The Taste of Zupan’s Recap

November 11, 2013 by 4 Comments

The Taste of Zupan’s is an annual event, and for this year (2013) it occurred this past Saturday November 9 from 10:30 am-3 pm. For $20 pre-sale or $25 at the door, guests were able to get a preview and sample various holiday possibilities from Zupan’s Markets and other local vendors, and 100% of proceeds go to the Sunshine Division, who provide Thanksgiving dinners to less fortunate families. Here is my Taste of Zupan’s recap!

Taste of Zupan's Taste of Zupan's Taste of Zupan's

Everything from appetizers and main courses to desserts and wines were available- and here are a few shots I took just to help show what was on the tables!

  • Open Faced Reuben Sandwiches with Snake River Farms Kobe Corned Beef and Pastrami topped with Beaverton Foods Coney Mustard
  • Snake River Farms American Kobe Roast Beef Canape with caramelized onion and whipped cream wasabi sauced served on a Grand Central baguette
  • Various Fresh Dips, one is Zupan’s Jalapeno Artichoke Dip, and other is Zupan’s Spinach Dip, with Grand Central Sourdough
  • Hors D’Oeuvres of Mini Caprese Skewers with Belgioioso Fresh Mozzarella, and in the back left Medjool Dates with Cashel Blue Bites, to the right Belgioioso Burrata Bites
  • Fromager d’Affinois with Dalmatia Sour Cherry Spread and Kerrygold Skellig, Laura Chenel’s Blossom Honey Chevre Log with 34″ Crackers
  • Delicious beverages: La Marca Prosecco, mixed either with Cipriani Peach Bellini Mix or with Zupan’s Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

Taste of Zupan's- open faced reuben sandwiches with Snake River Farms kobe corned beef and pastrami topped with Beaverton Foods Coney Mustard Taste of Zupan's- Snake River Farms American Kobe Roast Beef Canape with caramelized onion and whipped cream wasabi sauced served on a Grand Central baguette Taste of Zupan's- Fresh Dips, one is Zupan's Jalapeno Artichoke Dip, and other is Zupan's Spinach Dip, with Grand Central Sourdough Taste of Zupan's- Hors D'Oeuvres of Mini Caprese Skewers with Belgioioso Fresh Mozzarella, and in the back left Medjool Dates with Cashel Blue Bites, to the right Belgioioso Burrata Bites Taste of Zupan's- Fromager d'Affinois with Dalmatia Sour Cherry Spread and Kerrygold Skellig, Laura Chenel's Blossom Honey Chevre Log with 34 Taste of Zupan's- La Marca Prosecco, mixed either with Cipriani Peach Bellini Mix or with Zupan's Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

More appetizers

  • Columbus Salame Charcuterie: Finocchiona Gigante, Salame, and Roasted Pork Loin with some Columbus Honey Mustard. The Italian Dry Salame with Caper Bites were deliciously folded with cream cheese inside!
  • Zupan’s Quiches of White Cheddar & Onion Quiche and Quiche Lorraine
  • Artisan Cheeses like Elderflower Cheese, Deuce de Bourgogne with Raincoast Crisps Fig & Olive, Cave Aged Gruyere dipped in Dalmatia Fig Spread, Point Reyes Farmstead Bay Blue with Solmielato Chestnut Honey. I loved that Zupan’s put these combinations together to show how to layer flavors with the cheeses (except for the Elderflower, which is uniquely showcased) – I am glad I took photos so I can recreate these combinations, and also share them with you for your future cheese plate!
  • Sampling Hempler’s Artisan Meats, in this case Sundried Tomato Chicken Breast, Beef Summer Sausage, and Pepperoni Sticks

Taste of Zupan's- Columbus Salame Charcuterie: Finocchiona Gigante, Salame, and Roasted Pork Loin with some Columbus Honey Mustard Taste of Zupan's- Columbus Salame Charcuterie, these Italian Dry Salame with Caper Bites were deliciously folded with cream cheese inside! Taste of Zupan's- Zupan's Quiches of White Cheddar & Onion Quiche and Quiche Lorraine Taste of Zupan's- Artisan Cheeses like Elderflower Cheese, La Panzanella Rosemary Crackers, Deuce de Bourgogne with Raincost Crisps Fig & Olive, Cave Aged Gruyere dipped in Dalmatia Fig Spread, Point Reyes Farmstead Bay Blue with Solmielato Chestnut Honey Taste of Zupan's- Point Reyes Farmstead Bay Blue with Solmielato Chestnut Honey Taste of Zupan's- sampling Hempler's Artisan Meats, in this case Sundried Tomato Chicken Breast, Beef Summer Sausage, and Pepperoni Sticks

Now onto some proteins!

  • Honey Glazed Spiral Sliced Ham and Free Range Turkey
  • Carlton Farms Crown Pork Roast
  • Harris Ranch Standing Rib Roast
  • Cookwell & Co. Green Chili Stew with Turkey – you just have to add beans and the protein of your choice to the packaged Green Chili Stew, in this case he added Turkey
  • Pacific Seafood offered Jumbo (so chubby and big!) Wild Domestic Cooked Prawns, Smoked Steelhead, Zupan’s Cocktail Sauce

Taste of Zupan's- Honey Glazed Spiral Sliced Ham and Free Range Turkey Taste of Zupan's- Honey Glazed Spiral Sliced Ham "Taste Taste of Zupan's- Harris Ranch Standing Rib Roast Cookwell & Co. Green Chili Stew with Turkey was showcased- you just have to add beans and the protein of your choice to the Green Chili Stew, in this case he added Turkey Taste of Zupan's- Pacific Seafood offering Jumbo Wild Domestic Cooked Prawns, Smoked Steelhead, Zupan's Cocktail Sauce Taste of Zupan's- Pacific Seafood offering Jumbo Wild Domestic Cooked Prawns, Smoked Steelhead, Zupan's Cocktail Sauce

Other local vendors included Olympic Provisions with their charcuterie spread, and also in partnership with Kelly’s Jelly to offer a recipe and sample of Olympic Provisions Sweetheart Ham with Kelly’s Habanero Pepper Jelly Glaze.

Taste of Zupan's- Olympic Provisions Taste of Zupan's- Olympic Provisions Sweetheart Ham with Kelly's Habanero Pepper Jelly Glaze Taste of Zupan's- Olympic Provisions Sweetheart Ham with Kelly's Habanero Pepper Jelly Glaze
This deserved a whole section by itself- Papa Haydn representing sweet holiday possibilities. So in love with the bourbon ball and the macaron tree.
Taste of Zupan's- Papa Haydn representing sweet holiday possibilities Taste of Zupan's- Papa Haydn representing sweet holiday possibilities Taste of Zupan's- Papa Haydn representing sweet holiday possibilities alt= Taste of Zupan's- Papa Haydn representing sweet holiday possibilities Taste of Zupan's- Papa Haydn representing sweet holiday possibilities

Other sweet offerings included  Pecan Pie bars and Truffle Fudge brownies from Kyra’s Bake Shop (which is all gluten free!!), Brownie Nuggets and Chocolate Chip Espresso and Sea Salt Cookies from Sarah’s Cookies, and from the Dessert Tray these lovely looking Italian Almond Cake and Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Swirl and Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Swirl. Ok, yeah there are some other items as well but I’m drawing a blank. There was so much it was hard for me to remember it all!

Taste of Zupan's- Dessert Tray's Italian Almond Cake Taste of Zupan's- Dessert Tray Taste of Zupan's- Dessert Tray's Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Swirl and Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Swirl

Beverage wise, I enjoyed also Val de France Sparkling Juice, which they had in Pomegranate and Pear juice flavors- what a great addition rather than sparkling grape juice or sparkling cider for non-alcoholic beverages! There was also Stumptown coffee, Festeroo Winter Ale fromCatelveltrano Pesto with Pasta,  Hop Valley Brewing and Snow Winter Ale from 10 Barrel Brewing (I passed on tasting these as I’ve needed a break from beer), and Pamplin Family Vineyards Red Wine.

There was more food I didn’t mention- Beet Citrus & Mozzarella Skewers, Honey Mustard Pork and Grilled Pineapple Skewers (and 2 other skewers I didn’t try), Truffle Mac & Cheese, 3 soups (one of them was Chicken & Dumpling), various salads, more dips, other desserts, and Moonstruck Chocolates. On my plate I piled on various accompaniments to the ham and pork and turkey like twice baked potatoes, artisan bread sage dressing, butter pecan carrots, green bean almondine, Brussels sprouts and cranberry orange relish and buttermilk rolls… Just look at my first 2 plates (and I still had 2 more!)

Taste of Zupan's Taste of Zupan's

Although this event benefits a great cause, and I enjoyed seeing and being inspired by some options for holiday entertaining, I was really disappointed with the logistics of the event.

Poor line management and and event layout meant a lot of crowding in the hallway waiting to get food or waiting for clean plates or glasses. The kitchen did keep bringing new trays of food out, and for those people there when it first opened, the first hour was bearable. And then I spent 30 minutes trying to get to the first table of food in one of the other rooms. During that same time, one of the wine tables was out of glasses and couldn’t pour. At one point while waiting we show a small showdown as one guest tried to walk up to the tables and other guests who had been standing waiting to get to the tables sent him back.

I’m not sure if it was because more tickets were sold than should have been (though I would think the more money raised the better), or if they need to admit they need to move to a larger space that doesn’t consist of several small rooms (the Heathman is beautiful, but the mezzanine – even with its capacity probably about 400- doesn’t work with all these stations lining all the wall sides and guests trying to find a place to eat. At least one saving grace however is that for the plates they passed out trays that had glass holders, so everyone was at least able to successfully stand and eat since they didn’t have to juggle food, drink, and eating utensil. Hopefully they will learn and improve next year.

Signature

Filed Under: Food and Drink Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Multnomah Whiskey Library Whiskey Flight

November 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment

A few weeks after the Multnomah Whiskey Library opened, I decided to visit them again to see what it was like when it was not their opening day (my first visit). It was a Friday and around 3 pm was a good point to stop in my work, and my brain was full from the week. So I decided to leave and have a little reward, and the MWL immediately came to mind- I knew it opened at 4 pm, so maybe 10-15 minutes later I was off.

One side of the Multnomah Whiskey Library

When I arrived there it was just after 4, and there was still a line- but not because the tables were all taken. They were “staging gently” by seating people a table or so every few minutes- they didn’t want to overwhelm their staff. I understand they need to pull the bottles and to the individual table service, but I’m not sure about the other guests, but I could easily spend quite a bit of time reviewing the bottle list. Regardless, 15 minutes later I was seated in a cushy sofa lounge chair and there were still a few chairs at the communal table open, so clearly you will be rewarded for being able to come early. I was warned that they had a reservation in about 1.5 hour, as was the pair of people before me (well, it seemed like a son and his mom actually, aww), but I didn’t think I’d be there that long (the son and mother were told the same thing). As it so happened, we ended up sitting across from each other in other two lounge chairs.

Looking into the left corner as you walk into the Multnomah Whiskey Library Tableside service in pouring tastes at the Multnomah Whiskey Library All the photos lining part of the wall at the Multnomah Whiskey Library

While his mom ordered a cocktail, I think the son ordered a bourbon with a beer-back and seemed extremely familiar as he browsed through the large tome of bottles and inquiring about membership. Membership allows the privileges of making reservations, as well as the ability to rent a locker space which you can store your own bottles (and presumably have access to being able to order those bottles from the sources at the MWL’s list). At the time all the locker spaces were already all rented until sometime next year- wow. I didn’t know there was such pent up demand in the market. I’ve not been a fan of the beer-back, though in theory I understand how beer can be a great pairing and even partial cleanser with its carbonation- after all beer pairs great with food, and having it with say whiskey is a similar concept. I guess I’ll have to eventually explore this more myself and learn.

Example page from the Multnomah Whiskey Library tome of all the 1500 bottles they offer Multnomah Whiskey Library Wall

After taking probably 10-15 minutes to flip through the book of bottle listings, I took the advice of a commentator on my previous blog entry to order half pours. This allowed me to order 3 half-pours in order to create my own flight: Tyrconnell 10 year finished in Madeira port, Sherry port, and a Port cask.

3 half pours for a flight of Tyrconnell 10 yr finished in Madeira, Sherry or Port cask at Multnomah Whiskey Library 3 half pours for a flight of Tyrconnell 10 yr finished in Madeira, Sherry or Port cask at Multnomah Whiskey Library

It was marvelous to be able to taste these 3 options side by side. Each was unique- the one in Sherry finish had more of a smoke current in the flavor profile and a nose of sweet honey, the sample in the Madeira cask had more of a caramel noise. Finally the Port finish version had a balance of smoke and vanilla and was very smooth and was my favorite of the three.

3 half pours for a flight of Tyrconnell 10 yr finished in Madeira, Sherry or Port cask at Multnomah Whiskey Library

There have been changes to the menu- the delicious but messy to eat Hot Brown morphed into a sandwich, and as I write this now I think they have updated the menu again based on what is available seasonally. When I asked the hostess, besides the sandwich version of essentially the Hot Brown she said a well loved food entree was the Smoked Ham Hocks mac n cheese, so that’s what I had. It was a smaller portion than I anticipated when it arrived, but it’s hard to complain about the tastiness of that bubbly crunchy cheese except for wanting more.

Multnomah Whiskey Library's Smoked Ham Hocks mac n cheese

Meanwhile, it looks like the MWL is starting their classes. Tomorrow, from 5-7:30pm the MWL is presenting A Tour of Cognac in Six Glasses with Hoke Harden.

“Learn the story of terroir in the six crus of Cognac, tasting Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, Bois Ordinaires and the rare and highly acclaimed subzone Borderies. Discover the amazing range of expression of the world’s most iconic brandy.

Learn the exacting double-distillation process required by the Méthode Charentaise, plus the process of barrel-making, secrets of aging and blending by Master Blenders.

We’ll journey through Cognac the finest way possible: TASTING six Cognacs, expertly selected for the evening.”

It also looks like the tasting will be accompanied by snacks from the kitchen as well, which helps rationalize the price $35 Public price.  I won’t be attending since I need to start carefully watching my budget for the holidays, but I’m so pleased to see that MWL is stepping up to be more than just a place to order drinks but also learn. There was a Prichard’s Double Chocolate Bourbon that caught my eye while reading the bottle list, so I’ll be back eventually for another Multnomah Whiskey Library whiskey flight.

Multnomah Whiskey Library bottles of whiskey and beyond!

Signature

Filed Under: Cocktails, Food and Drink Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Fifty Licks Sorbet Cocktails and more!

November 8, 2013 by 1 Comment

Disclosure: I attended an event where tasting samples of these ice creams, sorbets, and cocktails was complimentary, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

I’m trying to remember how long I have been loving Fifty Licks ice cream. I think it might have been when they first opened, since I have a photo in 2010 of their Red Bull Cola Ice Cream.  In other photos I wrote in the captions that the Stumptown Coffee and Tahitian Vanilla were excellent, and was particularly loving the bacon bit parts of their Maple Bacon.

I called it then “wonderful shake-ups to normal ice cream.” Even though coffee and vanilla sound plain, they were bursting with flavor, and you could notice and appreciate the high quality ingredients. I like how the French custard style makes their product so creamy and soft.

Since then, I’ve visited their adorable, nostalgic light blue truck at the Good Foods Here food cart pod at SE Belmont and 43rd  (at least until that food pod closes), as well as when I run across their other truck (locations vary). The last delicious flavor I remember is from a few months ago a Toasted Milk ice cream, and before that was Passionfruit Szechuan Peppercorn sorbet (tart with a kick!), so clearly they are still bringing it, combining classic with creative.
Eat Mobile 2013: Toasted Milk ice cream from Fifty Licks Fifty Licks ice cream truck at the Good Food Here food cart pod Fifty Licks ice cream truck at the Good Food Here food cart pod Fifty Licks Ice Cream, My passionfruit szechuan peppercorn sorbet

I also remember saying that Chad Draizin, owner, is the best dressed, most stylish ice cream man I have ever seen.
The best dressed ice cream man I've ever seen... Chad Draizin of Fifty Licks and his ice cream truck The best dressed ice cream man I've ever seen... Chad Draizin of Fifty Licks and his ice cream truck

Recently (this past August), they opened up a brick and mortar location at 2021 SE Clinton at 21st, just down a door from St. Jack, and also easily walkable from SE Division or Powell if the other offerings on SE Clinton aren’t enough options.  This sounds like a PERFECT end of a dinner for me. They are just a cute, clean crisp little bright spot.

Fifty Licks ice cream shop at SE Clinton Fifty Licks ice cream shop at SE Clinton Fifty Licks ice cream shop at SE Clinton Fifty Licks ice cream shop at SE Clinton

Actually, it’s even better than I thought. It turns out the Fifty Licks is more than just an Ice Cream Parlor. Besides offering  ice cream flavors and sorbets you can also get Fifty Licks sorbet cocktails and Cafe Cubano. So it can be your stop before and after dinner!

Chad has brought Cafe Cubano in case you want a little pick me up to warm you up from your walk. The little pot serves four, and it is extremely strong so the key is in beating the crap to cream that generous helping of sugar, as he demonstrated for us. Thanks for bringing this from Miami for us Chad.

Fifty Licks Cafe Cubano Fifty Licks Cafe Cubano Fifty Licks Cafe Cubano Fifty Licks Cafe Cubano Fifty Licks Cafe Cubano Fifty Licks Cafe Cubano Fifty Licks Cafe Cubano Fifty Licks Cafe Cubano Fifty Licks Cafe Cubano

They have twelve rotating flavors of scooped ice creams and sorbets. The flavors will continually be updated/rotated, based on what mad genius comes to fruition for the Fifty Licks imagination + execution testing! All you need to know is that Chad is a mad genius, and you cannot go wrong with any flavor you pick.

Ok, I guess I can elaborate. Chad is a perfectionist in terms of making sure any new flavor is the best it can be, often developing flavors for weeks and paying attention to details like how purely the original high quality ingredient comes through in the final ice cream/sorbet, how the texture feels, and even (and particularly for Chad) the aromatics … Even the pint packaging he thinks about the way it sounds and feels to close the lid. He cares about every detail of your entire experience.

And, even though he humbly shrugs that everything he knows is just stuff he picked up along the way, don’t be surprised if he is suddenly channeling a sweet young version of Alton Brown as he begins to explain how he can make caramel out of anything (such as for his Caramelized Apple flavor, he made the caramel directly out of apples! And is there a way to do that from sweet potatoes he wonders…) or talks about using the pressure cooker one second and food chemistry and reactions of ingredients at a molecular level a few seconds later.

It’s addicting to watch and listen to this combination of food purist (he wants flavors to be singular and appreciated, not muddled in complexity) and science nerd and creativity explain how his flavors are crafted. For instance, the Toasted Milk flavor came to him in a dream- he didn’t know how he was going to make it happen, but he knew what it would end up as, and so began his quest… And the result is a treasure, sounding strange but then after one taste you feel nostalgic and homey and comforted and loved like a young toddler with a milk bottle, but so much better.

He mentioned lots of intriguing ideas he has (I think there was at least 5 different flavor combinations just with chocolate!), but I don’t want to spoil it so you’ll just have to follow Fifty Licks on Facebook, Twitter handle @FiftyLicks, and feast with your eyes on their Instagram feed FiftyLicks.

Since I was with a group, we got little sampler tastings (obviously these sake cup portions are not the size you would get if you order), but I wanted to show some of the photos so you can see the detail even in these sample scoops. Don’t you just want to sip your spoon into that soft creamy ice cream?

Fifty Licks, some ice cream samples for our group in little sake cup tasters Fifty Licks, some ice cream samples for our group in little sake cup tasters Fifty Licks, some ice cream samples for our group in little sake cup tasters Fifty Licks, some ice cream samples for our group in little sake cup tasters Fifty Licks, some ice cream samples for our group in little sake cup tasters

Example ice cream flavors for instance might include (remember these will rotate based on seasonal ingredients/new ideas!):

  • Stumptown Coffee
  • Tahitian Vanilla
  • Toasted Milk
  • Jasmine Tea with Apricot
  • Caramelized Apple
  • Cherry Bourbon
  • Jasmine Rice with Fragrant Pandan
  • Raspberry
  • Blood Orange Screamscle
  • Maple with Bacon
  • Single Malt Scotch

Sorbet flavors for instance might include:

  • Coconut Lemon Saffron
  • Passionfruit with Sichuan Peppercorns
  • Grapefruit with Rosewater
  • Rhode Island Style Frozen Lemonade
  • Chocolate with Toasted Oat Milk

You can select a gluten-free waffle cone instead of a cup if you’d like, as well as select from toppings such as Ghost Pepper salt, bee pollen, sweet corn dust, potato chips, Ovaltine, who knows what they might have! For instance,  below, this one on the left is Jasmine Tea with Apricot ice cream with bee pollen topping, and the other is Passionfruit with Sichuan Peppercorns sorbet topped with Ghost Pepper Salt, tart and spicy!

Fifty Licks, ice cream samples for our group in little sake cup tasters, this one is Jasmine Tea with Apricot with bee pollen topping Fifty Licks Passionfruit with Sichuan Peppercorns sorbet topped with Ghost Pepper Salt, tart and spicy!

Unique Alert: Fifty Licks Sorbet Cocktails

Meanwhile, for their sorbet cocktails, look at these awesome concoctions! This alone is worth making a stop at Fifty Licks, if the above isn’t enough to persuade you. Now, they do not have a liquor license  (since that would require them serving food, which is more than this little ice cream parlor can handle in their space), but the few cocktails they do offer are so exquisite and I’m not sure why you would want anything else. These are so sophisticated I don’t know why they aren’t currently on a Bon Appétit or Saveur cover, they are so beautiful. On the other hand, maybe by June of next year, they will be…

  • The Furacão – Passion fruit with Sichuan Peppercorn Sorbet, Cossart Gordan Bual Madeira, Byrrh bitters.
    Fifty Licks Sorbet Cocktails of The Furacão – Passion fruit with Sichuan Peppercorn Sorbet, Cossart Gordan Bual Madeira, Byrrh bitters. Fifty Licks Sorbet Cocktails of The Furacão – Passion fruit with Sichuan Peppercorn Sorbet, Cossart Gordan Bual Madeira, Byrrh bitters.
  • The Bitter Rose: scoop of Grapefruit and Rosewater sorbet with orange bitters and Cocchi Americano Rosa.
  • The Nordic Palmer: scoop of Rhode Island Style Frozen Lemonade sorbet with Sparking Iced Tea from Main Mead Works.
    Fifty Licks Sorbet Cocktails of The Nordic Palmer: scoop of Rhode Island Style Frozen Lemonade with Sparking Iced Tea from Main Mead Works. Fifty Licks Sorbet Cocktails of The Nordic Palmer: scoop of Rhode Island Style Frozen Lemonade with Sparking Iced Tea from Main Mead Works.
  • The Velvet Shiso: fresh Shiso leaf and a scoop of Coconut Lemon Saffron Sorbet floating in a pond of Umeshu plum wine and sparkling AlexEli Riesling.
    Fifty Licks Sorbet Cocktails of The Velvet Shiso: fresh Shiso leaf and a scoop of Coconut Lemon Saffron Sorbet floating in a pond of Umeshu plum wine and sparkling AlexEli Riesling Fifty Licks Sorbet Cocktails of The Velvet Shiso: fresh Shiso leaf and a scoop of Coconut Lemon Saffron Sorbet floating in a pond of Umeshu plum wine and sparkling AlexEli Riesling

Only my good manners kept me from drinking one of these shared tastes by myself… and perhaps I may have finished the last leftovers of one of the Furacao and Velvet Shiso which offered a beguiling experience of flavors, and the tart refreshment of the Nordic Palmer is also delightful.

Fifty Licks winter hours now, so is open 4pm-10pm and 12-11p on Fri and Sat, and offers a Happy Hour on our sorbet cocktails every day, 4-6. You can also buy these adorable little pints to take home.

"The "The

Disclosure: I attended an event where tasting samples of these ice creams, sorbets, and cocktails was complimentary, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Signature

Filed Under: Cocktails, Food and Drink, Sponsored Post Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts

November 6, 2013 by 11 Comments

As my next dish as I count down to Thanksgiving, I made this meal this past weekend to celebrate fall flavors. And it only takes one pot and one pan! While you are making the quinoa, you can essentially finish off the rest of the stuff and just mix together- or do everything but the apple and fresh sage which you can add while re-heating the rest. You can also serve it cold too! It’s a great vegetarian (and gluten-free) option instead of stuffing, but also is a great side dish for any entree. I filled a 2 1/2 quart dish with this, so can serve a nice group!

This dish is inspired by the Webicurean’s Harvest Rice with Apples and Pecans, but I changed out the rice for quinoa and swapped pecans for walnuts (basically because F ate all the pecans so all I had were walnuts)! I also really upped the amount of apple, and added sage.  If you’d like, you can throw in some extra brightness with cranberries, or pomegranate seeds, etc. I mention walnuts or pecans, but hazelnuts would work, or you could roast some chestnuts to add a more earthy base, and/or add celery with the onions for crunch.

Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts

This is the second of a series of posts of recipes I am going to cover on dishes to consider for Thanksgiving! They will all be vegetarian, so you might consider it for a side dish or if you have a vegetarian at your table like I do, be a way to provide something more hearty than the usual sides of rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Check out my Recipes Index page for other dishes that I have covered in the past.

Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts

Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts

Ingredients::

  • 2 1/2 cups broth – for my purposes I used vegetarian broth
  • 2 cups quinoa – or you can choose to use wild rice if you’d like
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts or whatever nut you’d like
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion (approximately 1/2 an onion)
  • 3 cups chopped granny smith or any kind of apple- sweet, or tart, or mix up both?! (approximately 2 apples)
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped sage (optional)

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, bring broth to a boil. Add quinoa and salt and simmer for 40-45 minutes, or until done per whatever package might instruct (I like TruRoots quinoa because it is organic, gluten-free, and . The one I used is from Costco and is a sprouted wild rice, brown rice and red rice and quinoa blend. Besides being good for you and tasty, their Enray Foundation works to educate and invest with quinoa growers in Bolivia. I am going to ignore the debate that because quinoa is in demand that the global economy is pricing South Americans out of eating it themselves because it’s such a good living – quinoa is hard to grow and perfect for their environment. At least the foundation helps make sure that this new boom in agriculture does not come at the price of their ecosystem. The idea of driving down the price of quinoa by us eating less to drive down demand so they can eat it but then they have less financial and economic growth sounds idiotic to me. Ok, off the soapbox.)
    TruRoots sprouted wild rice, brown rice and red rice and quinoa blend
  2. Anyway, while the quinoa is in progress, in a pan, melt the butter, then sauté the nuts in the butter until the nuts are golden brown. Remove your warm, golden brown nuts from the pan and set aside. Don’t turn your back on them because you don’t want burnt nuts!
    Recipe for Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts, toasting walnuts
  3. In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and sauté the chopped onion until the onions are translucent. Remove and set aside.
    Recipe for Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts, Caramelizing some onion
  4. In the same pan, add the last tablespoon of the olive oil and sauté the cut apple. Sprinkle with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
    Apples and Nutmeg for the Harvest Quinoa with apples and nuts Apples and Nutmeg for the Harvest Quinoa with apples and nuts
  5. When the quinoa is done, stir in the apple/onion mixture as well as the nuts and the tablespoon of fresh chopped sage.
    Recipe- Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts Recipe- Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts

Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts Recipe for a Thanksgiving that is vegetarian and gluten-free: sub stuffing with Harvest Quinoa with Apple and Walnuts

Summary of the Vegetarian Thanksgiving Sides Series 2013:

Thanks for reading!

Signature

Filed Under: Cooking, Food and Drink Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bamboo Sushi Happy Hour

November 4, 2013 by 4 Comments

Food porn from a happy hour at Bamboo Sushi. My intention that day was to go to Salt & Straw for their monthly special ice cream, and by combining forces with my friend, try all the flavors of the month. The friend I was meeting was a little late (say, leaving at the time she said she would meet me there :P) And it was a day where it was raining super hard too, which is unusual for Portland even with its reputation for Pacific NW rain because it usually is “misting” not full on rain that soaks you in a minute. Usually I might walk up and down window shopping, but with the rain, I wanted shelter. I already sort of anticipated and was even slightly hoping for both of these reasons, because I know Bamboo Sushi is right next door to the Salt & Straw on NW 23rd, and it was happy hour time. Now I had 3 reasons to go in to add to the knowledge of Bamboo’s reputation!

Bamboo Sushi Cocktail of the day and complimentary edamam

3? Right. Besides, rain, and happy hour, there’s Bamboo being a business with a conscience. You probably have already heard all the accolades about how Bamboo Sushi not only offers delicious food, but also focuses on sustainability, and has been for about 5 years now. The founder of the two locations of Bamboo Sushi (one in NW 23rd that I went to, the other at SE 28th) Kristofor Lofgren has a background in environmental science, and besides operating the two restaurants, also works to partner with others and promote environmental responsibility in policy.

They know where all their seafood comes from, how it came to them including how their vendors operate, and all their seafood menu items are chosen according to the Seafood Watch list from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Blue Ocean Institute then certified by The Marine Stewardship Council. This miniature video film at 4 minutes, the Story of Sushi, made splashy news last year in marketing the importance of making smart choices as a seafood diner, especially of sushi.


The Story of Sushi from Bamboo Sushi on Vimeo.

So how could you not be a fan? Especially, if you can make happy hour, which included for my friend and I

  • Daily Hand Roll and cocktail of the day… what you don’t see is that I already consumed the complimentary edamame bowl. Shh don’t tell my friend.
  • From their signature cocktail menu, the drink Purple Haze. with fresh blackberry puree shaken with vodka and lemon-lime juice, served on the rocks
  • Imo koroshi—“potato killer” roasted yam press box, garlic-soy-butter, sesame chili powder, $4 instead of $6 at happy hour. Tastes as wonderful as it looks.
  • From House Signature Roll section: Green Machine Roll (vegetarian) of tempura fried asparagus and green onions topped with avocado and cilantro sweet chili aioli. Amazing.
  • $6 instead of $10 at Bamboo Sushi Happy Hour: “karashi” hanger, a marinated and grilled St Helens hanger steak with asian mustard mushrooms and puffed rice
  • Also on the happy hour menu, char grilled shishito peppers tossed with miso butter and bacon and topped with bonito flakes, $4 instead of $6 at happy hour
  • Okonomiyaki, a traditional Japanese savory pancake with shrimp and mushrooms, topped with fried oysters, drizzled with aioli and eel sauce, $5 instead of $8 at happy hour

Bamboo Sushi in Portland happy hour, Daily Hand Roll and cocktail of the day From the Bamboo Sushi signature cocktail menu, the drink Purple Haze. with fresh blackberry puree shaken with vodka and lemon-lime juice, served on the rocks Bamboo Sushi in Portland happy hour, Imo koroshi— 'potato killer' a roasted yam press box, garlic-soy-bu From Bamboo Sushi's House Signature Roll section: Green Machine Roll (vegetarian) of tempura fried asparagus and green onions topped with avocado and cilantro sweet chili aioli. Amazing. $6 instead of $10 at Bamboo Sushi Happy Hour: “karashi” hanger, a marinated and grilled St Helens hanger steak with asian mustard mushrooms and puffed rice Also on the Bamboo Sushi happy hour menu, char grilled shishito peppers tossed with miso butter and bacon and topped with bonito flakes, $4 instead of $6 at happy hour Okonomiyaki, a traditional Japanese savory pancake with shrimp and mushrooms, topped with fried oysters, drizzled with aioli and eel sauce, $5 instead of $8 at Bamboo Sushi's happy hour

I also had from the signature cocktail menu a sample sip of the Sparkling Blossom (prosecco, shiso schochu, elderblossom nectar, rhubarb & lemon bitters, lemon juice, with a toschi cherry in a flute, as delicate and beautiful as it sounds), a sip of the super refreshing Shiso Serious (muddled cucumber, shisho infused shochu, lemon-lime juice and soda, garnished with a cucumber), and Sempai Mojito (muddled red grapes, mint and sage, with rum, lemongrass rum and sage simple syrup- very dangerous as it comes in a pint glass and took me over the line in my happy hour libations, oops! The hazards of a happy hour review!).

So we definitely… or maybe me as I pre-ordered everything but the rolls before she arrived to get happy hour prices… over-ordered. But at the same time, I was pleased to see the variety of items on the happy hour menu and could have easily ordered more. I didn’t even get any sashimi because I was so tempted by all these other options!

For happy hour there were 17 options there for food, of which more than half were vegetarian or could be vegetarian by omitting bonito flakes, one choice can even be made gluten free! The rest of the menu includes more of the same so that anyone with any diet can dine at Bamboo Sushi happily. It does get busy and has a hip, trendy vibe, so prepare your arrival/eating time accordingly. It’s obviously not going to be priced like a conveyor belt sushi place- but I think their cause is worth it. If you have the opportunity, come support this great local business with a conscience and enjoy incredible food for happy hour and dinner!

Do you like sushi and/or sashimi? During your visit would you go the raw route with sushi and sashimi and hand rolls, or go with the alternate options like I did during this happy hour? How much does a business with a conscience factor into how you select it as a destination?

Signature

Filed Under: Cocktails, Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »