SANE recipes and adventures from a splendid single life.
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Podcast Co-host, recipe developer, and food photographer for the Smarter Science of Slim.
Tales of food, travel & adventure - a little bit of crazy with a whole lot of SANE.
Last Saturday (wow…was it really only a week ago??) I bought:
A kick-a** French mandoline that almost required a bank loan. I am still scared to open the box in case I get it dirty.
5 white, porcelain serving dishes. Because you can never have too many.
A meatloaf pan. How did I get to live as many years as I have without ever owning a meatloaf pan?
A stuffed toy cat. (No, the camera was not an included accessory)
2 packets of almond meal.
2 packets of cream cheese. No, not low fat.
A bag of lemons.
Almond milk.
Coconut milk.
Irish butter. From Irish cows.
And, no macarons.
I wondered what this all meant. And then I realized that I have a tendency to over think {some} things and decided instead to wonder how long it was until it was time to eat again. After all that shopping, my Big Breakfast Adventure seemed like an awful long time ago. I blame breakfast entirely for the unplanned shopping spree. I mean, who knew that 50 North was slap bang next to U-Village – home of Williams-Sonoma, Crate and Barrel and a squall of other stores that I have no business going to, but every time I pass them they somehow manage to draw me in?
J-dub joined me at 50 North for the Big Breakfast Adventure. J-dub and I work together 4 days a week, and when we first met, and discovered we shared singledom, photography and food in common, a Big Breakfast Adventure was scheduled immediately. Then it got moved a few times. And a few more. And then I refused to move it again. 50 North, here we come! SWAG Man has been raving to me about 50 North for EVER. He’ll be thrilled to hear I finally made it through the doors.
Here’s how it went down.
Location: 50 North, U-District, Seattle.
Weather: I no longer remember. I was wearing a jacket.
Cuisine: American.
Famous for: Hearty Veggie Plates, Unusual Grains.
Server: Rachael. Bubbly, accommodating, mad about doughnuts.
Decor: Modern, fresh, bright and spacious. A cross between Ikea and Pottery Barn.
Topics of conversation: Life, and how much we love it. And then it veered off the rails onto work. But only for a little bit.
Artistic Skillet (vegetarian, gluten-free available): Scrambled cage-free eggs, roasted veggies, tofu & cheddar cheese with a parsley oil drizzle, 50 North potatoes and toast ($12).
Seafood Omelet (gluten-free): Prawns and salmon with shallots and fresh mozzarella, served with 50 North potatoes and toast ($14). They happily subbed out the potatoes for a side salad to keep me *SANE™.
Delicious Homemade Doughnuts ($1). Not really a doughnut, but choux (cream puff) pastry, fried and then dunked in a thin sugar glaze. It tasted like doughnut though.
Summary: Fun, stylish place to grab a bite. Good, fresh food, not huge portions, great service. Definitely on the repeat list. Can see this would be a great spot for dinner.
Oremo Ochillo -50 North is in my neck of the woods so I go there quite often. My favorite dish of theirs which you didn’t cover is their Shrimp and Grits. Seems like it would be a southern dish but I’m from the south and we don’t actually eat it there. I was craving grits one day and just went for it. Glad I did.
I have to type quickly. If I don’t get this recipe post up today, *SOMEONE* will be very upset with me. Yes Farmer Becky, I’m looking right at you. Farmer Becky is currently out on a mission with The Big Guy to hunt down a food processor. She’s wanted one for years, but just never made it a priority. Until last night, that is. At 6:54 pm yesterday it was “one day”. By 7:03 pm it had turned into a full-blown Code Red Emergency. What caused this monumental shift in perspective, I hear you cry?
Cauliflower.
Yes, that humble, white, floret-filled Brassica. One of the vegetables that Farmer Becky hates. Except suddenly, she doesn’t. Suddenly she loves cauliflower to the point of giving up her weekend to go in search of the perfect food processor.
So she can make large bowls full of this.
Yes. It looks like rice. It also tastes like rice, feels like rice and fills you up like rice. In fact, if you had your eyes closed you would totally believe that you were eating rice. This was my big experiment of the week. And I had no clue what I was doing. No clue. But in my mind I had a dream of what it could be, and then I just played with it. I was so excited when I’d finished making it, I stood in the kitchen and clapped like a seal. Farmer Becky can verify. She pointed and laughed. I didn’t care. Not only had it worked, it tasted fabulous. Just how I had imagined. At that stage Farmer Becky had no idea what it was. She just knew it looked really good. I think she secretly hoped that somehow it would be rice. Except she knew that *SANE™ people don’t eat rice.
It was The Big Guy who finally figured out what it was, and I think that may have been because they were running out of possibilities for white stuff that was a food. Farmer Becky was incredulous when the secret was revealed. Because, you know, she hates cauliflower. Except now she loves cauliflower. And that’s awesome.
I am totally in love with this salad. I want to eat it every day for the next week. I think I will.
On the plate with it was Glazed Salmon and Orange Herb Slaw. The colors all complemented each other so well you’d think I’d planned it that way. This meal was like summer on a plate.
This is the biggest success of The Friday Night Dinners to date. Because who knew you could eat bowls full of “rice” salad and get skinny? Well now, you can. Hip Hip Hoorah!
In small batches, pulse the cauliflower florets in a food processor until it resembles rice (about 10 pulses). Do not over process!
Melt the coconut oil in a skillet and turn the heat to medium low.
Put the cauliflower “rice” into the skillet, cover and cook for 8 minutes, stirring every 2 – 3 minutes.
When the cauliflower is just tender, but not soft, remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. To cool faster, spread it gently onto a baking sheet.
Put the green pepper, peas, pineapple, pine nuts, dill, mayonnaise and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix together well.
Carefully stir in the cauliflower “rice”. Do not over stir as the cauliflower may get mushy.
Turn into a serving bowl and sprinkle with a little chopped dill plus a sprig for garnish.
Farmer Becky -Okay fellow readers, this is an incredible (yes, incredible) salad and the reason I am on a mission for a food processor! This was like eating a rice bowl, but without the rice :) INCREDIBLE I tell you. The look, feel and texture was exactly like rice, but way more appetizing!
carrie-I loved how this turned out. I can see this being a lunch-box staple!
Paula Langley -I am sold!! And off to buy a food processor immediately!! Cant wait to make this
carrie-Let us know how you like it. Thanks for stopping by, Paula! Congrats on the food processor – there’s been times when I want to marry mine :-)
Orange Herb Slaw » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts-[...] off Farmer Becky than she could wear in a week. I dished it up alongside Glazed Salmon and Green Pea & Pineapple Salad. Both of which would have knocked the socks off Farmer Becky except she had none left. [...]
Glazed Salmon » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts-[...] ate it with Orange Herb Slaw and Green Pea & Pineapple Salad. It was a light and summery plate of goodness. In reality, although it looks light, it is [...]
Spiced Cauliflower Soup » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts-[...] was thinking about how especially useful cauliflowers are in a *SANE world. Cauliflower that thinks it’s rice. Cauliflower that masquerades as mashed potatoes. Cauliflower swathed in cheese sauce. [...]
It’s been an exhilarating couple of days down at Marmalade HQ. Time in the studio creating a test podcast with the fabulous Jonathan Bailor, the most successful Friday Night Dinner to date, and a Big Breakfast Adventure photo shoot with the {very} dashing Cooper. Coupled with fantastic weather, hanging out with Farmer Becky and The Big Guy, half a dozen of the best macarons in Seattle, another Big Breakfast Adventure with the divine Ms. Bromwell and a surprise care package from England containing 3 Boost Bars, 4 bars of Cadbury’s Fruit ‘n’ Nut and a bottle of Heinz Salad Cream. I had to have an afternoon nap today just to keep myself from getting over excited. Even better is that all this glorious activity has left me so behind on blog posts it’s starting to become funny. There’s so much in my life that makes me smile these days, sleep seems to be the only time my face muscles get a break. Just the way I like it.
So this is destined to be one of the shortest posts I have ever written. But first, here’s a look at that fantastic weather. I broke the cardinal rule of landscape photography by shooting at noon, but when the weather and view in Seattle are like this, who cares about rules? Psst. Between you and me, I don’t care much for rules, much of the time.
And here’s what helped cause last night’s Friday Night Dinner to be hailed as the most successful yet.
Raw cabbage.
As Farmer Becky, The Big Guy and I were sat at the table merrily munching my latest *SANE™ creations, I piped up, “Wow. You would never think that you were eating raw cabbage, would you?” At which point Farmer Becky’s fork, carrying a huge load of Orange Herb Slaw, stopped in mid-air. There were more than a few seconds of silence as she glared at me across the table, mouth half open and fork poised in front of it. I suddenly became concerned that dinner was about to veer off over an unexpected cliff.
“This is cabbage??” Farmer Becky demanded.
“Yes”.
Her mouth closed.
The forkful of slaw remained suspended above her plate.
The Big Guy didn’t say a word.
“Cabbage”.
“Yes”.
“I don’t like cabbage”.
I gulped. Would this be the demise of The Friday Night Dinner? Would this be the nightwhere I would fail my long-suffering recipe-testing friends?
“I can’t believe this is cabbage. This is the most amazing salad. It tastes absolutely fantastic. Who would’ve ever thought that cabbage could taste like this. Oh my gosh. I *LOVE* this!!!!!”, she exclaimed.
And with that, the slaw-loaded fork disappeared into her mouth.
And I let out a huge sigh of relief.
So I give you, lovely readers, Orange Herb Slaw. My new favorite salad and the dish that knocked more socks off Farmer Becky than she could wear in a week. I dished it up alongside Glazed Salmon and Green Pea & Pineapple Salad. Both of which would have knocked the socks off Farmer Becky except she had none left. The salmon recipe is up next.
Segment the oranges: with the peel still on the fruit, slice off the stem and blossom ends. Following the fruit’s curve, cut away the peel and white pith. Then, over a small bowl, cut along the membranes to release the segments. Place segments to one side. Once the segments of orange are removed, squeeze the membranes for juice into the bowl.
Mix the white wine vinegar with 2 tablespoons of the orange juice in a small bowl. Pour the oil in a slow, steady stream into the vinegar, whisking vigorously with a small whisk until emulsified.
Toss the finely shredded cabbage, basil, parsley, scallions, and orange segments in a serving bowl
Spoon the dressing evenly over the salad.
Season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle with a few extra slices of scallion and top with a sprig of parsley to garnish.
Farmer Becky -Carrie, you continue to amaze me with your creations. Never in a million years would I have guessed this was cabbage. Must say, this was delish!!
The cats are all in a bit of a commotion. I vacuumed. Tore through the upstairs of the house like a woman possessed. What with my Friday Night Dinners, Big Breakfast Adventures, and road-trips, plus a travel project I am working on that involves a whole bunch of stuffed toy animals, vacuuming hasn’t made it very high up the list of {vitally important} things to do lately. But today…well today I was faced with several thinking projects that I just could not inveigle my brain into thinking about.
So I vacuumed. That was, after I’d purged the 2012 paperwork pile, which had been growing for almost 6 months and had recently taken up residence in a particularly large heap by the side of my desk in order to encourage me to do something with it. That is to say, it started as a pile. The ‘kids’ thought it was a simply splendid place to play. I am sure that you can imagine what it may have looked like after several weeks of having various kitties thrusting themselves on it & through it.
Once I’d thrown away a rather large amount of the paper from the {now} dishevelled pile & made 4 much smaller, much neater piles from what remained, I was really on a roll with the whole *purging* deal. So I moved into my closet. Hello, Goodwill.
Inspired and recharged I did two loads of laundry, washed the dishes and then threw myself upon the vacuum cleaner as though it were my last meal. It is amazing what one can find the time & energy to do when there’s something you really don’t want to do. I swear I burned at least 473 calories pushing that purple monster around. I was going at quite a clip. And I am now glowing like a neon ‘open’ sign.
The kids have skedaddled all over the joint from the sheer terror of it all. One lying as flat as a pancake under the bed and one hiding behind the TV hoping that the world has not, in fact, ended. One squished into the {empty} trash can, one wedged behind the tumble dryer in the laundry room & one, dear Florence, fast asleep on the footstool. She’ll wake up later and ask what we’ve been up to all afternoon. She’s a funny one, our Florence.
Daisy just poked her head around the office door to determine if it was safe yet. I came in here to see if my brain was in the mood for some thinking yet. Nope. Maybe some chocolate will help? Nope. Then maybe it’s just time to change the bed linens.
In other news, the clematis that sits right outside my kitchen window is smothered in beautiful purple-pink blooms. What with that and this whole purging thing, it’s clearly Spring around here, even though the pesky weather can’t decide which season to throw at us next.
Chocolate Orange Pudding » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts-[...] have you know, I am not alone. The clematis under my kitchen window – the one with the pink, frothy, saucer-sized flowers - is clearly not ready for it to be Fall, or October, for that matter. The other day she merrily [...]
Oh dear. I went and broke my own rule. I hate it when that happens. Since the advent of the Friday Night Dinners I have restricted my breakfasting adventures to one per weekend; because a girl just can’t write 4 or 5 blog posts in 2 days. These things take time, you know. I’m not fast. And I like to wallow around in amongst all the words before I finally hit the publish button. I may not be fast, but I am thorough. I like that about myself. Not the slow part, the thorough part. Although let’s be clear, under certain circumstances, and in some settings, slow can be a really good thing.
So on Saturday I went to breakfast with J-dub. Sunday I went to breakfast with EJ. And on top of all that breakfasting, on Saturday evening a bunch of Owens came over and we all crammed onto the new leather couch to watch a movie. Including all the kitties there were 10 of us. We ate 4 flavors of ice cream while we laughed out loud at “Cars”. It was awesome. But now I’m behind. Again. Sigh. Further, to top it all off, I’ve already signed myself up for more of the same next weekend. Two breakfasts instead of one. Despite one of them being all business, I am sure I’ll still feel compelled to write about it. Especially since my meeting is with a stuffed dog. A particularly handsome stuffed dog, I might add.
The long and the short of it is this: I’ve got to be brief if I am going to get this all done and still get some nap time in. So here we go.
Location: Cafe Lago, Montlake, Seattle.
Weather: Overcast turning to sunshine.
Cuisine: Italian.
Famous for: Breakfast Pizza.
Server: Heather. Gracious, humble, lovely.
Breakfast Buddy: EJ.
Food: EJ - Bacon Rosemary Pizza, Carrie – Lago Farms Salad & Frittata di Asparagi.
Beverages: EJ – latte, Carrie – peppermint tea.
Seating: cute little table for two right in the window.
Topics of conversation: Men, work, cooking, men, salads, road-trips, moving to SFO, men, cats and dogs, the housing market, food, men.
Lago Farms Salad: Mixed green salad picked this morning in Montlake. Hello. Fennel, orange slices, roasted hazelnuts, Romano cheese, orange vinaigrette $8.
Frittata di Asparagi: Organic egg frittata with Yakima asparagus and goat cheese, with bruschetta $11.
Raspberry Danish: Swoon $0 (Because they were out of scones, because it was our first time there, because it was a sunny day). Fantastic! And you know how picky I am about my pastries.
Summary: Go eat brunch at Cafe Lago. It’s fabulous.
by carrie
Oremo Ochillo - 50 North is in my neck of the woods so I go there quite often. My favorite dish of theirs which you didn’t cover is their Shrimp and Grits. Seems like it would be a southern dish but I’m from the south and we don’t actually eat it there. I was craving grits one day and just went for it. Glad I did.
carrie - I must get up there again sometime!