• 08Dec

    Organic Thai Curry Kits Spice up Your Kitchen

    Thai is one of our favorite cuisines, so we jumped at the chance to review Verve Culture’s Thai for Two Organic Curry Kits. The curry kits are imported from Thailand, gluten-free, and vegan, and come in Penang, green, and red varieties.

    • Red Curry with Broccoli & Bell Peppers.
    • Green Curry with Wild Salmon, Zucchini & Bell Peppers

    Included in each are the following organic packets: curry paste, curry seasonings, coconut milk, and dried herbs. You follow step-by-step directions, which include adding 7-10 ounces of uncooked protein and 7-10 ounces of uncooked vegetables. The recipes were well described and not difficult. You are told to use 50 to 100% of the curry paste packet depending on desired spice level, and that the dried herbs (kaffir lime leaves, chili peppers, etc.) are not meant to be consumed directly (since they just flavor the sauce).

    We made the green curry with wild salmon, a small zucchini, and a small orange bell pepper. The curry went extremely well with the wild salmon. We used 100% of the curry paste packet for this dish, which turned out to be around medium spice level (high for my dining partner).

    For the Penang, we went with organic chicken breast from the Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op, an orange bell pepper, and fresh carrots. Visually, it contained orange vegetables with an orange sauce, so a different color bell pepper may have been a better idea. Scallions were added for a bit of color. 75% of the curry paste packet was used for this dish, which turned out to be around medium spice level (ok for me, but still a little high for my dining partner).

    • Penang Curry with Carrots & Bell Peppers.
    • Thai 4 TWO
      Thai Curry Kits.

    We used a small red bell pepper, and Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op broccoli and chicken breast with the red curry kit. 50% of the curry paste packet was used for this dish, which turned out to be around medium spice level (about right for my dining partner).

    We definitely enjoyed all three curry varieties, since the direct from Thailand ingredients give them an authentic flavor, but our favorite was the green curry (with wild salmon), even at the 100% spice level. The kits are good for two people, but we had some leftovers of the Pinang and red varieties since we used an extra 1/4 cup of water and a pound of chicken each.

    Verve Culture makes two other Thai kits: Tom Kha Soup and Pad Thai. For a limited time, there is a coupon code for your holiday gift-giving needs. Order 5 flavors of Thai for Two Cooking Kits with the code THAI4TWO.

    Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op‘s CSA boxes can be picked up at various sites in the DC area, including the Mosaic District’s MOM’s Organic Market.

    -JAY

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  • 14Nov

    Products we can’t get enough of …

    We’ve written about Dizzy Pig‘s spice rubs many times, and cook with Peruvian-ish and Raging River often. But, now I’ve tried Mad Max Turkey, and since it is just around for the holiday season, it’s a good time to mention it. This spice rub contains herbs (including sage) and garlic, and is designed for turkey, stuffing and gravy. Oh, and try Mediterranean-ish in pasta sauce, pizza, or garlic bread! Chris really knows how to design spice rubs, which is one reason his professional grilling team has won so many awards.

    Bluefish Fillet with Onions and Raw Spice Bar’s Creole Seasoning.

    Also, I’ve been experimenting with Raw Spice Bar‘s Products. We are very impressed with the quality of their spices. We enjoyed the Creole Seasoning, Jamaican Jerk, Ras-El-Hanout, and Malaysian Curry. Ok, we were split on the last one, but personally, I liked it. The Creole Seasoning was great on bluefish fillets (which was impressive), the Ras-El-Hanout (a Middle Eastern spice mix) worked well on both cauliflower and turkey burgers, the Malaysian Curry created a star out of chicken thighs, and Jamaican Jerk flavored chicken drumsticks wonderfully. We haven’t had a chance to try the Turkish Cured Sumac (since we are waiting till we make rice or buy some hummus) yet but it smells great.

    We recently sampled a variety of Pacari‘s organic Ecuadorian chocolate. We loved the Manabi, Raw Chocolate, and the Nibs. We also are fans of the Andean Mint (which is not in the image to the right) and Passion Fruit. This is high quality organic chocolate, and they have raw options as well. We aren’t fans of the Chocolate Covered Golden Berries, but if they have any other chocolate covered fruit, we’d love to try it. Oh, we want to try the variety with cardamom, but they were out of it when we placed an order. Pacari is my pick for holiday gifts this year.

    -JAY

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  • 12Aug

    Spice Rubs, Chilean Wine, and Vegan Candy Bars

    It’s time for another Product Roundup!

    First up is Dizzy Pig. We’ve been fans of (and writing about) competitive griller and BBQ supply store owner, Chris Capell’s spice rubs for years, and he keeps coming up with new varieties. We recently visited his new Manassas location, snacked on Tsunami Spin-rubbed chicken and duck, and Pineapple-rubbed bacon, and came home with some of his seasonings.

    We came home with newer blends, Peruvian-ish, Crossroads, and Peking, and traditional blends, Shaking The Tree and Pineapple Head. Shaking The Tree (lemon pepper) was wonderful with roasted potatoes and garlic. We tried Crossroads on burgers; it competes pretty closely with their best seller, Dizzy Dust, for BBQ flavor, although Chris recommends the latter for larger cuts of meat. Peking, we haven’t gotten to yet, although we will try it next time we cook skin-on chicken such as wings or thighs.

    So, what about Peruvian-ish? WE LOVE IT! Seriously! It has that Peruvian flavor you can only get with aji amarillo. We tried Peruvian-ish, on a mixture of roasted onions, orange bell peppers, and yellow squash, and on both beef and turkey burgers, and it worked wonderfully. Flavor of the Andes indeed! This is the first rub since Raging River (our favorite) that seems to go equally well with a huge variety of proteins and vegetables. And, both are very different flavor profiles, so they don’t compete. Now, we have to try some of these Peruvian-ish recipes!

    We recently got to try several Chilean red wines from the 10,000 acre holistic vineyard, VIK: the VIK 2012, Milla Cala 2013, and La Piu Belle 2011. All are red blends around 14% alcohol, and delicious. They are great paired with grilled or roasted meat, which explains why Fogo De Chao featured them at a recent media event. You can’t go wrong with a forkful of picanha in one hand and a glass of a great red in the other. I will admit that I (as planned) ate a plateful of their pork ribs, which did not disappoint.

    Fogo is the first U.S. restaurant brand to be pouring VIK Chilean wines. Fogo is offering two of the three VIK varietals in all of their Fogo restaurants nationwide – Milla Cala (Red Blend, Millahue Valley, Chile, 2013) and VIK (Red Blend, First Growth from Chile, 2013). Pricing varies by market, but those listed below are for the D.C. region:

    • Milla Cala: $13 (3 oz. glass); $25 (6 oz. glass); $93 (bottle)
    • VIK: $22 (3 oz. glass); $42 (6 oz. glass); $164 (bottle)

    I recommend getting on Fogo’s email list, since they will send you promotions. They recently emailed us about their $39 per person restaurant month (August) promotion, and you need to show up with a copy of their message to get the special.

    Nelly’s Organics (based in California) produces exceptional vegan candy bars. Picture the popular but not very healthy candy bars of your youth (Milky Way, Snickers, Mounds, etc.), but organic and dairy (animal product) free. They need to be kept refrigerated and are carried locally at Mom’s Organic Market (for $3 each and are well worth it). We sampled the following varieties (multiple times): Coconut, Nutty Nougat, Peanut Butter & Coconut, Caramel Nougat, German Chocolate, and Double Chocolate. We haven’t come across the Vegan Salted Caramels, but will make sure to try them if we do. Our favorites are the Nutty Nougat, Peanut Butter & Coconut, and Caramel Nougat. We grab a couple whenever we are at Mom’s.

    How did Carla (the Founder) get started in the candy bar business? She started making the vegan candy bars when her kids were little. She was just trying to copy the candy bars her kids liked and wanted a cleaner, healthier option. She never really intended to start a business, but once her friends and family tasted her creations, the requests kept on coming. Eventually she realized there might be a market for her candy bars, and we are glad she did.

    -JAY

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  • 30Jun

    A Gluten-Free Bakery to Stop at in a Picturesque Maryland Town

     

    Gluten-Free Bakery Girl has recently opened in St. Michaels, MD, a town (and tourist attraction) of 1.25 square miles. I’ve known Patricia King (the Owner/Baker) for several years, so when she asked if I’d like her to ship me some gluten-free baked goods, I immediately said yes. I’ve even sampled baked goods in the past from her previous bakery in Easton, MD.

    We sampled the Dark Chocolate Buckeye Brownie, Dark Chocolate Brownie, Bakewell Tart, Lemon Bar, and Chocolate Chip Cookie. Some of these items are vegan and some not, but all are gluten-free.

    The Buckeye Brownie, a dark chocolate and peanut butter combination was our favorite! The regular brownie was fine but we preferred the flavor and texture of the Buckeye. The Bakewell Tart was very good, and includes raspberry jam, ground almonds, flaked almonds, icing, and a buttery shortbread crust; this tart is a version of a classic UK dessert from Bakewell, England. We liked the flavor/quality of the chocolate chips Chocolate Chip Cookie. Although I generally love lemon bars, we had a hard time with the flavor and texture, bit did have an end piece that may have been over caramelized.

    -JAY

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  • 06Jun

    The Perfect Meal Kit For Those With No Time

    Wildfire® partnered with Peapod to create new meal prep kits and I think it’s a home run.  My day started out off with rushing out the door at 6:30am for my 45 min commute to work, a day full of meetings and a skipped lunch, last minute projects having me leaving the office later than usual around 6:30pm.  I was stressed the entire day and mentally creating a list in my head of everything I needed to pack that evening for a business trip the next day to New Orleans.

    On a typical stressful day like this, I would’ve swung by somewhere quick and just picked up dinner for the night to allow myself for more time in the evening. However, I had the Wildfire® Beef Tenderloin with Couscous delivered to my door that evening.  I was lucky that traffic was kind to me and I got home within 30 mins.

    I set out to prep my meal and I have to say, as stressed out as I felt that day, prepping the meal was actually very calming and soothing.  The box was left at my doorstep in a disposable cooler with ice packs to keep the food fresh and all of the ingredients you need are individually packaged and labeled, taking the guess work out of everything and making the whole process a cinch so that even someone who doesn’t know how to cook could easily prepare a delicious restaurant quality meal.

    Wildfire

    So the one “no no” that I did as a cook was not properly letting the meat marinade for the given amount of time suggested by the instruction card.  Why? Because I was starving and didn’t have the time.  So I marinated the meat, placed it in the fridge and prepped everything else; the beef really only marinated for approx. 10 minutes at most but it didn’t negatively affect the taste of the dish.  It was still one of the most delicious meals that I’ve had in a long time.  The steps were very easily to follow and the only things that I needed were the cooking utensils, a large skillet and a small pot.

    To be honest, when I opened the box, I thought there was no way this was a serving size for 2 people.  But I was pleasantly surprised at how everything turned out and it was exactly the perfect portion serving.  The meat was  incredibly flavorful and tender and I wouldn’t change a single thing about how this dish is served.

    Thanks Peapod and Wildfire for making my day even less chaotic and stress-free.

    -ADT (Angie)

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  • 16Dec

    Nice to Meat You: BBQ Bash at Metro Cooking D.C. 2017

    What’s better than local BBQ joints coming together for a BBQ Bash to compete for bragging rights? Having it held at Metro Cooking D.C. alongside a flock of restaurants, breweries, wineries, cheese shops, juice shops, and other establishments within the food and restaurant industry for guests to sip and sample. Also, having celebrity chefs speak and perform demos is a plus too.

    The 2017 BBQ Bash winners are:

    Best BBQ Sauce/Rub: Jadean’s Smokin Six-O

    Best Ribs: Myron Mixon’s Pitmaster BBQ

    Best Beef Brisket: Hill Country Barbecue Market

    Best BBQ Pork: White Swan BBQ & Fried Chicken

    Best BBQ Chicken: BBQ Bush Smokehouse

    And *drumroll* … Overall BBQ Bash Champion is Lefty’s Barbecue!

    Aside from BBQ, there was a variety of other participants at Metro Cooking D.C. Being a juice lover, I was drawn to a new locally organic and cold-pressed juice company called Jinsei. They offer both cold-pressed and tonic beverages and recently opened a juice bar on the upper level of Tysons Corner Center in McLean, VA. My favorite is the Detox Tonic, consisting of organic kale, spirulina, coconut nectar, cayenne pepper, alkaline water, lemon, and lime. All ingredients are slam packed with health benefits, which sounded like an excellent idea at the time (I bought a bottle and thoroughly enjoyed it) in order to detox after sampling heap amounts of briskets, hot sauces, and pork ribs (not that I’m complaining).

    John J. Bowman, a local single barrel straight bourbon whiskey, proudly holds the title of 2017 World’s Best Bourbon awarded by the World Drinks Awards. How would I describe it? Simply smooth with a slight sweet finish. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates bourbon. Plus, we gotta support our local businesses!

    Last but not least, celebrity chef Jacob Ponder presented a ‘Taste Talk’ segment and answered various questions from the audience ranging from topics such as locally sourced fish to cooking temperatures. Guy Fieri was also in the house but unfortunately, I was unable to take a proper picture due to the crowd. I’m excited to see which celebrity chefs will be in next year’s lineup for Metro Cooking D.C.!

    Until next time everyone. Cheers!

    -EHY

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  • 06Aug

    German Spice Company Launches Line of 12 Seasonings in US Market

    Chicken Thighs with Just Spices’ Blend, Chicken Seasoning

    Just Spices launched 12 new spice blends in the U.S. market on June 22. This follows the German brand’s initial launch into the States late last year. We sampled three of their spice blends:

    Hash Brown Seasoning: This was our favorite of the three products. We tried it on French fries and sliced oven-baked potatoes and sweet potatoes. Next time, we will try it on actual hash browns or latkes. The blend includes sea salt, salt, fenugreek seeds, paprika, garlic, cilantro, natural smoke flavor, nutmeg, turmeric, cumin, fennel seeds, black pepper, cloves, and chilli. It is odd though that they use both sea salt and salt in two of these three products, where sea salt alone would do.

    Chicken Seasoning: This blend worked well on skin-on baked chicken and includes sea salt, salt, natural smoke flavor, brown cane sugar, tomato, paprika, garlic, chilli, rosemary, thyme, sage, coriander, turmeric, fenugreek seeds, cumin, fennel seeds, and black pepper.

    Flavors of India Seasoning. This salt-free blend includes fenugreek seeds, ginger, paprika, onion, cilantro, cardamom, and turmeric. It did not seem as well balanced as the other other two seasonings, and in the DC market (or NYC) we have an immense number of Indian spice mixes, products, and restaurants with which to compare this product’s flavors. Odd that they didn’t include coriander in the mix. Maybe the spice blend reflects what Indian food tastes like in Germany?.

    We recommend trying the Hash Brown Seasoning, and Chicken Seasoning  if you run across them in the states.

    Other products in this line include: Tofu Seasoning, Berry Yogurt Seasoning, Blossom Mix, Clean Eating Allrounder, Herbs de Provence, Pasta Alfredo Seasoning, Ranch Dressing, Sweet Love, and Vegetable Seasoning.

    -JAY

     

     

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  • 11Jun

    Craft Beer Aficionados Attended Savor in DC Last Week

    Savor at the National Building Museum is a great showcase for high quality craft beers, with this year (the tenth annual) not being an exception. This year’s beer list included some exceptional choices and pairings. Virginia’s Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing Company created this year’s collaborative beer, Savor X, a parting gift for attendees. Red Apron‘s charcuterie, Choptank‘s oysters, and Wisconsin cheese were hits!

    This is a show DC craft beer lovers (including myself) look forward to every year, so keep an eye out for Savor 2018! Maybe they’ll bring salons (classes) back next year?

    -JAY

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  • 16Nov

    District Fishwife Introduces a Sandwich Reimagined!

    District Fishwife, located in Union Market against the right wall, has a special secret.  The Shrimp Bahn Mi sandwich!

    District Fishwife introduced the Shrimp Bahn Mi sandwich re-imagined. District Fishwife’s original Shrimp Po’Boy – which is known in New Orleans as fried shrimp balls on a bun with a slaw – recently received a Vietnamese splash (fried shrimp balls on a bun with Vietnamese accompaniment). This sandwich’s relaunch has justifiably increased its popularity.

    When the creative chef team behind the sandwiches went back to the drawing board, the Shrimp Banh Mi was designed.  The sandwich comes with your choice of curly fries or apple slaw.  Nolan, one of the managers, was gracious enough to answer my questions in regards to where the fish originates.  Most of the fish come from Florida and the East Coast during the cold months, ensuring freshness, since the time from water to plate is shortened.  The fish is full of Omega-3 fatty acids which good for a growing body.

    The sandwich was good, but with 4 little shrimp balls, this sandwich is more like a good snack than a meal.  That works just fine if you are walking around Union Market perusing food stalls and planning dinner.  But, the addition of 2 more shrimp balls might make the sandwich fuller and seem more like a meal.  Overall, I like the Vietnamese influence in this sandwich.

    Happy Eating,

    -CLF (Crystal)

     

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  • 06Oct

    Strong Fit Meals, the Sequel

    We recently reviewed a local business that cooks healthy meals and delivers them to homes in the DC area, Strong Fit meals. We ordered 5 more meals (pictured above), and were impressed with the consistency and quality of the entrees. Yeah, we missed the Chicken Fajitas and Chicken Satays from the last round, but the new meals were tasty (and healthy) as well.

    Strong Fit Meals did a good job at grilling many of the components (some proteins and some vegetables), and used some tasty herbs, spices, and sauces as well. We ordered four entrees from the clean menu (which changes weekly) and one (Ground Turkey) from the lean menu (which stays the same). The Teriyaki Chicken and the Ground Turkey were our favorite dishes this time around. The steak was a little tough but the chimichurri sauce made up for it. It would have been nice if the buckwheat noodles were not chopped up, but they were a tasty gluten-free option.

    It was nice that this week’s meals were not (low-fat) cheese heavy like some of the dishes we previously sampled. The cheese wasn’t bad, but I didn’t feel it was necessary.

    -JAY

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