waffle: the rebirth

Once upon a time in the Fall of 2013 I toasted to waffles. I remember it clearly: perched up (more realistically sloppily leaning on) the bar at The Jones B-side between Bre and Matt, my friend who was visiting from New York. I'd just gotten out of a crazy long Fine Print meeting and couldn't have been more excited for that Wednesday $5 martini special. And they're damn good martinis, too. Anyway, a couple drinks in we were trying to decide what to cheers to and I took the first indecisive pause to butt in with "WAFFLES." Clink. My explanation for that toast was apparently "Guys, I'm really into waffles this year." But, oh, I had no idea. It is only now that I feel justified to make such a bold statement.

So, guys, I'm really into waffles this year. Like this:

It's a freaking SAVORY waffle. Savory. Waffle.

Waffle.

Waffle.

#

This was breakfast this morning. Also, Bre + I made this exact waffle for dinner last night, too. Except the accompanying beverage was an ice cold Brooklyn Lager. It was that good. If anything, the back-to-back meal thing proved its versatility and thus ultimate perfection. Eating this, all I could think about was how I wanted to make this for everyone I love (all at once, right at that second) so they could experience its flawlessness. Unfortunately I couldn't make it for everyone I love all at once, all at that second -- nor will I ever be able to -- but you can make it for yourself. And pretend I made it for you.

INGREDIENTS (2 servings)

  • 10 asparagus spears
  • olive oil
  • salt + pepper
  • smoked salmon (personal recommendation: ducktrap brand's dill smoked salmon; take salmon out of fridge before you start any of this prep)
  • 2 eggs

CORNMEAL CHIVE WAFFLES

  • 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 c yellow cornmeal
  • scant 1 tbs sugar
  • 1 tbs baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 3/4 c almond/soy/whatever milk
  • 6 tbs vegetable oil
  • several chive leaves
  • 2 eggs

VEGAN HOLLANDAISE

  • 1 c silken tofu
  • 4 tbs lemon juice
  • 2 tbs nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 4 tbs vegetable oil

Okay, this are some piecey and disjointed instructions, so bear with me. I promise it's overall super simple. (Even if it weren't, it's worth it.)

For the waffles, mix all the ingredients in a big ol' bowl and lay a ladel-full of that goodness onto your pre-heated waffle maker. Once the timer on your waffle maker goes off, let the waffle hang out in there a little longer for that extra crisp.

For the hollandaise, microwave the silken tofu on a plate for 30 sec. Toss it in a food processor and purée. Add in all the remaining ingredients except for the oil, then purée some more. Finally, add in the oil as the food processor's still running on low (like super super low, like you should probably just hand mix it if you're afraid you'll end up spattering it everywhere).

The asparagus is easy. Just cut off the bitter ends of the spears and sauté them in olive oil, seasoning with salt + pepper to taste. Pull 'em off the heat when they're al dente and they've got that fresh crisp, yet are fully cooked. Or blanching the asparagus could be cool, too. I think next time I make this, I'll try doing that.

Finally, poach the eggs. I'm not gonna host an Egg Poaching 101, but do your best to follow these instructions here. Just make sure that vortex is A+.

At this point, I imagine you're practically salivating so go ahead and throw that waffle down on a plate. Then throw a couple slices of salmon on it. Then lay down your asparagus spears in perfect alignment. Plop a poached egg on top and go crazy with the hollandaise. (Note: be careful not to overzealously plop the egg lest the force breaks the yolk, and thus you are left to eat your breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner/creation in a self-loathsome pool of tears.)

Enjoy.

wild mushroom, chèvre, dill flatbread

I don't even know where to begin with this one. I guess we could trace things back to an impulse buy at the farmers market last week: honey mushrooms. These guys were a bit of a splurge (when I say splurge I mean like $4 for ~10), but I'm really into mushrooms and have always wanted to buy a box from this lady's stand. So I did.

And I also got this really neat sort-of-cookbook when I was in New York over the holidays; It's called The Flavor Thesaurus by Niki Segnit. It's amaze and I'm really down with it 'cause I modify pretty much any recipe I get my hands on anyway, and this isn't so much a cookbook as it is an inspiration guide -- it's perfect. I think the most intriguing thing about cooking is all the surprising flavor combinations. Like, ok, would you expect avocado and coffee to pair well together? Having established itself in the savory realm, avocado's true roots are often forgotten; it's actually a fruit. In many Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines, avocado's thrown into a shake with condensed milk, sugar, and coffee or chocolate syrup. Learned that from the book. It's neat like that.

So, farmers market impulse buy in hand/fridge, I flipped through The Flavor Thesaurus to get some culinary inspiration. My eyes and stomach set on mushroom + dill. Both earthy flavors, dill pairs well with mushroom, but brings a more refreshing and crisp light to a dish. I imagined this would be perfect as a flatbread with the warm bread serving as the perfect platform for the mushroom + dill to show off a lil bit. Olive oil, garlic, goat cheese -- it was all coming together and I was practically salivating. And few things that I imagine actually come into fruition in 100% fulfillment of my original vision, but this did. This is exactly what I pictured it looking like, and it tasted exactly (if not better) than I'd hoped.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 4 oz. plain goat cheese
  • 4 large honey mushrooms
  • 12 beech mushrooms
  • small bundle enoki
  • 2 large pita/flatbreads (if you can, try getting fresh pita from a local bakery or middle eastern market/cafe)
  • applewood smoked sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper

OLIVE OIL DRESSING:

  • 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced in food processor
  • 1 tbs minced dill
  • dash of salt + pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In a small bowl, mix all the olive oil dressing stuff together well.

3. Using a pastry brush, brush olive oily goodness all over pitas. Toss 'em in the over for about 10 minutes while you continue to prep.

4. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté onions in leftover olive oil dressing. Once onion are tender (but not brown), put them in a bowl and let 'em hang out while you do work on the mushrooms.

5. Add just a little more olive oil to the skillet and toss in your honey mushrooms + beech mushrooms. The number of mushrooms you use doesn't have to be exact, but I offered my count for reference. Never be hesitant about more mushrooms. Ever. (Same with garlic.) Let the shrooms get tender and then toss in the enoki. The enoki are just lil guys, so they really don't need much time on the heat. Sprinkle a generous pinch of applewood smoked sea salt (I got some in the bulk herbs+spices section of my local health food store) and pepper over the pan, and remove from heat once everything's all tasty and tender. I'm not sure how long this is, but just sample a mushroom every few minutes near the end (another reason why having mushroom surplus is good).

6. Pop the pitas out of the over and spread about 2 oz. of goat cheese on each.

7. Top with a layer of the mushroom mix, then a layer of the sauteed onions. A couple sprigs of fresh dill on each tastes really good, too.

8. Put the pitas back in the oven for another 10 minutes.


LA FIN.

restaurant review: levant

It is very possible that this post is exactly one month after my actual dining experience.

(It is.)

On October 9th, I went to Portland, Or. for five days as a field trip for one of my classes, Sustainable Solutions for the Built Environment. Sure it sounds cool and fun and yay travel, but the $850 price tag was a bit of a buzz kill. I basically spent my entire first month of this semester fighting the department of Design, Construction and Planning trying to show the how unfair and classist it is to expect (read: demand) students to pay for such an expensive trip with little more than a week's notice. They said it was mandatory if I wanted to still be eligible for my Sustainability and the Built Environment minor...the one that I'd be getting in May, the one that I've already spent hundreds of dollars on and poured hours upon hours into. So basically, yeah they ran my up against the payment deadline and I was ultimately forced to pay to keep the minor I'd already worked so hard to get. Wow. That was extremely tangential. Yes, long story short: I was in Portland last month.

I figured since I was out there anyway, I'd make the absolute best of it. I did have a great time, and I treated myself to an amazing dinner at a French-Arabesque restaurant called Levant. Originally I'd made a reservation for just myself, but after one of scheduled sustainable business tours that day, this girl from my class came up to me and bashfully asked if she could join me for dinner. She'd heard that I was taking myself out for dinner that night and although I was looking forward to my solo date, I'm really happy she ended up tagging along. Unlike a bunch of the kids in my class who were generally very obnoxious, immature and loud, she was simple and pretty reserved. I warned her I was finna splurge on dinner; she was cool with it and was down to treat herself, too. We were in Portland so why not.

The atmosphere of Levant was sexy and cozy (in the same way a baggy ol' sweater is). Follow the open and impressive bar down and you'll find yourself toasting up in front of a grand wood-burning stove. The stove leads to the open, unconcealed kitchen area; I always like watching the cooks work on their art.

We started at the bar while waiting for our table to open up. Our impressively bearded, crisply dressed bartender handed us the cocktail list and I fell in love. The flavor profiles of some of their drinks looked insane. After much debate, I decided to order a Gin Rummy #2, an elegant and refreshing concoction made of hibiscus gin, light rum, black lime syrup, pineapple drinking vinegar and lime. Something that surprised me -- and I was definitely not expecting to be impressed by this -- was the ice cube that was used. It...I don't even know. It was a singular ice cube that resembled a miniature rugged boulder. It didn't seem like it even melted, and when it started to, it didn't make my drink any less smooth.

Other tempting cocktails were The Only Way Up (tarragon vodka, pamplemousse rose, creme de peche and lemon seltzer) and the Rabat Mule (genever, carrot reduction, lime and ginger beer).

The dinner menu was intriguing as well. I wish I could've tried everything, but alas. I decided to start with the shaved pear + celery salad, the delicate slivers tossed with savory za'atar (a spice mixture of sumac, toasted sesame seeds, thyme, marjoram and oregano popular in Middle Eastern cuisine) and a light sprinkle of hazelnut granola, dressed in a creamy shanklish cheese dressing. I went with our server's recommendation on this one and thoroughly enjoyed it. It could've used more celery, though. Too much pear made it a little too sweet and mono-textured; the thin slivers of celery were welcomed punctuation.

For my entree, I ordered the grilled sardine, which rested in pureed black olive and a small spicy roasted pepper salad. Presentation was beautiful, and the sardine was cooked to perfection, but over salted. Plus, it was incredibly difficult to eat around all those fine bones. Now, I don't know if that struggle was due to my inexperience eating smaller fish whole like this one. Very well could've been, and I'm sure there's some kind of pro-fish-eater trick to elegantly de-bone and dissect the thing....but, uh, I just kind of went for it. Good thing I wasn't on, like, a date or anything otherwise I'd have been lookin' real cute fishing bones out of my teeth and all. Lauren was chill with it though. Actually at this point we were both pretty tipsy from our drinks, we found my tableside dentistry quite hilarious. But lack of elegance aside, yes, the sardine overall: nice crackly, crispy skin, tender meat, too salty, should've been accompanied with a tiny side of rice to help mitigate the salt from the fish and the olive puree.

Ok, but let's talk dessert though. Lauren was stuffed from the creamy ras al hanout hubbard squash soup and eastern spiced fried game hen (served with warm Turkish hummus, spicy preserved lemon, and collard greens lightly drizzled in honey) she ordered, but I talked her into sharing dessert with me. "C'mon, it's goat cheese and I'll buy." The honey whipped goat labneh accompanied an airy ginger molasses cake and a few slices of Moscato roasted figs. It was heavenly. The cake was perfect and not too sweet. It was light and served with the perfect amount of goat labneh, which is basically a thick goat cheese/yogurt spread. Behold:

Our evening out was a huge success; it's incredible how happy food, good company and good vibes makes me. Oh, wait...that gin rummy, too. True. yeah that was incredible. I'd say that and the dessert were the highlights. Lauren's soup was delectable, too. Perfect way to forget how the chilly the night outside was. I think it's entirely fine (slash necessary) to treat yourself like this from time to time. Man, I deserve this. Plus, even just seeing their menu inspired me to experiment with different spices, flavor and texture combinations when I cook at home. I'd never tried French-Arabesque cuisine before and the food, the service -- attentive, knowledgeable and well-prepared to answer all my questions, unobtrusive yet friendly -- and the atmosphere all swept me off my feet for the night. I'd definitely recommend Levant for a special occasion or intimate dinner, or a solo date. Because -- as I reason many things -- why freaking not.

Levant

2248 East Burnside

Portland, Oregon

97214

www.levantpdx.com

food + dessert menu

cocktail list + beer

"that kale salad"

Happy National Kale Day! Ok, so the celebration may be a bit premature since it's not officially a holiday yet. But some quality people are proposing it as one. How do you even propose to create a national holiday anyway? And who's on the board who decides which pass? (And also, who's on the Merriam-Webster board deciding what's "a word" and what's not? These are conversations I want to hear.)

Not that I need an excuse to eat kale, but I'll take it. And in honor of this great day, I've finally decided to document my kale salad recipe. A lot of my friends have asked for it, and I kind of just mumble through how I make it while actually making it for them, but I've never actually written it down. They also ask me how/why I eat this every other day of the week. But oh you'll see why. It's super tasty, wholesome and slyly nutritious. And there are a lot of ways to jazz it up, too. Even if you don't like kale, don't really "get" it or don't know what it is or have any other cognitive disconnect as to why this shouldn't be in your weekly -- if not daily -- diet, just try it.

INGREDIENTS (enormous single serving or two normal-appetited-people servings):

  • 2 leaves of kale (green, red, or dino -- s'all good)
  • 3-4 tbs nutritional yeast
  • tuft of sprouts (I used clover, but alfalfa, broccoli or any other kind is fine, too)
  • 2 tbs dried cranberries
  • 1/3 c cubed seared tempeh (see sauce recipe below)
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tbs raw flaxseeds
  • 1 tbs raw hemp seeds
  • 1 tbs raw sunflower seeds
  • 1 tbs raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 c grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
  • couple of avocado slices
  • salt+pepper to taste

OPTIONAL STUFF

  • 1/4 c raw shredded beet
  • sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese
  • tofu instead of tempeh

THE SAUCE (i highly recommend this as your go-to sautee)

  • Stir this all up together:
  • 2 tbs soy sauce
  • 1 tbs chinese vinegar (brand: chinkiang. looks like this)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • drizzle of honey
  • drizzle of sriracha
  • pinch of red pepper flakes

Some cool factoids about all these seeds:

Flax: rich in omega-3s, protein and antioxidants

Chia: satiating, also rich in omega-3s, protein and antioxidants

Sunflower: vitamin E and magnesium

Pumpkin: produce serotonin (ie makes you happy!), protein rich

Hemp: lotta protein, all 9 essential amino acids

Ok, so to actually make the salad:

1. Start off with the prepping the tempeh and get that searing. Cut tempeh into 1 inch squares -- not too thick, but about half the width of a typical tempeh block.

2. In a frying pan, sizzle garlic in a little olive oil while you mix and marinate the tempeh in the sauce.

DSC_0806.JPG

3. Toss the tempeh into the pan and sear 'em on both sides. While you're waiting for them to cook you can throw together the salad.

4. Before washing the kale leaves, cut into strips. They don't have to be very thin or anything, just whatever's a manageable size to eat.

5. In a colander, wash the kale as you massage it. Yes, massage the kale. Really well, like get some deep tissue shiatsu massage up in there. This is important to soften up the kale and make it more benevolent since raw kale can be tough.

6. In a large bowl, mix all salad ingredients (including olive oil) except the avocado. Best way to do this is to just get dirty and use your hands. Make sure they're clean, but yeah, go ahead and really mix it well with your hands.

7. [don't forget you've got that tempeh on the stove still!]

8. Put your salad in a cool bowl and dot it with the tempeh and those avocado slices.

And that's the kale salad I eat like errday. You have been enlightened and you're welcome.

waddamelon fedda mint

I realize watermelon's a summer thing and fall technically began on Sept. 22nd, but as far as I'm concerned, it ain't nowhere near fall yet. I'm still breaking a sweat walking outdoors and I've yet to spend an extensive period of time sprawled over my bed nostalgically staring out the window at leaf carcasses cascading to the tune of Bon Iver*. Guilty. I am indeed excited for such autumnalities. And yes I just made up "autumnalities" to henceforth mean "all things autumn." It's a subjective word.

      *or variations thereof. (but seriously, check that out and save it for a sub-65° day.)

So, yes, summer it shall [still] be. And to further challenge the calendar's declaration of autumn, Trader Joe's is still selling watermelon, so watermelon I will buy. And did.

I'd heard of this watermelon/mint/feta combination before, but had never tried it and wanted so badly to change that. So, I did and here's how:

INGREDIENTS (single serving):

  • 2 c. cubed watermelon
  • handful of arugula
  • 1/4 c. feta (sheep's milk feta would be awesome, I imagine)
  • 7ish chopped fresh mint leaves

HONEY BALSAMIC DRESSING:

  • 1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tbs. olive oil
  • 1/2 tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp honey
  • light dash salt
  • pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1. Lay down a thin bed of arugula.

2. In a separate bowl, toss watermelon cubes and chopped mint in dressing.

3. Dump that all on the arugula, sprinkle with feta. Drizzle any extra dressing over arugula to distribute the flavors.

MIX IT UP + DEVOUR. SUMMER UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.





breakfast bellas

First of all, please take note of the time at which I am posting this. And I ate these delicious things only, like, an hour ago. So, don't let that "breakfast" part hold you back from making this right now.

BREAKFAST IS ANY TIME YOU WANT IT.

This is important to understand before moving on.

Great, so what we're dealing with here is some pepper-stuffed portabella mushroom caps.

They're super easy, healthy, filling and you can really stuff 'em with whatever you want.

Have fun with it.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 portabella mushroom caps
  • 1 sprig o' spring onion
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 c. chopped mixed bell peppers
  • 1/2 c. chopped sweet onion
  • garlic powder
  • fresh finely chopped rosemary (or play around with other herbs like oregano)
  • salt + pepper to taste

1. Wash those mushroom caps real well, get all the cow manure off, etc. Then, gently pluck off the           stems. (ok, aren't you surprised by how little room there actually is in a mushroom cap? I was, too.)

2. Toss 'em in the oven on a parchment paper or aluminum foil-coated baking skeet and let them hang out at 250° you prep the filling.

3. Sauté onions in olive oil until mostly clear, add peppers and keep on sautéing. Season with salt, pepper and herbs.

4. Layer the sautéed veggies onto the mushroom caps. Make sure the caps aren't bursting with filling because you'll need room for the showstoppa, which brings me to...

5. CRACK AN EGG ON EACH OF THEM MUSHROOM CAPS. Careful the egg white doesn't spill off the cap. I propped one side of my mushroom up using a piece of its disembodied stem so the yolk would stay in the middle.

6. Crank up the oven to 350° and come back in 20 minutes to this:

DSC_0794.jpg

And then 20 more minutes later, you're posted up with

some serious post-bella belly.

Remedy:

unbuckle belt

unzip pants

read/internet/write/draw

(REMAIN SEDENTARY)