29 September 2011

Veggie sunrise torta with roasted red pepper salsa


Whenever I'm in the U.S., there are certain things that I must do. Some of these might sound kind of lame, but trust me...being an expat can do that to you. Among my musts: eating as much Mexican food as possible, shopping at Target and stocking up on all kinds of crazy food products that can't be found in France. One of my can't miss spots is the one and only Trader Joe's, my favorite supermarket in the world! During our recent two weeks in Atlanta to visit my family, we made many a trip to TJ's, picking up everything from Thai lime and chili spiced nuts to vegetable tamales to microwaveable brown rice to mango, passion fruit and yogurt gummies.

28 September 2011

Tien Hiang: Vegetarian paradise in Paris!


Let me tell you, it's not easy to be a vegetarian in Paris, or in France in general! Although there are worse places in the world for those of us who don't eat meat, it's no ballpark here. Eating out in French restaurants is challenging for vegetarians like myself, with the exception of the ubiquitous salade de chèvre chaud (goat cheese salad) and on occasion a couple of other options. Beyond this, it's tough to convince French people (or those who have grown up here) that vegetarian food is tasty, diverse and exciting and that eating vegetarian can be a phenomenal gourmet experience, rather than just a plate of raw or boiled vegetables. The few vegetarian restaurants which exist here tend to be of the new-age, hippie variety...definitely not reflective of the various cuisines in the world in which vegetarian food features strongly. Not particularly good and definitely not apt to attract those who eat meat! One notable exception: Tien Hiang, an Asian vegetarian restaurant which is a paradise for all food-lovers, vegetarian or not!

09 September 2011

French Fridays with Dorie: Creamy, cheesy, garlicky rice with spinach


So...I finally caved in. After constantly hearing all the buzz about Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours and seeing all the fun that people are having in the virtual cooking club French Fridays with Dorie (FFWD), where members make and post a new recipe from the book every Friday, I broke down and bought it (this despite my pledge that I wouldn't buy anymore cookbooks). Though the beautiful, hardcover, 544-page (yes, you read right) masterpiece arrived over a month ago, tonight was the first time that I actually cooked from it and marks my first post for FFWD!

07 September 2011

La rentrée and Georgia on my mind...with a peach salsa!


If you live in France or are familiar with France, you know that the real new year here doesn't begin on January 1 but on the first Monday in September, which marks the phenomenon known as la rentrée. Oh yes the dreaded rentrée, when the French come back from their (typically) one month to six weeks of vacation taken in July/August. Whether holidaying on the beach in the south of France, chilling up in the mountains somewhere or opting for destinations far away, the French sure certainly make sure that they take full advantage of their 30+ days of vacation a year (as they should!). Thus if you happen to be in Paris in August, you might get the feeling that you're in a ghost town, as many restaurants and shops shutter up for the entire month and Parisians flee the city in mass (thus leading many - including myself - to tell you that August is the nicest month to visit Paris...Paris sans les parisiens of course!).