Spicy Avocado Hummus

August 14, 2018 Allie

We are definitely at peak avocado, right? It's that moment just before everyone declares they are OVER IT and we move onto the next trendy ingredient. What are we going to blame next for Millennial debt?*

Until we all collectively decide that avocado was the Quiche of the Twenty-Tens, we still have to deal with the prices. Sometimes my Whole Foods will run deals on avocados, but usually they fall somewhere between $1-$2 each. This is fine if I'm buying an avocado to garnish my nachos or my grain bowl, but if it's going to be the star of the show, like say, in a guacamole, that high price tag starts to hurt a little more. And then there is also the part where apparently our avo obsessions are driving the Monarch butterflies to extinction. More food guilt, yay.

Have you met my friend the chickpea, though? He's truly a wonder: full of protein, fiber, and vitamins, and running at the low, low cost of less than $2 per pound.

And, a new superpower I recently discovered is the chickpea's ability to seamlessly blend in with a couple of avocados to create a smooth, creamy, hummus/guac hybrid dip that is only made better with the addition of roasted jalapeno.

So, if you generally like having money in your wallet and pretty butterflies, can I recommend a cheaper, spicy, avocado-full crowd pleaser that you could serve at your next Summer party? It's amazing on your standard hummus friends like carrots and celery, and equally tasty on some homemade tortillas lightly fried into chips.

Ok, that last combo is actually incredibly addictive, so proceed with caution.

*Just FYI, take a look at my avocado expenditures and compare them to my rent expenditures and my student loan payments, and I promise you, the reason I can't afford to buy a home has nothing to do with my snack choices.

Spicy Avocado Hummus

1 cup dried chickpeas
2 tsp baking soda
1 clove garlic, grated (about 1/2 tsp)
2 tsp kosher salt + more to taste
2 avocados, halved and pitted
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, roasted and peeled
1 tbs cilantro

Soak chickpeas for at least 4 hours or overnight, with 1 tsp of the baking soda and enough water to cover.
Drain the chickpeas, then transfer to a large pot and cook with remaining 1 tsp baking soda and enough water to cover the chickpeas by 4 inches. Cook at a simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until chickpeas are very soft. Drain and cool.
Blend all remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor until creamy. Add chickpeas and pulse until fully blended. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with assorted veggies and chips for dipping!

A Birthday Cake for Harry

July 31, 2018 Allie

Happy Birthday Harry Potter!

Excuse me while my nerd flag flies high, but I love any excuse to stress bake a cake, and when I realized a certain fictional wizard's birthday was coming up, I decided to get a little whimsical. July 31st, aka, today, is the Chosen One's birthday, and why not recreate the cake Hagrid gave him for his 11th birthday? Mushed appearance and sausage links included too!

It feels extra fun to celebrate this year, with more than just a Snapchat filter, because this September is also the 20-year anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone being released in the US. So in honor of that, enjoy this version of the "sticky chocolate cake" from the book!

(I know the movie version was way more aesthetically attractive with its pink frosting and wacky spelling, but I'm going with the book description today. Maybe I'll make that other version in 2021.)

Devils Food Cake

Adapted from Bravetart. Makes one, two-layer, 6-inch cake. This is the easiest chocolate cake ever. It all comes together in one pot, no special equipment necessary.

For the cake:

1 1/2 sticks butter
3/4 cup strong black tea, such as Assam (see note)
1/2 cup dutch process cocoa
3 oz good quality dark chocolate
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tbs vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 eggs + 3/4 oz egg yolks (about 1 1/2 tbs)
1 cup flour
1/2 tbs baking soda

For the Chocolate Ganache frosting:

1 1/2 cup heavy cream
10 oz milk chocolate
1/8 tsp kosher salt

For any written decoration (optional)

2 tbs softened butter
3/8 cup powdered sugar, sifted
splash of vanilla extract
food color of choice

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 6-inch cake pans with parchment and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large pot, combine the butter and black tea over low heat. When the butter is melted, remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate and the cocoa powder, then the brown sugar, vanilla, and kosher salt. Stir in the eggs and the yolks, then sift in the the flour and baking soda. Combine thoroughly, then divide between the two cake pans.
Bake for 25-28 minutes, until cakes pull away from the edges of the pans a bit and a toothpick or skewer inserted into the cakes come out with only a few crumbs. Cool the cakes in the pans completely, then turn out and level tops as needed.
When cakes are completely cool, make the frosting. Heat the heavy cream in another pot over medium heat until steaming and starting to bubble. Place the chopped milk chocolate in the bowl of a stand mixer and pour the cream over top. Whisk until smooth and chocolate is melted, then whisk in the salt. Set aside until cooled a bit, then cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours, or until mixture reaches 45 degrees. You can also set the bowl in an ice bath for an hour, stirring occasionally. When frosting is cooled to desired temperature, whip with the whisk attachment on medium-high, about 75-120 seconds, until thick and fluffy like frosting. Use immediately.
Frost cake as desired. If writing any messages on cake, beat together butter and powdered sugar, add vanilla and stir to combine. Color as desired, and transfer to a piping bag or ziploc bag. Cut off the tip and pipe away! Serve cake immediately, or keep at room temperature, covered, for up to one day, and sliced, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature for up to four days.

Notes:

You can use strong coffee in the place of the tea. The original recipe called for either, and I went with the tea because unlike coffee, I always have some in my house, and also, tea felt more British, in honor of Harry.

Pacific Coast Road Trip!

July 20, 2018 Allie

A few weeks ago I took a little road trip! Well, I'm not sure what the definition of "little" is but it was about 6 days and 24 total hours of driving, so whatever that works out to.

Almost three years ago my mom and I drove from LA to SF together, and on that trip we got to wondering what driving from the other direction would be like, if Seattle to SF would be as fun or as beautiful. I had to be in Seattle for a conference in June, so I decided we should finally find out! She flew out to Seattle, where we spent a bit of time before driving down to Portland, then through the Willamette Valley, over to the coast, south for a bit, back in to Crater Lake, back out to the coast, and finally down through Northern CA to SF. Our zig zagging route wasn't exactly efficient, but we maximized the scenery and to me, that is the point of a road trip. That, and the food!

I hung out and conference for a couple days in Seattle (though I got a little fun in with a boat ride on Lake Union with friends and a detour to the new Spheres at Amazon!), then my mom arrived and we hit a bunch of the tourist spots in Seattle, including the Space Needle and the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, and the Underground Tour. My mom must have become brave after hanging out above the skyline and then literally under the city, because she shocked me by requesting a ride on the ferris wheel, the one that hangs out over the water off Pier 57. I suppose after getting her up in a Gondola last year I shouldn't have been so surprised, but I didn't even have to bribe her with an Irish Coffee this time!

We capped off Seattle with a loooooong wait to eat at JuneBaby (but I will defend that decision on the smoked carrots alone) before moving on to Portland. Neither of us had ever been to Oregon before, and so we both checked the full West Coast off our bucket lists (bucket maps?). I found out my mother has only never been to 7 states!! I'd argue it's 6 because she told me she drove through a corner of Idaho one time, but apparently that doesn't count.

Eating in Seattle

Good Bar I ate here my first night in Seattle because 1) it was open and 2) I was exhausted and it was right outside the front door of my Airbnb. Convenience aside, it was actually a great place to sit at the bar, have a couple drinks and a meal. The food was pretty good, but I really liked the quiet atmosphere. I could see this place getting crazy on a Friday night but luckily for me, that wasn't the case.

The London Plane Another place that was close to my Airbnb, but even if you aren't staying nearby I would check this place out for the baked eggs. They. Were. Awesome. This little cafe is also located in a flower shop, and the space is bright and airy with walls of windows and high ceilings. If you aren't into small menus, keep in mind the menu was tiny, with only a few things for breakfast and lunch. They all sounded amazing though, so it's quality over quantity.

How To Cook A Wolf When my friend Susan asked me if I had heard of this place, I thought she was talking about M.F.K. Fisher's book, but actually it's a restaurant in Seattle named after the book. We ordered basically everything, and I braved trying beef carpaccio and eating all the dishes with fennel seeds. It was all good, though I admit I'd love to go back in a time of year when mushrooms and elderflowers aren't in season, because the chef was really into both in an overwhelming way.

Intermezzo Carmine My Lyft driver from the airport recommended this place, and, shout out to Brian because it was great! I sat at the marble bar and stuffed myself with pasta and roasted veggies, and on a Tuesday night it was quiet and relaxed.

Cafe Munir When we showed up to this Lebanese restaurant in Ballard it was starting to rain, the wait was at least an hour, and there were no real bars or cafes nearby to wait at. Even so, I declared we had to eat here, because I had made the mistake of going inside, and therefore smelling the incredible aromas of grilled meats coming out of the kitchen. I was ruined. You will be too. Go. Order everything.

Toulouse Petit If The London Plane is an example of small-menu dining, this place is the opposite, but everything here is opulently large, from the breakfast menu to the size of the entrees. My mom and I split an egg dish and beignets and still had to waddle out of here. They make an excellent bloody mary to soak up all that filling food, though.

Il Corvo Pasta Unfortunately for us both, we ate at Toulouse Petit the morning I planned to check out this pasta shop. I figured, since this place is only open a few hours a day and known for long waits, we would be at least a little hungry by the time we got seated. Not really, since our wait was only about 30 minutes, but it speaks to the quality of the pasta and the rest of the menu that we still managed to scarf an entire plate of noodles and a kale salad.

JuneBaby Possibly one of the most hyped restaurants in the country at the moment, if you pay attention to James Beard lists or watch David Chang shows on Netflix. But, I have to say all that hype is quite possibly earned in this case. Yes, you will wait forever to eat, since the restaurant doesn't take reservations, and yes, you will probably run out of ways to entertain your mother in the meantime, but the food is worth it. At the very least, order the smoked carrots, or whatever vegetable is getting that treatment this week. They were phenomenal. The boiled peanuts were, as they usually are in restaurants, not salty enough and undercooked, but the southern rice of the day and the collard greens were excellent.

Portland was full of bridges and ice cream and donuts. After a quick hop out to Cannon Beach, we came back to try vegan dim sum, Oregon beers, and 6 flavors of donuts from Blue Star. We stayed in a Tiny House Hotel, which was so awesome I'm still not over it. I built a fire and roasted marshmallows from the s'mores drawer and people stared in at us like we were a zoo attraction (that part was less awesome).

South of Portland we basked in the sun in the Willamette Valley and tried sparkling wines and Oregon Pinots and I bought way too many to take home. We wound our way south down the coast, trading our cell signals for delicious, fresh seafood and ruggedly stunning views. We ventured back East to Crater Lake, where we admired the strange, volcanic terrain. We stayed in an airstream on a farm in Rogue River, where I got to hold goat babies and give them shoulder scratches. We learned all about guard llamas and I milked a goat, and then we had fresh-laid eggs for breakfast before driving on to California.

In California we drove through endless redwoods to Eureka. Up until this point, Eureka to me was just the place on the 101 North signs, but now it's the place where we drank in a community crafting place and stayed in a haunted-looking inn. It was actually quiet and lovely in the Old Town section of the city.

Eating in Portland

Bollywood Theater This cafe serves up Indian cuisine in photo-ready metal dishes, and it tastes just as good as it looks. We had the Goan shrimp and and a whole host of sides, including Bhel Puri, a salad-like assortment of all the things that was one of my favorite dishes I ate the entire trip.

Ichiza Kitchen I don't know if vegan Dim Sum would be my usual first choice, but I was intrigued, and this little restaurant did not disappoint. Standouts were chili oil wontons and kimchi gyoza. I still don't know what made up the "pork belly & beef" but it was delicious enough that I don't really care, TBH.

Ava Gene's This place is right down the street from Pok Pok and just as popular from all appearances. We had a late dinner here after a day of exploring Portland. The fish with buttermilk we had was extremely good, as was the pasta, as was the wine.

Back Pedal Brewing This little brewery room was right next door to the much larger, much noisier 10 Barrel Brewing, and we ducked inside just as it started raining for much calmer beer flight and some scrabble.

Blue Star Donuts Ok, yes, Voodoo gets all the attention, but I didn't even try to wait in that line. Everyone told me to go to Blue Star instead, and I can't imagine they were wrong after trying these donuts. I took a box of 6 on the road south with us, and they were still enjoyable two days later. My favorite was probably the original horchata glaze and the creme brulee, sans the dropper of cointreau.

Whiz Bang Bar Salt and Straw has soft serve! Or, at least they do in Portland! I ordered a giant cone of vanilla soft serve with black raspberry shell, sprinkles, and a generous garnish of their marionberry habanero cheesecake. My mother was rightfully horrified by life choices.

Helser's on Alberta We had a great diner-style breakfast here, down the street from our hotel. It doesn't look fancy from the outside, but the line of locals waiting to eat should tell you all you need to know.

Coastal

Arts and Drafts A crafting spot and a bar, all in one place? Sounds weird, but it does exist in Eureka. They had a large selection of beers on tap and the location right on the waterfront and the crafts on display made for a cozy spot to get a drink.

Cafe Waterfront The food here was nothing special, but the restaurant is in an historic building in Old Eureka, and it's waterfront location and atmosphere more than made up for the food just being serviceable. We went back for breakfast, and the blueberry pancakes were more than serviceable.

Local Ocean Seafoods We stopped here for dinner in Newport on our way down the Oregon coast, and feasted on crab legs and a Brazilian fish stew containing seemingly every creature to ever surface from the deep.

I fully recommend taking your time to drive between Seattle and San Francisco! If you have the time, the rugged Oregon coast, natural wonders, and fun cities are not to be missed. I flew back to Seattle this past weekend for a brief stop on the way to Canada, and it just wasn't as fun covering all that scenery in 2 hours and from high up above. Though, I was able to point down as we flew over Portland and think, "hey! I was just there!" so that part was ok.