Category: Food Talk

The Grain Bowl of Your Dreams

Lauren5 Comments

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Bon Appétit regularly posts this picture and in what I can only assume is an act of pure cruelty, the link takes you to a recipe for some Turmeric-Tahini dressing and NOT to a recipe for that delectable-looking grain bowl.  Why, Bon Appétit, WHY?  Well last week, I took a closer look at that grain bowl and decided I could probably do it up myself.  And guys, I gotta say, I think I nailed it!

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We made this salad the week before (which, for the record, is phenomenal and will be in regular rotation from now on), so we had leftovers of both the lemon dressing and the tahini that came in really handy for said grain bowl.  Basically, it went like this.

  • Cook wild rice and mix it with a few tablespoons of lemon dressing
  • De-rib and finely chop a head of lacinato kale, then massage with lemon dressing
  • Roast two sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper
  • Pan-fry some slices of halloumi cheese
  •  Assemble bowl with rice, kale, sweet potatoes, cheese, a handful of sunflower seeds, a sprinkle of parsley (though next time I’ll use dill) and a generous drizzle of tahini

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In other news, an alternate title for this post would be: WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME ABOUT HALLOUMI CHEESE?!  It tastes like Muenster, but saltier and non-melting, so you can actually grill/pan-fry slices of it until golden brown.  I mean, it’s also NOT cheap.  But for special occasions, like a Wednesday night, ya know?  Life as we know it has now changed.

So what do you think, Bon Appétit, am I hired? 🙂

First Anniversary Trip: Portland

Lauren7 Comments

PORTLAND!  Oh my gosh, Portland.

I can’t think of a better way to impress upon you my excitement for Portland than to tell you that I seriously COULDN’T SLEEP the night before.  Like a kid on Christmas, guys!  Oh and also the fact that I bookmarked the ish out of Bridgetown (<– Portland’s nickname due to the fact that it has SEVEN bridges crossing the Williamette River, which runs through the city).  I mean we only had one full day there and I had about 40 restaurants, coffee shops, parks and donuteries (if that’s not already a word is should be) bookmarked on Yelp, so maybe that was kind of unrealistic but I couldn’t help myself.

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We drove in late Wednesday night, let ourselves into our ADORABLE Airbnb apartment, ate a slice each of red velvet cake (priorities, people) and crashed into bed so that we could not sleep all night because of Portland excitement wake up and start exploring Portland right away!  First things first, breakfast!

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We hit up Bröder Nord and as soon as we stepped in the door we were hit straight in the face with restaurant décor magic.  We’re talking wooden birdcage structures, bright yellow bar stools, white subway tile, a giant mirror.  It shouldn’t have worked, but it absolutely did.  Then I gently coerced Joey into ordering a Bloody Mary so I could taste it.  I’ll be honest I ordered a baked egg scramble that I mostly dug through to find the pockets of goat cheese in.  It was so unseasoned.  But… Joey’s Lost Eggs were so creamy and flavorful.  So what I’m really trying to say is that Joey won the breakfast round that day (and probably every day).Read More »