FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Piña Colada Skewers

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Pina Colada Skewers

Earlier this week I had an unexpected dinner party, which meant there was nothing even remotely dessert-ish to serve when our meal finished up.  And even though I rarely eat dessert, dinner with guests just doesn’t feel right without ending on a sweet note.

Vegan Whipped Cream

And then I remembered I had a can of coconut cream in the back of the fridge {for future mousse making}. I whipped it up, added vanilla and sugar, and served with bowl of strawberries.  Dinner was saved!

The next day at work, I described this save to my culinary co-workers.  Ben, lover of veg-friendly food, thought it was great and said, “you could totally make piña colada skewers using pineapple instead of strawberries”.

Pineapple

So I did.  And it was amazing!

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Chipotle Salsa

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Chipotle Salsa

There are a few foods that I just can’t bring myself to buy pre-made anymore. Hummus and salsa top that list.  Hummus and salsa are also some of the easiest, most crowd-pleasing party food contributions – a coincidence I can totally live with.

Halved Tomatoes

I’ve experimented with homemade salsas before, but today I wanted something smoky, something close to the El Alma salsa I love so much.  I found a recipe that sounded exactly like what I was looking for {and had the picture to prove it} on What’s Gaby Cooking.

Blendtec Salsa

I didn’t love the idea of using canned tomatoes or peppers, but I had a hunch that was the only way I was going to achieve that deep, smoky flavor I was looking for. And in an unbelievably short 90-ish seconds, the recipe was validated.  Gaby’s salsa was so, so good!

I also… have a newfound obsession with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

Veggie Tacos

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Homemade Tacos 2

Within days of re-evaluating the crazy, meaty diet that has become Austin life norm, I received May’s Primo Picks package from HEB containing ingredients to make vegetarian tacos.  It couldn’t have been better timing.

Neat Taco Meat Replacement

I skeptically read the Neat taco “meat” package, assuming it would not be for me.  But with ingredients limited to nuts, beans, and spices, I couldn’t think of a reason not to give it a try.  Combined with the HEB Mixla {corn + wheat} tortillas that were also included in the box, I was only a few toppings short of a total taco meal.

Taco Toppings

I chopped some greens {spinach, avocado, cilantro} and whooped up some homemade chipotle salsa {coming soon}.

Homemade Tacos

And I served up some of the prettiest homemade tacos the FoodFash household had ever seen.

Not only were they pretty, but both Primo Pick products were a huge hit.  I loved how the blended tortilla combined the lightness of a corn tortilla with the softness of a wheat tortilla.  If I happen to be in a Mexican mood the next time I’m at the market, I’ll {without a doubt} pick up a package.

And the Neat meat substitute was surprisingly good.  Using eggs as a base eliminated the odd texture problem that is common among anything faux.  Even my roommate {who is meat-substitute-hesitant} went back for seconds, eating a total of four tacos!

As part of the HEB Primo Picks team, I received compensation to sample various Primo Picks products. The opinions in this post are completely my own and based on my experience.

Avocado, Almond & Basil Egg Salad

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No Mayo Egg Salad

I have a difficult time eating food that has passed its sell by date.  Partially because of a slight paranoia that I’ll get sick, but mostly because I don’t understand the concept.  Why sell by and not eat by?  How many days, exactly, does one have to eat by after a sell by?  And an even more confusing, unrelated to this post, question – how many edible days follow the refrigeration of a refrigerate after opening food?

Boiled Eggs

Luckily there’s an easy solution for the half-dozen eggs that are sitting in your fridge on their sell by date.  Egg salad.  Hard-boil your almost-bad eggs and let them hang out in your fridge {with shells on} for a couple of days until you have time to prep some super delish egg salad.

Avocado Almond Basil Egg Salad

And then skip the mayo and reach for an avocado as your binder.  I used almonds for texture and basil for flavor, but the traditional mix of onions and celery would totally do.

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