Brunch at Portobello

We made it to Portobello's new brunch yesterday. Unfortunately it doesn't start til 11am, so it's solidly brunch and not breakfast. It was tough to eat a very light breakfast at home and then wait til they opened to have a real meal.

We arrived at a quarter after 11, and although the tables were about two-thirds full, it took about twenty minutes before we were seated. The menu is tiny, but custom for the day, and the entrees each sound amazing. We opted for the sweet waffle* and the savory waffle, and split them (*full disclosure-- the sweet waffle was not gluten free).

The sweet waffle was described as "roasted sweet potato, rootbeer, rum waffle with soy-free earth balance, maple syrup and roast stone fruits." The savory waffle was a "savory cornmeal waffle with spicy red beans, cashew ricotta, pickled red onions, roasted corn, and tomato sauce."

Both were amazing. I wouldn't have guessed rootbeer for the flavor of the sweet waffle, but it was sweet without being cloying, rich, buttery and amazing with the hot grilled peaches. The savory waffle was piled high with fresh-tasting toppings and much more filling.

Even Erik was impressed. Our bottomless French press coffee was thick and strong, just as I like it. And the bill came to only twenty dollars! The only downside is that it took nearly two hours overall, which doesn't seem maintainable. Hopefully they're streamline service a bit, and maybe even open earlier. I can't wait to go back to taste what they come up with.

Tofu Bo Bun

I am so excited to help test recipes for Terry Hope Romero's upcoming cookbook. Her most recent, Viva Vegan, is fantastic. There is an amazing variety of dishes from cuisines I thought I knew, and each recipe I've tried has surprised me with really solid results.

The upcoming cookbook has quite a mix of dishes. The first one that caught my eye was "Seitan Bo Bun," a variation on my very favorite Vietnamese dish, bun bi chay or vegetarian noodle salad. Of course I didn't make the tasty-sounding Five Spice Seitan; instead a pressed and marinated tofu to easily make the dish gluten-free.

It took more than an hour, but I was really impressed with the results. Everything came together beautifully and the sauce elevated the entire dish. I'm so excited for this cookbook!

Upcoming

Well I used yesterday as my "free day" (I've allowed myself one weekday a week off from MoFo this year, because damn, I need it) but clearly I needed another one today.

Yesterday I made burgers for dinner, possibly the laziest meal we do around here. This time I pan-fried the patties with Daiya on top and cut them in half to roll up in a tortilla with Veganaise, spinach, pickle slices and BBQ sauce; we were out of bread. The burger wraps were great, though, because I'm usually overpowered by the bread and eat all of my sandwiches open-faced.

Last night I also started falling asleep on the couch at 9pm, although I had to get up and do things so I didn't get to bed til 11, which is still early for me.

Fresh off six hours of sleep (not all at once of course, but that's pretty good for me) I thought I'd make something MoFo-worthy tonight, no problem.

Then plans changed and we went to a bar straight after work... Followed by takeout from Los Gorditos, because what else do you eat when you're starving after going to a foodless bar?

So all I have for tonight is to tell you that I am super excited for the weekend to try out the jackfruit brisket recipe from Sunny Days in Texas and a couple of testing recipes from Terry Hope Romero's upcoming cookbook. Hurrah! Hurry up and get here, weekend.

THE chocolate chip cookie

Stop the press. I finally found the gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. It's easy to make soy-free, too. I just made a double batch of dough, hoping that this one will yield enough for me to share with friends. Unfortunately, I can't seem to bake enough at a time that there are any available for photos, but luckily Angela of Oh She Glows provided us with the recipe, photos, and an explanation of different ingredients she tried. I usually prefer big, soft oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but these have an amazing chewy bite, even though they're thin, which provides an almost caramel texture. The flours are oat and almond: common, healthy and well-known (no questions like "What the heck is sorghum?"). The oats, ground in the blender, lend their flavor subtely, while the almonds create richness. Go mix up a batch!

Peanut butter in the morning

There's no better way to start the morning than a hot breakfast, especially now that the mornings are a bit crisp. Usually I eat still-warm toasted bread with hummus, but lately I've had one slice with peanut butter and jam. When I ran out of bread, cold cereal seemed too cold, and we were out of toaster waffles, I suddenly remembered oatmeal and a tip from my pb-loving friend Kristen.

I always have oats around-- to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, of course-- but I rarely think of having oatmeal for breakfast. It just seems like it takes too long.

Well, I was wrong. Rolled oats (not gluey quick oats) are the best of both worlds. You can microwave them in three minutes (in one minute increments) and have a delicious hot breakfast, fast. I like to use half water and half milk-- coconut, almond or rice.

While the oatmeal is still piping hot, stir in a tablespoon or two of peanut butter. It will melt into the oatmeal and distribute nicely. You can also add maple syrup and cinnamon (best!), jam (PB&J oatmeal!), dried cranberries (trail mix) or chocolate chips (decadent). It's amazing how many variations of peanut butter oatmeal you can come up with. Plus you can lick the spoon you use to scoop the peanut butter. Have a good morning!