FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Polenta Sliders

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Gluten Free Sliders

Do you ever have one of those days that you feel like you squished multiple days into a single day?  And you look back on your very first thing you knocked off your list and it seems like ages ago?  Today was one of those days.  It started with waking up in Florida, returning a rental car, and heading to the airport and ended with cleaning out cabinets in Austin, a mini trip to Fresh Plus, a 4-mile Shoal Creek trek with Skylar, and a fancy little dinner.  The stuff that happened in between went something like work, work, work, wondering how I could be so homesick after 5 days at home, work.

Broiled Polenta Slices

When I was cleaning out the cabinets {homesick therapy}, I found a tube of polenta that served as inspiration for dinner.  And then the thought progression continued like so: burgers -> arugula & spinach -> mushrooms & onions.

Zucchini Burgers

I put my oven to work by simultaneously sautéing, grill-panning, and broiling. And when everything was cooked to perfection, I assembled the mini towers of goodness and served to Skylar and Max.

I liked changing up a plain old meat/veggie combo with the texture of polenta. And I totally dug the addition of greens and sautéed veggies, but a classic topping of lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion would be equally as delicious.

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Homemade Chipotle Ketchup

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Homemade Chipotle Ketchup

There is no shortage of housemade ketchup in Austin.  So much so, that I’ve not only developed a taste for the condiment, but the desire to make my own has crept upon me as well.

Boiling Homemade Ketchup

And since I still had leftover chipotle peppers in the freezer {from salsa making} and I still can’t get enough of that smoky spice, I decided chipotle ketchup was the way to go.

Homemade Ketchup & Fries

I was surprised how much the ketchup lightened after a few seconds in the Blendtec.  But after the initial confusion of red turned orange, I fell in love with my housemade ketchup.  I jarred some up for a friend’s party this weekend and added ketchup to my unpublished list of store-bought things I plan to home-make from now on.

Curly fry recipe coming soon.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

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Shepherd’s Pie

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Shepherd's Pie 2

Resisting the most adorable casserole dish in the world, I could not.  I scooped it up without concern that I rarely make casseroles.  I’d figure something out, right? Pinterest would certainly guide me in the right direction.

Chopped Veggies

While I didn’t find the recipe on Pinterest, it did spark a memory of Shepherd’s Pie. I’d often seen it on menus, but couldn’t recall if Shepherd’s Pie was something I had ever actually tried.  I sifted through recipes and came to the conclusion that anything topped with mashed potatoes was worth giving a shot.

Shepherd's Pie Stuffing

I settled on Alton Brown’s Shepherd’s Pie recipe.  Partly because I trust Alton Brown, but mostly because I was excited about cooking with ground lamb.

Shepherd's Pie

I swapped out {more than} a handful of ingredients to make this dish void of dairy and gluten.  There were initial nerves about how mashed potatoes with coconut milk and oil would taste.  But after whipping them up and sampling the meat/veggie mix, I knew I was 25 baking minutes away from the coziest of meals in the coziest of casserole dishes.

A modified version of Alton Brown’s recipe is below:

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Peach & Pecan Chia Seed Pudding

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Vegan Chia Seed Pudding

If I had to choose between ice cream and pudding, it would be pudding all day, every day.  And any kind of {homemade} pudding – chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, tapioca, rice.  I like it all, but rarely have it in the house.

Medjool Dates

Naturally, the discovery of chia seed pudding blew my mind.  How a fiber and protein packed seed could taste so similarly to tapioca was beyond me.  This treat quickly became my new favorite thing to pick up from Snap Kitchen as a mid-afternoon snack.

Chia Seed Pudding

The ingredient label was simple enough that I knew I could recreate at home. Sweetened with dates, seasoned with vanilla and cinnamon, and garnished with peaches and pecans – this chia seed pudding is wonderful for both breakfast and dessert alike.

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