Well, folks, September is shaping up nicely. Earlier this month, In.gredients featured me on their blog. Check that out to hear all of my saucy responses to Chelsea's lovely interview questions.
We have a very cool sponsor rocking the sidebar this month. If you are into cold pressed organic juices and natural snack, be sure to give Urban Remedy a click. You can find their button that-away ————>
Vegan Chicharrons and Fried Cotija from Mettle
I stopped in to Mettle, one of the East Side's newest restaurants, for happy hour a couple of times this month, craving their vegan chicharrons. I met Chris, Mettle's head chef back in March during The Austin Smoke Experiment. He made these little crispy wonders using smoke and tapioca, which I thought was pretty genius. We had a long conversation about savory ice cream when we met, so I knew that I had to check out his restaurant once it opened.
There are several very tasty vegetarian and pescetarian items on the menu at Mettle, but vegan options are limited to the Chicharrons, a Bibb Salad, and special requests. Even so, it's definitely worth checking out for happy hour. My sister and I devoured four tasty vegetarian appetizers at $5 each, paired with a couple of delicious $8 cocktails. We walked away stuffed and happy for about $20 each. I'd call that a win. I've heard that savory ice cream happens at brunch, so Mettle is officially now on my brunching to-do list.
Can you believe that I ate at Counter Culture for the very first time this month? It's on a long list of vegan and vegetarian hot spots in Austin that I have sadly been missing out on. The trouble is that most of my friends and family are omnivores, so whenever we go out, vegan restaurants are a tough sell. I often dream of those three glorious months when my husband decided he was a vegan. They were awfully nice.
Anyway, I enjoyed a Philly Seitan Sandwich while pondering taco existentialism with @VeganLazySmurf, @LoneStarPlate, and @Aneelee. If you've been living out in the wildnerness, or under a rock or something you may not have heard that these gals are on a Taco Cleanse. I made a loose promise to give the mild a go sometime this month. It's no secret that I am a pretty big fan of tacos, but can I eat them for every meal? I guess we'll find out.
I also checked out Pieous, a family owned pizza restaurant out West on 290. Kristen from Mad Betty, and her hubster, Chris from Craft Taste (p.s. is there anything cuter than married bloggers?) helped Scott and I thoroughly investigate four pies, a starter, and some crafty draft beers. I don't want to jump the gun here, but I think it might be the best pizza I have had in Austin so far. These little twelve inch pies are charred to perfection in ninety seconds flat, resulting in a puffy, chewy, perfectly blackened crust. Plus, they make their own amazing mozzerella. I have got myself a big ol' crush on that place.
Recipe flops this month include a failed attempt at Korean Sweet Potato Scallion Pancakes, and a less-than-amazing Spaghetti Squash Bake. Both meals were promising, but they didn't come out quite right on their first try. It's back to the drawing board for both of those.
I used All-Purpose Gluten-Free flour in the pancakes, which may have accounted for their soft, almost slimy texture. I'll give whole wheat pastry a flour a try next to see if I can get some crunch into them. The squash bake was OK, but missing something. I think it might need a "saucier" sauce than the one I made for it. We'll see. Do you have a spaghetti squash paremesan recipe that you love? I'd be mighty grateful if you shared it with me.
I have a lot of events coming up at the end of this month, so I hope that folks in Austin will be able to come out for one or two. On Monday, 09/23, at 7:00pm, I'll be moderating a panel at BookPeople on family cooking and meal planning with Caroline Campion, author or Keepers and blogger at Devil and Egg. She'll be joined by three of our own Austin bloggers, all of which contributed to the The Austin Food Blogger Alliance Cookbook
AFBA Photo Camp is on Saturday, 09/28. If you are interested in improving your food photography skills, this is your big chance. If not, you should still come so that you can eat fancy and hob-knob with other nifty bloggers. It will be a hoot. That much is for certain.
On Sunday 09/28 I will be in Fredericksburg teaching a vegan sushi demo at the Renewable Energy Roundup & Green Living Fair. Kate Payne is also teaching a demo on lacto-fermentation over the weekend, and I believe there will be some food focused panels and demos going on to.
So, what are you up to this month?