Let's get JUICED at Roots Juice...

the happy sister of Roots Bistro and right next door, too.

Think Sunday Brunch, think fresh Quail Eggs, whole kernel polenta mixed with goat cheese, a freshly squeezed glass of organic juice called The Fuel (carrot, ginger, apple, beet, spinach, lemon) and you will be sitting squarely in the middle of Roots Juice.

Quail Eggs and Polenta with Goat Cheese

It is so pretty and oh so good.

I went with friends Flora and Cath to celebrate Flora's birthday. It was a perfect day for a celebration, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, conversation and laughter poured from us as we enjoyed our farm to table BRUNCH. Lovely!!!!!

Cath had the Quail Egg and handmade biscutt

Flora had the grill pork with polenta (different from the polenta I had)

If you haven't tried either one of these restaurants, please do.

The atmosphere is friendly, casual and comfortable. I love the tables and chairs. I believe they are re-purposed. The coasters are former menus, cut up in squares. The food is fresh. What more could you ask for?

The menu changes daily and in accordance to what is available at the market.

Quote of the Day: 

"We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are." Adelle Davis

I was standing in line waiting to order and a young man was standing in front of me. "I guess the secret is out about Roots Juice," smiling broadly.

 

Roots Juice
Roots Bistro
507 Westheimer Rd
Houston, TX 77006
713.524.1000
www.rootsbistrohouston.com

Queso for VEGANS and lactose interolant folks, too!

Queso with blue corn chips.

I tried this "Queso" because I have trouble digesting cheese..... well, most things diary, so I was really curious about this product and if it really could pass muster for queso. Amazingly, it does. The flavor is cheesy and I mean that in the best possible way. It clings to chips just like a pro and has enough spice to give a good solid kick to my taste buds. The owners of this Round Rock, Texas company were handing out samples at Whole Foods. Glad that I took the trouble to take a taste. I was impressed.  The label reads "Deliciously spicy with a creaminess you never thought you'd experience without dairy." That pretty much sums up my experience with this product. It also states, there are no fats, soy, nuts, dairy or cholesterol, which is great.  However, it does contain wheat for those with wheat allergies.

Quote of the Day: "I love that Queso. I JUST bought some last night....it's a really great alternative to the real thing.
Jessica Cramer, Vegan

I know Whole Foods carries this product, but check out Food for Lovers Web site for more locations and information.

Food for Lovers
www.food-for-lovers.com
512-909-6157

One pan, one chicken sausage and one sweet potato..

...easy as pie!!!!!

Heat your pan on high, throw your uncooked sausage into the pan (for this dish I used an apple-cinnamon chicken sausage), brown on both sides, pour one generous cup of red wine into the pan ( you may want to take a couple of sips of the red wine to make sure it is to your liking). Allow the wine to reduce for about five minutes. Cut up the sweet potato (skin on) and peeled onion roughly cut, toss them into the pan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the sausage, potato and onion from the pan, pour the remaining liquid over it,  then top it off with a scoop of Greek yogurt. This is fast, simple and really tasty.

Just a note, I did not use oil or butter in the pan.

A pie in the hand is better than....

two desserts baking in the oven. A fact that came into full focus in the Menil parking lot last week. Porch Swing Desserts is the reason. As I held the chocolate ice box pie in the palm of my hand, I wondered how such a small pie could satisfy my overwhelmingly large sweet tooth.

Fits in the palm of your hand.

Look at that flaky crust. It is a thing of beauty and tastes heavenly.

 "No problem" was the response from the pie. As I processed the first lip-smacking bite, alarm bells went off in my brain, "Danger, Danger, consumption will only make you want more." And in fact that is what happened. Satisfaction, delight, taste bud pirouettes, yes this little pie made loud happy music to my sweet tooth. The savory crust is flaky and light, the filling is rich, thick, dark chocolate topped with fresh whipped cream. A perfect combination.

When I made my pie selection I was torn between the chocolate pie and the lemon pie. Both are favorites, but chocolate won out. The only solution is to go back to Porch Swing Desserts and try the lemon, I know that I will not be disappointed. The banana cream looked pretty good, too. 

Lemon Meringue, Banana Cream (bottom) Chocolate Ice Box Cream Pie

Other offerings by Porch Swing Desserts include seasonal pies (I just missed peach season by a week), cupcakes, cookies and cakes.

Jennifer Diaz is the owner and master baker of Porch Swing Desserts. She learned her art and cultivated her passion for quality desserts in the kitchens of her mother and grandmother. I love that she has brought that homemade tradition to the streets of Houston.

A little dessert poem:

I'll obey them in the winter when the doctors say to me
I must give up ham and spinach, and obedient I'll be.
To relieve my indigestion in December they can try,
But there's none of them can stop me when it's time for cherry pie.
~Edgar A. Guest, The Milwaukee Journal, 1935 May 29

Porch Swing Desserts
www.porchswingdesserts.com

Hot Doggies to the Rescue, go Hot Doggies go....

...to Good Dog Hot Dogs Food Truck!

The hot dogs are all natural, made in Texas with condiments lovingly crafted from the owner's grandmother's recipes and then all stuffed into artisan buns. (not artist's buns) The potato chips are crispy and handmade. Nothing comes out of prepackaged bags.

When you see this truck. STOP and have a GOOD DOG!!!!

I ordered the Globby Slaw Dog and added chili. The slaw is made from sliced apples and shredded cabbage, mixed together with horseradish mayo sauce. Globby good, is what it is.  So memorable, that on a road trip this weekend I had a taste for something and as I thought back on the flavors and tied them to the food, it was the Globby Slaw Dog that registered. I was 100 miles from Houston, with no way to get one, but I savored the memory of it and that appeased my taste buds somewhat.

Chips and Globby Slaw Dog. The Chili is under the slaw. Really memorable.

The owners and operators are Daneil Caballero and Amalia Pferd.  I asked Amalia why a food truck and why hot dogs. She said that the start up costs are low and the resale of the truck is very close to what you pay for it and that she loves hot dogs.

Owners/Operators Amalia Pferd and Daniel Caballero. (Sorry Daniel that I caught you in mid blink.)

A little hot dog history from Wikipedia.

Somehow or other a frankfurter and a roll seem to go right to the spot where the void is felt the most. The small boy has got on such familiar terms with this sort of lunch that he now refers to it as "hot dog." "Hey, Mister, give me a hot dog quick," was the startling order that a rosy-cheeked gamin hurled at the man as a Press reporter stood close by last night. The "hot dog" was quickly inserted in a gash in a roll, a dash of mustard also splashed on to the "dog" with a piece of flat whittled stick, and the order was fulfilled.

—Paterson Daily Press, Dec. 31, 1892, pg. 5

Good Dog Hot Dogs
www.gooddogfoodtruck.com
twitter.com/gooddoghotdogs
facebook.com/gooddogfoodtruck