Lost in the Supermarket

To start off…. I think the HEB over on Far West (aka the “Heeb” HEB due to its cool Kosher section) is set up in a very weird way. I’m guessing it‘s laid out to promote wandering and pondering that lead to spending. I began to hum the Clash’s “Lost in the Supermarket” to cheer myself up while searching impatiently for the dish soap. I had just started to get a grip on where everything was located then they remodeled it (which I do appreciate). Then again, I get lost often in stores. For the record, the dish soap is next to the magazines, nine aisles south of where they used to be. Brilliant! With that said, I will get started on the food. Right after this quick video....



SNAX
Tacodeli has started doing business with Quality Seafood in an effort to go more local and get fresher products. When was the last time you were there? I had not been since we moved back. Boy, has it changed. There is a full-on restaurant there now. The people are really nice to work with, the customer service is great, and the fish is excellent. I got some Texas Gold shrimp there for the new Chipotle Shrimp Dip with Corn. It’s a dish I came up with a couple of weeks back when I was playing a game called ”What’s in the fridge.” We were having company over and there were no obvious meals around, just scattered leftovers from the last VCSC. It reminded me of Lobster Rolls from Maine, except it had lots of flavor.
The Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad makes a return this week due to its immense popularity last time around. Two more dips round out the snax. . .The Roasted Garlic Hummus which is self explanatory and the Sundried Tomato and Feta Dip with Basil, one of our new favorites.

SIDES
I was thinking of that childhood rhyme, “Beans, Beans they’re good for your heart. The more you eat them, the more you….” Well as it turns out, that song is partially true. I found that out when I was diagnosed with my “condition”. Beans provide a lot of fiber which is good for lowering your cholesterol as well as promoting digestive health. This week we lead off the sides with the “How you bean” Salad. Before I start embarrassing myself with tales of my mom’s cooking that turn out to be untrue, I would like to say I confirmed the story. She did actually make a three bean salad for us as kids. It was one of my favorite dishes even though it had four beans. This is more of a “How many beans look really cool at the Sun Harvest Bulk section” salad. I think there are five, let's count....black-eyed peas, garbanzos, red kidneys, anasazi, and French green beans tossed in a red wine mustard vinaigrette with basil, red bell, and sweet onion.
We also tried a modern take on the peas and carrots side that seemed to pop up every time you ate a frozen dinner from Swansons or encountered Salisbury steak in the cafeteria. I hated that crap and would try to hide them in the mashed potatoes. This version is much better. Sauteed Organic Carrots and Sugar Snap Peas with roasted garlic basil butter. Just sauté the veggies until hot in a pan and add some of the butter at the end. I gave extra for other uses because, well, it is pretty good.
The next dish is the Roasted Sweet Potato Hash with Corn, Peppers, and Cilantro. It is seasoned with not much more than olive oil, garlic, salt and Malabar black pepper. This is delicious and again a pretty healthy option. Sweet potatoes contain some serious health benefits. They are rich in beta carotene, antioxidants and fiber. Just reheat in a sauté pan and you have a great friend to hang with grilled chicken breasts, black beans or just by itself.
The final side is the Veggie Fried Rice, brown rice sautéed with edamame, carrots and red bell pepper in a sesame ginger stir fry sauce. Again, I gave a little extra of the sauce so I wouldn’t use the whole four ounces but save some for something else. The sauce is made with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, scallions, sesame, chile paste and brown sugar.

SOUPS
With respect to summer, we went with two soups that can be served cold. The first is the Cucumber Dill Soup made with English cucumbers, fresh dill, bulgarian yogurt and I am not sure what else because I haven’t made it yet. Last time we had it, it sold out quickly and was very, very good. The second soup is a Spinach Soup with lemon crème fraiche, or at least an approximation of lemon crème fraiche, (buttermilk mixed with sour cream and lemon zest.) It can be served hot or cold. (Joel just had me taste it and there is no way this stuff will be left over, it was like having heaven handed to me on a spoon, yummy lemony spinach.....mmmmmm)

With that, I must now go to work. Hope to see you guys. I really appreciate the feedback and the business. If there is anything I can cook for you, please let me know. I would love the challenge. Take care and see you Thursday.

Joanna’s Notes: I know he has some dressings on the menu. Just not sure what….as we mentioned before, we are planning to set prices this time according to the food vs. the size of the container. It shouldn’t change the pricing too much, it will just give us a more standardized method of charging instead of wish-washing all over the place right in front of you. I’m sitting here in the kitchen listening to Herb Albert’s Tijuana Brass Band and smelling the lovely goodness that is Joel’s cooking. I hope to see all of you tomorrow and I’m like the 3 monkeys covering my ears, eyes and nose to any words of summer coming to a close. Don’t talk about school to me. Take care.