Eggless and meatless burritoes = YUM

 Well...it has only been about a year and a half since I posted.  Sorry about that to anyone still looking.  However...having just received a spiffy new macro lens, I must start this 'ol blog back up again.  How can I not?  So...sometime this past year I discovered I was allergic to eggs BIGtime.  And making up egg burritos in the morning and keeping them in the oven on warm was hard to give up.

 So when I recently came across this excellent faux meat product at whole foods, I thought I'd research how to make faux eggs too.  The trick...tofu!  and turmeric for color.

 I eat sprouted ANYTHING if they have it.  This is my fave tofu.  You basically just sauté up the seitan chorizo, crumble in the tofu (just half the package, about 15 oz.), add a little seasoning and throw it into a tortilla with cheese.  Wrap it in foil and put in a 250 degree oven to soften the tortilla and cheese and you have something tasty ready when you need it.  They can stay warm for an hour or more (I'd reduce oven to 200 for this).

 I was able to make about 6 of these out of the above mixture.

Yummy!  Tracy could not tell the difference.  He thought it was actually eggs and real chorizo.  But it was SO much better.  Next time I'll use whole wheat tortillas and maybe leave out the cheese to make them even healthier.

 Although the cheese (I used provolone slices) is so good....

 I love this stuff...I found it in my local latino store.  It adds tastiness (and probably too much sodium) to anything.  I sprinkled a little on the tofu.

 About 1/2 t. of each

I love these foil sheets from costco.  they work perfectly!

mmm...gourmet foods

This honey right here is the whole reason I am posting a recent order of gourmet foods.  This is, by far, one of the best things I have ever tasted in my life.  and I don't even like honey.  It tastes like a deeply complex caramel, but is light like honey.  I'm not kidding...this is amazing spread on a piece of buttered toast.  A little is all you need.  I'm trying to think up ways of using it because I don't eat sweets.

I had to finally try this since I keep reading about it over and over again on blogs and in magazines.  It was good...definitely better than your average honey.  but up against the carob seed honey, there is no contest.

this is pine cone syrup.  I wish it had more of a pine taste to it, but maybe it will when I actually have it ON something.  I was just tasting a drop of it.  I remember having a spruce pine needle ice cream once upon a time that I will never forget, but this is different.  That tasted like a tree.  This is much more faint. still...can't wait to try it on some eggy sourdough pancakes.

seaweed salt.  since I love artisan salts and seaweed, I had to try this.  can't taste (or clearly see) the seaweed, but it was tasty.  Is it that much different from my old standby (celtic sea salt)?  No...but the little bag will fit nicely in my purse for under seasoned restaurant food.

This is shoyu that is brewed via a centuries old recipe.  Since I am not a fan of soy sauce, I've been experimenting around and this is amazing.  I'm keeping the paper wrapper around it for now because it's so cool.

A lemon flavored extra virgin olive oil.  Most lemon oils just have the smell of lemons but not the taste.  This has both and has been amazing in everything I've used it on.  The balsamic is a 3 year balsamic that is really good for the money.  

Three REALLY good vinegars...especially the blood orange one.

I love Yuzu and recently saw a recipe from Mario Batalli using a tablespoon of lemon marmalade in a vinaigrette recipe.  Figured this would be even better.  Haven't tried the recipe yet but this stuff is fabulous on toast with cheese.

One of my favorite magazines.  The only one I read cover to cover.  OH...most of the above products were purchased through www.markethallfoods.com , a company who shipped quick and had excellent customer service.  Shipping is free if you order $250...not hard with the amazing pastas from italy, delicious lentil varieties and good brown rice.

2 celebrity restaurants

While visiting Cleveland recently, I realized that a Michael Symon (iron chef) restaurant was right across the street from the workshop we taught at.  It's called BAR SYMON.  I had to try the fried chicken since it was voted among the top 10 in the nation by Gourmet magazine.  It was coated in an old bay, siracha honey glaze.  It was amazing.

I made everyone at the table take a photo of their dish.  This was the Lake Perch Fish Fry.  Michael Meador said it was "very very good".

This was the "Fat Doug", a hamburger that boasted "best in america" by some survey.  It had pastrami on it along with the usual acroutrements.

The Ice Bleu salad.  Tracy loved it.

I normally don't have dessert but the guinness stout ice cream with pretzels and chocolate sauce along with caramel was too hard to resist.  SO GOOD.

This was Spago, located in the Forum shops at Ceasars's palace.  Wolfgang Puck is the owner.  I have eaten at his less fancy restaurants but this was, BY FAR, the best.  The above meal was wolfgang's fave; weinersnitchel with a lemon butter sauce, fingerling potatoes, balsamic tomatoes and a dill cucumber salad.  They split the meal for us, so this is half.

this was a daily special.  a hawaiian pizza with bbq short ribs, fresh pineapple, cilantro and red onion.  It has to be my all-time favorite pizza I've ever eaten.

since I am a fiend for buffalo wings, I had to try wolfgang's.  They were ok.

this was 2 freshly made chocolate donuts with earl grey ice cream and a 10 year stout infused chocolate sauce and a creme caramel sauce.  I actually just ate the chocolate sauce with a spoon...it was so amazing by itself.

random photos

OK...SO not healthy but had to take a picture.  You can't tell it here but these are gargantuan marshmallows.  Never seen anything like them,

This is Tat's Deli down in Pioneer Square.

The breakfast sandwich of bacon, egg and swiss from tat's

making hobo dinners.

if you are new to hobo dinners, it includes ground beef, shredded potatoes, carrots, onions and whatever else you want to include.  they are fun to make with a group since everyone can design their own then cook them over a a fire.  You must enclose them in foil and seal really good.

since this isn't an overly healthy post, here is a pic from one of my CSA boxes awhile back.

Scottish Oats

We kept hearing we should eat more oatmeal...but it has never really appealed to us, so when I saw these Scottish oats the other day, the scot in me got a little excited (maiden name is Buchanan...we even have a castle).  Anyway...They are amazing!  Instead of irish oats which are steel cut, these are ground between two big stone disks the old fashioned way and trust me when I say they are LOADS tastier than steel cut.  I make them exactly the way the recipe on the back says (3 c. water to 1 c. oats, with a t. of salt and cook on low for 10 min.)

I mix a good handful of these flaxseeds in (after the oats have cooked).

I only use celtic sea salt and have for a long time.  Intuitively I always felt it was best for me.  Recently I read it is the only PH balanced salt.  It's by far the best tasting.  I get the finely ground stuff that is grey and looks a little wet (sorta).

A teaspoon of organic butter mixed in and heaven in a bowl.  If you have extra leftover, throw it in the fridge and the next morning heat up a T. of extra virgin olive oil in a fry pan.  Cut the oatmeal up into chunks and throw in pan.  Let it get nice and hot and even a little crunchy in some places.  Sprinkle a little more celtic sea salt along with flax seeds and it is even better the 2nd day.

new direction for this blog

Food remains such a passion of mine.  Eating good food just SENDS me.  I love reading about it, watching people make it, talking about it, sharing it, eating it!  I LOVE taking people out to really good restaurants and seeing that sparkle in their eye when they try something fantastic and new.

Recently I have had to rethink our meals...make them healthier, smaller.  In the meantime I have come up with some pretty tasty stuff that is also good for you, so I thought I'd pick this blog back up again and change directions with it to reflect some healthy (but tasty) food inspiration.  Please know that I am hugely a REAL FOOD fanatic so you won't see anything calling for margarine, artificial sweeteners, and the like...UGH!

POK POK in Portland

If you like thai food, go to Pok Pok in portland.  It's amazing (and spicy).  Eat outside for a sublime experience.

chandler's crabhouse

we decided to celebrate after trista's 4 hour college graduation by going to chandler's crabhouse on lake union.  I had the crab and shrimp louie which was amazing.  they dress the greens with a lemon vinaigrette first but still serve 1000 island.  A unique but great twist.
trista had the halibut with tzaziki and curry powder.
tiff got the petite lobster
and steak man tracy got steak again...argh.  what's with red meat and him?!  It was covered with a bechamel and crab sauce.  decadent stuff....but he was paying so I kept my mouth shut...except when I was eating. .