Stuffed Peppers

I remember this one fondly from my childhood. I figured a month without meat should include this classic! I made it two ways, so Ry could have beef in his- but the beans did a great job substituting in this recipe! One thing I find tricky is getting a good flavor in the sauce- it can very easily turn bland. I’m thinking next time I’ll add the sauce into the sautéed garlic and onions to grab those flavors, and season it up with Italian spices, and lots of pepper.

Red, orange, yellow, or green peppers- 1 per person, and 1 for the pot
1 cup cooked brown rice (will fill 4 peppers easily)
onion
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
Italian seasoning
1 large can tomato soup or tomato/pepper soup
1 can kidney or black beans OR hamburger beef
salt & pepper
pinch cayenne
jalepeno, celery, or eggplant
parmesan/pecorino/mozzarella cheese
bread crumbs
hot sauce


Oven @ 350

Prep each pepper by removing tops and stems. You can either leave them whole or cut them in half. Set aside in a casserole dish deep enough to fill with soup at least halfway to top of peppers.

Cook the rice. Brown onions in olive oil and add garlic. Add beans and any other veggies, or beef if desired. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.

Mix the tomato soup into the beans mixture over low heat, and a splash or two of your favorite hot sauce. Then remove from heat and stir into rice.

Spoon mixture into peppers. Cover with remaining tomato soup, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Top with grated cheeses and a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until mixture and peppers are cooked and cheese melts. Finish it off with a few minutes in the broiler for a nice cheesy topping!

Voila! Serve over mashed potatoes, or with salad and bread.

Austin, Texas

Ryan and I love this town. We made our third trip to the great state of Texas, and spent a lovely weekend with two of our favorite people- Lori & Brendan. As always, there was a fair amount of eating and drinking, and good times to be had! If you haven’t been, put it on the list. SO great! Beautiful weather this time of year, warm sunny days (enough for me to get a sunburn) cool nights, and for the music lovers, the SXSW festival. Here are a few highlights from this trip, and a shout out or two for places that are just must-visits:



Gueros- This place is awesome goodness. Now on our third trip, I can confirm that this is a time & again classic. I highly recommend the chicken enchiladas with verde sauce. The salsa is spicy and fresh, the chips are great, but the margaritas really steal the limelight! I seem to remember from prior visits that the queso here is pretty damn amazing too. Don’t miss it!

Doc’s- Cute little lunch spot with ample outdoor seating. Nothing special bar food, good ice tea, and a convenient location.

Uncle Billy’s- barbecue joint offering items like “brisket” “moist brisket” and the like. Try the beer sampler of their house-made brews and receive 6 different tastes.



Steiner ranch steakhouse- We had cocktails at the outdoor bar and watched the setting sun over the lake. Live music added to the vibe, and the place definitely can boast an amazing view. I was a little disappointed that the wine list was fairly limited by the glass, but did have a tasty pour of a blanc de blanc. We didn’t try the food, though rumor has it the steak is quite good. Worth a drive on a pretty day!




Carlos & Charlies- Right on the marina, somewhere outside of Austin, this place is more or less a bucket of fun. The restaurant has a kitschy vibe, with outdoor bars and seating, and lots of neon. We snacked on some wings, which my husband declared both very spicy and really good. Ry & Brendan sampled the oysters and peel & eat shrimp, and Lori & I had Caesar salads. I have to admit that the wings smelled pretty amazing and tempted me to eat some meat, but I managed to get a hold of myself! There was a plethora of fruity drinks and margaritas to be had to wash down our tasty food.


Buenos Aires Café- Another South Austin restaurant we tried on this trip was the BA Café. I have to preface this by saying Ry & I are totally snobby about Argentinean cuisine, having found most of the restaurants to be somewhat inauthentic in flavors and quality. That being said, this place had charm and very good dessert, though maybe not all we dreamed of for our entrees. We started with empanadas, not really the first food that pops to mind when I think of the Tango nation, and they were a bit disappointing. The shells seemed heavy and as though they had sat a while after hitting the fryer. The spinach and cheese filling was a bit bland, and Ryan suspected that the tuna empanada was not the freshest. I had a spinach salad for my entrée, that was fresh and tasty, but perhaps a little overdressed. Ryan ordered a steak special that he really enjoyed. The steak was well seasoned and cooked, and served with asparagus and mashed potatoes. Brendan had the beef Milanese, but after seeing Ryan’s, wished he’d gone with the steak special too.



Hiball- One of Austin's "hot spots" of the moment, this new bar features an old-fashioned bowling alley and private karaoke rooms!! The wait for bowling was quite long, but the rooms were open ASAP, so we went for the karaoke! Ryan was a beast unleashed- singing all sorts of songs, and really rocking out to "Rapper's Delight". Fun times!! I of course had to sing a song by my all-time fav- Madonna.


Mighty Fine Burger- The burger, Ry tells me, was indeed fine- and for a fast food joint, high quality. It has a large, real beef patty- and tasty fixins. But what really knocked my socks off was the chocolate milkshake! They use vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup- and it tastes like a chocolate milk- milkshake! SO good. Thank god this is in Austin or I would be here about once a week, no joke!!



Baby Alcapulco’s

Last but not least, we visited "Baby A's" for Queso and slushy margaritas- complete with secret ingredients: everclear. There were a ton of flavors to pick from- including prickly pear- and all packed a punch! Two seems to be the limit- though I abstained, Ry and Brendan were feeling quite good!!

Oh yes, and a shout out for the best BBQ EVER, though we did not return on this trip, but have loved in trips past-

THE SALT LICK



Don't ask questions, just take my word for it. Best BBQ EVER.

Coffee Shop

I recently revisited Coffee Shop with my Mom. I get such a kick out of this place. There is always a bit of a mob- outside on sunny days, with their dogs at the tables, and waiting in line most every day. The waitresses are all aspiring models, dressed to impress, but not so thrilled to serve. Great eye candy, always. The menu is eclectic with some brazilian influence- lots of salads, sandwiches, and the like. I have never had dinner here, and tend to think of it as a lunch/brunch spot. This past visit, I ordered my favorite: a mozzarella, tomato, basil sandwich with an olive tapenade. It is served on fresh french bread, and I always opt for the side salad. I tend to eat this sandwich a lot- and I think one of the best versions I've had is here. The olive tapenade is never overpowering and the sandwich is slightly toasted. I love it! My mom opted for the cheeseburger, which she loved.

To me, the perfect afternoon might involve a walk through the union square's farmer's market, a stop in here for lunch, and then a trip to DSW!

La Nonna

There are so many italian restaurants in our neighborhood, and I have favorite dishes at each of them. But La Nonna is also one of my favorites because of the casual, family atmosphere. The food is always tasty, and a former colleague of mine and her husband are the owners, and so I know how hard they work to make the restaurant a star. The restaurant is BYOB, which is great- one of my favorite wine shops, Uva, is right up the street. I am a huge fan of their steak salad- although this last time, I didn't have a bite. Ryan says that this is THE item to get off the menu. Thin slices of steak, marinated in balsamic vinaigrette, is served over arugula. The peppery flavor of the salad adds to the steak, and cherry tomatoes and pecorino cheese adds to the delight. It really is amazing.

I also really like two of the pastas they serve. The first is the penne, which comes in a fresh marinara sauce, with buffala mozzarella and eggplant. It is topped with a dollop of pesto sauce- amazing. I love this dish! The second that I highly recommend is the "zingara"- also made with a thick cut pasta, and featuring a cream sauce and pancetta.

I haven't actually tried the pizza, since I found these favorites early on. They do take out and counter service as well. The list of daily specials is always long and impressive. If you are seeking some great italian food with less traditional flavors, try this place!

El Almacen

Ryan and I decided to revisit El Almacen on friday night. We went long, long ago, before they had a liquor license, and before the hype got out. We had a really nice time, brought our own bottle, and enjoyed some tasty food. We've been meaning to go back ever since, and the more we heard the latest news, the more excited we got.

The atmosphere is really nice- low lighting, lots of old things, and a warm feeling. We tried to get there a little before the crazy rush, since we knew the place would get crowded. We ordered some wine- a malbec for Ryan and a torrontes for me.

We ordered appetizers and entrees, and were really surprised- and unhappy- when they arrived at the same time. We ordered the chipotle fish tacos, which were disappointing. The fish was bland, and they were soggy. Also, the smoky chipotle flavors just didn't come through.

Ryan ordered a steak, and I had vegetarian enchiladas. The enchiladas were for sure the star of the evening. On the menu, they have chicken, so they made them for me special. They used rice and beans for the filling, which was a stroke of genius. In the past all the veggie enchiladas I've had were filled with vegetables, but the rice and beans really carried all the flavors well. The verde sauce was green and tangy, with red onions and cotija cheese. Everything really came together perfectly.

On the other hand, Ryan's steak was a total fiasco! He ordered it medium rare and it came out purple and raw in the center. So, we sent it back to be recooked. After that, it was edible, but Ryan reports that the flavor was still disappointing. Some uninspired green mashed potatoes were served on the side.

We ordered a second glass of wine with our meals, but skipped dessert. The restaurant was filling up, but we couldn't believe the bum rush we got. Twice a waiter came by to ask if Ryan was done while there was still food on his plate. And I refused to chug the overpriced glass of wine I ordered- so we got hairy eyeballs from the hostess, too.

The tab got pricey with the wine, and we left feeling quite disappointed. The rushed service, the bland appetizer, the undercooked steak- it definitely was a bummer. I might be willing to go back and try the brunch, but I'm not sure. And I'm not raving. Though I did like the enchiladas....

To Za, Ya Ya!

To Za! A farm-fresh, high-quality restaurant in Arlington. That's how they describe themselves on their site, and I can report that they lived up to the "high-quality" and then some.

The menu features two items, made well. Salad, and pizza. It's a simple, and brilliant concept. All come with gourmet fresh market toppings. We decided to split all our orders and try a few different options.

We had a beet, apple, microgreen and goat cheese salad. The presentation was stunning- the beets were molded into a can-shaped salad, and the citrus vinaigrette was just the right amount of tart flavor. Very clean and refreshing, and a light start to the meal.



We split two pizzas- a caesar salad pizza, topped with romaine lettuce, olive tapenade, red onions and parmesan cheese and a special featuring carmelized onion, walnuts, pear and gorgonzola cheese.

I've had several other "gourmet" pizzas with multiple flavors and items, and sometimes one will muck up the other, or it just wont work. But this place pulled it off to a whole new level. Everything melted together, and tasted great. For dessert, we split a rosemary creme brulee- which despite my initial skepticism, was a light and perfect flavor combo!!

A few glasses of wine, and I can officially crown this a great meal.

I would highly recommend this place- it was great from A to Za :)

I'm turning vegetarian....!

Dear Michael Pollan,

You tell me to "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly vegetables."

Ok, I'm willing to go "whole hog" on the vegetable thing. I thought this would be a good time of year- After all, March IS the "Greenest" month, and I have my boston kitchen to attempt some of the more adventurous recipes. I've spent most of February prepping, and I've already started cutting back and supplementing out the meat in my diet. So I'm ready to go. I've already decided that I am a fish, milk & egg-eating vegetarian, so those items remain on the menu. But chicken, beef, pork- I'll see you in April.

Why? Some of you may ask. Just because Michael Pollan and every nutritionist ever has shown that the less meat one eats, the healthier one lives? Well, that is part of it. But, as it is also the lenten season, I thought this was an appropriate time of year to also take a moral stand. Without getting too preachy, or gory, I want to try and call attention to the way we treat animals in this country. Now, I am not against killing and eating animals. I've grappled with this one, and I still believe that we are predators, and meat is a part of our natural diet, as much as it is a part of the puma's. We have the teeth for it. We need the protein. We have developed fire to cook it. It is a good and rightful thing.

What is NOT good is the way we have turned something natural into a cruel factory line. The chickens, cattle, and pigs that are processed in the US by major companies are never allowed to be animals- not for a day of their very short and unfortunate lives. We feed THEM unnatural diets- corn for the cows, who cannot digest it. Animal fats for the chickens who are by nature not meat eaters. We force them to live in too-small spaces, knee-deep in feces, and often without any daylight. We cut off the beaks of the chickens so they don't peck each other in frustration, and the tails of the pigs for the same reason. We have created chickens that grow too large too fast, and cannot stand up during their lives. I'm not offended by the way the factories slaughter the animals. I'm disgusted by how they are treated while they live.

So, 1 soap-box paragraph later, My month-long protest has begun.




The problem is that I have a hungry man at home who wants some meat on his plate. I need help finding vegetarian entrees that will fill up a growing man's belly and satisfy a slightly suspicious vegetarian eater. Or, at the least, food that can easily be made in both veg/non-veg versions, or supplemented with meat on the side for the Ry guy. Thing's currently on Ryan's "absolutely not" list include tofu, tempeh, and any funny-sounding, hard to pronounce grains (Quinoa, couscous, farro...). If I can get him to try any of those things by the end of the month, I will be really impressed.

So far, I have the following list of potential vegetarian entrees that might just satisfy my meat-eating man. Help me out, and send some of your favorites my way-

My vegetarian TO cook list:
-Pasta: veggie lasagna, pasta primavera, etc etc etc (I have a feeling this is going to be the back bone of meals....)
- Bean Burritos / beef & bean burritos
- vegetarian omelets/frittatas/quiche
- veggie burgers
-vegetarian chili
-thai vegetable curry
-stir-fry
-stuffed peppers with rice
-grilled veggie wraps
-fish: tilapia, tuna, etc