Chickpea Circus

Eggless and meatless burritoes = YUM

2012-01-18T18:07:00.000-08:00

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

2010-08-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-01-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-10T06:42:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-07-06T21:24:00.000-07:00

2009-07-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

POK POK in Portland

2009-06-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-18T23:09:00.000-07:00

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. .

2009-06-18T23:02:00.000-07:00

fish tacos at Etta's in seattle. Tracy wasn't impressed.
my copper river salmon with corn pudding and shitake mushrooms (amazing!)
the octopus "cocktail" with white beans and fennel. I love octopus but this was cold, hard and rubbery. I usually LOVE any Tom Douglas restaurant.
This was Rose's cafe in Santa Monica. A trio of 3 salads; beet & feta, fusilli, and the far one is farro grain which I had been wanting to try. All 3 were excellent.

2009-06-18T22:56:00.000-07:00

hands down, my most favorite meal in the universe...cielito lindo at Olvera st. in Los angeles and the reason I can't stay away from LA for very long.
bad food at some 70s-ish steak house close to our hotel in santa barbara (the hotel was the peppertree..best hotel EVER! we loved it).
my trout. wasn't that bad but the rice...ugh!

2009-06-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

a deli in santa barbara...can't remember the name
beef short ribs at the Firestone brewing co. close to solvang
tracy had the sirloin steak.

back to it again.

2009-06-18T22:40:00.000-07:00

Tracy's breakfast nachos in san luis obispo
salad somewhere in san luis obispo....
salmon sandwich...special of the day at Nepenthe in Big Sur
So...As some of you know I started a food blog recently but when I tried to download photos during a trip along the CA. coast, I got dismayed at crappy hotel internet and the pictures took forever to download. So I deleted the blog cuz I wasn't into it. But the thing is...I am still taking shots of food...so I figured I'd revive it for myself. If only for the cooking inspiration.

day 5 - what we ate

2009-05-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

so this was what tracy ordered at the Fisherman's Grotto at Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey Bay. We had spent a couple hours at the Aquarium this morning. You can see my photos of that on my facebook account.
I ordered the crab louie...it was DElicIous.
we only had 2 meals today. this was the calamari and eggs I finally had to try. It has been on every breakfast menu we've been to down here.
tracy had yet another mexican breakfast special. It was at New Awakenings close to the Cannery in monterey.

day 4 - monterey lunch & dinner

2009-05-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

ooops...this is backward, but this was dinner from turtle bay taqueria in monterey.
we've started sharing everything now...been eating too much.
I had grilled rockfish at the Fisherman's Market in monterey. keep forgetting to take a photo before eating...
tracy got the shrimp with coleslaw.

day 4 - breakfast in san jose

2009-05-17T21:37:00.001-07:00

we heard good things about this place for breakfast. so we thought, why not?
I had to pick between toast and swedish pancakes. I was scared when I got these...they looked like koolaid pancakes and tasted really strange.
not sure what all the hype was about.

day 3 in san jose

2009-05-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

my turkey sandwich at Bertucelli's La Villa Delicatessen. We taught the 2nd day of our journaling workshop but ran down here for lunch in the middle of the day. They said it reached 102 degrees today...it was super hot. anyway...this sandwich was good. everyone else seemed to be ordering their ravioli.

tracy's italian sandwich they had been grilling in the corner of the parking lot.

went to Bill's Cafe for breakfast again. tracy ordered the chilaquila's and I ordered the crabcake benedict. Delicious but too much for breakfast.

Didn't get any shots of dinner at Original Joe's. We sat at the counter and I was entranced with the way they ran things back there in the kitchen which was right there to see. I wasn't too impressed and wanted smaller portions. I hate traveling when you can't take home leftovers because you feel like you have to eat it all and then you feel miserable.

I was exhausted after teaching...and was upset I didn't get shots of what everyone did. they were amazing. I was just concentrating on teaching everyone as much as possible and forgot about the camera...bummer.

day 2 - late night

2009-05-15T23:07:00.000-07:00

the workshop got over at 9pm and tracy was hungry. We remembered going to el grullense years ago when we would come down here for the rubber stamp show, so we had to do it for old times sake. Got the taquitoes and split them. not bad.

day 2 - noonish

2009-05-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

So, the other day I went on a "superfoods" kick after reading david Wolfe's new book and started making smoothies with all sorts of good things in them...including royal bee jelly and bee pollen. After getting hives all over the lower half of my face, I went to my naturopathic dr. who thinks it was the bee stuff. ANYWAY...she strongly recommended that I go on the mediterranean diet and that it has been proven to be the best. So we decided to kill an hour at border's and I was checking out what this diet was all about.
yay...jamie has a new issue out and this looks just as good as the first. LOVE the paper and the feel of the magazine.
so after all this reading about mediterranean food, I was hungry for it so we saw there was a restaurant 2 blocks away that fit the bill (Thea's at Santana Row). This was the appetizer (half eaten again...can't remember to take the picture before diving in). Yes, those are handmade pita's that are amazing. The tzaziki was the best we've had.
I got the lamb sliders with avocado, cucumber relish, tzaziki and cheese
tracy got the chicken gyro in a handmade pita. good stuff.

day 2 - am

2009-05-15T22:15:00.001-07:00

found a cute little cafe called Bill's, where we had breakfast. Got to sit outside again...I am SO LOVING this outdoor seating thing.
tracy ordered the heart attack on a plate (chicken fried steak). he regretted that decision.
I ordered the 'ol standby. haven't had bacon for a long time...haven't had meat for that matter for months now. why is it ok to eat that kind of stuff on vacation...when we would never do it at home?

dinner on the first day

2009-05-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

I managed to talk tracy into going for korean tonight. Normally he isn't keen on it but said yes. This place was amazing. Although the banchan wasn't as good as I've had elsewhere.
my dolsot bi-bim-bop was nice and hot and the rice got nice and crispy on the bottom. I was feeling like too much meat lately so got the tofu.
tracy ordered the Gal-bi shortribs, which were, by far, the best I've ever had. Nice and burnt on the edges
another www.yelp.com find and with our handy dandy gps, we were finding things left and right.

lunch in san jose

2009-05-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

so, we arrived in san jose without incident and headed straight for santana row for lunch. Passed by this mural in some restaurant on the way to Maido.
our favorite pen store ever. I got all stocked up on japanese pens (the best)
so, Yelp said that the "counter" had the best burgers in CA. and Tracy was craving one after I showed him a picture of one in a food magazine I was reading on the plane. I have to say though that when we got our food, it looked so good, I forgot to stop and take a picture so tracy asked the waitress if she would go in the kitchen and get a shot of one of the burgers. LOL. she did and I have no idea whose burger that is above. You get to pick what type of patty, what type of cheese, toppings, sauces, bun, etc. and the choices are amazing.
not a terribly exciting sign...but good stuff inside.

day one of our san jose trip

2009-05-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

we got to the seatac airport for our 10:30am flight and I got a sandwich at Dish d'Lish. Turkey, bacon and artichoke spread. It was a yummy breakfast.
had to save the bag so I could iron it and make "tracie lampie" bags out of it.
the amazing food court at the airport.
my spanking new carry-on that is perfect for all my journaling supplies (and easy to get into). It's made by Baggallini.

mother's day dinner

2009-05-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

for dinner on mother's day, the troupes took me to Quinn's in seattle on Capitol Hill. I had the special of the day...sweetbreads. I felt like being adventurous and this seemed like the place. They were really good with bacon pieces and apricots. They had a slight liver flavor though that I don't remember when I had them at an argentinian restaurant a few years back.
tracy had the rock cod fish and chips with horseradish mayo. perfectly fried and not greasy.
trista had the burger. looked good but I like onions, lettuce and tomato on my burgers. this was simply meat and cheese. she loved it though.
tiff had the steak and salad. she was less than thrilled. she should have been more adventurous and tried the fois gras.

mother's day lunch

2009-05-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

trista crocheted this for me
this is trista
this was lunch at Papaya (new vietnamese restaurant at the renton landing). A tofu bahn mi with sweet potato fries. not too bad...the sandwich lacked flavor despite all the goodies inside.

first post

2009-05-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

I did it...finally made a food blog. I know, I know...there are a million out there already. I don't care. It's for me, mostly.