Teacher Snack

One of my favorite traditions at my school is our daily "Teacher Snack." By grade level, we trade off providing a "snack" for all of the other Lower School teachers and faculty every day. Some of us take this task very seriously. Fortunately for me, my classroom is right next door to the Faculty Room, so I always get a good sneak peek at what is going to be served starting at 8 am. It is pretty amazing what one can eat that early- if Donna is providing shrimp cocktail, you'd better get there early!

Being teachers, aka perfectionists, we seem to want to outdo each other. A simple plate of cheese and crackers will do, but the chocolate molten cake (made in the microwave so the smell of melted chocolate emanates the entire school) wows the crowd. Quiche is always appreciated, Janet's homemade apple pie disappears quickly, veggies and hummus makes us feel less guilty, while the box of Munchkins is usually met with a moan. When it is my turn to serve "Teacher Snack" I like to serve a savory and a sweet, and I always like some sort of protein. Tomorrow, for example, I will be serving a spinach and red pepper quiche with feta cheese and a zucchini bread with chocolate chips. I hope they like it- I've been cooking all afternoon. I'd love to hear your suggestions for teacher snack ideas- just remember, it has to be nut free.

-Natasha

Brown Sugar Cafe

My favorite Thai restaurant in the area is Brown Sugar Cafe at 1033 Comm Ave in Allston. Their menu is huge. You can get the tried and true or venture out with one of their more exotic dishes that you may not find elsewhere. For years, its been the place to go for Thai, so be prepared to wait. They also deliver, good for those cold 7 degree Boston days!


Last weekend, I went there with a group of friends before heading to a benefit in the city. It felt a little like prom, sitting there in a Vera Wang dress eating a $15 a person meal (including tip and tax) but it was delicious as always. To start, you can't go wrong with any their appetizers or soups. If you like cilantro, their Tom Yum Goong has a good kick to it. The pan fried Thai ravioli and Tofu Triangles are always a hit. I personally love their Pad Thai which is light and flavorful, a must order in my book. However, going with a with a group allows me to sample different options. Over the years, I have enjoyed their yellow curry dishes, their Sweet and Sour chicken and shrimp, their Mango Fried Rice, and the Pad See Ew, to name a few. With the menu as expansive as it is, one could never get bored.

So next time you are craving Thai, head to Allston.
http://www.brownsugarcafe.com/index.html

-Natasha

Gluten-free review of Burton's Grill by Guest Blogger- Lisa

I am proud to be a gluten-intolerant guest columnist on Natasha's blog! I had the pleasure of spending an evening for dinner at Burton's Grill http://www.burtonsgrill.com/ near Fenway with Natasha, Kim, and Ruthie. Burton's has a lovely gluten-free menu available upon request. It highlights the regular menu items that are already gluten-free and it offers several adapted dishes that are prepared with gluten-free substitutes.

My first delightful gluten-free experience was their home-made (I think?) dinner roll! It was light, sweet, a little crumbly, but delicious. It's tough to succeed with gluten-free bread, but Burton's passed the test. For the entree, I ordered the Pan-seared Chicken and Mushroom Ravioli with Asparagus in a Sherry Cream Sauce. While they didn't bring me ravioli (it was over gluten-free penne pasta instead), it was very tasty! The sherry cream sauce was smooth and flavorful. The entire dish had no sign of gluten-free taste or texture to it. I would order it again in a heartbeat. For some reason, the charge on the check was $2 more than the menu claimed, and their typo of "ravioli" was pretty misleading ("I'm gluten intolerant, but I'm not an idiot." -NR). Good thing I was happy with the dish anyway! I suspect that they cut and pasted the dish name from the main menu and forgot to edit the details on the hard copy because the website is correct.

Natasha, it's been a pleasure! Till next time... Lisa :-)

Cooking for a picky crowd

A few months ago I was presented with a challenge- to make dinner for a group of people with different dietary restrictions. I needed to come up with a vegetarian, gluten free, nut free, raw vegetable free, kosher style, and dairy free dish that actually tasted good. I was cooking for about 10 people, so it needed to be cheap and easy to produce in mass quantities. My answer was black bean vegetarian chili. It fit all the requirements, is simple to make and can easily be doubled.

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 onion

1 red pepper

1 orange or yellow pepper

2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded (optional)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons Paprika

1 teaspoon Oregano

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Cumin

1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

sour cream

grated cheddar cheese

avocado on the side.

1. Dice onions, seed and chop peppers, and mince garlic. (A food processor does this very quickly and easily, but you do lose some consistency.)

2. Mix spices together in a small prep bowl .

3. Heat pot at medium high heat. Saute onion , garlic and peppers until onions are clear.

4. Add tomatoes, black beans and spices. Turn down heat to low and simmer slowly for about 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally.

5. Add in drained corn and continue to cook slowly for another 20 minutes.

If too thick, add water for desired consistency.

Top with sour cream, cheddar cheese and a slice of avocado.

Next time you are cooking for a crowd, consider making vegetarian chili. It satisfies everyone's needs and tastes good too.

-Natasha