) and fries.

Starbucks’ new sugar cookie cold foam is tasty but not as good as chocolate or pumpkin. Sandwiched between shots of espresso and cinnamon dolce sprinkles.

I made a dalgona iced coffee with cinnamon and chocolate milk (YUM).

Paired with an 88 Acres oatmeal chocolate chip bar that was also quite cinnamon-y.

I paired Whole Food’s hot bar chicken tenders and charred broccoli – and a hard boiled egg – with every kind of dipping sauce (ranch, blue cheese, Roast house sauce, honey mustard, bbq).

Dinner at Sandro’s, which someone at work highly recommended for Long Island Italian.

It was good! I got garlic broccoli rabe and the Mafaldine pasta with pesto, tomato sauce, Stracciatella, and toasted pine nuts. This was so satisfying.

This Is Halloween

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I didn’t dress up this year but still considered it a successful Halloween; Adam and the dog and I packed bags of candy and drove around admiring decorations.

Related – this candy corn hared cider was better in concept than flavor but still fun.

Other highlights from the week…

This Blue Point Big Mother Pumpkin was the last of (and one of the best of) the pumpkin beers.

Made Good cinnamon bun oat bar with fresh strawberries.

Trader Joe’s dried baby pineapple. Their selection of (unsweetened and unsulfured) dried fruit is unmatched.

An aggressively Southern snack hour. Stubbs BBQ chips with pimento cheese. Pro-tip – I served the dip warm with honey and spiced pecans on top.

This week’s dinners were all about the sauces! Trader Joe’s scallion pancakes + cucumber salad with Sriracha, sugar, soy sauce, and rice vinegar + canned salmon salad with Sriracha, mayo, and soy sauce + Sriracha, Kewpie, oyster sauce, and furikake.

Fried mini tofu, Sea For Yourself bechamel and sherry lobster cake, roasted purple cauliflower, and a toasted miso sesame dipping sauce (in a saucepan over low heat – canola oil, miso, tahini, urfa pepper; whisked with mayo and a squeeze of lemon).

Bok choy sauteed with miso and ginger and Mandu chicken and vegetable dumplings. Plus a spicy peanut dipping sauce (for 2 big servings – 2 Tbsp peanut butter, 2 Tbsp hot water, 1/2 tsp brown sugar, heaping 1/2 tsp Sriracha, 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp rice vinegar).

Maple Month?!

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Highlights from the week…

Pumpkin protein smoothie. Pumpkin puree, cottage cheese, vanilla protein powder, maple, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Pumpkin beers. We served these in a glasses with a cinnamon brown sugar rim!

Chobani pumpkin spice Greek yogurt with caramel apple granola and jumbo blueberries.

I also enjoyed the pumpkin crisp Flip.

A trio of maple treats! Maple is a year-round food (too good to limit to one month!) but it was fun to do a theme dessert. These were all wonderful, by the way, the candy bar was one of the best we’ve ever had.

Cocktail chip hour a la Trader Joe’s – their best potato chips with everything and the elote dip.

Spicy pumpkin pasta. Whole-wheat elbows with sauteed ground turkey with sour cream, pumpkin puree, and chili crisp. Plus roasted baby cauliflower.

Trader Joe’s spicy pumpkin samosas (11/10!) with roasted orange and purple cauliflower. I made a dipping sauce with sour cream, maple, harissa, and lime.

Macaroni and cheese cups with leftover cauliflower and a buffalo-ranch sauce.

P.S. Fellow millennials – We have been loving the new Goosebumps series and highly recommend it! So campy but sweet and we really like they way they’ve fit multiple titles into one cohesive story. P.P.S. Hubie Halloween on Netflix is also delightful.

Staycation 2023 [part 2]

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Highlights from the second half of our staycation, which ended up being one of the best vacations!

We did so many fun things! Like checking out the Halloween-themed spot Haunted House of Hamburgers to grab a drink and admire decorations.

Spending a beyond lovely morning exploring the Avalon Nature Preserve and communing with nature.

And roadtripping to Connecticut for coffees and booze. Food hightlights included…

Aldo’s Coffee. This spot in Greenport makes the most perfectly roasty espresso.

Druthers Coffee. This burnt caramel latte was amazing

Perkatory Coffee [CT]. I loved this spot, especially their monthly special – cold brew with vanilla and strawberry, topped with condensed milk cold foam and Fruity Pebbles.

Yellow King Brews [CT]. Cold brew flight??!! My favorite was the fantastically blue one – cold brew shaken with cookie butter sauce and topped with cookie cold foam.

12% Beer Project [CT]. They had taps from Evil Twin, Abomination Brewing, and Fat Orange Cat. Also really good housemade thin crust pizza.

Evil Twin taproom. Always a favorite.

Whole Food’s pumpkin pie cookie.

Alligator Pear for a New Orlean’s lunch. We had (a lot) drinks and started with the wonderful cornbread with sweet brown butter and the blue crab beignets.

We shared the summer salad – baby kale with strawberries, goat cheese, candied pecans, and a honey mustard vinaigrette – and a po’boy with grilled shrimp.

Kappo Counter at Okonomi Market for a lovingly currated multi-course tasting menu. Some of my favorites included the tilefish and cucumber with yuzu and coconut.

Roasted Japanese sweet potato with salmon roe and toasted tahini.

And the frangipane with toasted rice ice cream and pickled strawberries.

Rolo’s for the best lunch of the vacation/the best meal of 2023! Spicy mezcal bloody mary.

Beet salad with concord grape vinaigrette and castelrosso cheese // grilled oyster mushrooms with pine nut miso.

Double cheeseburger with grilled onions and dijonnaise // malted waffles with plum compote and ricotta. We also had the super crispy potatoes topped with Kewpie and a spicy peanut sauce.

Gourdness Gracious

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Things from the week…

The Starbucks’ pumpkin cream cold brew is great. I swapped the pumpkin spice for cinnamon dolce sprinkles (and removed the vanilla syrup and added espresso!) and it was perfect.

Pumpkin spice options from La Columbe and Perfect Bar. Not great – a note to October 2024 Emily: stop buying these every year, the coffee tastes like nothing and the bar is too spiced.

Pumpkin beer season is off to a great start – Left Hand pumpkin spice latte nitro ale (8.5/10) / Southern Tier caramel pumpking imperial ale (9.5/10).

Still loving these chile and garlic cashews as a snack. P.S. That lurking dog had some teeth pulled this week and came through like a champ.

Giant breakfast burrito, aka my favorite item from Roast. With avocado, scrambled eggs, hash browns, sauteed peppers and hot sauce aioli; plus I added sliced turkey.

Chickpeas sauteed with harissa, diced tomato, onions, and bell pepper. Plus roasted cauliflower, Bitchin sauce, and a six-minute egg.

3x protein, 3x spice bowls. Cottage cheese with chili cashews, Sriracha cucumber salad, and soy marinated eggs.

Congee. Made with brown rice and chicken broth and topped with marinated egg, sauteed turkey with cilantro and garlic, and collard greens with rice vinegar, ginger, and scallion.

P.S. As of this morning I am on vacation through the next weekend!!