There are some things that I look forward to all year – one of those things is fig season. Whether they are the Black Mission, Brown Turkey, or Tiger Stripe variety, I always make it a point to head to Trader Joe’s the last few weeks of August to stock up on the deliciousness. My absolute favorite fig is the Tiger Stripe both in appearance and flavor and so I chose to use them this time but any fresh fig will do. Enjoy!
One of my favorite types of ethnic cuisines is Ethiopian food. My grandparents spent many years in Addis Ababa and my mom and a few of her siblings were born there. In each of the cities that I have lived in I had a ‘go to’ Ethiopian or Eritrean restaurant that I could get a vegetarian plate with the soft tangy spongy Injera and my favorite lentils and veggies. However, San Antonio doesn’t have a restaurant like that… yet. After many weeks of Google searches and yearning for Ethiopian deliciousness I stumbled upon a Facebook page for Berbere Ethiopian Cuisine, a caterer who provided “catering for events and home parties along with personal chef services.” My parents and in-laws were coming into town for a weekend so I thought I’d give the personal chef a try so our family could spend some quality time together. I am so glad I did…
Some friends were helping us do some landscaping so I decided to make them breakfast as repayment for their kindness and hard work. Doing yard work in Texas… in July… deserves a very special treat. One of our friends really loves blueberries so I decided to try this recipe with a few changes. It’s a nice delicately rich and sweet side dish to a savory breakfast. Enjoy!
One of my favorite places to eat out is the Whole Foods cafe (I maintain that the Whole Foods in Madison, WI on University is the best one I’ve eaten at so far). It’s a fun place to try a variety of healthy grains/tofu/legumes that I otherwise probably wouldn’t venture to cook. Butter beans are one of those things that I had never tried before eating at their salad bar and I really loved the creamy texture and mild flavor. Here how I like to eat my butter beans. Enjoy!
My exposure to mushrooms as a kid was mostly mushrooms on pizza – which I could not stand. After about 15 years of thinking I hated mushrooms I came across this recipe for Mushroom Barley Soup. I decided to give mushrooms another go because I love barley and thyme. I am so glad I did because when served with a delicious chunk of warm crusty bread, this is one of my favorite cold weather dishes! (more…)
One of our favorite dinners (especially on a rare cold evening in Texas) is this veggie chili with quinoa. I have tried a few variations on chili using soy substitutes like meat crumbles, but we like quinoa in it the best. You can easily substitute the quinoa with meat crumbles, just saute the crumbles with the onions and garlic in the first step and you’ll have a chili texture that is thicker and more like the real deal. When I have a little extra time I make cornbread following either of these recipes: Homesteader Cornbread (takes about 1 hour) or Golden Sweet Cornbread (takes about 35 min). Enjoy!
For most people, Thanksgiving’s centerpiece is the turkey. For me, it’s dessert. I love my mother in law’s apple pies so much that I save 3/4 of my plate for dessert and call dibs on the leftovers. She shared this recipe with me and I am so excited to share it with you. The original recipe is here but after reading reviews and some other tips/tricks, I’ve edited it to include all the suggestions that I found helpful. I make the pie crust the night before since most well-rated recipes call for letting the dough chill overnight to ensure a flaky and tender base. There are a lot of debates about which type of baking dish is best: glass vs. metal. I like the glass since you can see the color of the crust to ensure that it’s cooked all the way through.
My husband had a cold so of course my mom had 15 Indian herbal remedies to make for him to ensure a speedy recovery (my personal favorite is ginger, lemon, and honey tea). One of these suggestions was buying as many leafy greens as possible and throwing them in a blender with tons of ginger and garlic so I thought I’d try it out. ‘Thepla’ is pronounced just as it sounds and can be eaten alone, with some plain yogurt, or used as a bread. (more…)
Whenever I make enchiladas I try to make some with shredded chicken so that my husband isn’t forced to eat vegetarian 100% of the time. I like the spicy black beans and pinto beans (yay for protein!) countering the sweet bursts of corn. Leftovers work well for tacos / fajitas. This recipe serves 8-10 people.
Toothsome Bites 