FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Pita Or Naan?

by

Making homemade pita to accompany homemade hummus seemed like the right thing to do.  Had I ever made homemade pita before?  Nope.  But I hadn’t baked bread and quite some time and pita seemed like a good way to get back to it.

This recipe was of the first to come up when I googled “pita recipe” in the middle of Whole Foods.  I swapped out one cup of all purpose flour for whole wheat flour, but followed the rest of the recipe to a tee.

I would say that my pita dough way more than doubled in size within an hour.  In my head, this was a sign of a recipe going in the right direction.  A sign for the perfect pita!

Unfortunately, my pita didn’t puff as much as I think it was supposed to.  And I didn’t make much effort in the aesthetics department.  Between lack of puff (which creates the pocket) and “rustic” shape, I’m fairly certain I ended up with naan-esque bread.  Whatever it was, it was warm, bready goodness that was absolutely delish dipped in hummus!

Spicy Black Bean Hummus

by

I went to the market during my lunch break today and felt completely consumed with inspiration.  I wanted to make anything and everything, but what?  Aha!  My Little Celebration’s black bean hummus, that’s what!

Within this recipe, Dana offered ranges of ingredient quantities that you could adjust to your taste.  Two years ago I would have cringed at the idea, but today I was ready for it!

In addition to black beans, cilantro, cumin, and salt, I used 2 teaspoons of crushed garlic, 3 tablespoons of tahini, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and mixed it up a bit by using the juice from 1-1/2 limes and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

The addition of lime was so tart and fresh.  And the kick from the cayenne was muy bueno.  This recipe quickly turned into a little Mexican fiesta hummus!  Is it Cinco de Mayo yet??

Back To The Press

by

Look what I found!  I haven’t used my tofu press since well before I left Tampa.  And not because I didn’t want to, but because I may or may not have packed up my kitchen gadgets about a month too early.  So I was a little excited…

I stil have a pretty bare fridge since I spent most of last week in Dallas and this week in Portland, but I did have a lone brick of tofu waiting for me when I got back from yoga.  Tofu and a frozen stash of veggies totally equals a finally-back-in-town recovery meal.

I pressed the tofu for about an hour and then submerged it in ponzu sauce.  I let the tofu marinate while I unpacked some suitcase, which was about another hour.

I browned the tofu in coconut oil and then added frozen broccoli.  Solo ponzu sauce seemed a bit on the boring side, so I stared in my spice cabinet hoping something spoke to me.  Red pepper flakes and ground mustard?  Sure, why not?  It ended up being a pretty flavorful and slightly spicy combination – right up my alley.  This is a good recipe for a quick Asian inspired craving, but by no means compares to the thick ooey gooey sauces that typically come with take-out.

Last Of The Cafe Hey Days

by

Am I sad that limited grocery runs mean more Cafe Hey lunch excursions for the next TEN days?  Absolutely not!  I used today as the first of many excuses to mangia mangia on new-to-me menu items I’ve neglected over the past few years.

Seeing Mushroom Miso soup as the soup du jour meant only one thing:  my favorite specials board knows me all too well.  I ordered the cup of warmth and a half of the hummus and fresh veggie sandwich.  I waited patiently for my order, catching up on my Scramble with Friends  queue (KVGator, add me!), thinking about how I take Cuban bread for granted.

And then I spotted this “local is the new black” sign and got a little giddy.  Because I appreciate local businesses.  Because supporting local businesses is something my mom has encouraged for as long as I can remember.  And what do you know… I’m ten days away from living in a place where local isn’t the new black, it just IS.