FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Leisurely Lunching

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My friend Katie flew in today for our friend Ryan’s 30th birthday bash and we took it upon ourselves to have a leisurely day before the festivities begin.  Lunch at noon?  Healthy?  Yes.  Oh how I love the new year!

And as much as I love the new year, I love Restaurant BT even more.  It’s the freshest fancy in town.  We know this.

We found a little table outside, caught each other up on the latest happenings, and sipped on refreshing cucumber water.  I dominated the conversation with news that I had just submitted an application for an AWESOME townhouse in downtown Austin.  Fingers crossed they accept the offer!

I stuck with my usual, the tofu Vietnamese salad with a side of hoisin and sriracha.  Katie went for the chicken pho, which looked flawless.

We cleared our plates and headed over to my friend Griffin’s boutique to continue with the lady of leisure theme we had not so accidentally fallen in to.

Hope your weekend is filled with the good stuff!

Detox

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I recognize that most people wait until after the new year to get back into the swing of real life, but I just couldn’t wait.  I’ve been off of work since the 23rd and after seven days of acting like a college kid, I’m done.  I was getting lazier by the second, changing out of one pair of pajamas only to jump into another.  It was a problem, this laziness.

I went to Rollin’ Oats last night and stocked up on everything and anything that looked blend-able.  Yup, in pajamas.  Pajamas that I graciously disguised as yoga gear.

Let’s just be thankful that I made it out of the house.

FoodFash Jump Start Smoothie

yield: 32 ounces

2 kale stalks, de-stemmed

1/4 papaya, seeds removed

1/2 lemon, seeds removed

1-2 inches of ginger, skinned and sliced

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup of pure aloe vera juice

1 cup of water

1 cup of ice

I blended the aloe vera, honey, ginger, and lemon (with peels) first to make sure they were completely pulverized before adding the remaining ingredients.  The lemon was definitely potent, but it completely masked any signs of papaya – which is a good thing because I find papaya to be… SO gross.  This smoothie wasn’t delicious by any means, it was merely OK, but with the following health highlights there’s no complaining going on here!

Kale – Contains over 45 flavonoids.  Studies show that flavonoids that have anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer properties.

Papaya – Contains papain, which is an enzyme that helps digest proteins.  They are also a rich source of vitamin C, flavonoids, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, magnesium, and fiber.

Lemon – Contains flavonoids that have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties.

Ginger – Has numerous therapeutic properties including antioxidant effects, an ability to inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds, and direct anti-inflammatory effects.

Raw Honey – Contains phytonutrients that have been shown to posssess cancer-preventing and anti-tumor properties.

Aloe Vera Juice – Aids with digestion.

Source: WHFoods.com

Sriracha Kale Chips

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Watching the incredibly cute video below reminded me that kale chips were on my baking to-do list.

Cute, right?  I love when he says “it seems to me that we can either pay the farmer or we can pay the hospital”.  So true!

Knowing that I’d want a spicier chip, I added a hefty amount of Sriracha.

Foodfash Sriracha Kale Chips

8 ounces of kale, de-spined and broken into bite sized pieces

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of Sriracha

salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the olive oil and Sriracha in a small bowl.  Dry the kale completely and then drizzle the olive oil and Sriracha mix over the kale.  Use your hands to massage the kale, making sure that every piece has been coated.  Place the kale on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the kale is crispy.

The kale chips were exactly what I was expecting taste-wise: crispy, spicy goodness.  However, I did not anticipate how addictive they’d be.  I placed the bowl of chips next to me as I was editing photos and by the time I was finished with the photos, the kale chips were finished as well.  Oops!

Do you find kale chips addictive?  Have you tried any surprisingly good flavor combos?

Concept Thieving

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One of my favorite lunch spots in Tampa is Pane Rustica.  If you haven’t been, think Anthropologie meets Panera.  It has casual counter service (during the day), an eclectic dining atmosphere, and stellar food.  Pane Rustica is a must-do-often lunch spot here in TPA.

One of their more unique menu offerings is an acorn squash stuffed with their chicken salad of the day.  Served with a small yeast roll and topped with fresh fruit, it’s quite simply lunch perfection.

Now that I’ve given credit where credit is due, I totally jacked their idea for this meal.  I split a sweet dumpling squash in two, coated it with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, and baked in a 450 degree oven for 35 minutes.  I let it cool in the fridge for 20ish minutes while I made tuna salad with vegenaise, dijon mustard, celery, and shallots.

I stuffed the cooled squash full of tuna salad and admired its prettiness.  Squash bowls are about to be all the rage in my kitchen!