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Appetites and Adventures

Nacho Wednesday

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I am a big fan of trying new things.*

*Unless those new things are Dad’s Nads.

I’ve been really good lately about working through recipes/ideas I’ve noted to try.  This week I have made 3 new dishes already this week!

Side note: I’m really excited/flattered that so many people tried my Citrus Chickpea Cilantro Salad!  Check out this rendition by Sarah @ Quotidienne Moi. 

 

Back on track: with all the fun new recipes, this What I Ate Wednesday is more like “what I’ve eaten so far this week.”

 

Breakfast:

Great morning workouts leave me ravenous and in need to protein.  Kasey @ PowerCakes created this “Power Pumpkin Roll” that I knew I had to try.  This monster is ~450 calories and packs 45g of protein!

I am powerful.

I followed her recipe exactly, though next time I may add another 2 T of pumpkin and leave out an egg white.  I’m curious to know if it would work with flax eggs… that’s a lot of egg though!

Even if you don’t make the roll, make the Chia Vanilla Frosting.  I don’t often think yogurt tastes like dessert, but this one really does!

Lunch:

It must have been the week of orange, because my lunch was even more vibrant than the pumpkin roll!  This miso-laced carrot soup was as delicious as it looks!  Recipe to come Friday!

Served with a giant arugula and celery salad, which I dressed with hot sauce from the Mexican grocery store (the only place to go shop you are serious about heat), nutritional yeast, cumin, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Dinner:

Last night I had a couple of my favorite over for dinner.  My favorite Sports Glutton, Jed, recently shared a link to his Sweet Potato Nachos that I’ve been drooling over ever since.

One of my dinner guests is gluten-free, and we all make an effort to eat clean.  This dish is a much healthier alternative to your typical nachos, particularly with some modifications!

I used dried black beans… though I was a bit panicked when I realized I forgot to soak them.  Some Googling lead me to a cool method by The Paupered Chef that involved a quick boil followed by 75 mins in the oven.  I have never heard of cooking them in the oven, but it worked perfectly!  Click here for the details.

Post-oven, I let the beans rest until it was time to re-heat for company.  Jed simmered his beans in beer… I am fresh out, so I added the following (post oven-bake) to flavor my beans over medium heat:

  • 1/4 C veggie broth
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 2 Chipotle peppers in adobo
  • Dashes of paprika, garlic, parsley, red pepper, cayenne pepper, and oregano

While that cooked I prepared the sweet potatoes… the easy way with Alexia’s Sweet Potato Waffle Fries.  Nom.

When the fries were done I topped them with tomatoes, serrano peppers, and queso.  Back into the oven on broil then went while I sliced an avocado and minced cilantro.

Remove, decorate, and devour.

 

Oh yes, there was also wine.  A Roquevale 2005 Portuguese Red (Alentejo) blend of Aragonez, Alfrocheiro, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  This was a big, fruity, dark wine that I could drink all night long.  Arguably a little heavy for a spicy Mexican-ish meal, but I love a big wine.

Also exciting: I got to use my chalkboard wine art glasses!

I was the lucky winner of a giveaway at Ancient Fire Wine and received 4 bottles of wine from Tapena.  The Garnacha we tried was delicious!  It was approachable without compromising body.  We picked it as an earlier wine (thinking it would be lacking), but it was great!  I’d drink it anytime!

Dessert:

For dessert we nibbled on the vegan, gluten-free dessert I teased you with last week… I’m finally posting the recipe tomorrow!

We also have another dessert nibble courtesy of Callie – she sent over some Rawxies to sample and OMG are they ever good.

My favorite was the Cinnamon Walnut Raisin.  I love how the cinnamon came through – so often the taste gets lost in the sweetness of desserts.

Raw, gluten-free, and vegan… and totally worthy of a dessert platter to share with friends.  I may have enjoyed one as an afternoon snack as well… 🙂

***

Those Sweet Potato Nachos would be a GREAT addition to a Super Bowl spread!

Are you watching the Super Bowl?  Any fun dishes planned?

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten so far this week?

“Beefy” TVP Chili

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McDonald’s is cleaning up their meat.

Jamie Oliver influenced McD’s to stop using beef treated with ammonia hydroxide – the stuff Oliver referred to as “pink slime” on his show Food Revolution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wshlnRWnf30

Mmmmm… makes you want a bowl of beefy chili, right?

Or maybe a meaty VEGAN bowl of chili?

One of my favorite things to do when I’m bored is wander around Whole Paycheck Foods.  This can be a dangerous activity for my wallet, but it’s my guilty pleasure. 🙂  This week I happened upon TVP that was discounted by $1.  Sold.

I’ve seen it used on a few blogs, but never tried it for myself.  It was really easy – you just boil (read: microwave) 1 cup of water, stir the TVP in, and let it sit for 5 mins.  Instant protein crumbles.

TVP is the perfect addition for vegan chili.  It replaced the usual ground beef without losing the hearty feel and added protein.  The addition of liquid smoke in this also lends to the traditional chili taste.  Discovery of the year, no doubt.

With a little cilantro, lime, and nutritional yeast.  Meaty vegan chili perfection.

If only I’d had a grilled cheese to go along with it…

Beefy TVP Chili

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2-3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 C San Marzano tomatoes (or any tomato-substance)
  • 1-2 dried habanero
  • 1 can beans
  • 1 C TVP
  • 6-7 drops liquid smoke
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground oregano
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • pinch of ground cloves
  • 2 T apple cider vinegar
  • 4 T cilantro, rough chopped
  • 2 C spinach

Re-hydrate TVP by soaking in 1 C of boiling water.  Set aside.

Heat oil in large pot.  Sauté onion until turning translucent (5-6 mins).  Add garlic and sauté another 1-2 mins, until fragrant.  Add next 7 ingredients, stirring to combine.  Mix in spices and vinegar, adjusting to taste.

Simmer for 30-45 mins, stirring occasionally.  This allows the flavors to combine and vegetables to soften.

Mix in the spinach and cilantro.  Cover pot and simmer ~10 mins, until spinach is wilted.  Garnish with lime, cilantro, and nutritional yeast.

Makes 8 cups.

Note: Depending on the tomato substance you use, you may need to add liquid as the chili cooks.  I added 1/2 C before I mixed in my spinach.

***

Discovering new (to me) products is so exciting.  #dork

Does anyone else wander the grocery store as entertainment?

Have you cooked with TVP before?  Please share other ideas for using it!

Citrus Chickpea Cilantro Salad

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Are you ever shocked by how interested people are in a recipe?

You guys were all over the Portobello Jerky yesterday!  I’m a little sad that it’s all gone.  If you make it, be sure to make 3-4 mushrooms at a time.  1 = gone to fast.

The second most-commented on item was my lunch, a Citrus Chickpea Cilantro Salad that I promised to share today.  Well, I promised to share the recipe today.  If you were here I’d be tempted to share my physical lunch if you had some of Ari’s Ding Dongs to trade.

Due a bookmarking addiction, I’ve had Heather’s recipe for Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad for months.  With a huge bunch of cilantro in my fridge, this was the perfect time to try it out.  As soon as I made this, I emailed the recipe to my mom.  It was that delicious.

With the abundance of delicious winter citrus, I used fresh orange juice rather than sugar to sweeten the vinaigrette.  I also changed up the spices to make this more Indian-influenced.  Use your imagination here – this salad is nice base for a variety of spice blends.

The first serving I ate in a rustic fashion (read: with my fingers right out of the mixing bowl).

The second serving I jazzed up.  I spooned out the salad on top of an eggplant patty and then diced a carrot over the top.  Colorful and delicious!  I love the crunchy carrot against the soft chickpeas and the slight tang of the mustard with the sweetness of the orange juice and fresh carrot.  I also sprinkled a shitload few red pepper flakes on top because I’m not happy until I’m crying.

The 3rd serving I added diced avocado and blood orange segments.  Best idea ever.  If you make this, try it at least once with the avocado.  It was phenomenal with the cilantro and the citrus juices – like chickpea chunky guac!  As usual, I got too excited and forgot a pic.

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Citrus Chickpea Cilantro Salad

  • 2 C chickpeas, cooked or canned
  • 2 T shallot, chopped finely
  • 2.5 C spinach
  • 1/2 C fresh cilantro
  • Zest from 1/2 large lime
  • Juice from 1/2 large lime
  • Juice from 1/2 medium orange
  • 2 tsp whole grain mustard
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • S+P, to taste

Drain and rinse chickpeas and place in a large bowl with chopped shallot.

In a food processor, pulse cilantro and spinach until fairly finely chopped.  Make sure you don’t let it run and turn to mush.  Add to chickpea bowl.

Next in the processor combine the zest, juices, mustard, garlic, oil, and spices.  Adjust spices, salt and pepper to taste.

Pour dressing over the chickpea mixture and stir to combine.  Adjust spices and allow to rest for 15 mins in order for flavors to marry.  

Plate with grains, create a veggie sandwich (awesome in pita pocket!), or enjoy as a side.

Makes 2 mains or 4 sides.

Note: I started with dried chickpeas.  I soaked them in water over night.  The next morning I cooked them in a pot with a bay leaf and 2 garlic cloves over low heat for 3 hours.  The bay leaf and garlic gave them a great, subtle flavor!

***

I am over-the-moon today because yesterday I made the Daily Buzz Top 9 and today I made the FoodBuzz Top 9!  Thank you for the buzz – I’m truly honored. xoxo

Do any of you have that genetic thing that makes cilantro tastes like soap?  You could try this with parsley. 🙂

Make me feel like less of a dork… do you call your mom when you make something really awesome?

Raw-ish Vegan Jerky + WIAW

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All day yesterday I thought it was Monday.

Funny how now that it’s Wednesday, I’m feeling like Friday is not so far away.

This week has really been awesome – tons of cooking, which means I have LOTS to share with you.  More to come!

For now, lets cheers to chalkboard wine glasses, kick-ass workouts, being half way to Friday, and my friend Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.

 

Breakfast:

After last week’s hotel oatmeal ick, this more than made up for it:

Overnight oats in an almond butter jar.  Pure bliss.

  • Oatmeal
  • Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • Chia seeds
  • Pumpkin puree
  • Almond butter jar remnants
  • Cinnamon
  • Vanilla
  • 4-5 drops of vanilla liquid Stevia
  • A little TBA chocolate something crumbled in. 🙂

Lunch:

Another bit of amazingness.  Citrus Chickpea Cilantro Salad  with carrots atop an eggplant patty.

Recipe for this deliciousness coming tomorrow! 

Dinner:

You may be familiar with a little problem I have.  When I go out I sometimes get so excited about the meal that I forget to take pics.  This is all that remained of my post-workout dinner last night:

That WAS a side salad, 2 veggie tacos, a chips and salsa trio, and a Patron Silver margarita.  Whoops.

More proof that Taqueria del Sol remains my favorite intown taco joint.

Snacks:

Continuing with last week’s blogger recipes, I tried Gena @ Choosing Raw’s Portabello Jerky.  It was a fantastically salty, satisfyingly chewy afternoon snack.  Seriously – Gena is a genius.

My raw-sih version of Gena’s raw jerky is at the bottom of this post!

Lucky me was asked to taste-test a new cookie recipe for Cookie Underground.  I mentioned trying these veggie-based cookies at the Atlanta Underground Market here.

My test-kit included an original recipe and 4 alternatives for their Parsnip Vanilla flavor.  In my mind there was a clear winner.  Check them out on Facebook to read more!

Apparently I need to rename this blog dessert underground because my pre-workout snack was on of these vegan Granola Cookies:

At just 3g of sugar and over 1g of protein, can you blame me?  P.S. They freeze perfectly.

Last, there was a vegan, gluten-free post-workout dessert.

I promise to share next week – I want to make one more batch to test with more soda.  Let’s just say they are silky in texture, impossibly chocolate-y, and inspired by a Cookie Underground concept. 😉

Raw-ish Portabello Jerky

  • 1 large Portabello mushroom
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 3 drops liquid Stevia
  • 3-4 twist of freshly ground pepper

Mix all ingredients.  Slice ‘shroom into 1/2 inch thick sticks and marinate overnight in refrigerator overnight.

Place on foil-lined baking sheet and cook in 170 degree oven* for ~3 hours.

*Note: Gena had a dehydrator – check out her instructions for raw jerky details.  For those of us without… just set your oven at it’s lowest temp (mine is 170 degrees).  It’s raw-ish. 🙂

***

I’m really into vegan/low-sugar cooking and baking lately!  It’s fun to try different style and I love feeling so clean.

Have you tried vegan jerky?  Have you tried “real” jerky?

Do you feel a little the-end-is-near relief on Wednesday?

DIY (Chinese) New Year Noodles

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She’s crafty, and she’s just my type…

 

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you know why this song is stuck in my head.  I did something crafty!

Like everyone else, I am addicted to Pinterest.  One of the first items I “pinned” were chalkboard wine glasses.  I’m not crafty.  When I see something cool, I look for a way to buy it.  Chalkboard wine glasses can be bought, but they are wayyyyy overpriced ($60 for 1 glass and a carafe… nothankyou).  I had no choice but to be crafty.

 

 

The whole process was super easy – I followed the instructions from this “pin” to a tee.  All it takes is a spray can of chalkboard paint and 6 wine glasses (which you can find on the cheap at Home Goods or T.J. Maxx).

PSA: You’ll notice there are only 5 glasses pictured.  Do not drive around with a box of 6 wine glasses in the back of your car for 2 weeks.  Consider yourself warned.

 

 

I can’t wait for the next wine gathering at my place!

 

P.S. I swear I wasn’t drinking rose in the middle of the day (or ever – blech).  I poured myself of glass of this deliciousness:

 

My Whole Foods sells growlers of my favorite kombucha – Buchi Fire. 🙂

I love you Whole Foods… it’s my wallet that doesn’t.

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In the continued spirit of DIY, I avoided a typical Chinese New Year takeout celebration yesterday by cooking my own Asian-flavored meal.

Weeks ago I purchased a bag of kelp noodles… and for weeks I’ve been staring at them in the fridge, unsure of what to do with them.  Last night, in the spirit of the Chinese New Year I busted them out.

 

 

I realize these noodles aren’t necessarily Chinese, but kelp feels like it should be Asian.  Sushi > seaweed > kelp.  See the connection?

Any how, I felt I needed to get in the spirit with an Asian-themed new noodle dish.

 

 

I love, love the sauté goodness I conjured to go with my kelp noodles – the simple mix was filled with flavor.  As it cooked, the ginger, shallots, and garlic made my kitchen smell better than Chinatown.

 

 

The noodles… I’m still unsure.  They were oddly rubbery and crunchy.  I had to use kitchen shears to cut them apart in order to eat.  The texture did grow on me as I ate them, and the taste really was neutral.

Bonus: You can eat the entire package, as 1 serving only contains 6 calories and 1g carbs.  Really – it’s only water and kelp.  They are also a RAW food – upon further research I learned you can marinate them in lemon juice to “cook” them and help the texture.

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Chinese New Year Noodles

  • 2 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 large shallot, minced
  • 1 in piece of fresh ginger, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 serrano pepper
  • 1/4 C edamame beans (shelled)
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 C spinach
  • 1 pkg kelp noodles (or any noodle/rice)
  • cilantro, for garnish

 

In a large skillet, toast sesame seeds over medium heat until just browning.  Transfer to plate to cool.

In same skillet, heat sesame oil.  Sauté ginger and shallot for ~5 mins, until shallot becomes translucent and ginger is fragrant.  Add garlic, pepper, and edamame.  Cook until softened and garlic is turning golden (~3-4 mins).

Reduce heat to medium low.  Add soy sauce and vinegar, stirring to combine.  Add spinach and cook until wilted, stirring occasionally (~8-9 mins).

Add kelp noodles (or cooked noodles/rice) to the pan.  Stir well to coat in mixture.  Continue cooking until noodles are warmed through.

Transfer to plates and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and cilantro.

Serves 2.

***

 The real test will be if I do any of the other DIY projects I’ve pinned.  Oddly, most involve vino…

Have you ever crafted something from Pinetrest (or another website)?

Have you ever tried kelp noodles?  Tofu noodles?

 

Greek Protein Mess

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By Friday of last week I had to force myself out the door for a workout.  

 

 

I say forced because I am determined to do cardio everyday and I just wasn’t feeling it.  Not being able to run is dragging me down… 30 mins on the elliptical (or any machine) is not my idea of fun.  My ADD and I need scenery!  I tried to push it this week with running… every time the pain becomes excruciating at 0.8 miles.

 

 

Anyway, Friday I stayed on the elliptical by promising myself that if I was really miserable I could stop after 10 min… then 20 mins.  This works really well for me – by the time I get to those marks, I tell myself “10 more mins isn’t going to KILL you.”

30 looooong minutes later, I did 45 mins of Back/Biceps.  I coaxed myself through some heavier weights with thoughts of breakfast. #fatkid

 

Specifically the Greek Protein Mess waiting in my fridge.  I wish I’d heated it so I could call it a hot mess.

 

 

Have you guys seen the Wallaby Greek Yogurt?  I found it a Whole Paycheck Foods last week and fell in love.  This is the creamiest, most flavorful Greek I’ve tried (that’s what she said)!  17g of protein and just 4 g of sugar, its my dream yogurt.

 

With the last of the container I was hoarding, I made a post-workout protein-filled mess.  Mess because it was a total hodge podge… and I had the shakes (sure sign of a good gym session) so bad that I spilled the protein powder and the cinnamon and then sloshed the chocolate milk out of my bowl.

This is one mess I plan to make  again!  Recipe following the recap.

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So… yeah.  My knee.  I’m frustrated.  It better not ruin my plans to run the Nashville Rock ‘N Roll Half in April!  I’ve been really good about getting cardio in with the elliptical and the stationary bike.  The Mile-a-Day Challenge has been just the motivation I need.

I’ve also been loving Body Rock.  The hotel I stayed in last week had a terrible gym, but Body Rock saved the day.  The 30 Day Challenge is no joke!  Especially the Sean’s part of the Day 3 workout.  Holy quad burn, Batman.

 

 

 

Workout Recap (1/16 – 1/22)

  • Monday – 100 push-ups
  • Tuesday – Body Rock Day 2, 1 mile run, Shoulders, 100 push-ups
  • Wednesday – This Body Rock, 1 mile run, Ab Ripper X
  • Thursday – Body Rock Day 3, Stationary bike (intervals)
  • Friday – Bis/Back, Elliptical (intervals)
  • Saturday – Body Rock Day 4, 1 mile run, 20 spiderman push-ups
  • Sunday – 1/2 mile run (knee gave up), Tris/Chest, Ab work*, 100 push-ups

*Sunday’s ab work was basic but good – if you ever need a quickie just try doing 100 reps of your favorite ab exercises.  I did 100 sit-ups on the exercise ball, 100 bicycle abs, and 100 baby crunches.  Then I did Hayley’s 6 minute plank rotation.

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Greek Protein Mess

  • 1/2 C plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 T chia seeds
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 2 tsp peanut flour
  • 1 tsp maca 
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 5-6 drops NuNaturals Liquid Coca Stevia
  • Apple

 

Mix everything (except the apple) in a bowl and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.  Remove and stir, adding more milk if necessary.

Top with diced apple, or other fruit of choice.

Refuel yourself!

***

This weekend I completed a fun art project (and I’m NOT artsy like my aunt).  Can’t wait to share with you tomorrow!!!

Do you like doing cardio on machines?  How do you get through it?

Some of you said last week you were doing/wanted to do  Body Rock.  How do you like it so far?

 

Grapefruit Fennel Salad

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Summer is for salads.

Therefore I’m usually craving them in the winter.

We I don’t often remember, but winter has good produce other than squash (not that you’d know if from reading my blog…)!  I love the sweetness of in-season grapefruit on a salad, and the fresh fennel that’s in every grocery store adds a perfect licorice-like crunch to salad bowls.

Armed with these finds, I set out to make myself a giant salad for lunch.  Summer memories, be damned.

Into a giant bowl went all of the fresh veggies I looted from the local farmer’s market.  Citrus-y sweet sectioned grapefruit, a little heat from a serrano pepper, and my favorite – fennel – all played well together.  Accenting those flavors were fresh cilantro and yellow onion.  A crisp cucumber added a nice texture, all salted, peppered, and drizzled with lime juice and olive oil.

The perfect winter citrus salad bowl.

This salad will keep well for a day or two.  On day two I served it atop bulgur I pre-cooked and then mixed liberally with cilantro and lime juice.

Bowl #2 was topped with blueberries… the little extra punch of sweetness turned out of be a delicious idea, FYI.

Grapefruit Fennel Salad

Grapefruit Fennel Salad

  • 1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
  • 1 grapefruit, sectioned
  • 1 cucumber, diced
  • 2 T cilantro, minced
  • 1 serrano pepper, minced
  • 1/4 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 2-3 tsp fresh lime juice
  • S&P, to taste
  • Blueberries (optional)

Mix all ingredients in medium-sized bowl.  Add more oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

Optional: serve atop grains or greens – arugula would be fantastic here.

Serves 1-2

***

You could eat this and have a Granola Cookie for dessert.  I’m just sayin’… 😉

Do your salads change in the winter months?

What is your favorite winter produce (other than squashes and sweet potatoes)?

Cardamom Hill

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If you have been reading for a while, you know that I LOVE Indian flavors.

 

Wednesday night I tried a much-hyped new Indian restaurant in Atlanta, Cardamom Hill (1700 Northside Dr.NW #A6, Atlanta, GA 30318, 404.549.7012).

The owner, Asha Gomez, is locally-famous for her underground supper clubs.  She wanted to share her food with a broader audience, thus Cardamom Hill was born.  I’m sad to have missed her Supper Clubs, but am excited to see where she takes the restaurant.

 

Cardamom Hill menu

 

They don’t have their liquor license yet, but they do keep some beers in the back to share.  Thus, I tasted my first Schiltz. It wasn’t as bad as I had imagined… though that’s not saying a lot.  They did have a Sweetwater IPA in the cooler that the server mercifully graciously brought me after I couldn’t handle anymore Schlitz.

 

 

The food was MUCH better than the beer selection. 🙂  I’m really kidding – it was great of them to offer my friend and I anything at all.

 

We started with a beautifully plated salad of arugula, starfruit, radish, cucumber, and papaya.  It was dressed in a tamarind vinaigrette.  Each item on its own was flavorful and fresh; however, my companion and I both felt it lacked something to pull it together.  I also thought it was slightly over-dressed (normally I ask for dressing on the side – my mistake!).

 

 

Our second app was on the house.  Beef and Potato Croquettes seasoned with ginger, garlic, and green papaya salad.  I nibbled on the potato part of the croquette (trying to stick to the veg thing) and wasn’t blown away.  I loved the (pickled?) ginger and garlic served with it.  I wish that had been used in a salad!

 

 

For my entrée I chose the Vegetable Trio, served with coconut rice.

Part 1 of the trio was Sweet Potato Verka sautéed in coconut oil with mustard seeds, shallots, and curry leaves.  It was absolutely fantastic.  A little oily, but honestly… that just made it better.  Perfectly balanced between the sweetness of the potato and the subtle heat from the spices, I could eat this dish all day every day.

 

 

As good as that was, Part 2 of the trio topped it.  It was a “Seasonal” Thoran, which is listed on the menus as a stir-fry but (as the waiter described) this more accurately identified as a soup.  A phenomenal soup.  The broth was just spiced enough with dried red chillies.  It contained bite-sized pieces of carrot, eggplant, potato, and tomato.  I’m not sure what sorts of other spices were in this, but whoa.  My friend and I agreed it was the best dish of the night.

Dear Asha, Please keep this on as an appetizer soup.

 

Lastly, I had a Beet Pachadi.  3 warm beets layered with housemade yogurt (ask for it to be left off to make this dish vegan) and mustard seeds, topped a curry leaf.  It was also good, just not quite as stand-out as the first 2 items.

 

My friend had the Braised Short Ribs with roasted coconut sauce, served over umpa (like fried polenta, but made from semolina).  It was nice… but I was happy I stuck with the veg.

 

 

We couldn’t pass up a traditional dessert.  I have no idea what this is called, but it was a warm coconut milk soup with toasted coconut, cashew halves, cardamom seeds, ginger, and rice noodles.  It was one of those dishes you keep eating but you’re not entirely sure you love.  The flavors were just so interesting!  We wondered if it would be better (albeit non-traditional) cold?

 

 

If you’re in the Atlanta area, I do recommend trying Cardamom Hill.  The service was solid and it has a lot of potential.  This isn’t the typical curry-laden Indian food many of us are accustomed to.  Dishes from the Southwest Indian state of Kerala are laced with interesting spice blends and not heavy on the heat.  It just enough spice to detect.  You know the balance of flavors much be great if I’m not begging for more heat.

Don’t miss the Vegetable Trio, try the dessert for fun… and do make sure to BYOB.  There’s no corking fee while they await the liquor license.

***

I just realized it’s friday the 13th!  Some people shudder, but 13 is my lucky number and this is my lucky day (knock on wood).

Do you like trying authentic food from different cultures?  Panda Express doesn’t count.

Who’s doing something fun this weekend?

 

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