Time to strike another thing off our summer bucket list!
Have you tried bubble tea? We’ve made our own and have been regular patrons of Bubblicity on Somerset for the past few years. Unfortunately the last few visits were nothing to write home about, and I was open to finding a new source for this delicious stuff. My friend Don from foodieprints suggested My Sweet Tea (and I trust his recommendations!) and so that’s where we went last night to recharge after a long day spent at Calypso.
And I’m glad we did… even though I’ve been cutting sugar from my diet like crazy this past month. :)
Mark and the girls ordered the honeydew bubble latte with pearls and I tried the mango for a change. The first slurp was telling. My Sweet Tea serves up a creamier concoction than we ever had at Bubblicity and there was no powdery aftertaste either. Mark thought the pearls were slightly undercooked, but I didn’t mind. They were chewier than normal but they actually had flavour for a change… and I think that made more of an impression on me. :)
It was a lovely sweet treat, one that is surprising filling too. Next time I might just order a small, or eat a smaller dinner beforehand!
The first time I saw the phrase BEET TARTARE I mistakenly read it as BEEF TARTARE, which made me wonder why it was on the menu of a vegan restaurant.
You see, awhile back I was treated to an amazing meal at Café My House and beet tartare was one of the dishes we were served. It was so good that I have been determined to recreate it at home ever since.
I found a recipe online here that I adapted a bit in order to make one serving with ingredients I had on hand. Also, the beet tartare I had at Café My House was topped with vegan cheese (which was delightful) but I made do with goat cheese.
And I think my version turned out pretty good. Behold:
Funny thing about beets. Until now I wasn’t exactly sure how much I loved them. I liked them well enough, but this recipe sealed the deal for me and pushed me closer to the LOVE side. Maybe it’s the dressing? Or the nuts? Or the addition of the cheese? I don’t know what it is, but I’m thinking that this is a kind of GATEWAY RECIPE that’s needed to convert people from MAYBE to YES PLEASE. :)
Beet tartare for one
You will need:
1 roasted beet, peeled and diced
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
S & P to taste
greens of some kind
pecan or walnut pieces, toasted
goat cheese (I used a herbed goat cheese that I had on hand, but the honeyed variety would be fantastic in this recipe.
- 1) Put the diced beet bits in small bowl and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Scrape the beet mixture into a 1-cup measure (like the kind you’d use to measure flour or sugar) and turn it over on a plate that you’ve lined with your greens.
- 2) Top with goat cheese.
- 3) Sprinkle with nuts (mine were still warm! yum!) and more pepper, if desired.
See? Not a lot of work at all, and it made a very happy little lunch for this mama. Aside from roasting the beets (I roasted four on the BBQ the other day) it really didn’t take long to assemble. The nuts added a fabulous crunch, so don’t omit those, oh and that goat cheese… (I’m drooling as I type.)
Even with the nuts this recipe clocks in at about 240 calories, so not bad for those of us who are trying to eat a little lighter.
Let me know if you try this recipe!
… gnome?
I thought interested parties would like to know that Walden’s escapades made it into the local paper.
