Coreanos

 The food truck movement in Houston is on fire and there are so many different options out there that it is hard to keep track of them all. Fortunately, Houston now has its own food truck park, located just outside downtown so it will be a lost easier to find them now. During the grand opening of the park, I was finally able to try Coreanos, a Mexican/Korean fusion truck. I tried their loco pollo burrito, which was absolutely delicious. There was chicken, cheese, pico de gallo, grilled onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos, garlic spread and el scorcho sauce. It was spicy, flavorful, and a delicious mix of ingredients. It was a good size burrito and definitely worth the wait.
My friend ordered the tacos and regular fries, which looked amazing. However, I was going for broke and decided to try the kim cheese fries. These french fries were topped with caramelized kimchi, cheese, spicy pork belly, and el scorcho sauce. These spicy fries were almost a meal by themselves. I have never had kimchi before, but it was really yummy. If you are looking for something new and are a fan of fusion cuisine, then Coreanos is definitely a food truck you need to go try because you won't be disappointed. 

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

There are nights when I just want a fresh, healthy, light but fulfilling dinner, but I can't say that I have tons of recipes for those. So I got really excited when I found this recipe for quinoa stuffed bell peppers from Nature Box. I can't say that I frequently have stuffed bell peppers, but I think this may become a go to dinner for me. You can do so much with it and they are beyond simple to make. This vegetarian version is made with quinoa, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, feta cheese, cilantro, cheddar cheese, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper.
There are two directions to this recipe: mixing all the filling ingredients together and then fill and bake the peppers for 25-30 minutes at 350 in a parchment lined baking dish. The best part was how simple it was to make. The recipe calls for 6 bell peppers, but I only made 3 and froze the leftover filling. That way I can make more stuffed peppers or just eat the filling itself. If you are preparing and want to have some kind of protein in it, you can throw in some chicken, ground turkey or ground beef. These are easy to entertain with and are perfect for a summer dinner.

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup canned black, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
6 bell peppers, stemmed and seeded

Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients (except bell peppers) in a large bowl. Spoon filling into bell peppers and bake for 25-30 minutes.

REEF

There are sometimes when I just in the mood for some seafood, but I am not very familiar with the seafood restaurants in the area. At the recommendation of a very trusted source, I grabbed a friend and headed over to REEF. Located in Midtown, REEF is a hot spot that is drawing attention from all over the food world. I started off with an adult fresh berry lemonade and one of their super delicious rolls with a jalapeno jelly. The lemonade was refreshing and full of natural berry sweetness. The rolls were light and the sea salt on top was a nice touch. I usually shy away from anything that is remotely related to jalapenos, but I gave they jelly a try and was pleasantly surprised. It was sweet with a kick, but the flavors were well balanced. I stared off with a warm shrimp salad with haricot verts and spiced pecans. The shrimp and pecans were delicious, but I was not really a fan of the micro greens that were served with the shrimp.

I am never going to turn down macaroni and cheese and when I saw fried mac and cheese on the menu it was a must have. To be honest, I know that it doesn't look all that visually appealing, but I can assure you it was yummy in my tummy! There was a panko breading on the outside and the mac and cheese had a bit of heat to it. The spiral shaped pasta made sure that there was sauce on all parts of the noodle. It was soo delicious (definitely worth the calories though) and I will be making another visit. And you can't finish a wonderful meal without a fabulous molten chocolate cake. It was served with vanilla ice cream and a raspberry coulis. The cake was decedent and the ice cream didn't have the usual artificial vanilla taste. The molten chocolate was rich and almost a fudge like consistency. It was a heavenly end to a perfect catch up dinner! If you haven't been to REEF, be sure to go.

Celebrity Cupcakes

Cupcakes make everything better and I was super excited when my friend brought me Celebrity Cupcakes. This cupcakery is located in Rice Village. There were two cupcakes nestled in their holders when I opened the box. These were banana nut and s'more flavored. The banana nut had a nice subtle flavor and the cream cheese icing was the perfect touch. It wasn't overly sweet and the best part was that the cupcakes weren't super crumbly. I think however, the s'mores was my favorite. The frosting was torched so that it looked like a toasted marshmallow. There was a graham cracker crust on the bottom and the cupcake was a chocolate cake with pieces of chocolate in it. These were interesting flavors and fairly good cakes. If you are ever in The Village be sure to stop by Celebrity Cupcakes and give them a try.

Yia Yia Mary's

I love Greek food, however, I haven't really branched out to find more than one restaurant. However, one of my friends decided to take me to visit Yia Yia Mary's, a Pappas Greek restaurant. I let her somewhat take over on the ordering since she had been there before. We started off with a baked piece of feta, topped with a marinara sauce and served with pita slices. It was so delicious! The cheese had a touch of crunch to the outside, but was warm on the inside. The marinara sauce added some spice and earthiness to the cheese. It was interesting that the marinara had a subtle sweetness that balanced out the saltiness of the feta cheese. I was taught the "proper" way to eat it... take a small piece of the cheese and marinara and spread it over the pita, making it almost pizza like. Though the cheeses doesn't melt completely it spreads very easily and takes on the flavor of of the marinara.

There are times when you just need a summer cocktail to help balance a meal and celebrate the start of a new part of the year. Of course, my friend and I ended up with matching drinks even though they were not the same thing. One was a strawberry mojito. It was fresh and not too sweet. The strawberry was a nice compliment to the mint and lime. It was a deliciously refreshing beverage for sure. The other turned out to be something like a fresh strawberry margarita. The lemon and lime balanced the natural sweetness of the strawberry. However, both of us agreed that the strawberry mojito won in the drink department. 

By the time the entree arrived at the table, we were wrapped up in conversation and I didn't even remember to take a picture of my Greek salad. It was good, however, I think it was a bit overdressed. I usually try to remember to order the dressing on the side, but this time I forgot to. The salad was good, but I can't say it was anything super spectacular. What was spectacular was the bakalava cheesecake. This was a cheesecake that had a nutty graham cracker crust and was topped with crushed baklava. The cheesecake was smooth and creamy, but the crust outshined the filling. The baklava was a nice textural difference and was crunch and sweet. This is a must try for anyone who like cheesecake or baklava. It is a nice play on two traditional desserts. Though some may classify Yia Yia Mary's as too commercial, it is a great place to unwind and enjoy the food and company. Though now I am glad that I can say I have now been to more than one Greek restaurant.