Wednesday, July 29, 2009

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.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

"F THE OVEN"

This week is considered "F THE OVEN" week because it is so damn hot. Really freakin’ hot. Everything we are producing is made to be cold, no oven or stove necessary. I am most excited about the side dishes so I will start with those. I must admit, however, none of these have actually been completed yet and are “in theory” only. Some of it is new and never been tested so there may be surprises. These nights we spend in the kitchen are exciting and experimental. Notice how that last word ends in “mental”. I promise that we never fight and there is never any tension (Joanna smiles with arms crossed). It is just as tranquil, cool, and breezy as a tropical depression about to hit land near a crowded resort.

SIDES
My friend Rol has been on me to do a cold noodle salad asian-style. I cautiously present the Thai Noodle Salad, whole-wheat spaghetti tossed with a sesame chile sauce, cilantro, leeks, and bell peppers. Just like the Indian Curry last month, when I go ethnic, I feel like such a honky. Thai chefs, like my friend Sap, would probably cringe at the cute little white boy’s attempt, but this is going to taste really good. I made the sauce last night. By the way, he opened a third Madam Mam's, up by the Village Theatre, check out the toasted chile-garlic condiment. If you’ve never been there, it’s quality yum!
I had wanted to do an Orzo with sun-dried tomatoes, basil and feta, but I realized that would be two pasta salads. Instead, I present the Mediterranean Barley Salad with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, feta, pine nuts, and extra virgin olive oil. Critics could point out that barley is more of a northern European grain, I don't even know if they have it in the Mediterranean. While I wandered around the bulk section at Sun Harvest, I already had that flavor profile in my noggin from the Orzo fantasy, and the barley was cool looking, begging to join the party. Barley is good for you, too.
The last side I have named “Deans Beans” after one of my culinary heroes Dean Fearing, the chef from Dallas who helped put Southwestern cooking on the map. Black beans, fresh corn, roasted peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, onion, lime, and olive oil. It is something I eat almost everyday at work. I attempted to get this dish on the menu at Tacodeli, but was denied. My boss told me it looked too 1980’s and he is right. I can show you similar pictures of this dish from Dean’s 1987 cookbook where he is holding an acoustic guitar on the back cover smiling underneath his giant mullet. In 1987, I had a mullet too, and it was cool and crunchy because mousse had recently been discovered by the teens in Fort Worth. Damn, is anyone else disturbed by the fact that the 80’s are now considered retro? Have you seen the way the kids dress today, holy Pat Benetar. Nonetheless, it is one of my favorite dishes that is, in theory, very healthy because it is packed with fiber (beans, corn) and antioxidants (tomatoes).

SNAX
The Almond Cranberry Chicken Salad was very popular and has made a return. So has Mom’s Tuna Salad. We visited Fort Worth last week and I told my Mom about the blog and the tribute Tuna Salad. She didn’t seem impressed. Funny thing, I don’t think this is her recipe, but actually an ex-girlfriends. An ex she did not particularly care for. Whoops. So maybe we should rename it Insulted Mom’s Chicken Salad. Now that has a nice ring to it. The Chipotle Black Bean Dip is also on the menu. There might be a surprise as well. I made carmelized onions last night that could go well with blue cheese and the homemade yogurt cheese we are making in the fridge. Now, the yogurt cheese is something I did learn from my Mom.

SOUPS
Joanna has been reading those “healthy” magazines and came upon a watermelon soup recipe and Jen happened to bring by a watermelon yesterday. So, I am going to try a Watermelon Mint Soup. Never done this before, but it could be cool. And if it’s not cool, its free. The other soup is a Gingered Carrot Soup. Normally, we sell this as a hot item. But ginger is so refreshing that I thought this could be a wonderful cold soup as well. If not, heat it up and it is the F THE OVEN exception.
**Editors Note: The previous paragraph has been edited to separate the two soups. I accidentally picked up Watermelon Mint and put it with the Gingered Carrot. So sorry guys! So sorry Joel!

SALAD DRESSINGS
I always try to make salad dressings, but they are not a big mover. I keep on making them because eating salads is important for health and well being. You don’t want to suffer from MY CONDITION. Let me know if there are any types you would want made or if I need to improve my offerings.

Thanks again for being here for the VCSC. We are going to drop to every three weeks for the remainder of the summer, but will pick up for the fall when everything gets back on schedule (Joanna will post dates). Hope the summer is going swimmingly for everyone. With that I leave you . . . . .

You’re a real tough cookie
With a long history
Of breaking little hearts
Like the one in me
That’s OK, I see how you do it
Put up your dukes, let’s get down to it.
Hit me with your best shot
Fire Away
-Unknown

.....and Joanna couldn't resist a favorite. . I think I was at this concert!