Acai Bowl + Spicy Watermelon Juice | roux studio

Summer Refreshers: Spicy Watermelon Juice + an Açaí Berry Bowl

August 31, 2015 in breakfast, gluten-free, paleo, summer, vegan, vegetarian

I’M A REEEEEEEEALLY BAD FOOD BLOGGER.

Actually, “really bad” – even with all the extra e’s – doesn’t do it justice. You’ve probably noticed, but I haven’t posted a thing since JANUARY. That’s much worse than “really bad”.

I’ve been trying to make excuses for myself for my unforgivable hiatus. The lighting wasn’t good. I was away for a few weeks for work and visiting my family. I was busy watching OITNB. None of them are any good, except maybe the lighting one.

Katie should’ve banned me long ago. Luckily, she’s a doll (or maybe she just forgot that I was supposed to be a co-contributor because I disappeared for so long) and I’m still here, so I’ll try to make it up to you.

the second annual moving day pasta:
RYE GNOCCHI WITH CRISPY PURPLE SCALLION

August 05, 2015 in dinner, fall, spring, summer, vegetarian, winter

I'm interrupting the week long interruption of the California series to celebrate the second annual moving day pasta post. The moving day pasta is so much more than just pasta, it is the means by which one can procrastinate the inevitable packing or unpacking by using only the cooking utensils that haven't been packed and the ingredients that haven't totally rotted in the back of the filthy refrigerator cheese drawer to make some semblance of a last supper. It's kind of like Chopped (a show on Food Network that I DEFINITELY don't binge watch when I get my paws on cable) except that at the end no one gives me $10,000 and I still have to move all my shit.

California part I: San Diego

July 14, 2015 in dessert, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, summer

San Diego was the first stop on our week long trip up the west coast, and while we did stay with friends I only have photos of the dog--sweet, patriotic, popsicle-loving Carrol. Really, we only flew to California to see Carrol.

We spent July 4th doing the typical stuff: knife sharpening lessons, watching the Grateful Dead final final show, or rather listening to it while watching Mad Max. That was weird. We also ate veggie dogs and made cherimoya popsicles. Classic independence day. There was endless Modern Times Oneida thanks to Andrew, until the keg was tapped, and two ripe cherimoyas that Brenda described as some weird banana pineapple strawberry fruit fusion, so naturally we made made popsicles. In the spirit of popsicle week, I've shared the very simple recipe below!

(Me n' Peter Chang at the first Homestyle dinner with Champion Brewery when I shamelessly pretended it was my birthday for the sake of a polaroid relic of this mystery man.)

Peter Chang X Champion Brewing Company

June 29, 2015 in dinner, lunch, summer

For the second time in a seemingly short period of time I had the extreme pleasure of attending a Peter Chang and Champion brewery dinner pairing bonanza. If you are unfamiliar with the mystery that is Peter Chang, as I was until moving to Charlottesville, just skim this NY times article and you will understand. Peter Chang, not to be confused with PF Changs, is doing something revelatory in the world of Asian cuisine: he's making authentic Chinese food. True, he does offer the concessional lo mein on his dinner menu, but it pretty much ends there and takes off into foreign Sichuan food territory that is slightly intimidating and amazing beyond expectation. His spice-driven, complex, numbing "homestyle" dishes, predominately recipes from his childhood, go amazingly well with craft beers. This is not terribly surprising, but again it seems the obvious is missed by the masses and capitalized by Mr. Chang and his coconspirator Hunter Smith, founder/brewer of (my favorite bar) Champion Brewing Company.

stewed strawberry swirl ice cream | roux studio

No-Churn! Stewed Strawberry Swirl Ice Cream

September 07, 2014 in dessert, gluten-free, summer

WHERE DID THIS SUMMER GO?!

You're probably all wondering the same thing. The past few months flew by wayyyy too fast and all that remains now – other than the occasional 80+ degree day – is this lovely ice cream recipe. So let’s eat some ice cream together and pretend that it’s not September already.

dark chocolate fudgy brownie ice cream

August 13, 2014 in dessert, summer

Eating ice cream after dinner was a nightly ritual in my family growing up. My mom, who has more of a salt-tooth than a sweet-tooth, would occasionally take a bite from one of ours, while my dad got twice as much as we were allowed because, logically, he was twice as big. During the winter months, we stayed at home and scooped green mint chocolate chip ice cream into mugs instead of bowls. Over the summer, we went out for soft-serve cones. We spent many evenings waiting in line at Boice's, where I would order the classic twist in a cone with rainbow sprinkles. The one rule was that we had to lick off all of our sprinkles before we got back into the car.

summer arugula salad

June 24, 2014 in lunch, gluten-free, summer

This weekend officially marked the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. So what was more appropriate to make than a fresh summer salad? Well, some ice cream or popsicles might've been a little more fitting, but I keep putting off ordering my KitchenAid ice cream bowl attachment and popsicle molds until I actually have an apartment to live in. There's nothing like lugging a bunch of cooking and baking utensils back and forth between our stays in Vail and Denver every week. Woe is me, am I right?

At least eating a giant bowl of salad is better for you than downing a giant bowl of ice cream. I've got that going for me.

the coconutiest coconut cream pie

June 02, 2014 in dessert, summer, gluten-free

If you've read some of my previous recipes (here, here, and here), you've probably realized by now that I'm pretty obsessed with coconut, though Katie might argue that "pretty obsessed" is an understatement. I don't really know where it all started, but, if I had to guess, I'd say I got it from my dad, whose love for coconut is one for the books.

I do clearly remember, however, when I had my first bite of coconut cream pie. I was about 8 years old, and I was having lunch with my grandparents at Wiltwyck Golf Club. My Papa suggested that I order the coconut cream pie for dessert, and I did so not knowing that my whole life was about to change...