Hearty Pancakes

These pancakes are healthy little mamma's! Stick to your ribs they will (sorry that was a Yoda moment). Enjoy! 

Hearty Pancakes

Sarah Manno "Measure of Community" Fort Collins Co-op Favorite Recipe Book

·        1 cup flour

·        ¼ cup each cornmeal, soy flour, wheat germ, and wheat bran

·        2 tsp. baking powder

·        1 tsp. salt

·        1 egg, beaten

·        2 Tbsp. oil

·        2 Tbsp. molasses

·        Milk

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a 2 cup measure, adding milk to reach 2 total cups of liquid.  Add ingredients to dry and combine quickly.  Cook in oil in medium-hot skillet.  Add more milk if thinner pancakes are desired.  Makes 12-16, 3" or 4" diameter pancakes.

A note from my friend Katie who passed this recipe along. Note:  I have a bad habit of not following directions.  I don't always use all the different flour listed, and I never measure out the milk.  I just add milk until I get the consistency that I want.  Since, I cook for one, I make what I need and then keep the rest of the mixture in the fridge for a quick warm breakfast during the week!

Lou's Food Bar

So these pictures are dark but I just have to give Lou's Food Bar some props. I can say this next statement with absolute certainty that in my heart of hearts it is true - Lou's had the BEST burger I have ever tasted. And let me tell you, I have eaten a lot of burgers. I am not some pansy (no offense) who will order a salad, hold the croutons, hold the bacon bits, add extra lettuce...dressing on the side. No I want the fattest, juiciest burger, add the bacon, add an egg, with french fries. Oh for heaven's sake...no tomatoes - please eliminate all healthy aspects. The burger at Lou's was just heaven. I actually told Jeff to stop talking so I could savor every bite. Onlookers perhaps were wary of this young women having a love affair with the burger but if you tried it...you might as well.

In the words of Marcel the Shell - Lou's has a lot of other great qualities, and I like that about it...

Yes, miss picky, ate escargot here and loved it! Granted it was covered in butter and cheese (a dream going forward) but nevertheless, delish!

What's great about Lou's is that they are not pretentious. The food is served on old style diner plates. Not the hip fancy square plates just hardy oval plates with the circle around the edge. The food speaks for itself.

Linger

"Do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it linger..." Yes I DO! Linger, as very hip restaurant in the highlands that occupies a building that used to be home to the Olinger Mortuary. Did they take the reference too far? I don't think so. The water is served in iodine bottles but they didn't go so far with the theme to serve 'eyeball olives' or 'spagetthi intestines'. 

Why I love Linger:

1. The views are amazing. Rated Top Rooftop bar in all of Denver - as Rated by Ryan Q.

2. They serve tapas from around the world so a lot of different flavors working

3. They have vegan, gluten free and nut free options for the allergic, sensitive and hypochondriac alike.

4. The decor is just plain fun.

5. Service is outstanding.

6. And although I am pained by this --the fried cheese curds are the best (stupid dairy allergy!)

7. A great selection of cocktails

And all of this equals two very happy eaters. I can't wait to go back again soon. 

Beatrice and Woodsley

Decor - 10 points for B and W! If you are looking for that special woodland feel as you chomp into some great food while sipping on a unique cocktail you should probably check out Beatrice and Woodsley. This place has real aspen trees surrounding swanky booths. The liqueur is held up at the bar by a huge tree limb being supported my chainsaws stuck in the wall. Then there is magical draping of fabric and a highly trained staff. And the bathroom....well about the bathroom, beautiful...yes, clean...yes, confusing...yes. I suggest taking a buddy with you to the bathroom or you may never make it back. Not to dwell on the bathroom but there really is this 'push/pull' moment when you stand outside the bathroom for 10 minutes only to realize that no one is in there and you have been foiled by the door...again. Then the incredible swanky artsy 'faucet' which may just push you to slap on some antibac and forget the whole thing. But I digress...on to the food!

ORCHARD IN THE RYE 12
Served up with Old Overholt Rye, Leopold’s Peach Whiskey,
Apricot Brandy, and Orange Bitters


WORM’S WILD RIDE 10
Served on the rocks with Leopold’s Apple Whiskey, Jack Daniels,
Cinnamon Simple, Lemon Juice and a splash of Soda


VIOLET BEAUREGARD 10
Served on the rocks with Muddled Blueberries, Sobieski Vodka,
Simple and St. Germaine

Umm yea! Can you see why my Whiskey-loving self can dig on this place?

Ah yes - the old toe tag on the wine trick. Dearly departed we are gathered here to today to honor the life of a grape. A grape that grew and grew on a vine. The grape was tended to and ripened to the exact right point. Then suddenly, the grape found itself being removed from the vine. Then put in a large barrel and stomped by someone's feet. Tragic. Raise your glasses to the grape...I mean...hmm this is a little awkward.

To be quite honest - we went to eat here quite a while ago and I frankly have no recollection what we ordered. So to say it simple...below is just some food porn, enjoy!

ARTISAN CHEESE 16
A selection of hand-crafted cheeses, house-made daily bread, garnishes

Twinkling lanterns bring the wonderful dinner to a close...

D Desserts

With a name like D Desserts you wouldn't think that the entrees would also be a highlight, but they are. D Desserts is a small restaurant that specializes in wonderful desserts but has some delicious entrees. The owner is Food Network star Keegan Gerhard. He is on the show Food Network Challenge where people build enormous themed cakes and he judges them. "Well it looks like the brontosaurus tail is too heavy with rice cereal and the frosting piping on the volcano is atrocious" - This is by no means a real quote from Keegan but it about sums up his job. So before I even knew about D Desserts I was a huge fan of the Food Network Challenge show. So when Jeff and I decided to try out D Desserts I was pretty star struck to see Keegan there, working in the kitchen! We have gone to D Desserts three times for dinner and have seen him there twice. I was pretty stoked and Jeff was mostly unimpressed. On to the food. This was pre dairy allergy so WARNING - cheese in full force.

*baked mac & cheese 8

4 cheeses ∙ cheese nips & panko crumbs ∙ small spring salad

We added tempura lobster to the top!

*southernfried belgian 9.5

fried chix ∙ cheesy waffle ∙ honey mustard ∙ sweet pot. Fries

*soup & sandwich 9

tomato basil soup ∙ 3 - cheese grilled cheese panini

Wouldn't you know, after all that we didn't even get dessert this day! We were too full from the awesome food. We have gotten dessert there and let me say it is amazing! The menu is below, see if anything tickles your fancy...
 
*cake and shake 9
3-layer choc cake ∙ manjari frosting ∙ vanilla or choc milk shake or malt

*milk and cookies 8

baked to order: choc chip ∙ oatmeal ∙ choc pecan ∙ snickerdoodle ∙ ice cold milk

*d = mc² 9
milk chocolate ∙ praline ∙ salted caramel ∙ rice krispies ∙ chocolate sorbet

*crème brulee 7
vanilla bean custard ∙ strawberry ∙ almond orange caramel biscotti

*booz-flāy ! 11
grand marnier soufflé ∙ passion fruit beignets ∙ passion-mango “sherbet”

*where my PEACHES at – Machu Peachu? 9

crème brulee ∙ peach² ∙ sable breton ∙ lavender ∙ vanilla ∙ ice wine sparkle

*molten cake thingy everybody has… (steamed with a truffle inside!) 10
valrhona manjari 64% chocolate ∙ summer cherries ∙ sicilian pistachio ice cream

*ch ch ch churro! 9
made-to-order churros ∙ rum and cake ice cream ∙ chocolate dipping sauce

*s’mo waffle 9

rock graham waffle ∙ manjari cremeux ∙ toasted marshmallow ∙ malted ice cream

*its back…tropical pavlova…more aerodynamic! 9
baked meringue ∙ mango³ ∙ passionfruit ∙ louisiana lemongrass ∙ tropical granita

Valentine's Day

Ahh best laid plans...

Jeff tried very hard to make Valentine's Day (2011) (don't remark about how behind I am) as special as possible. After working a very long night work and going home to sleep, he made me think that I would not see him on Valentine's Day. I pouted...as you knew I would. Alas! He showed up in the morning to cook me breakfast. Although his intentions were wonderful...the pancakes just didn't make it.

A rose and card. Jeff says that every woman deserves a rose on Valentine's Day...what a sweetie.

Bacon! Which ended up being most of my breakfast after the pancakes failed. I am not complaining...mmm bacon.

Now this impressed me. Jeff made homemade whipped cream from scratch. He bought cream, added sugar and agave and whipped it up. It was so good and creative and so cute pink.

Fresh squeezed orange juice...by hand. We don't have a fancy juicer so Jeff was squeezing these all morning.

To beef up the breakfast a little big Jeff tried to salvage the day with a heart shaped egg. You could really use any cookie cutter to make a cute shaped egg.

Butter first! I can imagine I didn't feel great after this meal knowing now that I have a dairy allergy.

The way to a woman's heart is through an egg...yea pretty sure that's how it goes.

Heart/arrowhead egg.

Food can be art

Food can be art. I think so anyway. The beauty of a dish can be just as artistic and enjoyable as the taste of the food. There are people who use food as a medium for art and it is not necessary intended to be eaten. I found a neat website here that has hilarious and detailed food art. So, I did not create a dish or a stage a photo of bikers trailing a cinnamon role. I did, however, find myself completely awestruck and mesmerized by a half-eaten tomato on the sidewalk. I know what you are thinking, Jenna is going off the deepend and we need to have an intervention. Don't! Give the tomato a chance to change your view.

Side note - have you ever cooked with Buddha's Hand? I can see this lemon-like citrus making its way into some food art.

Poached Eggs - Sort Of

In case you didn't know, poaching eggs is hard! I love poached eggs and thought perhaps I could do it myself. I tried my darnedest to follow instructions on the Internet. My eggs were swirling all over the pot in a white cloud of failure. Below is the result...I am not sure we can call it a poached egg but it wasn't terrible.

Do you have any tips for poaching eggs?

Lily's Chicken

My parents took Jeff and I out to dinner to celebrate a job for him and a promotion for me. Hooray!  We went to Bonefish Grill. I was expecting it to be pretty chain-restaurant like with not that great of food but I was very wrong. So bummed with myself that I didn't take food photos! I started with a lemon drop martini that was the perfect ratio of booze to lemon. It wasn't overly sweet like lemon drops are sometimes and it tasted like they used real lemon juice. I then ordered a scallop and shrimp plate sans the scallops (I am not a big fan) with green beans. When they brought out my plate I was outraged to find they gave me shrimp and scallops! Just kidding, I was not outraged. I thought it would be nice to give scallops another try and I knew Jeff could pick up the slack. The waitress apologized immediately and had more shrimp brought out to me. Score! So I tried the scallop....it was good!The texture was a bit different but it wasn't rubbery or fishy. I ate about half of them while Jeff took out the other half. The shrimp was fresh, grilled, seasoned and just what I wanted. The green beans were fresh and steamed. Jeff got a tuna plate that was cooked to perfection (which freaks me out, it is bright red/pink but rare is the way to go I am told). My dad got the fish and chips and I have never seen better looking fish and chips (granted I have not been to England). I kept stealing malt vinegar covered french fries from him. By stealing I do actually mean he gave them to me willingly. My mom ordered a grilled Mahi Mahi and was having memories of their recent trip to Hawaii. Dinner was followed by a vanilla cream brulee and complementary chocolate creme brulee for the celebrations. I couldn't actually eat the creme brulee but my mom, dad and Jeff were happy to help out. I will come back and remember to take pictures!

A special bonus. Lily's Chicken! I have been blessed with a 2 month old niece named Lily. I texted this picture to her mommy. When she is old enough maybe she can come order this.

Watercourse

Finding out that I am allergic to dairy has opened my eyes to a whole new way of eating. I have jumped at times on the vegan bandwagon for a good bite to eat. Vegan food does not contain any animal products, ergo, it does not contain dairy. I am so lucky to live in the food conscious city of Denver where there are options. I am sure there are more but I know of two really good vegan and vegetarian places including Watercourse (the sister restaurant of City O' City). So close your eyes (actually don't so you keep reading), Open you eyes and pretend that they are closed. Think: VEGAN FOOD. What comes to mind? Ahh yes, I'd like to order the romaine lettuce with a few raw beets and maybe a drizzle of olive oil. Sounds a little boring to me. What if I said vegan and you thought; breakfast sandwich, burgers, egg rolls, nachos, buffalo wings, pasta, burritos tacos?

So now after that huge rant...the food below is not vegan but mostly! It is all vegan except for the egg but you are welcome to order this dish with tofu and keep it vegan. Most of the dishes at Watercourse can be ordered vegetarian if you'd like the real cheese and eggs or ordered vegan if you don't want any animal products.

Breakfast Sandwich: Eggs or tofu on toasted focaccia with melted gruyere (or Daiya vegan cheese), sundried tomato walnut spread, arugula, onion and tomato. Served with choice of potato or rice and fruit.

Let me tell you, I dream about this sandwich now!

Other notable notes - They get desserts from the Watercourse Bakery and the pies, cakes, cookies and treats look stunning. I have always been too full from dinner to get dessert (a testament to their food!). They have tea, lots of tea and gourmet tea. I love the cold cure tea...so soothing. They have beer and wine and mimosas for brunch...always a plus. Waitstaff is very friendly and knowledgeable. Decor is pretty unique - perhaps a take on Watership Down?

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

I created a dish that I am proud of! I got really creative one night and decided that I could make my own recipe instead of relying on the genius of others. This recipe is perfect for the fall or a chilly night. It is hearty, healthy, spicy and comforting. Reduce the cheese amount to make the dish healthier...I went a little overboard (this was pre dairy allergy). If you cook it please tell me how you like it. Enjoy!

 

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1/2 jar (or more) green chili sauce (I use 505 Natural South Western)
• 2 jalapenos
• 6 cloves garlic chopped
• Little olive oil
• Sprinkle ground cumin
• Sprinkle ground chili powder
• Sprinkle pepper
• 1 large sweet potato (or yam...I don't know the difference)
• 1 can black beans
• 1 large lime
• Handful Cilantro
• 3/4 lb. Montery Jack Cheese shredded (or cheese of your choice)
• 10 corn tortillas

Sauce:

Dice the jalapenos removing the seeds and ribs. Cook in a sauce pan with a little olive oil for a few minutes. Add 3 cloves chopped garlic. Add cumin, chili powder and pepper. Let cook until jalapenos and garlic are a little soft. Add the half jar of green chili sauce. Let simmer for a while so flavors may blend.

Filling:

Cook the sweet potato in what ever manner you see fit (I started with the oven, became inpatient and chopped it up and cooked it in the microwave). Put chopped pieces of sweet potato into a food processor and blend until smoothish. I left the skins on for added nutrients. Set aside. Drain and rinse the black beans. Add 3 chopped cloves of garlic and some chopped cilantro, to taste. Juice the lime into the beans/garlic/cilantro mixture. Give it a good stir to blend flavors.

 

Compile:

Put half of the sauce mixture on the bottom of a casserole dish. Put a little olive oil in a saute pan and put it on medium heat. Throw a corn tortilla on the oil in pan until it is warm. Put the tortilla in the casserole dish, oil side down, add a spoonful of sweet potato and a couple spoonfuls of the black bean mixture. Sprinkle some cheese as well. Roll up the tortilla and squish it against the edge. You will gather some of the green chili from the bottom in the process. I fit eight of these in the dish and another two sneaky ones on the side. Pour the rest of the sauce on the top of your rolled enchiladas, then top with a generous amount of cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Garnish with cilantro.

Pizza and Cake - Happy Birthday Jeff

So this post is so super mondo (real words?) late that it is not even funny. Happy Birthday to Jeff whose birthday these photos are from was actually on January 24th...2011. I decided to plan the surprise party of the century...which really became the not such a surprise party of the....we'll say year not century. The surprise was blow by a little cat named Max. Alright! It was me. I told Jeff we were going to have a quiet night in and sorry that there were not going to be any bells and whistles for his birthday but I just want to cook a nice meal. Later in the day, I sat there next to Jeff on the couch, having a conversation with my cat Max. He doesn't really understand, but I like to think he does when I said, "Max, will you please not run away with all of the people coming over tonight?" Jeff looks at me..."people?" Most people can come up with a quick lie and move on from the bean spilling but I am a TERRIBLE liar (which I suppose is a good thing). I just sat there with a stupid look on my face, my mouth wide open and the tears starting. That's right! I have no shame, I buried my head in a pillow and cried, for I had ruined the big surprise hours before it was too occur. So Jeff said he would play along with the whole thing. I get everybody ready when he is supposed to arrive, I had told him specifically to come in the front door so I could catch the whole charade on my new video camera. We are all waiting, ready to yell surprise at any moment. I then hear some say surprise in a very confused voice behind me. Jeff slipped in the back! He surprised his own surprise party! Then we all ate, drank and were merry....so it all turned out.

I made a very lovely Chocolate Genoise Cake with Raspberry Filling and Chocolate Granache for the birthday boy - who ended up blowing the wax all over my arm. Recipe can be found here.

I then hosted a pizza bar. Whole foods sells ready pizza dough. Then we had sauces; marinara, pesto, garlic sauce. Toppings; peppers, tomatoes, bacon, mushrooms, sausage, herbs, olives etc. And cheese; mozzarella, cheddar, and feta. It was so fun to let everyone get in groups and create delicious pizza.

Layered Herby Stew

So I could say that on cold winter snowy night you could enjoy a warm and very easy bowl of soup. The problem with this statement is the snow is not falling in Colorado! I mean it is falling but mostly it is sunny and warm. Our seasons are very confused. So anyway...I am saying this is easy and many of you will look at the recipe and say Oh No! I admit, the chopping is a little extensive but then you throw it all together in a crock pot and can enjoy in 6 hours. Great for a working professional who wants a hot meal right when they walk in the door. This recipe comes from Jeff's mom.

Layered Herby Stew

      ·         2½ lbs beef stewing meat, cubed

·         1 medium to large onion, cut in 1-inch pieces

·         8 – 12 small red potatoes or potato chunks

·         4  – 6 carrots, cut in 1-inch pieces

·         2 large ribs celery, cut in 1-inch pieces

·         2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

·         ¼ cup red wine or water

·         3 Tbsp. brown sugar

·         1 tsp. salt

·         ½ tsp. pepper

·         ⅛ tsp. allspice

·         ¼ tsp. dried marjoram

·         ¼ tsp. dried thyme

·         2 bay leaves

·         6 Tbsp. minute tapioca (use only 5 Tbsp. if using water instead of red wine)

·         28 oz can diced tomatoes

·         ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Layer all ingredients except parsley in slow cooker in order given. Cover. Cook on high 6 hours. Immediately before serving, garnish with parsley.

Published Photo!

I am so proud to say that one of my food photos was published in an internet article!
Check it out here - http://www.colorado.com/articles.aspx?aid=1240719

This is the photo from Jeff and my visit to Tamayo in Denver. This is the Queso Fundido dish. Yum!

I'm back, and ready for more!

Hello!

For those of you who know me, you know I have putting off the recipe book for sometime now. I completed the recipes, completed the photos and started to edit it....slowly.

This week, I am putting in the effort. I am getting this dang thing done so you all can enjoy cooking up these fantastic recipes. More information coming soon!

Also....in other news, I am going to keep up with the blog! Hooray! Since the recipe book will be done (soon) I will shift the focus of the blog to restaurant reviews, dairy free recipes, candida free recipes and healthful eating in general. I found out recently that I am actually allergic to cow's dairy and not gluten. I wish I had known that for the last 6 years! Good news is I know now and I am ready to take on food sans the cow dairy. Don't worry cheese lovers. Cheese will not leave the blog or all of you would leave too. Goat, sheep and vegan cheeses will pick up the slack.

Keep checking back to see the latest and greatest in Colorado food.