Zucchini Tots

I have honestly never been a fan of zucchini, but during one of my Pinterest sessions, I can across this recipe for zucchini tots from The Two Bite Club. These are a play on tater tots, but are much healthier and don't leave you feeling guilty about eating them. I journeyed to the local farmer's market to see what I could find. The zucchini I found was about 12 inches long (which is huge!) and a few inches around...the difference between local and other produce. I wasn't sure what to expect when I took them out of the oven, but these tots were deliciously. They were crispy on the outside, but tender on the inside. I might have cooked mine a for just a few more minutes to get them a tab bit more golden on the outside. However, this was not a bad first try. Plus, they were super yummy! They don't have an overwhelming zucchini taste to them and they would be great with a homemade marinara dipping sauce. Since they are similar to tater tots, they are a super kid-friendly food and the perfect way to get them to eat more veggies!

Ingredients: 

1 1/4 cup zucchini, grated (this was about 6 inches of the giant zucchini)

1 egg, brown

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese. finely grated

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

Pepper

*You will need a 24-count mini muffin pan, but the recipe only made 20 for me. 

Directions:

Grease your mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Dice your onion and grate your zucchini.

 I didn't realize this, but there is a ton of water in zucchini. The next step is to take the grated zucchini in a dishtowel and wring out the water. The more you get out, the better the tots will stay together. *Just a warning it will turn the dishtowel a light green color, but it will wash out.*

In a small to medium size bowl, mix together the zucchini, onion, egg, cheddar cheese, breadcrumbs and pepper. Add the mixture to the pan. Be sure to use your fingers or a spoon to press the mixture down. You can to compact it so that when it bakes, it stays together.

Next, bake the tots at 400F for 12-15 minutes or until the top gets a nice golden brown color. I am not sure if it was because of the Panko breadcrumbs or that they needed to cook a tiny bit longer, but mine seemed to be a bit delicate. They didn't fall apart but it seemed like they wanted to. These little veggie bites were super yummy and are a nice treat when you are looking for a tater tot like option. Fortunately, I have the other half of the giant zucchini that I will be using to make another batch.

Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

This is just about the time when apples are coming into season and I would love to visit an orchard to go apple picking. However, there aren't any orchards around me so I decided to make this apple cinnamon oatmeal in honor of apple season. The best part of this you make it in the crock pot so not only is it really easy, it makes a few servings. There were a few substitutions that I made to the recipe based on what I had on hand. The apple cinnamon combination is the perfect blend of flavors for this time of year and the oatmeal is just the fuel to get you ready for to take on the day. You can add toppings like bananas, nuts, raisins or cranberries to the oatmeal as well, but I decided to eat mine without toppings. I took the leftovers and froze individual servings to make grab and go breakfasts.

Ingredients:

4 small gala apples, cut into cubes (3 large apples)
1 1/2 cups almond milk (2% milk)
1 cup low-sugar apple juice (apple cider)
1/2 cups water
1 heaping cup of old-fashioned oats (steel-cut oats)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon wheat germ

Directions:

Core and cube apples. Use a crock pot liner or generously spray the inside with cooking spray. You don't want to be scrubbing all the baked on oatmeal off. Add all the ingredients into the crock pot and stir. Cook on low for 7 hours with the lid on.

When you are ready to reheat the oatmeal, microwave for 30 seconds with a splash of milk, stir and microwave an additional 15 seconds if necessary. You can add more liquid or microwave for more time based on how you like your oatmeal.

Clean Banana Bread

I love when I get requests from people to make them different things. Selfishly it makes me feel good about my cooking abilities, but I really do it because I know that they appreciate my cooking. This time the request was for banana bread. I haven't made it in quite a while actually, so I was excited about it. She also wanted me to make it healthy which was a fun challenge. These days I am beginning more and more to look at recipes and see how to make them my own. I have a recipe for "clean" banana bread which means that there are no processed ingredients. This was my first shot at this recipe and I was told that she would like pecans and coconut incorporated into the bread. I was a bit skeptical about the coconut, but it seemed to go over well.

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup honey (you can also use agave or another sugar substitute)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup shredded coconut, sweetened

Directions:

Here's the fun part...mashing the bananas. The riper they are, they better they are for banana bread and the easier they are to mash. You can use a fork or potato masher if you have one.

Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the egg whites. The recipe didn't say for how long, so I just beat them until they were nice and frothy. Next add in the applesauce, honey and mashed bananas and mix until ingredients are well combined.

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. Add in the vanilla to the wet ingredients and then mix the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until everything is just mixed.

This next step is optional. If you want to add any additional mixins to your bread, now is the time to fold them in. I added in chopped pecans and shredded coconut. Once it is all incorporated, put the batter into a nonstick loaf pan. I sprayed mine with cooking spray just to be on the safe side.

Bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes. Mine was in for 45 minutes, but probably could have done a few minutes less. It will be done when a toothpick comes out clean. Let the bread cool for 10 minutes and then you can serve. This turned out to be a pretty dense bread, but it wasn't heavy. Next, I think I could do just nuts or maybe chocolate chips to make a fair comparison with the other recipe I have tried. The good part about this recipe is that the middle got fully cooked. This is a great recipe if you are looking for a lighter, healthier version of a classic bread.

Bangkok Chef

Bangkok Chef is a family-run Thai restaurant in downtown Houston that is known for a dish called Drunken Macaroni, which was how I was introduced to the restaurant. Nicknamed "Drunken Mac", this is macaroni stir-fried with egg, onion, carrot, tomatoes and chili. It's an interesting dish and is definitely something to try. However, this time I decided to try the Massaman Curry, which had avocado, carrots, onion and peanuts along with steamed jasmine rice. This lunch combo is a bit odd but you get a ton of food! It comes with the day's soup, a salad and an appetizer. The soup seemed to be some kind of seafood bisque and the salad had apple, avocado, corn and a honey mustard dressing. It was served with an egg roll and some kind of dumpling. I was not a huge fan of the soup, but the salad was really yummy. The egg roll wasn't too greasy, but wasn't anything super special. I have never had Thai curry before but it was yummy! It was too hot, but there was some heat to it. The avocado added creaminess to it and helped cool it down a bit. The peanuts added a nice crunch to the curry and the chicken made it an extra hearty meal. I don't typically eat a ton of fun, but I decided to give it a try and it turned out to be quite good. This lunch special is at least 2 meals and doesn't break the bank! If you aren't downtown but looking for some pretty authentic Thai, you can also visit them at their Westheimer location.

Starbucks Anniversary Blend

You know that it's time to put something hot in your cup as the weather turns and the stores begin to look like fall. I know that everyone has special fall drinks, but fall is also the beginning of the special coffee releases at Starbucks. The Anniversary Blend kicks everything off and this year they were doing a promotion that if you bought the Anniversary Blend, then you got a 3 ounce espresso cup. Not only is the Anniversary Blend a new coffee, but it also gets a new package design as well. This year's coffee is spicy and crisp. I know that crisp isn't usually a word that describes coffee, but the spice stands out and the crispness comes like the chill in the air. It ends with a smooth buttery taste and doesn't have the lingering bitterness. If you want to make your coffee extra falley, than add a few dashes of pumpkin pie spice to it. It seems to really bring out the spice notes and makes it seem a bit like the Pumpkin Spice Latte. But don't get me wrong, this is definitely not a replacement for that fabulous drink! Be sure to try it before it's gone...as sure as the weather changes so does the coffee at Starbucks.

Watch Out for Lulus.com

I love finding fun fashion pieces but I usually don't want to spend a ton since it will probably be out of style soon. However, there are some great websites where you can find great pieces at prices that don't break the bank. I recently stumbled upon Lulus.com and found this great watch and I have been looking for a black watch so it was actually great timing. It has a simple black leather band with gold accents and the face has a wonderful black and white striped design (very Parisian if you ask me). It's definitely not your average watch and in a world of metal, the leather actually stands out a bit. I was a bit concerned since my wrist is on the small side, but I took a shot on it anyways. Though the watch band is a little big for me, the fact that it's leather means that I just need to get another hole made... so good news for me! Lulus.com is a super option to incorporate some of the trendier pieces of the season in with your more basic pieces without spending a fortune.

Batanga

One of the best parts of having such a vibrant food scene in Houston is that there is always something going on. You may have to do a little bit of searching but I promise there's something out there. My latest find was the last Dine Around Houston event that took place at Batanga. Fortunately, Batanga was on my list so I was lucky enough to be able to cross that off my list. It's located in downtown Houston and is a tapas type place with a very large outdoor space for all the many patio weather days Houston has. Alright, so we don't have that many days but at least it's an option. This was another killer deal where you got a beverage, three different tapas and a dessert for $12. Fortunately, since I went with a friend we were actually able to try all the tapas options.

The Cuban Mojo chicken skewers were served with plantains, cilantro and mojo sauce. I don't know exactly what is in the mojo sauce but it had a little kick to it and seemed to be inspired by some Caribbean flavors. The plantains were grilled so they had a crispy outside and a soft, tender inside. The chicken was a bit hard to eat as it didn't really come of the skewers easily, but it was well seasoned. The next tapas were mushroom croquettes with a truffle aioli. The mushroom mixture seemed to have come cheese mixed into it because it was creamy and the panko-like breading on the outside was a nice textural contrast. The truffle aioli was alright, but it didn't really wow me. 

I was lucky enough to be able to try okra for the first time though. I know, I know...how have I been in the South for this long and not tried okra? Most okra I have seen is usually fried, but this was grilled. Okra tends to be very oily and so it must be cooked in a very particular way, however this one wasn't. It had a chorizo oil sauce and the grilling gave it that char taste. The last dish was crispy calamari served with pico de gallo and a paprika vinaigrette. The interesting thing about this was that the pico de gallo was large piece of tomatoes that had been seasoned, not like the typical tomato, onion and cilantro mix I am used to seeing. The coating on the calamari had a smokiness to it that was complimented with the paprika sauce. I think that the chicken skewered were the best dish that we sampled.

The dessert was a traditional flan, which I am usually not a fan of because the consistency kind of freaks me out. However, this one was more like the consistency of a creme brulee. It was very rich and creamy so it was a good thing it wasn't very big. It had some kind of light carmel drizzle over it which helped cut through the richness of the custard. Overall, it was an okay meal. I can't say that I was impressed with every dish, but there were a few things that stood out. I am not sure if I would go back again, but I am glad that I was able to give it a try. Plus for $12, it wasn't a bad deal.

Kitchen Find

Flash sale sites usually have pretty good deals, but they are definitely good at getting you to impulse buy. I will admit that I have a few that I look at daily just to see what they have and what the trends are. However, I have been looking for a new set of oil and vinegar bottles since one of the ones I currently have broke. I didn't want just another plain set, so I decided that I would live without them for a while until I found something really fun. Fortunately, all my browsing on One King's Lane paid off! I found this fun oil and vinegar set. They are kind of a play on when you were little and everything was labeled. Each one has "oil" and "vinegar" imprinted on it, making them whimsical and definitely worth me waiting to find the right ones. If you haven't already signed up for One King's Lane, be sure you do because you never know what things you can find (even if you didn't know you needed it!)

Yellow House Hotel

Sunday brunch is a special time to sit down with friends and family and enjoy a meal. This surprise brunch outing took us to a wonderful little place called Yellow House Hotel. This hotel was built in 1801 and served originally as a stagecoach stop and country store. Later, it was a general store, a switchboard for the town and a post office. Despite the passage of time, it is still a charming little bed and breakfast. The first floor is the restaurant, decorated with old style light fixtures, dark wood and Victorian style wallpaper. While pursuing the menu, we sipped champagne and tasted the assortment of breakfast pastries. I am not quite sure what everything was, but I do know that there were mini cinnamon rolls, a strawberry coffee cake and potentially cornbread style bread. I decided on a mini cinnamon roll which had a nice cinnamon mixture and a light glaze. It was nice that it was small since the real part of the meal was still to come.

For my selection, I chose a Belgian waffle topped with chocolate chips and served with maple bacon, fruit and whipped cream. The waffle was nice and fluffy, but to be honest it was just kind of a normal waffle, nothing to write home about. The chocolate chips and whipped cream did make it slightly better. However, the real star of the dish was the maple bacon. I have had maple bacon before, but it seemed like the maple syrup was just lightly drizzled over the bacon. This bacon had an actual layer of crunchy, sweet maple deliciousness on it. It was cooked so that there was crunch to it while still maintaining some tenderness. This was a quaint little place full of history and charm, a unique Sunday brunch setting. If you are ever in the area, be sure to stop on into the Yellow House Hotel.

Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar

Local farm to table restaurants seem to be the hot new concept in the food world. When I think of fresh produce and locally made foods, I don't think of Houston. I think of the North where farmers markets are on every corner and the seasons are marked by the changing produce. Farm to table concept restaurants are the hot new thing, so we found one called Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar and decided to try it out. They were just on the last days of their summer menu which was slightly disappointing because I am a huge fan of fall flavors. I started off with lavender mojito, made with vanilla rum and lavender simple syrup. It was a lovely combination of floral and sweet aromas. The mint and the vanilla paired well and the lavender was a unique twist. It was very refreshing and something I never would have thought to put together.

As appetizers, we ordered calamari and a hummus trio. I was very surprised when the calamari arrived to see that it was not fried. The calamari was sauteed and served in what seemed to be a Thai inspired broth. Honestly, it was a bit bland and not even salt helped. The broth didn't seem to have strong enough flavors to help perk up the bland calamari. The hummus trio included roasted garlic, chipotle and bruschetta and was served with pita triangles, carrots and cucumbers. The roasted garlic wasn't too overwhelming, but was slightly sweet. The chipotle hummus had a definite smoky flavor brought out by the paprika on top. The bruschetta hummus had diced tomatoes and kalamata olives mixed in, creating a very Mediterranean feel. The pita was okay, but nothing to write home about. I love hummus and was inspired by these combinations to start making my own to see what I could come up with. The hummus trio was the winner in the appetizer round.

In the entree category, the first two options were a pork tenderloin with a mustard apricot sauce and the second choice was a halibut. The pork was grilled and served on a chutney like mix of apricots and dijon mustard. There was a brussel sprout and sweet potato hash served with it that was actually quite tasty. I have never seen brussel sprouts used in a hash and the flavors went well together. The apricot and dijon mustard created a sweet and salty combination that brought depth to the pork. Plus pork and dijon mustard are one of my favorite combinations. The halibut was served with broccolini and an optional sauce, but it was unclear as to what the server said it was. Unfortunately, the halibut was a bit overcooked, so it turned out to be nothing special.

Luckily for me, the soup of the day was their season butternut squash soup! So of course that was something I had to try. The soup was creamy and surprisingly sweet with lots of toasted pumpkins seeds. The pumpkins seeds added the tiniest bit of salt and a nice textural contrast to the soup. The sweetness of the soup came from the addition of honey to the soup. I would have never thought to put honey in a soup, but it was very good. This butternut squash soup is a quintessential fall dish and would be perfect for a chilly winter night. I also decided to try the steak, swiss and mushroom flatbread. There is an area called Kennett Square that is known for their mushrooms so these were the lucky mushrooms topping the flatbread. The steak was tender and the swiss cheese was the perfect "glue" to hold it all together. The crust was nice and crunchy and seemed to be a bit seasoned. It was definitely one of the better flatbreads I have have since it wasn't basically just bread.

Though the entree part of the meal wasn't super memorable, we decided to give dessert a chance. The way they served dessert was unique because they came in a tray and you just took whichever one you wanted right then. The two we chose were a chocolate mocha mousse and a peanut butter chocolate mousse. The mocha chocolate mousse was topping with almost a cookie like crumble and a tiny dollop of whipped cream. The mousse was light, but had a very rich chocolate flavor to it. The peanut butter and chocolate mousse was like eating a peanut butter cup. The mini chocolate chips on top were a great textural element and completed the look of the dessert. Out of the two, the peanut butter and chocolate mousse was the dessert winner. Unfortunately, this wasn't an awesome dinner overall but there were definitely some bright spots in the meal. If you are willing to not be wowed by every dish, you might want to give it a try because there were some pretty yummy things and the fall menu looked good.

Fall at Dunkin' Donuts

Even though the North is my hometown, I am slightly ashamed to say that have never had Dunkin' Donuts before. I am not quite sure why that never happened, but never fear I finally rectified that situation! During a series of interesting events, I found myself at a Dunkin' Donuts. Apparently, their coffee is delicious and rated better than Starbucks. I decided that I was going to make the comparison simple and just do a plain coffee test. I ordered a cup of the regular coffee and found that is had a smoother, less bitter taste than some of the black Starbucks coffee I have had. I however did not like that they did not have sleeves for their cups as it was a very hot beverage. It also felt like the cups were a bit flimsy since the top ended up popping off my cup and spilled down my leg. Between that and the coffee, itself I was fully awake and functioning. I have to admit it was a strong contender to Starbucks coffee, but in order to make a final call I think I would need to do a flavored drink test.

What was an even better pleasant surprise was that they had pumpkin munchkins! Munchkins are what they call donut holes, which if you ask me is a much cuter name. These were the cake donuts (which I was even more excited about) and the glaze wasn't too overly sweet. They were pretty dense and had a brilliant orange color with tons of fall spices in the donut batter. They weren't super crumbly, so they were easy to eat without making a huge mess. It had a good pumpkin flavor without being too artificial since I am sure they aren't using fresh pumpkin. I guess it's probably a good thing, I am not close to a Dunkin Donuts since I probably shouldn't be eating a lot of these little munchkins.

Dunkin' Donuts doesn't just serve donuts, they also serve breakfast sandwiches, regular sandwiches and muffins. Of course, the muffin of choice would be pumpkin since it's that time of year. The muffin had a coffee cake topping with an icing drizzle. The color of the muffin was slightly more yellow than the donut holes which was interesting. It had a similar flavor, but was a bit different though I couldn't put my finger on what made it different. The muffin had a light and crumbly texture and the crunchy coffee cake topping was a nice contrast. Whether you are looking for a donut or muffin, these two pumpkin treats were pretty good so if you are close to a Dunkin' Donuts be sure to try them before they are all gone.

Pumking Beer

It's that time of year where all the pumpkin recipes are beginning to emerge and you should start to feel a bit of crispness in the air. I won't be experiencing a temperature change for a while, but I am trying to get in the fall spirit with foods. I was lucky enough to get my first pumpkin beer recently. Southern Tier Brewing Company is located in New York and surprisingly has only been around since 2002. However, they are taking the beer world by storm. The Pumking Beer from Southern Tier Brewing Company tastes exactly like pumpkin pie. I didn't believe it at first, but I assure you it does. There is a subtle spiciness to it from allspice, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg (the quintessential spice mix for pumpkin pie). Vanilla and a nutty aroma help round out the flavor and create that pumpkin pie in a glass taste. I am not a huge beer person, but this is definitely a seasonal treat that I might indulge in. If you haven't tried it, be sure to pick up a few to try before they're all gone!

Fabulous Figs!

I have recently been introduced to the world of fresh figs and have realized that I have been missing out on some very yummy treats! I have had dried figs once or twice, but they are definitely not the same as fresh ones. Yet again Central Market got me into trouble because they had fresh figs on sale. With the guidance of a seasoned fig pro, I was instructed to try black figs and Turkish figs. You eat a fig like a grape, skin and all. The black figs are smaller and darker than the Turkish figs which have a more reddish pink color and are larger. The inside of a fig somewhat resembles a Venus Flytrap, but don't worry these aren't poisonous...they are sweet and delicious! The black figs are sweeter than the Turkish figs, but the Turkish ones are by no means tart. After trying these, I can say that I am a huge fan of figs! They are a great snack and can be used in tons of different recipes. Plus the might make an interesting and unique addition to a charcuterie plate.

Frozen Banana Bites

I love bananas but I feel like they ripen in a heartbeat and I can't eat them fast enough. However, during one of my recent Pinterest sessions, I stumbled on this fun snack. It was frozen banana sandwiches with almond butter filling. It couldn't be simpler and is a great new way to use up your ripe bananas. Plus it's a super healthy snack and since its frozen (and still super hot here), it's a great way to beat the heat. 

I used 4 ripe bananas and sliced them into about 2" thick slices. I laid them out on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Then I topped them with a small dollop of almond butter. You could pretty much use any kind of nut butter or chocolate. Since the bananas are small, you don't want to have all the filling squeeze out when you put the top on. Once you have put together all you sandwiches, put them in the freezer for about 45 minutes. If you want to eat them right away, you can freeze them for about 30 minutes to become semi-frozen.

After they have been frozen, take them off the baking sheet and put them in a storage container or freezer safe bag. This way you pull them out whenever you are craving a little something sweet. The sweetness of the banana and the crunch from the almond butter make a perfect sweet and nutty combination. If you want to be extra indulgent, once the sandwiches are frozen, you can dip them in chocolate. You can always get a little crazy and do a different filling on both sides like marshmallow fluff, Nutella or jelly. This is a great snack for kids to make, so go have some fun in the kitchen making this treat that you won't feel guilty about.

Heavenly Baked Brie

In the world of cheese, I know very little but in the course of conversation with a friend the topic of baked brie came up. What I gathered this was, was melted cheesy goodness with some kind of sweet or savory topping. Definitely not something that I was going to pass up, so we headed over to Central Market to take advantage of their amazing cheese selection. While making our way to the cheese, we realized we had no recipe and no idea what we were doing...This was our chance to wing it and see what happened. After talking to our new friend Virginia in the cheese department (Central Market employees are so helpful!), we soon had a plan. She explained to us that to make baked Brie you have to use double cream because the triple cream will just run all over the place. We also learned how to wrap it in a bed of puff pastry and how to make it look extra fancy. It is very important to preheat your oven to 375. Then lay out one of the sheets of puff pastry and place the whole wheel of Brie on top. This is when you add your toppings. We opted for a mixture of fig butter, honey and chopped walnuts and pecans. (It was quite tasty and would have been good on crackers.) You can use whatever toppings or preserves you want, as this is your time to get creative!

Next, take the other sheet of puff pastry and lay it over the top of the cheese. Make sure that you pinch the dough together completely to seal it so the cheese doesn't ooze out. You can then cut off the excess dough or leave it on. We wanted to be extra safe so we just left the excess dough. In order to get the golden brown color, gently brush and egg white over the top of the dough. Be sure to coat it evenly as you don't want an uneven color. If you are feeling super awesome, you can take the extra dough and create a cool design for the top. Just be sure to put it on before you do the egg wash. Put it in your preheated oven and bake. Virginia said that it should bake for 15-20 minutes, but since my oven is about 5 minutes different I adjusted the cooking time. I had mine in the oven for 13 minutes total and pulled out a golden brown packet of goodness!

I couldn't wait to break into this cheese pouch to see what this baked Brie was all about. After letting it cool, I finally got to cut into it and it was heavenly! The Brie was melted and the topping had melded to the top of the puff pastry. I can say that baked Brie is now my current obsession, as it is soo delicious! The puff pastry was crispy and flaky, the cheese was melted to perfection and the fig/honey/nut combination was the perfect choice because it added sweetness and crunch. There are almost no words to describe it because it was that sinful to eat. Plus it actually turned out well that we left the extra puff pastry on their because it was really delicious. Baked Brie is the perfect appetizer (or meal in itself) and is super simple! I am fairly certain that this will now be included in every entertaining event I have. It's a little out of the ordinary and you can always play with it by changing the toppings. Come back and let me know what toppings you put on your Brie.