Dining In: Washington, DC - Founding Farmers

To round out the week with dining in DC, last but not least Founding Farmers. A chic yet rustic restaurant that feels like country farm meets posh urban dining. We had brunch there and I am so glad we ordered the French press coffee (so smooth and delicious).  

Pretty suspended bird lights.

The piping hot doughnut holes were simply divine with chocolate, caramel, and raspberry dipping sauces. 

I had the Benedict Arnold with Sausage and Black Pepper Cream Gravy. Quite a heavy breakfast, but I love sausage and eggs. The leek hash browns were also quite good. 

The Husband had the Pastrami Hash, which he was also quite pleased with. 

I imagine that in most large cities, Sunday brunch is a time when most of the city is out looking for somewhere comforting to eat. This is certainly that kind of place, cosy and nourishing. I'm glad we tried it and next time we'll probably try to return for dinner or lunch to try some of their more complex dishes. *Note, this is definitely the kind of place you want to make reservations for. 

Have a fun-filled weekend!

Vegan Orange Berry Scones

I love the flaky, moist texture of scones. However, it is hard to justify the amount of butter that goes into traditional scones and to eat them on an even semi-consistent basis. So, I wishfully thought perhaps vegan scones could be "healthier." I found this recipe last week and decided to try them this past weekend. 

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup dried cranberries

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

6 tbsp canola oil

1/2 cup maple syrup

2/3 cup orange juice

zest from 2 oranges

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, wheat flour, baking powder and salt. Add the cranberries and walnuts and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, maple syrup, orange juice and orange zest. Combine with the dry ingredients to form a thick dough.

4. Spoon by large tablespoons or shape into triangles. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. For us, it took closer to 15 minutes of bake time for complete doneness. 

Finished product.

Full disclosure: The Sister admitted that she might have under measured the maple syrup resulting in a drier dough, but we liked it anyway. Next time, we'll actually measure out the correct amount. ;) 

With no butter or sugar, they came out with a crisp outer layer and a soft, moist center. I'm a realist. And while I ultimately believe that scones with butter are pretty darn good, this was a healthy alternative that I would still be interested in eating after all the unhealthy ingredients have been cut.

I also made some fresh, hand-squeeze (literally since I don't own a citrus press) orange juice with all of the leftover oranges to accompany the scones. It was so good.

Have a great start to the week! 

Dining In: Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico provided much-needed R&R before I started the next phase of my professional life (no, the next phase is not full-time food blogging, which The Husband likes to helpfully remind me). The trip had absolutely no itinerary aside from reading on the beach and eating good food.

On our first night, we had dinner at the resort since it was too late to venture out for local food. Not bad for a resort burger - super juicy.

However, we vowed to avoid resort food for the rest of the trip since there were much tastier options available. Such as the local fare at Raices in Old San Juan: Shrimp Medley, Flank Steak Mofongo, Chicken Stew, and the Kan Kan Pork Chop.

  

  

Guava breakfast pastry at Isamar Bakery. 

Guava colada at Guava's in Luquillo, PR. 

Ceviche. This was yummy, but not as good as The Ceviche Hut along a strip of kiosks on Highway 3. 

Fried calamari. 

Conch with rice and beans. 

Octopus with mofongo.

Whole red snapper with mofongo and tangy sauce. 

Fish (chapin) Arepas Rellenos and Crab (jueyes) wrapped in fried plantains. 

Coco Frio! 

Overall, Puerto Rico was a gorgeous, lush island with tasty food and great beaches. I'd highly recommend taking a ferry or flying to Culebra for Flamenco Beach. It was beautiful! 

Hope you have a great Monday! 

Dining In: Durham, NC - Beyu Caffe

I realized that my Dining In: Durham, NC series becomes quite difficult to search through when the title does not contain the name of the restaurant that I'm reviewing. So I'm going to start including the restaurant name in all posts. 

This is a mini-review on Beyu Caffe in downtown Durham. It's an interesting mix of coffee shop, brunch locale, evening dinner, and happy hour with live music spot. It's amazing they are open as early and as late as they are, but they really fill a niche in terms of restaurant/bar/coffee shop. 

We had a coffee and the Croque Madame or Monsieur. I don't quite remember the difference between the two. Their breakfast potatoes were quite yummy and the ambience was perfect for some Sunday afternoon crocheting while The Husband worked. 

I'll definitely return for happy hour and dinner (full bar!), but with a place that's open pretty much all day I might just have to spend the whole day there. ;) 

Husband's Weekend Frittata

I used to think of frittatas as overrated omelettes. However, The Husband made this creation this weekend and it was quite delectable. Somewhere between an omelette and quiche-sans-crust = frittata in my opinion.

Eggs + thinly sliced honey ham + sliced mushrooms + basil + Jarlsberg cheese + salt and pepper + Parmesan sprinkled on top = Yummy breakfast! 

This is also a good way to use up random ingredients from the fridge. 

Happy Monday everyone!!

Day-after-Christmas Breakfast

Being the procrastinator that I am and the fact that The Husband was working on Christmas Day, I didn't buy groceries with the intention of making a trip on the day after Christmas. However, surprise surprise I woke up to this...

So much for grocery shopping. But because The Husband was coming home this am, I decided to whip up breakfast. I would consider this more an "organized assemblage" of food rather than "cooking."

1-inch thick sun-dried tomato bread + basil pesto spread + mild cheddar cheese + thinly-sliced honey ham + poached egg + lightly sautéed tomato slices + parmesan cheese and salt + pepper =

Of course, you can't have poached egg without capturing the delicious ooze... soooo good and easy!

Happy holidays!