FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Avocado Cream for Quesadillas

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Veggie Quesadillas with Avocado Cream 2

It’s been quite some time since I’ve done the quesadilla thing. The beany, cheesy, spinachy quesadilla thing that makes me all sorts of happy.

Vegetarian Quesadilla

And tonight, the quesadilla thing got even better because I didn’t go for a typical dollop of sour cream.  And maybe it’s because I couldn’t {for the life of me} find the sour cream at Whole Foods.  So I headed to the Greek yogurt area, grabbed a small 2% plain, and headed to the produce department.

Avocado Cream

It was there I found the tiniest, ripest avocado that I would later season and whip with yogurt to make my new favorite thing to dollop.

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Bucatini With Mushrooms & Asparagus

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Runny Egg Pasta

I contemplated a few dishes during my traffic-filled journey to the market this afternoon.  No Recipes’ Parsley Pasta was on my mind.  Eating Well’s Asparagus-Mushroom Mini Lasagnas was printed and tucked in my purse.  And as I walked through the store, somewhere between the produce department and the noodle aisle, I decided to make a hybrid of the two.

Sauteed Mushrooms & Asparagus

I picked up a brown paper bag filled with semolina bucatini {the thickest noodle I had ever seen}, veggies, and parmesan.  And then I rushed through the checkout line, excited to put all of these ingredients together, and even more excited to put an egg on it.

Bucatini with Mushrooms & Asparagus

I haven’t yet mastered how to fully cook the whites of an egg and still keep the yolk extra sunny.  But egg aesthetics aside, I thought it turned out beautifully.  A veggie-filled, protein-topped, totally tasty dinner.

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Crab Cakes, Delivered.

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Crab Cakes

A couple weeks ago, Relished Foods contacted me to gauge my interest in reviewing their fresh dinner delivery service.  Knowing I had a busy SXSW week ahead, I accepted their offer and looked forward to receiving a cooler box filled with fun recipes and pre-portioned ingredients.

When the box arrived, there were three brown bags {labeled with each recipe}, vacuum sealed {and still very cold} meat, and colorful step-by-step recipe cards.  I sent my roommate a text asking if he wanted crab cakes, pork tenderloin, or BBQ chicken for dinner {best text ever!}.  He responded with crab cakes and handful of excited emojis.  I instantly opened the appropriately labeled bag and got to work.

Relished Foods Recipe

I loved that all of the ingredients were already portioned.  This recipe bag included three peeled garlic cloves, the perfect amount of parsley, and every non-salt-and-pepper spice called for in the recipe.  All wonderful things considering how much I dislike peeling garlic, wasting leftover herbs {happens every time}, and buying a new spice only to use one teaspoon.  For these reasons alone, I really enjoyed the Relished Foods concept.

Crab Cake Ingredients

I also appreciated the simplicity of the recipe and the quantity of veggies used.  Other than the use of mayonnaise {I prefer using ingredients like avocados as binders}, this is totally a recipe I would have made on my own.  And the taste?  I was impressed.

Crab Cakes 2

Although I really liked a lot about Relished Foods, this isn’t a service that fits my needs on the regular.  For one, I’m particular.  The odds of three pre-chosen recipes appealing to me week after week are pretty slim.  And secondly, it’s a rare, rare thing that my new-ish schedule allows for three nights of real cooking.  I do, however, think this is the perfect service for me to schedule on a Monday after traveling.

If you are looking for an excuse to experiment with new recipes, trying to become more comfortable in the kitchen, or eating at home more often to save money – Relished Foods should definitely be on your radar!

And if you’d like 50% off your first order {$30 for three 2-serving meals!}, take advantage by using coupon code “foodfash” at checkout!

Although I received free product to review Relished Foods, the opinions in this post are completely my own and based on my experience.

Lots-O-Matzo

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Matzo Ball Soup

Whenever it’s been too long since I’ve seen my best gal, Ariel, I do one of two less than normal things.  I either do the workout video that she’s in or I make matzo ball soup.  And since it’s been chilly, chilly this week in Austin, matzo ball soup seemed like the way to go.

Matzo Ball Dough

Even though I’m not a packaged food kind of girl, matzo ball soup isn’t something I’ve ever thought about making from scratch.  I always stick with this mix and then, when the soup is done, I Kristin-ize it by adding a 12 ounce bag of broccoli slaw.

Matzo Ball Soup 2

But now that I have a blogger friend that specializes in Jewish recipes over at What Jew Wanna Eat, I’m thinking it’s time to try a matzo ball recipe from scratch!