Homemade Chocolate

I know, not the most appetizing photo of chocolate.  I thought I was being all cool by using candy molds I got....something just wasn't working out.  Either way, I promise they are delectable!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
4 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup agave or use NuNatural vanilla stevia drops (10-30 drops. The stevia version is more snap-able)
optional: extracts, cocoa nibs, or other add-ins

note: Dave and I use agave

Directions:
1.  Combine coconut oil with agave or stevia drops.
2.  Stir, then add cocoa powder (and add 3-4 T water or nondairy milk if using stevia.).
3.  Stir stir stir! Stir until it gets thick.
4.  Pour into any flat container (or candy molds or smush between layers of wax paper or in ziploc bags).
5.  Fridge or freeze until solid.



Since we used agave, these never got hard like typical chocolate does.  We made regular chocolate to snack on (and we also put it in some oatmeal chocolate chip pancakes!).  In addition, we made these variations:

Sea Salt
Cinnamon Chili
Cocoa Nibs
Rice Cereal
Coconut
Raw Sugar
Mint (Using mint extract  This was the only one that got mixed in- the other varieties above were just sprinkled on top)


Recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie

Food Crawl 4

Still catching up on food crawls.... This one is from June 24th.

We started at our favorite bakery, Flour.

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Beverages included a raspberry seltzer and an unsweetened iced tea (can you guess who got which?)

Dave and I split my favorite sandwich, grilled roasted chicken with brie, arugula, roasted red peppers, and carmelized onions. It is amazing! 

We also tried something new (to us) that day....the vanilla creme filled doughnut.  Ooooohhh man, it was so tasty- not too sweet, and you can see the flecks of vanilla bean in the cream.  (Sorry we ate it before we could take a picture of the inside!)

After lunch, we walked over the Mass Ave bridge and grabbed some Hubway bikes.  We took a loooooong ride along the river, ending up at Cambridge Street, which we took until it met up with Harvard Ave in Allston.

After the crazy bike ride, we chose to walk, hitting up Dorado Taco on the way towards the C Line.

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We tried this mango drink, which was pretty good (although too sweet for my taste).  I much preferred the fruit salad, with cucumber, jicama, lime, and pico de gallo:

We also shared a steak taco.

The next time we go, I definitely want to try a cemita- "A Mexican sandwich served on a toasted sesame seed egg roll with black beans, chipotles en adobo, avocado, Oaxaca cheese & cilantro."  You also get to add your choice of meat or veggies.

In my mind, in order for a trip out to be categorized as a "Food Crawl," it needs at least 3 stops.  We only made 2, but were way too full to go anywhere else!  I guess 2 stops counts as a crawl, right?

Curry Simmer Sauce

Have you ever seen this?

This, my friends, is your key to a fast and tasty dinner.

This post doesn't contain a recipe, but instead it has photos to inspire you to buy some of this sauce from Trader Joe's.

Start with some chopped vegetables.  Dave and I went the orange route:

Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Orange Bell Peppers

All you have to do is cook the veggies, then add the sauce and heat until it is hot throughout and thickens slightly.

Tastes great with rice:

...or with some naan and a tall beer:

(the version above also has tofu)

Are you convinced?

note: this is not a sponsored post, lol

Food Crawl 3

I know -I'm WAY behind on posting these.  Now that grad classes are done, hopefully I'll be able to start catching up.

On June 3rd, Adam and Leah joined us on Food Crawl 3 in Harvard Square....

Chatting..

 Pretending to chat

The first food of the afternoon came from Upstairs on the Square

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Now brace yourself- the decor is....weird:

The walk upstairs...

 As odd as the place looked, the food was actually quite good. The bad part about posting this food crawl 2 months after we did it is that I kinda forgot what we ate. I'll do my best:

We got a few small things to share, one of which was this pizza.  It had caramelized onions, and other stuff (told you I forgot what we ate!  Leah/Adam/Dave- if any of you remember what these dishes are, please leave a comment!)

I was able to look this next one up- the Eggplant Melanzane- it was a wonderful dip with vegetables and garlic:

We were hoping to order some tater tot dish, but they had just run out.  From there, we headed over to Takemura: 

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Adam was a little hesitant, because he had never had sushi before.  We were impressed that he tried the vegetable rolls AND a tuna roll!

Picture of a picture.  I think Adam has the picture of a picture of a picture of a picture.

Here's the spicy tuna roll and pumpkin roll that Dave and I split.  That pumpkin roll was strange, but awesome!

 And below is the asparagus tempural roll and cucumber roll that Adam and Leah shared:

We needed dessert, so we stopped by Burdick Chocolates:

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 We each got a number while we waited for our order.  One group got a cool painted coconut, and one group gt an upside-down paper dixie cup.  Hardly seems fair....

 It's a sweet little cafe, with many delicious-sounding options.  Here's what we went for (with descriptions from the website):

 Mocha cake- Espresso soaked biscuit layered with a coffee butter cream, glazed with chocolate.

The Burdick- Layers of Japonaise biscuit and rum ganache

 Coconut Gugelhupf- A moist, marbled tea cake made with coconut milk and shredded coconut

 Goofing off after dessert:

 And I can't end this post without showing this last picture...the boys named the "man" you see below Chaaarles Saint Hah-vard, spoken in a hilarious psuedo-British accent

My favorite part is his bow tie!