FoodFash

FoodFash is a food and travel blog based in Austin, TX.

On Top Of Spaghetti {Squash}

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It turns out there are benefits to digging through your archives and re-blogging an old recipe.  Like the feeling of goodness that fills you up because you already know you’ll love your meal, and it’s yours.  Or getting a little chance to complete against yourself in the photo department, and win.  In my not so humble opinion, these pictures are worlds better than the old pictures.  Worlds.

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I like making meatballs because your hands get messy and there’s something therapeutic about squishing meat through your hands like GAK.

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And I like this meatball recipe because there’s no junk, just lean meat and veggies.

App In The Kitchen

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A few weeks ago, I attended a launch party for a new app called Cooking Planit where they demonstrated how technology could guide you through the kitchen.  The concept seemed great… For other people.  You know, because I’m a pen/paper/Evernote type of gal.  I recipe scheme and mix and, when I’m not, I love picking a good cookbook off the shelf, folding open the pages, and inevitably smearing ingredients on said good cookbook pages.

But this week has been different.  I’m coming off of a weekend move, a week of travel, a weekend of Austin City Limits, and have only a few days before hop on a plane again.  So as much as I love paper and spilling on paper, I don’t have much time for it right now.  Sorry paper.

But what I did have time for today, was thawing a hunk of halibut before heading to work.  And then in between tasks at my desk, firing up the Cooking Planit app and searching for halibut.  And finding a recipe that would only require a mad dash from the produce department to the self-checkout line at Whole Foods.  And then, mindlessly making dinner with plenty of time for cleanup before the timer buzzed.

Cooking Planit’s Baked Halibut with Cilantro Vinaigrette was a delish spin on fish that I’d definitely make again.  Knowing that I’m weird about things tasting oily, I added only two tablespoons of olive oil and couldn’t have been happier with the consistency.  The cilantro and parsley gave this meal a solid dose of vibrantly fresh flavor.  And, well, red pepper flakes always secure a win in my book.

As far as the app goes, it couldn’t have been easier.  There was no losing your place and having to skim through the recipe only to find that you missed a step.  And even more importantly, each step was straight forward and simply put.  Cooking Planit will certainly be a tool of choice when I’m just not in the mood for paper.  And I have a feeling this app could also teach me a thing or two about cooking multiple dishes for a large dinner party.

Root Slaw

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Tonight, while standing halfway between produce and the salad bar at Whole Foods, I performed a literal cost-benefit analysis. Chopping matchstick carrots and beets seemed like a lot of work for an exhausted chickadee who is expecting company the next day. A lot.

I took the lazy route and headed straight towards the salad bar. Perhaps it was also the smart route because I’m in dire need of a Global-esque knife and would have probably lost a finger tip or two had I attempted matchsticking on my own. But the salad bar beets and carrots only set me back about three bucks, making it the smartest of routes. Being pleasantly surprised about a lower than expected Whole Foods purchase was a total first.

FoodFash Root Salad (yields 2 servings)

1/2 cup matchstick carrots

1/2 cup matchstick beets

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

juice of 1/2 lemon

Gently mix tahini and one tablespoon of water in a small bowl. When combined, add the second tablespoon of water and stir again. Add the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, gently stir, and pour on top of carrots and beets. Mix well (or in my case, shake well in the salad bar container) and serve.

This dish was completely inspired by my favorite salad bar combo. The slight sweetness of the root veggies paired nicely with the nuttiness of the tahini and the tang of the vinegar. Thankfully it was delish, because I devoured every last bite in a last-ditch effort to give my body a break between a super long vacation and my upcoming culinary adventures with my long-time foodie friend.

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Postal Cookies

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You know those moments when you know why your best friend is your best friend?  Like when you’re having a rotten day and things instantly get brighter because you get an email with a subject line “these look yummy” and inside is a recipe that’s so up your alley you can hardly stand it.  And then the body of the email begins with something like “and non-dairy for you!” and your smile gets grander.  And up next you read “and they look care package-able…” and you laugh so very inappropriately loud at your desk.  And by the time you recover from the slight embarrassment of looking like a crazy person, your day has gone from rotten to perfect.  Yup, that’s a best friend story right there.

So Ariel’s care package-able email was the sole inspiration for the first Postal Cookies post.  But since she was out of town while I had super baking motivation, I decided to wait on her cookie and mail out a completely different cookie to other friends across the nation (seriously).  And now that I’m on day 4 of cleansing, baking motivation turned into its most severe form of baking craving.  Needless to say, the cleanse was a bust (let’s go with I had a very successful 3-day cleanse).  Mostly because in order to modify this recipe, I had to sample the dough to see what was going on.  Really.

FoodFash Vegan Peanut Butter & Both Types of Chocolate Cookies (yields 12 cookies)

1-1/2 cups white chocolate peanut butter (or regular natural peanut butter)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, blend peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla.  Add flour and beat until thoroughly mixed.  Then fold in chocolate chips.  Roll 2″ diameter balls with your hands and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Flatten balls with a fork and bake for 12 minutes.  Remove cookies from oven and let cool for 20-30 minutes before handling.  The cookies are very mushy and fragile when they are warm, but harden when cooled.

And then I had to sample the cookie before I packaged everything up.  You see, I didn’t wait the 20ish minutes prior to handling and the cookie I messed with completely fell apart.  But by the time I did a few dishes and satisfied my Instagram addiction, the cookies turned into cookies and I was curious.  Legitimate sample, right?

I’m not 100% sold on the way brown rice flour feels between my teeth (see crazy person reference above), so I’d be curious to try these cookies with almond meal or coconut flour.  But flavor and moistness are totally good and worth sending to your best friend, especially if she appreciates a sweet treat on the healthier side!