After many weeks of attempting to plan a lunch outing with a friend of mine and her daughter to finally try La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop, we pulled it off with one day's notice and were lucky enough to coincide with gorgeous weather for outside eating. The shop, located on Hastings & Hamilton, appears modest and unassuming from the outside although the large mural provides a welcome splash of colour. The inside reveals an amiable/casual atmosphere that makes a great use of its limited floor space through lots of bars and narrow tables of turquoise lined with jarritos soda caps. It was absolutely packed with customers during the weekly lunch break, but the line moved at a surprisingly good pace.
The tacos are served on two layers of corn tortillas about 4-5" in diameter. You can either eat in on plastic "fiesta ware" plates or get take out. You can also bring your own container for takeout and save some plastic! I ordered one each of all the vegetarian tacos: mushrooms in chipotle sauce, tofu in a house sauce, poblano peppers with creamed corn, and cowboy refried beans with mexican cheese plus 2 fish tacos.
If I went back again, I would definitely get the mushrooms and poblano peppers tacos. WONDERFUL! The fish tacos were also pretty darn good with a nice charred/grilled flavor on the fish and fresh salsa, sour cream, and guacamole topping it off. The downside of the tofu taco, much to my despair because who doesn't love having a tofu option (if you're a vegetarian), is that the sauce it was cooked in was really sweet and the raisins mixed into the tofu filling did nothing to alleviate the sweetness. I think I would have loved it had the tofu been cooked in the mole sauce accompanying the chicken (yes I did take a small bite of my friend's chicken taco for the sake of scientific research!) The pickled onions available as condiments were applied liberally to almost all of my tacos and definitely improved the flavour experience. There were also 3 grades of hot sauce and a pickled vegetable ensemble (jalapenos, carrots, cauliflower) of which I applied none, being the timid spice creature that I am.
Oh and before I forget, from the wee child's perspective, the two best tacos were the poblano peppers taco and the carne asada taco with lime juice.
I also ordered the horchata, which I found to be quite sweet, but horchata is as variable as chai, all depending on the preference of the cook! On the plus side, the texture was silky smooth, the cinnamon flavour was strong, and the chilled temperature was perfect for the warm day. Overall, I ended up spending $16.20 for my 6 tacos and horchata, including tax. And no, I did not take any photos. A big apology to all my adoring blog fans (yes, all 3 of you) for being too lazy to do so!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Kefir - The Experiment, Part 1
In addition to canned peaches and a homemade lavender facial scrub (yes I am indeed blessed with the most thoughtful and generous of friends!), I also came home with my very own kefir grains!!! (And no, I did not confess to the border guards about the kefir grains. I thought they would be flummoxed enough by the 125 lbs of trail mix chocolate clay in my trunk, but they didn't bat an eye.)
So far I have attempted to read many websites and follow my friend's note card of instructions on care and use of kefir, but already I am at a bit of a loss, so I think I will document my learning experience with the grains.
(1) kefir grains: when growing, they look like tiny little cauliflowers, kind of squishy. Photo to come...
(2) kefir: my understanding is that this is the liquid/whey/curd portion that forms when you pour milk in with the grains and allow it to ferment. It is a slightly sour (think yogurt), fizzy beverage, that supposedly can also be allowed to ferment further and thicken? Though this is the part I'm less certain of. I have yet to see any curds form...
So far, I've poured in 2 cups of milk (1%, straight from the fridge) with the grains into a glass jar and left it on the counter to ferment for 24 hours. The lid is put on loosely, and I give it a little shake once in a while. Then I will strain out the grains (again controversial - some websites say absolutely no metal can touch the grains, while others say a stainless steel strainer is okay), put them into a fresh jar and add new milk. The strained out liquid will go in the fridge where I am trying to stockpile a quart of it to make kefir cheese, which is also called "the champagne of cheeses". How fabulous does that sound??
So far I have attempted to read many websites and follow my friend's note card of instructions on care and use of kefir, but already I am at a bit of a loss, so I think I will document my learning experience with the grains.
(1) kefir grains: when growing, they look like tiny little cauliflowers, kind of squishy. Photo to come...
(2) kefir: my understanding is that this is the liquid/whey/curd portion that forms when you pour milk in with the grains and allow it to ferment. It is a slightly sour (think yogurt), fizzy beverage, that supposedly can also be allowed to ferment further and thicken? Though this is the part I'm less certain of. I have yet to see any curds form...
So far, I've poured in 2 cups of milk (1%, straight from the fridge) with the grains into a glass jar and left it on the counter to ferment for 24 hours. The lid is put on loosely, and I give it a little shake once in a while. Then I will strain out the grains (again controversial - some websites say absolutely no metal can touch the grains, while others say a stainless steel strainer is okay), put them into a fresh jar and add new milk. The strained out liquid will go in the fridge where I am trying to stockpile a quart of it to make kefir cheese, which is also called "the champagne of cheeses". How fabulous does that sound??
Monday, May 16, 2011
Larabars
Even though I only had about 7 hours to spend at home with my parents, my mom was gung-ho to try this recipe with me when she realized it would let her use up all the dates she had sitting in the pantry (hmmm, I'm sensing some genetic similarities here!) so we pulled out the food processor and had a go at this basic larabar recipe. Fairly simple to make but I would suggest some changes to it. Although the original recipe used raw unsalted cashews, I think toasted salted cashews would be a far better balance to the sweetness of the dates. Also I might try substituting a quarter of the dates with dried apricots, and adding in a bit of shredded coconut.
Place on a large piece of saran wrap and press into a square or rectangle about 1/2" thick. Wrap up tightly and put in the fridge for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes cut into single size servings (I did bars about 4" x 1"). Wrap individually and store in the fridge. Makes about 14 bars.
And just because it was such a beautiful drive down to the Willamette Valley...
- 16 oz Seedless/Pitted whole Dates
- 1 cup whole toasted salted cashews
Place on a large piece of saran wrap and press into a square or rectangle about 1/2" thick. Wrap up tightly and put in the fridge for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes cut into single size servings (I did bars about 4" x 1"). Wrap individually and store in the fridge. Makes about 14 bars.
And just because it was such a beautiful drive down to the Willamette Valley...
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Garam Masala and Koftas
As part of my trip down to Oregon to visit one of my dearest friends, I brought a recipe that we could make together for a family dinner, not really thinking clearly about the length of time it would take to make the recipe, how much it would make, or the fact that small children probably wouldn't like it either. I mean who bothers to think of the practicalities when it's really all about, "I get to see my friend! I want to bring something fabulous and exotic to make!" Needless to say the dinner making process was more challenging than usual when punctuated by alternately screaming upset and/or shrieking ecstatic children, an unfamiliar kitchen, and a slightly distracted pregnant friend but I honestly wouldn't have traded it for the world! (and no there was absolutely no way I got a picture of this dish...)
The koftas and garam masala recipes came from Vij's at home recipe book with a bit of modification. The garam masala sauce was wonderful but the koftas needed a bit of finessing or maybe I just need to be more open minded when it comes to celery root.
Garam Masala (this makes a lot of sauce! for two people I would definitely cut this in half)
1/2 c. canola oil
2 c. pureed onions (about 2 medium)
2 c. pureed tomatoes
3 Tbs minced garlic
2 Tbs garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne
1 - 2 Tbs maple syrup (or fenugreek leaves if you have it)
1 can coconut milk
5 c. water
1 c. cashews pureed with about 1/4 c. water
Heat oil on high for 45 seconds. Add onions and saute, stirring regularly for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. Add garlic and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until golden browned. Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric, cayenne and garam masala and stir well. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes or until oil glistens on the surface. Add water, stir and bring to a bowl. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil for 15 min or until oil glistens on the top again. Stir in the pureed cashews and coconut milk. Let simmer on low. Or turn off heat, cover, and set aside depending on how long it will wait.
Koftas (estimated to make 50-60 balls)
3/4 c. water
1 tsp oil
1/2 c. bulgur wheat or couscous
3 lbs celery root, peeled and finely grated
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
3 Tbs finely chopped ginger
1/2 c. chopped cilantro (or more)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
1-2 c. chickpea flour
Bring the water and oil to a boil, stir in the bulgur, cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Fluff the bulgur with a fork and cover, setting aside again. Stir together the celery root, onion, ginger, cilantro, spices, and bulgur. Then add in 1 c. of chickpea flour and continue adding chickpea flour and water until the batter is a consistency that holds together in a ball shape. Shape the batter into balls about 1-2" in diameter. You can either fry them in a skillet until golden brown on all sides or bake at 350 degrees F for about 30-40 min until browned. Mine didn't become very crispy using the baking method and I actually think they tasted better the next day when reheated in the sauce.
Serve with garam masala, rice, and yogurt.
The koftas and garam masala recipes came from Vij's at home recipe book with a bit of modification. The garam masala sauce was wonderful but the koftas needed a bit of finessing or maybe I just need to be more open minded when it comes to celery root.
Garam Masala (this makes a lot of sauce! for two people I would definitely cut this in half)
1/2 c. canola oil
2 c. pureed onions (about 2 medium)
2 c. pureed tomatoes
3 Tbs minced garlic
2 Tbs garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne
1 - 2 Tbs maple syrup (or fenugreek leaves if you have it)
1 can coconut milk
5 c. water
1 c. cashews pureed with about 1/4 c. water
Heat oil on high for 45 seconds. Add onions and saute, stirring regularly for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. Add garlic and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until golden browned. Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric, cayenne and garam masala and stir well. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes or until oil glistens on the surface. Add water, stir and bring to a bowl. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil for 15 min or until oil glistens on the top again. Stir in the pureed cashews and coconut milk. Let simmer on low. Or turn off heat, cover, and set aside depending on how long it will wait.
Koftas (estimated to make 50-60 balls)
3/4 c. water
1 tsp oil
1/2 c. bulgur wheat or couscous
3 lbs celery root, peeled and finely grated
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
3 Tbs finely chopped ginger
1/2 c. chopped cilantro (or more)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
1-2 c. chickpea flour
Bring the water and oil to a boil, stir in the bulgur, cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Fluff the bulgur with a fork and cover, setting aside again. Stir together the celery root, onion, ginger, cilantro, spices, and bulgur. Then add in 1 c. of chickpea flour and continue adding chickpea flour and water until the batter is a consistency that holds together in a ball shape. Shape the batter into balls about 1-2" in diameter. You can either fry them in a skillet until golden brown on all sides or bake at 350 degrees F for about 30-40 min until browned. Mine didn't become very crispy using the baking method and I actually think they tasted better the next day when reheated in the sauce.
Serve with garam masala, rice, and yogurt.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Energy Bar Fail
We're going on a road trip this summer! To Saskatchewan! When I say this to most Canadians, they look at me kind of oddly, but I am excited. We already have our full route east planned out; now we just need to get the route home finalized. And as I envisioned other long weekends of camping and hiking over the summer which WILL start at some point (I BELIEVE! I BELIEVE! The continual rain in the middle of May will not stop the seasons from progressing to sunshine and heat and beach days and other recognizable characteristics of summer), I had a hankering to make some energy/granola bars that are far cheaper than buying a bunch of PowerBars.
Unfortunately, it was one of those times where it was late at night and I really should have followed the recipe more closely and I didn't and now I regret it ... Instead of energy bars that have a consistent amount of almond butter and honey holding them together into recognizable, easy to handle and consume squares of goodness, I have clumps of energy bars surrounded by granola. Oh well. I will give you the recipe as it SHOULD have been done.
Mom's Energy Bars
2/3 c. honey
1/2 c. almond butter
1/4 c. spelt, oat, or whole wheat flour (flour for all three!)
1 c. raisins
1/2 c. other dried fruit (apricots, currants, coconut, etc.)
1 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1 c. walnuts, almonds, or pecans etc. chopped
optional: flax meal or flax seeds
Heat the honey and almond butter together. Mix well! Then stir in all the other ingredients. Press into a greased 9x13" pan (I'm going to recommend pam or canola oil to grease as butter did not work too well for me). Bake at 300 degrees F for 30 min. Let cool for a bit and cut into squares before fully hardened.
Unfortunately, it was one of those times where it was late at night and I really should have followed the recipe more closely and I didn't and now I regret it ... Instead of energy bars that have a consistent amount of almond butter and honey holding them together into recognizable, easy to handle and consume squares of goodness, I have clumps of energy bars surrounded by granola. Oh well. I will give you the recipe as it SHOULD have been done.
Mom's Energy Bars
2/3 c. honey
1/2 c. almond butter
1/4 c. spelt, oat, or whole wheat flour (flour for all three!)
1 c. raisins
1/2 c. other dried fruit (apricots, currants, coconut, etc.)
1 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1 c. walnuts, almonds, or pecans etc. chopped
optional: flax meal or flax seeds
Heat the honey and almond butter together. Mix well! Then stir in all the other ingredients. Press into a greased 9x13" pan (I'm going to recommend pam or canola oil to grease as butter did not work too well for me). Bake at 300 degrees F for 30 min. Let cool for a bit and cut into squares before fully hardened.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Pesto Carrot Salad
Potlucks are always great motivators to try out new salad recipes - economical, easy to transport and serve, and endless varieties! Hence the pesto carrot salad. I used the Grit Cookbook for this one and loved it; something about creating pesto with sugar for once was a marvelous spin on something so familiar. I also loved the vinaigrette that goes in the salad with the pesto, but all in all there was a lot of food processor activity to make one supposedly simple salad.
Pesto Carrot Salad
4 c. grated carrots
2 c. grated sweet potato (or 6 c. grated carrots in total)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
PESTO:
a small fistful of fresh basil leaves
3 Tbs parmesan
1/2 c. walnuts
1 1/2 tsp sugar
olive oil (I would try a bit of flax seed oil next time)
VINAIGRETTE: (cut this recipe in half to prepare enough dressing for the salad and have about 1 c. left over to use on other salads)
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs each balsamic and red wine vinegar
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. minced red onion
3 garlic cloves minced
large pinch each: dried parsley, oregano, basil, thyme
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. canola oil + 1/2 c. olive oil
I used my food processor to grate the carrots and sweet potato. Then just changed the blade and didn't bother rinsing before making the pesto. Ditto for switching between the pesto and vinaigrette making.
Grate the carrots and sweet potatoes. Place in a large bowl and mix in the lemon juice and salt.
For the pesto, blend everything except the oil until the nuts are ground fine. Then add the oil in a slow steady stream while the food processor is going until a smooth pesto is created. Add only half of the pesto into the grated carrots/sweet potatoes to start. Set the rest aside.
In the food processor, blend the vinegar though salt. Add the oil in a slow stream until the dressing is smooth and a bit thick. Take 1/3 c. of dressing and add it to the carrots/sweet potatoes. Stir and taste, adding more dressing or more pesto as desired. Chill in fridge for at least an hour before serving. You can save the rest of the dressing in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Note if you want the pesto to stay pretty and green on your carrots, blanch the basil leaves for about 30 sec before making the pesto. Thanks Cooks Illustrated for teaching me that trick!
Pesto Carrot Salad
4 c. grated carrots
2 c. grated sweet potato (or 6 c. grated carrots in total)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
PESTO:
a small fistful of fresh basil leaves
3 Tbs parmesan
1/2 c. walnuts
1 1/2 tsp sugar
olive oil (I would try a bit of flax seed oil next time)
VINAIGRETTE: (cut this recipe in half to prepare enough dressing for the salad and have about 1 c. left over to use on other salads)
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs each balsamic and red wine vinegar
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. minced red onion
3 garlic cloves minced
large pinch each: dried parsley, oregano, basil, thyme
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. canola oil + 1/2 c. olive oil
I used my food processor to grate the carrots and sweet potato. Then just changed the blade and didn't bother rinsing before making the pesto. Ditto for switching between the pesto and vinaigrette making.
Grate the carrots and sweet potatoes. Place in a large bowl and mix in the lemon juice and salt.
For the pesto, blend everything except the oil until the nuts are ground fine. Then add the oil in a slow steady stream while the food processor is going until a smooth pesto is created. Add only half of the pesto into the grated carrots/sweet potatoes to start. Set the rest aside.
In the food processor, blend the vinegar though salt. Add the oil in a slow stream until the dressing is smooth and a bit thick. Take 1/3 c. of dressing and add it to the carrots/sweet potatoes. Stir and taste, adding more dressing or more pesto as desired. Chill in fridge for at least an hour before serving. You can save the rest of the dressing in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Note if you want the pesto to stay pretty and green on your carrots, blanch the basil leaves for about 30 sec before making the pesto. Thanks Cooks Illustrated for teaching me that trick!
Saturday, May 07, 2011
S'mores Brownies
Okay so I actually didn't think this recipe could possibly be good when I read it on joythebaker's blog, it was more of a (1) it's date night and I really want some chocolate and (2) it's so bizarre sounding I have to try it out just so I know.
My advance comments: following the recipe as given means the graham crackers become mushy, thus losing the nostalgic crunch of graham cracker contrasting with the gooeyness of marshmallow and melted chocolate. I would try a new version where I either baked a graham cracker crumb crust underneath as a base (like a cheesecake), or make a graham cracker crumb/butter topping (like a crumble) that would get crispy.
However, if one wants to put marshmallows on top, I'm not sure how you combine that with the graham cracker crumb idea. I feel the marshmallows stirred into the batter were better because they dissolved creating pockets of moistness, while the marshmallows on top, although aesthetically pleasing when freshly baked are plastic-y the following day.
Lastly, since I was short an egg, I made the recipe with 4 eggs. With 1 egg less (or possibly since I didn't pack the brown sugar), the cooking time seemed far too long and the brownies had a more cake-like texture than fudgy. So if you use 1 less egg (because that's all you happen to have), cook for 20 min and test doneness. Maybe adding some chocolate chips into the batter itself would also more closely recreate the s'mores concept... as it is, the recipe was surprisingly not that sweet.
S'mores Brownies
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 c. salted butter (alternately you could do the more professional baker thing and use 1 c. unsalted plus 1 tsp salt)
6 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped (I used 5 oz unsweetened, 1 oz semi-sweet)
1 1/4 c. brown sugar (I did not pack the brown sugar)
1 c. granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 c. graham crackers, roughly broken up by hand
12-18 large marshmallows (4-6 diced up - e.g. quartered or eighth-ed, and the rest to go on top)
Preheat oven to 350o F. Beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla together. Melt butter and chocolate together, either overt he stove, or the lazy method, in a glass bowl in the microwave. If you use the microwave method, make sure the chocolate is chopped to similar sizes and butter is chopped too. Microwave for 40-45 seconds at a time, stirring in between and let sit for a bit. If it's very hot when you're done, let cool before stirring into the egg mixture. Once the chocolate mixture has been added to the eggs/sugar, stir in the dry ingredients. Then fold in the graham crackers and marshmallows. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake for 20-30min. If you're putting marshmallows on top of the batter, wait until about 5 min from the end of baking time to add them to the top of the brownies.
My advance comments: following the recipe as given means the graham crackers become mushy, thus losing the nostalgic crunch of graham cracker contrasting with the gooeyness of marshmallow and melted chocolate. I would try a new version where I either baked a graham cracker crumb crust underneath as a base (like a cheesecake), or make a graham cracker crumb/butter topping (like a crumble) that would get crispy.
However, if one wants to put marshmallows on top, I'm not sure how you combine that with the graham cracker crumb idea. I feel the marshmallows stirred into the batter were better because they dissolved creating pockets of moistness, while the marshmallows on top, although aesthetically pleasing when freshly baked are plastic-y the following day.
Lastly, since I was short an egg, I made the recipe with 4 eggs. With 1 egg less (or possibly since I didn't pack the brown sugar), the cooking time seemed far too long and the brownies had a more cake-like texture than fudgy. So if you use 1 less egg (because that's all you happen to have), cook for 20 min and test doneness. Maybe adding some chocolate chips into the batter itself would also more closely recreate the s'mores concept... as it is, the recipe was surprisingly not that sweet.
S'mores Brownies
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 c. salted butter (alternately you could do the more professional baker thing and use 1 c. unsalted plus 1 tsp salt)
6 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped (I used 5 oz unsweetened, 1 oz semi-sweet)
1 1/4 c. brown sugar (I did not pack the brown sugar)
1 c. granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 c. graham crackers, roughly broken up by hand
12-18 large marshmallows (4-6 diced up - e.g. quartered or eighth-ed, and the rest to go on top)
Preheat oven to 350o F. Beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla together. Melt butter and chocolate together, either overt he stove, or the lazy method, in a glass bowl in the microwave. If you use the microwave method, make sure the chocolate is chopped to similar sizes and butter is chopped too. Microwave for 40-45 seconds at a time, stirring in between and let sit for a bit. If it's very hot when you're done, let cool before stirring into the egg mixture. Once the chocolate mixture has been added to the eggs/sugar, stir in the dry ingredients. Then fold in the graham crackers and marshmallows. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake for 20-30min. If you're putting marshmallows on top of the batter, wait until about 5 min from the end of baking time to add them to the top of the brownies.
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