I’ll blame this eating madness to Labor weekend and the bad weather forecast.  The weather.com said it was supposed to rain so I decided to try a few products I’ve read are good, vegan and tasty.  I told myself why not, and now I’m hooked.

It took me 2 months missing cheese and to read more about the whole milk industry to force myself to try Daiya… I tried it melted with sauteed garlic and vegetables inside of a warm bun and mushroom burger, heaven? yes!

So I heard a husband’s friend talking about how I wouldn’t be able to enjoy BBQ deliciousness anymore along with the sides because they usually have dairy and/or animals, eggs too, and of course I proved him wrong! Yes I could and yes you can enjoy comfort food.

This is simple and you can make everything from scratch pretty much, if you don’t like gardein, buy seitan or tempeh, if you don’t like canned beans, soak and cook your own, I saw tons of recipes for baked beans from scratch.  If you don’t like Daiya, you can make it buttery with Earth Balance margarine or your favorite butter substitute and mashed garlic.

Here it goes:

Gardein Crispy Chick’n served 4 portions (thought package says it serves 3) and I didn’t use the mandarin sauce inside of te package because all I wanted was something crispy to go with my baked beans and mac n cheese.

I followed the instructions on the package, I heated up 2 tbs of grapeseed oil and brown the strips on both sides and voila! simple as that.

Amy’s, I’m not a big fan of canned beans, they aren’t usually cook to my taste, but the refried ones come in handy at times, and if I buy a brand it is usually Amy’s or Eden. I wasn’t in the mood to make baked beans from scratch and this is when Amy’s came in handy.  I like to add leftovers to my beans and I had some smart bacon strips and tempeh so I chopped and sautéed them.  After a few minutes I added the Amy’s baked beans, I also added 1/4 cup of water because I don’t like my baked beans too chunky.  If you have onions or peppers, sauté them and with the baked beans, they go great together!

Mac n cheese w/ Daiya cheese wedge, well this I did make from scratch and this is how it goes:

1/2 package of cheese

3 tbs of  Margarine (or any vegan butter)

1/4 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup of unsweetened dairy free milk (I had regular almond and coconut milk leftover and it worked just fine with both)

Whole wheat pasta of your preference (corn pasta should work great too! for gluten-free folks!) (2 cups give or take)

Chili powder

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta to your preference (not too soft if you are planning to bake the mac n cheese)

2. In the pot you cooked the pasta; pour the milk and butter until it warms up a bit and then add the cheese (it melts faster when you crumble it).

3. Stir until everything is melted and add vegetable stock (half first).

4.  In low heat keep stirring, add the pasta and incorporate the sauce, make sure the  pasta is all covered with it and add more vegetable stock if it’s too sticky.

5.  Add chili powder to your taste or any other spice of your preference.

—

You can see the results! I was so happy because I really enjoy crispy texture in my dishes.  I reheated the Mac n Cheese the next day and the sauce broke but it tasted just fine!

I can’t wait to try other things with that Gardein crispy chick’n: in a sandwich, with chili basil sauce or buffalo wing sauce!

I still prefer to make my own baked beans but this is a good replacement for days I don’t want to do much in the kitchen.

Give Daiya cheese some time, I remember the first time I had sushi 9 years ago I literally put the piece I was chewing back on my napkin, and then a few times more I ended up loving it, so yes we can educate out palates!  This time it’s not only for our taste buds but because it seems the right way to go, not taking baby calves milk to make our usual cheeses and instead when we have a crave we know we can rely on brands like Daiya and others that are trying to offer something non dairy!

If you still have dairy I think this recipe works the same way but mac n cheese recipes with animal products  you can find everywhere, so that’s why I wanted to share this vegan version.

Oh what a journey this vegan life… This isn’t my healthiest recipe but it was so comforting to make and EAT and sometimes that’s all I want.

Peace

&

¡a comer!

LIME Fresh Mexican Grill (next to the Cheesecake Factory)  2900 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 104 Arlington, VA 22201

 I was lucky to be invited to try the Menu at the Lime Fresh Mexican Grill along with other food bloggers and guests.  I appreciate vegetarian friendly places and this certainly is!

Let’s get it straight, I’ve never been to Mexico but yes I’ve had Mexican meals cooked by natives and at Mexican-Panamanian places which are different than the ones in the US.  If you have been to Chipotle, Baja Fresh or Qdoba Mexican joints the menu goes in some similar way but Lime has the advantage of offering a great ambiance, I was really surprised to find a restaurant-comfty set up, waiters bringing your food, yet it is fast paced (there are dishes I was told might take more time like the Grilled fish).

About the food, the most important detail, I tried 4 types of guacamole and my fave was the Abuela’s Guac, tasty, great portion and pure avocado flavor with spices and garlic.  The Nachos, tacos, salads, burritos, quesadillas, and fajitas all had fresh veggies, guacamole, sour cream, organic black beans, and for vegetarians like me instead of having any kind of meat you can request grilled peppers and onions.

For the drinks I had a Corona Light, I’m not a big fan of beers but this one got the job done though they have other options, soft drinks, jarritos and frozen tequila or sangria.

Sopapillas, oh how I miss those right now, they sell it in this paper bag covered with sugar and cinnamon, they are addictive, come to your table warm and with sides of agave nectar or you can always ask for whipped cream, this was simply delicious! NEVERMIND the cupcakes! It’s the time for fried dough to have some space and I don’t want to hear how easy it is to eat a cupcake while you are walking because the Sopapillas are even better, warm and you can share them, try them because I say so, trust me no regrets!

Lime also offers Cinnamon Chips & Key Lime Pie and friendly options for children, the place itself is very kids-friendly.

The Staff is menu-savvy and super friendly.

The Hot Sauces, I would really appreciate a birthday gift with those sauces, I enjoyed each one of them I was happy to be able to tolerate all the heat (after so much Laotian food I’m proud to say I can handle other kinds of heat haha!).  My big favorite was the Chipotle hot sauce, I regret not buying a bottle that day but I live nearby so I shall go back pay them a visit, enjoy a quesadilla, a beer and of course my new affair: those sweet & warm Sopapillas.

¡a comer!

Abuela’s Guac Classic kicked up with tomatillos, garlic and onions.

Beer & Jarritos selection

 Nach-Yo-Mooma’s Nachos 

Sopapilla

Key Lime Pie

I promised some friends I would share my regular day dishes recipe since I became vegetarian.  I have to admit it hasn’t been easy and more when I was talked into old school Atkins Diet, so you can imagine how of a challenge it has been this whole lifestyle change; then I get lucky and I find recipes I make weekly depending on the season, my cravings or my budget: Chili.

This one is for you my dear friend Ileana (for those who love makeup & anything beautiful read her blog she is awesome!)

Recipe:

1 cup cooked kidney beans

1 cup cooked black beans

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1 diced Sweet Pepper (I used orange)

4 stewed tomatoes (1/2 can reg. size)

1 carrot, 1 medium yellow onions (slice)

1 small bunch of cilantro (slice)

1 small bunch of scallions (slice)

2 stalks of celery

Cumin, paprika, salt & pepper

Directions:

1.  Oil your pan and on high heat until it’s almost smoking then sautee your onions, once they are almost caramelized add the sliced carrots, peppers, then the celery.

2.  Season the veggies and taste, cook for 2 more minutes and add the quinoa then the tomatoes, cook for 2 minutes then add the beans, depending on how chunky you like your chili adjust with vegetable stock or water, add cilantro and scallions cook for 1 more minute taste as much as you can and serve!

NOTE:

I served this chili with corn tacos, a side of sauteed peppers and corn, guacamole (store bought I haven’t had luck with avocados these past couple of weeks so this was safer) and pico de gallo.

This recipe is so easy to adjust depending on the veggies you have, beans and spices!

No excuses for making a delicious, budget-friendly vegetarian meal folks!

¡a comer!

Sauteed Corn & Sweet Pepper w/ Garlic

Pico de Gallo

Chili w/ Veggies

Guacamole from Grocery Store

I could go sentimental explaining how of a great influence he has been in my life but then that would be boring, predictable and corny, and in the kitchen we take blood, sweat, fight, anything but corny! not even when pastry folks do the sweetest prettiest desserts, we eat them like a man!

Now these pics you see here he sent me over a year ago and I am finally organizing some labels & filters on my email and found them, I  only added few colors touchings depending on how each pic made me feel.

I was going to write a story for the all the photos but I think it will be more fun if you the reader write below whatever story you feel like… more fun or am I just lazy?  ha! either way the point is Who says you can’t have fun with your food?

Stalk Chef Andy on Twitter @ChefAndyBennett

I was very lucky to be part of this wine adventure along with other Bloggers such as Kate from K Street Kate, Pheniece from DC Event Junkie (this lady put up with me giving me the ride, thanks!), Liane from Running DC and Leigh from Nice Shoes No Drama

I could go through my notes, and all the clips I filmed with my phone while Rachel (VP of the winery and owner’s daughter) gave us excellent explanations on why the location, history on the Boxwood name, when, where and how wine is made on the winery and I could even get snobbish googling for more information about how wine is made and etc, but that’s not me ha! so I will share my experience through images so you can feel like me during this adventure, but sober ha!

Rachel, Leigh, Liane, Kate and Pheniece hiding somewhere! The whole place is beautiful, I would bring a picnic blanket, snacks and after the tour is over and you have bought some delish wine bottles, voila!

Who collects the Grapes & guess who offered to collect them next year!

Rachel Martin gave us a really fun and instructive tour. She breathes the vineyard, winery, her passion is contagious and all you feel like doing during and after the tour is drinking more wine!

-.-

The tour was really complete once we arrived, Rachel shared some history with us and then took us out to show us the equipment that’s used for moving the clusters into the sorter and then to the elevated conveyor that drops them into a hand picked sorting area. I told you I am not Wine making process expert, but if you want to get more into details Boxwood has a great blog that keeps you updated with what they are doing here we go –> http://boxwoodwinery.blogspot.com/

Now these pics will go in order once we went inside the great tanks holding so much of wine in process, I could just bring a bagpack filled with cheese, bread, and marion berry jams and just live there… forever, oh yes I have to pay bills so no, I have to come back to work and of course the Boy would miss me at some point, but most likely Rachel would eventually get freaked out of a Panamanian woman feeding on her wine… maybe?

You can see how it goes from “yes what’s the name of that one? oh really? the grapes, etc.. how much time this?” to “can we try that one too? “eh where did I leave my glass?” or then Rachel saying “guys that one is not ready.. yet… but you already drank it…” everyone “giggles” And we keep drinking…. eh I mean “tasting”

It was so great, those tanks and we even get to try some delish berries, and I swear we were crossing our fingers for Rachel not to fall inside the tank, she is totally amazing, goes carries something huge, jumps on top of the tank to pick the best berries for all of us to try, and then comes back looking as great as when we arrived!

And at the end we got to try the Rose, Boxwood, Boxwood Trellis & the Topiary and as everything in life it will be a matter o personal preference to choose the right wine for you.  I tried the Rose first, then the Topiary and then Boxwood and Boxwood Trellis and kept going back and forth between those two last ones, until Pheniece reminded me “JC it is time to go, and yes you have work in 1 hour” and then I thought, right I’m cooking tonight, 1 hour to sober up yoohoo!

It’s really interesting all this experience, I left with 4 bottles and after that weekend I actually drink everytime I can, I even skip dessert sometimes just to enjoy my wine calories feeling a bit less guilty, I am in fact drinking wine as I’m typing this, and no I just lied, I can’t drink wine and type like some other bloggers or writers do, I…. tried…. three times writing this post, with few glasses of wine to get inspiration, I fell asleep, another night I had whiskey and then went into video games mode, another night I made hot cocoa and went into cuddling mode.,

So… right now it’s me and water (I know boring but I’ve been dying to share my experience at Boxwood I swear! this is not a pitch for Rachel to offer me a job there or allow me to camp there, or Rachel if you are reading this and you need anything from Arlington, I don’t mind driving back just to bring it back and say hi and maybe.. have one or two glasses of wine, I drink… you pour, and they lived happily ever after.

-.-

now go and drink wine! I mean….

¡a comer!

——

“JC in 2 images what exactly happened during the tour at Boxwood Winery?”

&

]]> https://www.cocinerita.com/boxwood-winery/feed/ 0 https://www.cocinerita.com/dcwineweek-lyonhall/ https://www.cocinerita.com/dcwineweek-lyonhall/#respond Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:14:13 +0000 http://www.cocinerita.com/?p=879

Usually when I work on these dinners I donâ€t have a station I just come to support the Chef cooking the garnishes or prepping and when the moment arrives I work on plating, and taking pictures at the same time.

Details that one would think are just meaningless become so important at the moment of the action, and by that I mean from heating up the plates hot enough the food goes to the guests deliciously hot, but not hot enough to burn anyone, sauces on the temperature, steady hands when you’re plating, follow the rhythm, don’t stop (most of the times for these dinners 6 cooks are working on each dish, one slices the meat, the other one spreads a sauce, etc), and then we put the plate on the window, and the Runner takes it to the waiter/waitress.

The process starts from the moment Chef decides whatâ€s going to the be Farmerâ€s dinner about.  This time I asked, “Chef whatâ€s the theme?”, Chef responds “Game”, I say “Yay” (then think, what do I even know about game).

I go home and google the word “GAME”, run the library to check out tons of books and people think Iâ€m some sort of crazy hunter who has lots of wild rabbits, squabs & buffalo meats at home.

For this particular dinner I didnâ€t suggested anything to Chef, I had my mind in other things and it makes me sad, but itâ€s ok I did ask for the Menu and he shared the draft with me, (in my little head I usually plan a Farm dinner and what I would serve to people).

At the end Chef always amazes me and I realize, yes Iâ€m creative and I think I have good taste, and I have read so much and cooked for so many people, but the life of a Chef, takes you where my boss is, developing ideas where it knocks your head off and you think, this is the work of a genius.  You know the person whoâ€s called Chef among the rest of the cooks has earned that name, not because of school or because he/she yells louder than the rest of the kitchen staff, but because that person, the Chef, knows his shit, and knows it well.

I used to think my best Sundays were the ones when I wake up early to make bread, or go and hang out with Family and cook for them and fool around, or even the ones I would play volleyball for hours, now my favorite Sundays are the ones where I go, watch, help and learn from Chef on these Farm dinners.

Thanks Chef.

Now back to work.
—

Venison Carpaccio, herbs, Pickled Ramps & Black Pepper Vinaigrette (1st course)

Join DCâ€s food bloggers for our first happy hour of 2011! Weâ€ll be meeting at Lyon Hall, a French brasserie in Clarendon.

Happy Hour deals include house-made franks & brats for $5,

$5 SJF Cocktails,

1/2 price Wine by the Glass,

$3 Session beers from Draft Beer Menu.

Weâ€ll be there from 6:00pm to 9:00 pm; Lyon Hall will be extending their happy hour for us until 7:30pm.

RSVP here.

Jenna of Modern Domestic and I are co-hosting this happy hour, and we can’t wait to have this first one with all of you food lovers, food blogger, reader or friends, you are all more than welcome, stop by grab a Frank & beer and say hi!

¡a comer!

A good friend from the Chowhound community always organizes such amazing lunches, and he is great finding a “a hole in the wall†type of places, this time we went to Golden Bankgkok, a Thai restaurant that most of the group have tried already, except for me and one Canadian Chowhounder that joined us today.

The way the meal started made sense, with the softest and sweetest flavors, getting us to sour & bitter lands to end our meal with hot, pungent spicy craziness.

We started with this khao piak sen (chicken soup with homemade noodles), everyone liked it and to be honest it was good to start, the starchy soup opens your appetite, not salty, a touch of sweetness and bitterness thanks to the crispy garlic.

khao piak sen

Now this dish rice paste wrap was so simple yet so filling, wrapping in romaine lettuce pieces of Thai eggplant, ginger, peanuts, tomatoes, this sweet & savory rice paste and sliced lemongrass. It was just combination of aromatics and flavors still you feel light after having so much going on your palate.

rice paste wrap

I was very excited when I saw this dish on the menu Orm Lam (eggplant curry stew with beef) and yes the beef was tender and had a great texture, but the flavour was too mild, perhaps Iâ€m comparing it to the Vietnamese Goat Curry Stew I had a couple of weeks ago at Eden Center, but this dish didnâ€t deliver much flavors but for a non spicy Thai food person, this is a safe dish.

Orm Lam

The Banana Flower Salad, had tons of citrus touches with cilantro, it was very balanced, I wouldnâ€t order a whole bowl for myself, but it is great for sharing if ordering as a side dish. As you can see on the picture everything is mostly shredded so I didnâ€t get to make a distinction between the banana flower and the other elements on this dish.

Banana Flower Salad

Nam Khao (rice ball salad with pork), out of this world, personally this dish didnâ€t impress me on paper or when I saw it, then I had crunchiness of the fried rice (just as a good Panamanian Concolon!) then lime touches, cilantro, sweetness of the pork, it was heaven in my mouth and I could have had more and more of this dish, it is a must!

Nam Khao

Soup nor mai (bamboo shoot salad) I donâ€t even know if how to mention this, I feel terrible because my experience at this restaurant was really positive, this dish wonâ€t bring me down, and it wasnâ€t a matter of they missing something or poor execution, this dish was just Iâ€ll put it this way, I thought this salad was made of Durian, and I have never had Durian in my life, except for the candy my sister brought me from Nepal. this was serious, kind of smelly, I just tasted with the tip of my tongue and put a napkin and didnâ€t eat… some others at the table, as Chowhound warriors ate a spoonful and said it was ok but they couldnâ€t have a bowl or would order again.

The texture of the Koi Pa (shredded fish salad) threw me a little off at first, but its flavors were amazing, I am a huge fan of ceviche but I have to admit that the flavors on this salad were beyond the ones of a ceviche, it has so much going on without overwhelming the dish. there is galangal, lemongrass, touch of palm sugar that gave such complexity to the Koi Pa I just canâ€t wait to try it again.

Koi Pa

The Poon Pa (pounded fish) was just ok a little of the usual citrus flavors, lime & cilantro and the fish, nothing fantastic I can pass the next time.

Poon Pa

It was a revelation to try the Ping Ling (grilled tongue), you see my mother has cooked tongue so many times and even myself I have prepared it on dinners because of itâ€s demand by guests.  But I have never, ever even crave beef tongue, and yet I can still remember how I forgot to ask what dish it was while I was trying this Ping Ling I asked afterwards mentioned how soft and tender and tasty it was and someone “Itâ€s tongue Helena” and thatâ€s when I had this revelation, I had a slice of it without the sauce, and then with it. The bitter sauce I can live without tasting it for the rest of my life, the second sauce was amazing I even dipped my sticky rice in it, it was delicious, sweet, sour, citrus, pure tasty. Right now while typing this I want tongue and I want lots of it!

Som Pa (fermented fish) reminded me of a piece of beef jerky but with more texture and less chewy, it was another dish that at first sight I wouldnâ€t think it would tasty, but then this restaurant proved me wrong again with its fermented flavor and acidity it was another refreshing dish I would love many people to try.

Som Pa

Grilled Chicken the “Ping Kai” was served with a papaya salad which was really different and really HOT in compare to the ones I have tried before, it was not my favorite but I canâ€t say much because itâ€s heat was more that I could take, this dish was also served with a sauce that everyone called the soup because by itself with just some rice it was amazing.  Going back to the chicken itâ€s the closest I have tasted to my favorite kind of chicken the Jamaican Jerk Chicken, so yes it was as good as it sounds and as good as it looks.

Ping Kai

The last dishes Sai Oua (Lao sausage) it was nothing amazing for me itâ€s difficult to describe a dish that is safe and tastes just OK after having some disappointments and also so many great dishes at the same time. Forgettable is the word that comes to mind.

Sai Ou

At the end the kitchen sent a closing dish, it was a super ultra HOT past, I am not sure up to this moment what it was but it stayed in my mouth for a good few minutes, i tasted some sweet and salty but then the heat hit me like a bomb and I am very happy this was at the end of my meal because I wouldn’t have been able to taste anything after this dish.

A couple of ladies and I ordered white and dark Thai beers, I am not a huge beer fan but with this cold weather and so much spicy going on I would rather a glass of dark beer or I would suggest for non-beer fans, young coconut drink!

Rest of the pictures on my Facebook Page! CLICK

The next time I’ll make sure to check out their desserts!

¡a comer!

1.  Read, Read and Re-Read your recipe

I’ve always loved bread, with butter, or queso fresco, coffee, tea or my favorite hot cocoa in winter and cold milk in summer.

While living in Panama I can still remember my dad going to the “Panadería del Chinito” (bakery run by Chinese), and buying “viril” some sort of Baguette.  And I always took for granted that bread should be warm because my dad would wait for the ones coming out of the oven and that bread will be cool enough to slice while mom served breakfast.

2.  Work & Clean, Work & Clean

I always assumed that’s how everyone had their bread, my mom never liked Pullman style bread or “pan cuadrado” (squared bread) so unless I’m making french toast or “dieting” you won’t see that bread in my kitchen either.

Learning how to deal with bread at this restaurant has been an amazing experience, the Chef I work with, he has an incredible relationship with bread, he makes it look almost as baking was cooking, not an exact science, of course he measures and weighs everything, but it is different indeed, I will write another day about my bread baking days with him.

3.  If using expensive ingredients make sure you will use what’s left in another recipe or give it away (fresh herbs are so expensive!)

Chef lent me 2 Bread Baking Books, one is the Peter Reinheart “The Baker’s Apprentice” and the other is one is by Hamelman “Bread”, as a reference I’ve also used the Baking with Julia Childs book and I did a Finnish Pulla that was amazing (if you are a cardamon fan).

The same day I made the whoopie pies I made this bread because when I work on a project I like to do several things which is not too smart because then you are just dead tired.

4.  Trust the recipe, this bread was way too heavy because I didn’t trust the recipe and added too much flour.

I made the Poolish around 8 in the morning and baked the bread during the night and I swear if I was thin enough I would just keep doing this everyday but then I’m trying to watch my diet (so difficult cooking and testing recipes and trying to lose weight).

I bought Pillsbury Bread Flour, dry active yeast and spring water for the poolish.

Also I’m ashamed to say that I’ve killed my starter and I’m very sad about that because that was the first thing Chef gave me, but coming after work I havenâ€t been cooking at home and all I do is smoke and complain I should work out and that I miss having internet at home (I blog from coffee shops). I haven’t even worked out in ages, but let’s keep the topic about the Potato-Rosemary bread.

5.  Like Julia said, never apologize, keep your head up and show your food around, how many people bake their own bread anyways, right?

I used the recipe just as the books says except for some changes, I replaced a lot of the water quantity because instead of smashing the potatoes I blended them with butter and eggs, the dough looks very, very watery and I got scared so I split in half and I used one just watery like it looked, the other one I added more flour until it looked a little firmer.

The thing about being tired while baking is that you make mistakes or you just donâ€t see the light, and you are tired and you want to clean the mess (at least I was a little messy, when I’m tired I’m a disaster you can ask my boy).

I won’t post the recipe yet until I try this recipe again, but will share the Book information so you also feel free to try Bread Baking at home, trust me, once you bake your own bread you won’t be able to go back to the crap you see at stores.

And with that note I will appreciate if anyone has a recommendation of an amazing Bakery nearby DC area, and the furthest I will dare to drive will be Philadelphia (if it is an “out of this world” type of bread, I’ll do it!)

6.  Don’t be afraid and let other people taste it, the texture may have not worked, maybe the flavor was good?, but feedback is always great and you learn to repeat something good and avoid what didn’t work!

For more baking tips Follow Me here —> Little Lady Cook on Facebook

¡a comer!