Shake it.

For better or for worse, Graham's Pharmacy is located right around the corner of my new office. In addition to pharmaceutical needs, they have fun gifts, chic home goods and great kitchenware. But the real draw (or problem, depending on your perspective) is the lunch counter: that's right a real-deal lunch counter complete with stools and...






...hand-dipped malts and snakes! (Even peanut butter!) Hot fudge sundaes! Banana splits! And...






...spicy pimento cheese sandwiches served on toast with lettuce, pickles and Miracle Whip. It is so good, I could eat it every day. How do the make it spicy? I'm not sure, but I needed a treat today, so I indulged with both. Otherwise, I try and forget the place even exists.

More in this article from 2010.

Location:Midland, TX

Carbo Loading

I guess I was starving today when I hit the HEB to pick up a few things, because I kept being drawn to the carbs. It's been great to shop at one of their stores again and the Midland location has great produce, some of the Central Market products (pasta sauce, Italian sodas, good butter, etc.), a health section, amazing bulk selection (dark chocolate pistachios?) and a wonderful beer and wine market. Cheeses? About anything you could want!


Today I found fresh garlic naan (they had plain too) in the bakery...


And crepes (pronounce it 'kreps' to sound snooty après moi) in the refrigerator section. Amazing. They had stacks of plain ones you could buy for making a variety of desserts or main dishes, plus rolled and filled ones in four or five sweet and savory variations.


I chose the cheese and blueberry as a Sunday treat. I'm not cooking very much, but I'm eating alright thanks to HEB. Love it.

Cool Off

I usually prefer a glass of red wine, but when the temperature sores, I want something...cooler. A nice chilled white. With a few cubes of ice? I know, not classy, right? But, think...again.

Have you ever tried New Age white? If you have, you may have thought, "This is like Riesling on steroids!" But, if you drink it the way the Argentinians do, it is the perfect summer refresher: pour it over ice and add a squeeze of lime. WHAT?! It's true and it's delicious. New Age white is slightly effervescent and the lime is the perfect contrast to the wine. Honestly.

It's called a 'Tincho' after the man who, thankfully, invented it. The 'cocktail' is low in alcohol, slightly fizzy and absolutely refreshing. It was a summer favorite when we lived in Austin and I was happy to find it at the store here in Midland. Cheers!

Around Midland

Well, if you haven't heard, bigYELLOWbowl is now the hottest food blog in Midland, TX. In fact, it may be the only food blog in Midland, TX! Contrary to perception, there is more to eat out here than Tex-Mex. I got to explore a couple of places this past weekend and look forward to all there is to eat around town...





Several people had recommended El Burrito, especially for breakfast, so I gave it a shot on Friday. I will start out by saying: don't go here for the coffee. It's your basic bad diner variety, but other than that: the food is delicious! The chilaquiles were amazing and honestly enough for two people. The surprise was the cheesy potatoes that came on the side--odd, but very yummy.



Next door to El Burrito is Tony's Bakery where we picked up a couple of sugar cookies and were offered three different varieties of Danish, hot from the oven. If I hadn't been stuffed full of chilaquiles, I definitely would ha e ordered one because they smelled amazing.



I also got to try Jersey Girl Pizza in Odessa, which had also been recommended by a variety of people. They have a wonderful variety of toppings and the crust was superb, but there was a little too much cheese for it to have that true New York-style taste. Delicious nonetheless. In fact, a couple of leftover slices in the fridge will probably be lunch!

There is always more to eat! And I'll be sure and tell you all about it...

Recipe: Cottage Cheese Pancakes

I guess the first question is: who thought to put cottage cheese in pancakes? Well honestly, who thought of anything? And if it's delicious, why does it matter? I think it was my friend Stephanie who first served them to me, using a recipe her father had served her during a recovery from an especially debilitating illness. They were delicious and the cottage cheese adds a certain something to the pancakes.

This recipe, based on one from Martha Stewart, is what I made for breakfast on Saturday morning along with some Tofurkey breakfast links which I hadn't tried, but particularly enjoyed. I suggest you Mix up your regular pancake recipe and try these!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup low-fat (1 percent) cottage cheese
2/3 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 teaspoons vegetable oil
Directions:

1. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir in cottage cheese, milk, egg whites, and vanilla.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium. Working in batches, drop cottage cheese mixture by 1/4 cupfuls into pan (2 or 3 at a time).

3. Cook until bottoms are set and tops have small bubbles, about 1 minute. Turn pancakes and cook until just firm in the center, 1 to 3 minutes more. Repeat, using remaining 3 teaspoons oil for the other batches.

Veggie Pimento Cheese Burger of the Gods

I have been busy updating my recipe files with the Paprika app for iPad. I have had my Precious for about a year and Paprika is one of the best apps I have bought, turning my already amazing iPad into the most impressive recipe box ever. It 'swipes' recipes from most of the major sites, including photos. Once you have the recipe in Paprika, you can edit it easily, email to a friend or add it to your shopping list--which automatically adds the ingredients to a list, which again you can modify. Amazing. I love it.

Four large binders of copies of recipes from magazines? Gone.

Stack of old magazines I hadn't had time to photocopy? Donated to the Library book sale.

Going through all of the recipes was also great because I found some things I wanted to make and ideas for other meals and dishes. Case in point: Pimento Cheese Veggie Burger. What? I mentioned this to my friend John and he said, "Yes, I put pimento cheese on everything." And well he should. I've made sandwiches out of it, filled celery with it, spread it on every manner of cracker and used it in grilled cheese. Why NOT a pimento cheese burger? So when I made some p.c. to take to a friends house on Saturday night, I held a little back for just that very experiment.

Why not a pimento cheese burger before now is really the question, because it is one of the best things I have ever eaten. It goes like this: a little bit of mayo on the bun (I'm really not a mayo on a burger type of guy, but it does go perfectly with the p.c.), some bread and butter pickle slices, a couple of pieces of veggie bacon for smoky crunch, your favorite veggie patty cooked to perfection and smothered with a big dollop of pimento cheese that melts all down the sides of the burger. It. Is. Heaven.

Whether you make the p.c. or buy it, I don't care. Just try this and thank me.

Recipe: Pimento Cheese Spread (redux)
Research and experimentation continues, but here is my latest suggestion for pimento cheese spread, perfect as an appetizer or on the pimento cheese burger, as above. (Yes, I purposely shaped the pimento cheese to look like my home state of Oklahoma. Why not?)

1/4 lb. cream cheese, softened
4 oz. jar pimentos, drained with liquid reserved
1/2 cup mayo or Miracle Whip
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. rice vinegar (or other low-acid vinegar)
1-2 tsp. reserved pimento liquid, as needed
Couple of dashes of hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. sharp cheddar, grated
8 oz. Monterey Jack, grated

Combine the mayo and cream cheese in a big yellow bowl, using an electric mixer or by hand, mix until well-blended. Add the sugar through salt and pepper, combine until well-mixed. Add the cheeses and mix by hand until well combined. Serve and enjoy!

Mangez!

Our Lord Seitan

I've been trying to make a good seitan at home for years now. I've tried a variety of recipes, mixes and techniques. I wanted something that could be used in different applications, had a good flavor and, most importantly, the perfect texture. For me the target has always been the seitan White Wave used to have in the freezer section that is no longer available. I think I about have it down and several people who have tried (or heard) of my homemade seitan have asked for the recipe. So, I'm going to put it all down here--or attempt to. If you try it, please let me know how the instructions read and how the variations work for you. I'd love any feedback.

Recipe: Basic Seitan
This is a basic recipe, but there are two different textural variations and a myriad of seasoning options. Pick and choose what you would enjoy.

Basic ingredients:
1 16 oz. can chickpeas, drained and well-rinsed
2 tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil
2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup vegetable broth (use chicken-flavored bouillon if you have it. or even beef-flavored is good.)
4 tbsp. soy sauce (I generally use Tamari in the kitchen, but here use a classic, basic soy sauce. You'll notice there isn't any additional salt, so all it comes from the soy and vegetable broth.)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tsp. liquid smoke (Optional, but the liquid smoke adds a very savory component.)

Seasoning variations

You can use a few of the following. When I'm making it, I consider what the end recipe will be and include those same flavorings in the seitan. If I'm going to do something simple with it, like make fried chicken or chicken salad, I'll just use poultry seasoning or thyme. Maybe lemon zest? If I'm going to do something Asian, I'd probably use all sesame oil (instead of half olive half sesame as above), ginger and the garlic powder. It's up to you!

1 tsp. of paprika
1 tsp. onion and/or garlic powder
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 crushed red pepper
1 tbsp. tomato paste
Freshly ground black pepper

Textural variations:

For a more tender seitan you can shred to make pulled 'pork' or Korean BBQ, use the first one. For a firmer seitan you want to dice or fry, use the second. Yes, I bread and fry this like conventional fried chicken in a giant, cast-iron skillet. And, just like its real-life counterpart, it's so good the next day, cold out of the fridge.

Tender
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten*
Firmer
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 3/4 cup vital wheat gluten

Putting it all together

This may seem like a lot of work, but honestly, you can have this cooking on stove in a matter of minutes once you get all of your ingredients together. The trick? Food processor. Or as they say en français, robot coupe!

1. Heat a large pot with water and fitted with a steamer on high until it's steaming, then turn down to medium. Cover.
2. Tear off four sheets of aluminum foil, about square in shape.

3. In a food processor, combine all of your ingredients from the garbanzo beans through whatever seasoning you decide to use. Pulse, then run the processor until everything is very smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl once.

4. Add the combination of nutritional yeast and vital wheat gluten that you're using, then pulse until it comes together and a dough forms.

5. Turn the dough out onto a cutting board and divide into four pieces. Knead each for two to three minutes, making sure all of the ingredients are well combined. After kneading each piece, gently pull it apart, knead it back together, and pull it apart. This helps the gluten to form and really improve the texture. I made a short video, because I'm not sure I can explain this technique very well. Tell me how you would?

6. Wrap each piece of seitan in foil tightly, folding the ends over each piece. Place in the pot, cover and steam for 40 minutes, turning once about halfway. Remove from heat and let cool.
7. You can use the seitan immediately, and if you are going to shred it with a couple of forks, it's easiest to do while it's still warm. But, the flavor and texture does improve from it cooling completely and resting in the fridge overnight.

And that my friends, is making seitan!

*I prefer Bob's Red Mill. I have tried other brands, but this is really the best.

John's Red Sauce

I have been cleaning out a little and finding all kinds of treasures such as old photos, cards from friends and...hand scrawled recipes! Including John's red sauce which I think I wrote down as he was making several years ago at the lakehouse to use in lasagna. Pretty tasty, the flavor just gets better as it simmers!

Recipe: John's Red Sauce
Olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
3 tbsp. garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 tbsp. dried basil
1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
2, 28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz. can chunky-style crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 tbsp. vinegar

Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onion is softened. Add the red pepper, basil and oregano, simmer for a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes and vinegar. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Season with salt and pepper; taste and adjust.

Delicious.

Cake!

For my birthday, my mom made two cakes: a hummingbird cake and a chocolate layer cake. Imagine my surprise when she cut into the chocolate cake and it was checkered! Lovely and delicious. Mom said she wanted a cake pan like this when she was younger, but never got one. She saw one in a catalog and decided it would be a lot of fun. She was right!

Yummy! And three candles for health, wealth and happiness...

Sriracha Glazed Seitan

There are a lot of different stories about what inspired sriracha sauce, what culture it comes from and what the rooster on the bottle means. Bottom line? Who cares! It's yummy and I, like a lot of people, love it on everything from scrambled eggs to pad thai, pizza to okra. I tweaked this recipe by using my homemade seitan and a couple of additions to the glaze. It is spicy, slightly sweet and was delicious served with some brown rice and a little steamed broccoli.

Recipe: Sriracha-Glazed Seitan
For the glaze:
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. Sriracha sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. grated ginger
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
1 clove garlic, finely minced

Combine all in a small bowl, whisk together. Toss with 1 lb. chicken-style seitan, cut into larger pieces and let marinade for 30-minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Turn the seitan into a large, glass baking dish so that it fits in one layer. Bake until the seitan begins to brown and the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking.

Pea Pesto, Please

When you say pesto, I think, "basil." But, pesto comes from the Italian for 'to pound or to crush,' so a pesto can actually have any manner of ingredients and still fit the definition. Including peas and walnuts! This recipe couldn't be easier or more delicious, but I do think that peas and pasta is one of those perfect pairings. Here, I kept it vegan by using olive oil and omitting any cheese. A little nutritional yeast adds a savory component and I entreat you to use as much freshly ground black pepper as you can stand--the bite of the pepper brings out the sweetness of the peas. If you cook your peas in the microwave, you can have a sauce ready in the time it takes to cook the penne.

Recipe: Pea and Walnut Pesto
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas
3 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup olive oil
1 pound penne

Cook peas according to package directions in the microwave. In the meantime, cook pasta to al dente, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water before draining. In a food processor, combine the garlic and walnuts, processing until finely chopped. Add the peas, nutritional yeast, olive oil and process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Gently toss pasta with pea mixture, adding a little water to smooth the sauce as you toss.

Enjoy!

4-6 servings.

Hey Pumpkin!

We went for a little cookout at Stephanie's tonight and she sent us home with this great pumpkin from her garden. Now, what to do with it? Any suggestions?

Korean BBQ Tacos

Let's be clear: I have never eaten a taco off an LA taco truck. When I was 'eating Los Angeles' in May, I thought about trying to track one down, but most aren't that veggie friendly. And if you were following, it was obvious I didnt have trouble finding something to eat in California. But, I have read about them. And the Twitter phenomenon that has been their making. But, I haven't eaten a taco off an LA taco truck.

We barely even have tacos in Indiana!

But, I wanted to try one of those delicious Korean BBQ tacos, spicy and sweet with a cool crisp pickle or kimchee to balance the filling. Solution? Make it! There are recipes floating all over the web, so I read a couple and went from there.


Step one: I made my own seitan. I've been working on this recipe for a while and variations on it. For this version, I made it a little softer so in could pull it apart with a fork after it cooked and it would be ready for the sauce. I also used Asian flavorings so it would be suited for the BBQ.*


Step two: make the sauce. The key ingredient to the sauce is gochujang, which is one of the classic Korean condiments. It's a red pepper sauce that is fermented, so it brings a depth and sweetness to the dish that other hot sauces would not. And the heat is in the back! Whew. Other than finding the red pepper sauce, the ingredients are pretty simple, but the together...something out of this world.

Recipe: Korean BBQ Sauce
2 tablespoons Korean fermented hot pepper paste (gochujang)
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Asian toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients in a small measuring cup, whisk to combine. You can use sugar instead of the agave, but make sure it dissolves completely. The agave does add a slightly richer dimension, in my opinion, Or you might try brown sugar?

Step three: make the pickle. Or you could buy it. Maybe a jar of kimchee? But, I just combined one English cucumber, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced with a shredded Napa cabbage. Add enough rice vinegar (unseasoned), a little sugar and some salt. Stir to combine and let chill for about an hour. This is a Mildred type of recipe, but you really can't go wrong. You just want something cool and crisp to contrast with the BBQ.







Step four: cook the BBQ. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat with about two tablespoons of oil. Add about 12 ounces of shredded seitan and cook until it begins to brown and turn crispy. Remove from the heat and turn down the stove, add the BBQ sauce and return to the heat, stirring until all the pieces are coated and gooey. Deliciously gooey.


Step five: warm up the corn tortillas, fill with the BBQ and top with the pickle, Enjoy!

*I'll get a recipe written for this eventually, but it is still kind of in development.

Tamales!

There has been long talk amongst our friends about tamales--how much we loved them, how hard it was to make them and when we would have them again at a restaurant or purchased from the store. We talked about that big tamale party we would have and how our freezers would be filled to the brim with tamales ripe for the picking. A lot of talk!


But, on one of out recent trips to Bloomington, Ellie bought a tamale cookbook by Daniel Hoyer filled with detailed instructions, plenty of photos and great recipes. So, it was on. The Caldwells gathered the supplies and began the preparation, then we all pitched in filling and rolling the little packets, drinking sangria and eating chips to stave off hunger while the tamales steamed. But it was worth it! Delicious. We made one with a tomato salsa, chicken-style seitan and black beans. The second ones were filled with roasted poblanos, fresh sweet corn and queso fresca. Amazing. Worth it and a lot of fun!

Peas, Please

Saturday at the farmer's market was all about the green: asparagus, broccoli and shell peas. I'm not sure what I'll do with the asparagus and broccoli, but I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the peas: pasta.

Guilano Hazan's new cookbook, Thirty Minute Pasta: 100 quick and easy recipes, is filled with wonderful recipes and ideas for pasta. Think you've made every pasta imaginable? Think you have already tossed everything you can toss with noodles? Think again.

The idea for the peas with pasta is simplicity embodied: cook an onion; add some peas; puree half of the mixture; add back to the peas with some pasta water; and finally toss with the pasta. I made this recipe during the winter with frozen peas and it was delicious, but making it with fresh peas took the pasta to a whole new level.

Since there is no butter, cheese, citrus or other flavors, the sweet, green essence of the peas really sings a magnificent solo. The only thing you need is salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper, which provides the perfect contrast to the peas. A drizzle of olive oil over the finished dish? Delizioso!

Peanut Butter Gelato

It's summer, so time to break out the ice cream maker! Since it was a friend's birthday, I decided to inaugurate the season with a classic devil's food cake layered with peanut butter frosting and covered in a chocolate gaze. Not rich enough for you? How about a scoop of peanut butter gelato on the side? Said friend loves the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, so I tried to create the ultimate "your chocolate fell into my peanut butter, your peanut butter got on my chocolate" moment.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Gelato
2 cups of whole milk
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup sugar

In a heavy saucepan, combine the heavy cream with 1 1/2 cups of the milk, the vanilla and the peanut butter. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring with a whisk until the peanut butter melts and the mixture begins to steam. Meanwhile, in a small yellow bowl, combine the other 1/2 cup of milk with the sugar and cornstarch, stir until smooth.

Once the peanut butter milk mixture begins to boil, add the cornstarch mixture and continue to stir over heat until it has thickened--about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the peanut butter mixture to a heat proof container, let cool and continue to stir. Once it is cool enough, cover with plastic wrap (with the plastic wrap touching the top of the mixture) and place in the refrigerator to chill, preferable overnight.

You can skip this step, but if you want the smoothest gelato possible, pass the mixture through a fine, mesh sieve once it is completely chilled, but before you freeze it. Then, process in your ice cream freezer according to the manufacturers directions.

Cherry Chomper!

It's my favorite season--cherry season! And while I already own a cherry/olive pitter, I may just have to double up and own two, because this Cherry Chomper is too cute to resist.

Breakfast Tacos Live

This morning after our first visit to the Terre Haute farmer's market this season (broccoli, shell peas & asparagus), we stopped at the house and made some breakfast tacos with egg, veggie bacon and FRENCH FRIES. That's right, y'all. Perhaps they aren't standard Austin BTs, but after the French fries in the tacos in San Diego, I'm much more open. And what are fries, but crispy potatoes? Why not?! Try it, you'll thank me.

Eating California (Final Wrap)

Oh, I'm still reeling from all of the wonderful food I had in California! I finished up the conference with a couple of great eats, then continued the trip with friends in Long Beach, but we ventured into LA and Pasadena, eating as we went.








The last night of the conference, I went to an event at the Hammer Museum at UCLA. They have a great collection, wonderful space and threw a fabulous party. There were multiple stations of food around the courtyard and all of it was catered by Wolfgang Puck's. One table featured only tomatoes: a large plate of tomato Caprese with a mixture of delicious heirloom varieties; a shooter of tomato bisque topped with a dollop of savory whipped cream; and a refreshing scoop of tomato basil sorbet. It was all amazing!








Breakfast the last morning was at the Original Pantry downtown, open and serving since 1924 or something like that. It has a lot of charm, with vintage signs and the cashier in a little cage. And the buckwheat pancakes were amazing. Plus, they keep the coffee coming.









The first night in Long Beach was Thai, fresh and delicious. We followed the meal with yogurt and donuts. Well, I had yogurt. How many donut shops are there in souther California? Thousands. How do they stay in business?








Real Food Daily has been serving up organic, vegan cuisine since the 1990s and has several locations in the LA area. We had dinner at the West Hollywood locale and really enjoyed everything, from the nachos to homestyle seitan smothered in gravy. My only complaint--I don't like my hot and cold foods to be on the same plate. I know, picky.



























Dinner Saturday night on Long Beach was at Number Nine, a fantastic little Vietnamese place that was modern, chic and delicious. Loved the bahn mi and the noodles. It was so good and I'd be there every night if it were around the corner from me!

We also revisited several delicious places from last year, especially for breakfast and brunch. I ended everything I ate and can't wait for my next trip to California!

First Market Trip

Last Saturday we went to Bloomington, IN with friends to go to the farmer's market, hit Farm Bloomington for brunch and of course pop into Target. There were so many delicious things at the market! I bought baby squash, baby sweet potatoes, salad greens, asparagus, tomatoes and cherries.

I made a delicious market salad with some of the produce...

...and used some of leftovers for a 'hippie' lunch with tofu and quinoa.

So very glad summer (and cherry season!) is here. And also happy to have friends who like to shop, eat and cook.