Mango Salsa

Sometimes you just crave something refreshing and light.  I love this salsa with tortilla chips for a quick snack or accompanied with a nice spinach omelet in the morning.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 Jalapeño chile, minced
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
• 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 medium avocado, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the salsa ends up being a little too hot or acidic for your taste, you can temper it by adding some diced avocado.

Spinach Parmesan Potatoes

I've been on a bit of a veggie kick lately.  My mom decided to buy me a whole 10 pound bag of russets, so I've been eating a lot of potatoes (thanks, Mom).  But that's a good thing.  They're super tasty and versatile and gets me full really fast because of the starch.  Found this recipe on MyRecipes.com and its fabulous.  And you probably have most of the ingredients already in your fridge!

Ingredients 

• 2 large baking potatoes (12 ounces each)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
• 2 TB cup finely chopped green onion
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup baby spinach, julienned
• 2 TB butter

Directions 
1) Preheat oven to 400°.
2) Pierce potatoes with a fork, and bake at 400° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until tender. Cool.
3) Cut each potato in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell.
4) Mash pulp with a potato masher. Combine milk and cheese in a large bowl, and stir with a whisk. Add potato pulp, butter, onion, salt, pepper, and spinach; stir well. Spoon potato mixture into shells; sprinkle each half with more cheese if desired.
5) Place stuffed potatoes on a baking sheet; bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with green onions, if desired.

Chocolate Drizzle Popcorn

I've been plagued with a major sweet tooth. 

The other day I had finished dinner and was desperately searching for something to tame this sweet beast in my belly.  Cake?  No.  Cookies?  No.  Ice cream?  No.  What to do?

Luckily, my boyfriend's mom had given me a box of microwave popcorn (because its a healthy snack ;) 
I see that I have some chocolate chips and white chocolate in my cabinet.  Voila!  Problem solved!

Chocolate Drizzle Popcorn

Ingredients
1 pack of microwave popcorn (butter is ok, to get a sweet salty kick)
1 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of white chocolate chips

Directions
1) Microwave popcorn according to instructions.  Be sure not to burn any.  Once popped, spread on a baking sheet layered with parchment paper.  Let cool.
2) Melt chocolate in microwave or double boiler, whichever is easier or more comfortable for you.  Once melted, drizzle over popcorn evenly.
3)  Let cool and eat!

Brief Hiatus

So, the food truck I work for was invited to the illustrious South By Southwest Festival in Austin a couple weeks back and so it took away from my blogging time.  Slinging sliders and hawking sandwiches at 100 miles per hour was the name of the game.  Tough, hard work but strangely satisfying after it was all said and done.  I'm glad its over but I'm a stronger person for it, I believe!  It was a really warm welcome for our first time in Austin.  Our food was really, really well received and couldn't have asked for more support and kindness from the strong Austin food truck community. 

We shared a gravel parking lot directly adjacent to the Austin Convention Center, the heart of SXSW so the hunger was brought by all of the festival-goers.  Other food trucks who were selling their goods alongside us included The Seedling Truck, Duk Truck, Waffle Bus, East Side Kings, and the oh-so delicious Chi'lantros.

It's so funny because when you're in the food industry, it's strange how little time you actually get to sit and enjoy FOOD!  Sometimes you're just on the go-go-go and you forget to eat because you too busy creating dishes for hungry customers!  But one glorious dish I wanted to brag about while I was at South-By was the Kimchee Yakisoba bowl from East Side Kings.  It consisted of flavorful noodles, spicy kimchee, and crunchy fried chicken all rounded out with fresh cilantro and a spicy mayo.

So if you're in the Austin area, its a must to check out the huge food truck scene in the city.  Click here for a comprehensive site of all of the trucks.

Crispy Radish Chips

Another quick and healthy snack option!

Crispy Radish Chips
Adapted from GroupRecipes.com

Ingredients
About 20 medium-to-large radishes
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice radishes into very thin chips and spread on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  I used my slicer blade in my food processor.  So super fast and quick clean up.

2. Be sure to dry the radishes with paper towels.  (Too much water will make the chips soggy.)

3. Lightly toss the radish slices with the olive oil and seasonings.

4. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until crisp. Time may vary so watch these after flipping.

Mushroom Risotto

When there's a nip in the air, nothings better than something nice, warm, and creamy to comfort your appetite.  The other day at the grocery store, they had some beautiful mushrooms: snow white button mushrooms, large firm portabello mushrooms, and even some fresh shitakes.  So why not make a lovely risotto?

Mushroom Risotto
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients
3 cups vegetable broth
2 TB olive oil
1 lb mixed mushrooms, sliced (portobellos, baby bellas, white, shitake, enoki, etc.)
1 shallot, minced
1 1/4 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
2 TB butter
1//3 cup grated Parmesan
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
Chopped chives
Julienne basil for garnish

Directions 
1. In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat. 
2. Warm 1 TB olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside. 
3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with basil and more Parmesan.

Homemade Baguettes!

I tried to make baguettes the other day and look what happened.

The photo is turned vertical, but as you can see-way too round, way too chubby.  It is adorably cute, though, I have to say and now I'm thinking of writing a comedy series called Mr. Fat Bread.  But I cannot be daunted!  So I scoured the Internet and found another recipe from King Arthur and look at the wonders of this great brand of flour:

Oooh, it looks so good you can almost smell it right through the computer, right?  I was so happy when I saw these lovely, crackly loaves of goodness.  So, 1st and foremost, I would always use King Arthur flour for everything.  Great tasting products always come from them.  And secondly, patience is your friend.  Don't rush the starter or the relaxing stages or fermentation.  You want those yeast to really do their job to develop bubbles and flavor.  So you can find the recipe and directions here.  And now more beautiful photos.

 This is the dough loaves relaxing before they go into the oven.  Be sure to spray the loaves with water prior to baking to recreate the steaming effect.

 That steaming effect gives that classic crackly crust while still have a nice pillowy interior.

 And this is the stack of baguettes when they catch the sunlight just right in the morning before you devour these for breakfast!