I lived in Texas for several years during university and grad school and it’s definitely my favorite state! That being said, it never felt like ‘home’ to me, and I was happy to leave and move back to the Middle East. But I do miss it! Besides missing the people, the amazing hiking and mountain biking, and great shopping, I miss the food!

One of my favorite Texas food memories and one of the foods I miss the most is BRISKET! And actually, my favorite brisket was grocery store brisket, bought already cooked from the hot deli section at my local HEB. It was obscenely, amazingly, outrageously delicious. I remember so clearly standing in line, waiting anxiously for my turn, and then asking the person behind the counter for the biggest slab of smoky, tender brisket they had. I always made them laugh, because they would go to cut off the fat and I would leap forward shrieking: “No, wait! That’s my favorite part!”

Cody and I never managed to make a proper meal with the brisket we brought home from HEB, because inevitably we would end up standing in the kitchen, unpacked grocery bags at our feet, picking at the brisket bit by bit, until it was all gone. Our fingers and face would be shiny with grease, but, gluttons that we are, we were happy. If there was ever any leftover we loved to pile it onto sandwiches with mayo, mustard, raw white onions and pickles.

When we moved back home to the Middle East in 2007, brisket was one of the things I said goodbye to.  And I haven’t had it since. Well, until this week.

Last weekend, when I saw raw brisket for sale at Tamimi grocery store, I bought it with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. I was thrilled to get a chance to eat brisket again, but also nervous that I wouldn’t be able to cook it properly. I don’t have a smoker and didn’t want to leave it on the barbecue for 10 hours. So, it was going in the oven.

And guess what?

It was spectacular. Beyond spectacular. It was exactly how I remembered it. Bursting with flavor, falling apart at the slightest touch, smoky, rich and unbelievably good. When I took the first bite I was alone in the kitchen, and I couldn’t help but start hollering like a madwoman until my dad and Cody ran into the kitchen to see what was going on. I couldn’t even speak, I just greeted them with a plate full of brisket! They both agree it’s one of the best things they’ve ever eaten. Success!

And you know what? It is also so, so easy to make.

The Best Brisket

- One 4 pound brisket. Buy the fattiest cut you can find, it is so important to the flavor and tenderness.
- Liquid smoke
- Spice Rub
- 1.5 cups of beef broth

- Coat the brisket in liquid smoke and spice rub. You don’t want a puddle of liquid smoke, just enough to splash all over the brisket. Use plenty of spices! Leave in the fridge over night.
- The next day, place the brisket in a large roasting pan uncovered, and put into a 375F oven for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour lower the heat to 300F and pour the beef broth into the pan around the brisket, and cover with tin foil. Cook for 3 hours.
- During these three hours, check the brisket a few times to make sure that the liquid doesn’t boil over the top and out into the oven. If the liquid starts getting too high, drain it off into a sauce pan and simmer it for a while to reduce. Pour this liquid back over the brisket when it’s done cooking.
- After 1 hour at 375, and 3 hours at 300, take it out of the oven and allow it to rest for 30 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!

Here is the liquid smoke and the spice blend I used -

This is a great spice mix! It’s got sea salt, pepper, dried mustard seed, dried coriander seeds, dried onion, dried green bell pepper, dried red peppers, dried garlic, and dried crushed chillies.

I hope you love this brisket as much as I did!

The green in my breakfast was a bit hidden underneath a deliciously fried egg. But it was there! I mashed up half an avocado and spread it onto some sprouted toast (I love sprouted bread!) and topped it with a sea salt, pepper and hot sauce covered fried egg. This has been a really frequent breakfast lately.

After breakfast I made myself something green to sip on. I really love this blend of tea. It’s incredibly refreshing.

With my cup of tea, and a good half a bar of my very favorite type of chocolate…

…I settled down to some homework. I am loving grad school and I am so lucky to be attending, but this semester has been particularly intense. This week one of my largest assignments of the semester is due, and I’m working hard because I’m determined to keep up my 4.0 GPA. It’s for a really interesting class and it focuses on global immigration patterns which I am totally loving learning about. So, while it is a lot of hard work it’s also a bunch of fun.

Around noon, I put my books down and scooted into the kitchen to make lunch. And yep, it just so happened to be overflowing with the green stuff.

Yum! The wrap was filled with leftover chicken and sauted squash and spinach, and on the side was a big pile of broccoli, garlic, and more squash and spinach. I love love love the broccoli we’ve been getting in our CSA box. It is incredibly fresh and flavorful.

After lunch, Cody and I headed out to walk the dogs in the desert, and let them romp in the green. It was such a strange, overcast day, with barely any wind, which gave the whole experience a really eerie feel. I loved it!

When we got home the dogs were tuckered…

…and I was hungry! Time for my latest favorite snack – Greek yoghurt and berries dusted with fresh ground cinnamon. Mmmm…

Later that evening, Cody, my dad, and I headed out of our compound and into Khobar to do a bit of grocery shopping. Look at that steely grey sky.

First stop was Tamimi for produce. We don’t need too much since the CSA is so brilliant, but Tamimi does carry kale which I always need in my life.

After that it was time to pick up pantry staples in the chaotic, frenetic Lulu Hypermarket. It was packed and it was miserable!

By the time we left I was positively ravenous. Do you get that way when grocery shopping, too? Seeing all of the delicious food sends me into paroxysms of hunger.

The second we got home I raced into the kitchen and whipped up dinner in a matter of minutes. We had bought some amazing Irish rib eyes that I had the butcher grind up for us, so I spiced them up and made burgers. (That’s my trick for stellar burgers, actually. Don’t use the pre-ground, very dry meat sold as is in the stores. Ask the butcher to grind up rib-eyes. Your burgers will be succulent and delicious – guaranteed!) I topped mine with mayo, mustard, and dill pickles. Buns are completely unnecessary, as far as I’m concerned!

On the side? Even more green – crispy, spicy, completely amazing kale chips! Toss chopped kale with a bit of olive oil, lots of spices, and bake at 375F for around 12 minutes. Check them frequently because they will burn in an instant.

This meal made me very, very happy.

Have a great day!

The weekend started with my latest assignment for the local paper, which had me attending an event that just so happened to take place in the building where my dad works! When the event was over, I got a tour, and got to see his office for the first time.

After covering the event, Cody and I took off for Bahrain. We have been going to Bahrain several times a month lately, which I normally love, but honestly, it’s gotten to be a bit much. But we have had meetings and necessary appointments, etc, that we can’t postpone. Unfortunately, things are getting quite tense over there again, as it is the 1 year anniversary of last year’s demonstrations. It’s a really sad, scary situation, and my heart goes out to everyone involved. Hopefully everything will stay peaceful this time around.

Here’s a short clip from the village where our apartment is -

So this Thursday we headed over, found the causeway shockingly empty, and made it to the mall just in time for lunch. I was starving, and luckily there was an appealing looking Turkish restaurant – just what I was craving! Seriously, it was a delicious meal.

I told you I was hungry! We ordered a spread of delicious treats, and it was all fresh and delicious and oh so incredible.

We started with some of the best hummus I’ve ever had, warm bread, and marinated roasted red peppers.

We then ordered 2 mixed plates to share. One had cheese bread, spinach stuffed bread, and amazing spicy little pizza things. The other plate had grilled chicken, beef, and lamb with some very thin wisps of bread.

Now, I was already pretty thrilled with that meal, but then as we left the restaurant, we passed by a beautiful sight: a Marble Slab Creamery. You all know how much I love ice cream, I just had to have some for dessert. After sampling several flavors, I settled on one scoop of dark chocolate and one scoop of peanut butter chocolate, in a delicious waffle bowl dipped in even more chocolate.

The poor guy working at the shop seemed really forlorn that I didn’t want any mix-ins or toppings. But to me, one of the best things about ice cream is how smooth and creamy it is, why would I mess with perfection?

Cody was picking up a new suit that had been getting tailored, so while he went and did that, I settled myself in the middle of the mall and feasted on my delicious ice cream. I’m not usually a fan of malls, but the City Centre Mall in Bahrain is really awesome.

The next day was even better!

I regularly have brunch at a cafe with a few girlfriends, but this week we decided we would invite husbands and kids too, and have the meal at one of our houses. All in all, there were 10 adults and 10 kids. It was a full house, and so much fun. And the food….wow…the food was incredible. We did it pot-luck style and everyone brought a dish or two. There were homemade pizzas, fruits and creams and cheeses, breads fresh from the bakery, artichoke dips, sushi, leafy green salads, and more.

We brought my spicy Cajun deviled eggs and a batch of blueberry muffins.

My favorite part of the day was when Cody and our friends pulled out 2 guitars and a banjo and started jamming together. They are all talented musicians, and the music was peaceful and cheery, exactly the right mood for such a gorgeous, happy day. It was such a fantastic way to end a great weekend.

]]> http://voraciouseats.com/2012/02/15/find-happiness-within/feed/ 7 http://voraciouseats.com/2012/02/12/born-to-be-wild-saudi-style/ http://voraciouseats.com/2012/02/12/born-to-be-wild-saudi-style/#comments Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:56:43 +0000 Tasha http://voraciouseats.com/?p=4911 Earlier this month was the annual Harley Davidson Rally, here in Dhahran. There is actually a fairly large biker sub-culture here in KSA, and everyone was anxious to show off their bikes. There was also an antique car display, lots of food and games booths, and a wide array of other recreational groups represented – even a poetry booth!

Cody’s band was invited to play as part of the musical part of the afternoon, and we were all really excited.

Until we woke up to a horrendous shamal (sandstorm). The sky was a dismal orangey-grey, thick with dust and sand, and the winds were getting up to 30 miles an hour. Not exactly a promising forecast for a day outside! The shamal even wreaked havoc on some of my petunias…

Up until a few hours before Cody’s band was scheduled to go on, we weren’t even sure if the event was going to be cancelled or not. As we waited for info, we feasted!

Breakfast was PINK TO THE EXTREME.

Honestly, as pretty as this smoothie was, it was quite a bit too full of raspberries for me! Way too tart!

We finally got the call that yes, the show would go on, and we grabbed a quick lunch before heading out.

That’s a salmon taco (with yogurt, lemon and green onions) with a veggie medley on the side. I like this picture because the fresh herbs on the tomato give him a little face. He’s a bit grumpy looking, isn’t he?

Fortified by a delicious lunch, we headed out into the ridiculous wind to the Harley Rally.

The crowd wasn’t too huge, which wasn’t surprising given the horrendous weather. But lots of our friends showed up and everyone loved the music!

I was bundled up against the chilly wind, and yes, wearing earplugs. Cody gave them to me a while back and they are super comfy and allow me to hear everything clearly – with the volume turned down. Sometime people tease me about them, but honestly, I’d really like to be able to hear Cody rock out for many years to come!

Unfortunately, the guys were only able to play for about 30 minutes before it was time for afternoon prayer and the man in charge of running the sound told them to stop. But after prayer time was over, we were all happy to see a traditional musical group from Bahrain head out to perform.

My dad snapped a few pictures of them preparing for their set. They use fire on their drums to prepare them for playing.

When these guys hit the stage the crowd went wild. After just a few minutes, a big group of young guys flooded the dance floor and joined in the performance. It was so much fun to see!

By the time we left we were frozen solid! It wasn’t even that cold, but the wind really cuts right through you here. So, we bundled ourselves home, and I got to work in the kitchen.

For dinner, we enjoyed leftover herbed chicken, mashed curried cauliflower, and yogurt and mayo tossed beets. Colorful and delicious – especially the turmeric and curry cauliflower!

And for dessert I mixed together Greek yogurt (my latest discovery – I’m obsessed!) with pumpkin puree, lots of cinnamon, a drizzle of maple syrup and crumbled dark chocolate. So tasty!

Life has been a lot of fun lately thanks to the glorious winter weather! We can be outside all day long which is such a rare treat here in the land of sand. This week it’s warmed up a bit to the mid 70s and we’ve even had a few kinda cloudy days. Check out this stunning sky -

I snapped this picture out at the stables, and it annoyed Ender so much that I wouldn’t let him chew on my phone.

“Mommmmm come on! PLEASE!!!!!”

As always there have been plenty of delicious meals in our house. Especially now that we have a weekly delivery of organic, local produce from our CSA. Such a wonderful addition to our lives – I wish it could go year round!

One of my favorite meals from the past few weeks was lamb balls stuffed with herbed cheese. It was a totally impromptu dinner, but here is kinda how it went down.

I combined ground lamb with an organic free-range egg, salt/pepper and dried oregano and fresh chopped dill and parsley. Once it was combined it was a bit wet, so I threw in the only thing I thought could sub for the breadcrumbs I didn’t have – ground up Ritz crackers! It worked!

Then I stuffed each ball with a dollop of herb cheese before frying them up until golden and crisp.

Speaking of Ritz crackers, I need to tell you about something special. So special, in fact, that it cures writer’s block.

Now, I love my new job writing for the local paper, and I really love working on my book. Well, most of the time. When writer’s block strikes it can be excruciating. It can make me curse and moan and flail about like it’s the end of the world. Sometimes it gets so bad I think I’ll never again be able to string together a coherent sentence. It’s agony!

So, last week, in the throes of some ferocious writer’s block, I was listlessly clicking around the internet when I stumbled across the most ingenious idea I had ever heard of – Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Ritz Sandwiches.

Oh yes.

I made about twenty. And proceeded to eat 10 or 12. Within 15 minutes my writer’s block evaporated and I was typing away like a madwoman. Cured!

I highly recommend you try these beauties asap. They are sweet and salty and crunchy. I like them stored in the fridge, so they are nice and chilly. Warning: make twice what you think you’ll want/need because these things go fast!

Have a great day!

]]> http://voraciouseats.com/2012/02/08/the-chocolate-peanut-butter-cure/feed/ 19 http://voraciouseats.com/2012/01/29/weekend-stunner/ http://voraciouseats.com/2012/01/29/weekend-stunner/#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2012 07:35:38 +0000 Tasha http://voraciouseats.com/?p=4868 This past weekend (the weekends here in KSA are Thur/Fri) was a stunner! After about 2 weeks of brutally cold weather (low 60s during the day and down into the 30s!!! at night), we are back to normal with gloriously sunny days in the 70s, and cool evenings in the 50s. Lovely!

This Thursday we enjoyed ourselves tremendously, starting with an amazing breakfast.

We decided to take advantage of the stunning weather by taking the dogs for a hike in the desert here on our compound. Look at this gorgeousness!

(Okay, this is actually a treated waste-water retention pond that is surrounded by a chain link fence, but hey, it looks pretty!)

And look at the color of that sky! Most of the year it is filled with sand and gets all washed out and yellowish, but this time of year it is a dazzling blue.

After about 1.5 hours of romping through the desert, the pooches were tuckered out and Cody and I were famished. We headed home, and I got to work in the kitchen.

Fish taco, with a dollop of yoghurt and mayo, a squeeze of lemon, and lots and lots of leafy greens and dill. Sweet cherries on the side. Gorgeous and delicious.

After lunch I got to work on writing papers for school. In fact, I got so into it, that I lost track of time until Cody popped his head into the room and asked if I was going to be ready to go soon. His gig! I had completely forgotten to give myself enough time to get ready to go, in other words, to shower! Arhghg!

I threw on some clothes, and decided the only hope for my bedraggled hair was a bun. Check this out, and pardon me if I am irrationally proud of the fact that I can do buns like this in about 5 seconds flat, with only a few twists and tucks of my hair – no pins, no ties, no clips, no nothing! Haha, we all have to have something to be proud of, I suppose.

Time for rock! The guys were playing on a nearby compound for a friend’s going away party. And as always, they were brilliant!

Their show ran from about 4:30 – 5:30, so we were home by 7pm. Just in time for dinner! And I had what I hoped was going to be a tasty plan for the small bit of veggies that I needed to use up.

You see, on Monday we had gotten our second CSA delivery, and by Thursday, we were eating the last remnants of it. This family loves its veggies like woah!

So, I browned and then roasted some chicken with a bit of onion and zucchini, and sauted some squash, tomatoes, and bell peppers, with a bunch of leftover parsley and dill. It was surprisingly delicious!

The day wasn’t over yet. Cody headed out to a friend’s birthday party, and I curled up with two lovely ladies and continued working on my papers. Both papers were due the next day, so I had my work cut out for me. I had to tell Polly and Lobi to stop being so distractingly cute!

It really was a stunning weekend, and I hope to have many more like it.

I don’t ever suggest to people how much or how often they should eat meat (or if they should even eat it at all!) because that goes against my whole ‘listen to your body’ motto that I take so seriously ever since moving beyond veganism. Furthermore, the amount of animal products I eat changes all the time. I never go too long without them, though, simply because for me eating them regularly keeps me feeling my very best. But it’s up to you to determine what works best for you.

Ultimately, for many of us eating animals and animal products is the key to good health. But for some people, after years of veganism, it’s not always easy to know where to start! There are many people who write to me to ask for advice on how to get back into the swing of eating animal products again and they always want to know my favorites and how I like to prepare them. So, I thought I would share!

Tip #1. Eggs.

I sing the praises of eggs so much these days it is ridiculous, but I just can’t stop. For the first 28 years of my life, I wasn’t an egg fan. I thought they tasted ‘funny’. Then, after I quit veganism, I tasted for the first time in my life an organic, free-range egg. The yolks were the most vibrant, vivid orange I had ever seen. And the flavor….one bite had me sold. Eggs are tremendously delicious, versatile, and pack a major nutritional punch – they are a great source of choline, iron, selenium, lutein, B vitamins, and vitamins A and D.

I keep a bowl of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge almost all the time. They make a great breakfast on the run, or can be chopped up into an egg salad sandwich, or they can transform a salad into a full meal. In addition to hard-boiling eggs, I also love to use them to make veggie packed frittatas or scrambled eggs with salmon. I probably make those 2 dishes for dinner at least once a week.

 Tip #2. Chicken.

It goes without saying that I try to make everything I can in my diet free-range and organic. But with some things, like eggs, it makes a huge difference not just ethically and nutritionally, but taste-wise. Chicken is definitely one of those things – organic, free-range chickens have so much flavor! My very favorite way to cook chicken is to coat them in butter and sea salt and roast them till crispy and golden. One roasted chicken lasts us several days and we get many meals out of it. I especially love to shred up the meat and use it in quesadillas and wraps.

Another great thing about chicken is that I can buy chicken breasts/legs/thighs, and keep them in my freezer ready to use at any time. It only takes a few minutes to thaw them out in hot water, and I can chop them up, roast or sauté them with spices, add lots of spinach and bell peppers and then pile it all up with garlic yoghurt sauce into an impromptu shawarma. I cook up the chopped breasts in big batches and keep them stored in the fridge, ready to throw into eggs, or make into a sandwich, or add to a salad to give it a filling dose of protein.

 Tip #3. Fish.

I didn’t use to eat very much fish before I was vegan. Cody, on the other hand, was a huge seafood lover. He really encouraged me to start cooking with fish more once we began eating animal products again. And wow, am I so glad! Along with eggs, fish is probably the most commonly eaten animal product in our house. Our favorites are hammour (that is the Arabic word for grouper. It’s caught right off the coast a few miles away.) and salmon. I like to pan cook fish till crispy and brown, or roast it in the oven till flaky and tender, and I usually serve it up with big sides of veggies or salads. Or in wraps because wraps are good for everything. .

Canned fish is also a good addition to any menu. I look for BPA-free, sustainably caught options. Tinned sardines might be my very favorite. I know, I know, not everyone agrees with me about this. But I’ve loved canned sardines since I was a little kid. Canned fish of any kind make a super healthy quick meal, especially on buttered toast or on top of a veggie-packed salad.

 Tip #4. Lamb

Lamb and sheep are traditional foods here in Saudi Arabia, and I like how versatile it is. I especially adore lamb chops. I don’t even know if I had lamb chops more than a handful of times before going vegan. But now, they are on regular rotation around here. I don’t know why more people don’t think of them as something quick and easy to make. In my experience, lamb chops are typically seen as something more ‘fussy’ or ‘formal’, when really, they take about 10 minutes to cook and are delicious with a side salad or veggies and quinoa. I brown them on both sides in butter in a frying pan, and then put them in the oven for 5 minutes on 375F till they are cooked through. Lovely.

I also like to use ground lamb to make lamb burgers with feta, or, my personal favorite, Mediterranean pizza with zucchini and red onions with pesto sauce. As I said, lamb is a traditional staple in Saudi Arabia and it stands up really well to pungent spices like cumin and curry. I also love to use it in hearty barley stew with plenty of kale or chard.

Tip #5. Beef.

Beef is the least commonly consumed of the meats we typically eat. It’s not because I don’t like it, because I definitely do. It’s just that I prefer to buy locally raised animal products like chicken, lamb, and fish. There is local beef available but it is not raised in a way that I am comfortable with. So, when I do buy beef it is imported so I can ensure it is pasture raised and organic. At this point in my life I choose ethical/organic over food miles in these type of culinary conundrums.

Ground beef is something else I can keep in the freezer, defrost quickly, and use to make a quick and nutritious meal. Of course, burgers are the first thing that come to mind, but more often than not I use ground beef to mix together with sauted veggies and rice to create a sorta kinda stir fry. Cody is a huge fan of that kind of meal and the leftovers are great for him to take to work for lunch. Also – steak on the grill! Swooooon.

***

Those are some of my favorite ways to incorporate animal products into my diet. I find that these ways are simple and can be easily adapted to many meals, plus the leftovers are great! These are some of the things that I ate to regain my health after I stopped being vegan, and they are what help to keep me so healthy and happy now. I hope these tips helped answer some of your questions. If you have more, just let me know!

It didn’t start out that way, though. It actually started out pretty healthy.

Divine, as always.

After breakfast we trekked across the causeway to Bahrain. We have been going there a lot lately, out of necessity. Errands, meetings, and appointments galore.

Our meetings took up most of the morning. Afterward we picked up a certain special something that I have been waiting for…

…and decided we needed food asap. As we were walking through the mall we mentally went through the usual list of places we like to eat in Bahrain, but nothing sounded good. Until we turned a corner, and I saw a magical sight -

Wow. The last time I ate at a Chili’s was more than 5 years ago in San Antonio, Texas. So, as we settled into a booth I was more than a little excited. Giddy, actually. We don’t eat junk food very often, but when we do, I luxuriate.

When they brought out these perfectly crisp, perfectly salted chips with the most amazing salsa, guacamole and queso I think I screamed a little bit.

We almost finished all the chips, which was great…until our main dishes came. The servings were huge!

I got fried chicken…

Cody ordered the cajun chicken sandwich.

I haven’t had fried chicken in YEARS. I don’t think I’ve ever made it for myself, and I’m pretty sure I haven’t eaten it since we were last in the states 5 years ago, which is ridiculous because I love the stuff. So, when I took a bite and found it perfectly crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside, I really did scream. There might have been some cursing involved as well. What can I say? I’m a class act.

For real though, it was a glorious reminder of just how good American junk food can be.

After lunch, we rolled ourselves out to the car and finished up our trip to Bahrain with some grocery shopping. We saw some strange things while at the store…

The first grossed me out, although in hindsight, considering what I had just eaten for lunch, maybe I shouldn’t have been so judgmental. But honestly, apples that are flavored with artificial grape flavoring so they taste like grapes!?!?! What is going on!?!?!

And back in the butcher section, we saw one of the funniest signs I’ve ever seen at a grocery store.

See it? Let’s take a closer look.

Huh. Who knew?

We loaded up our groceries and headed back towards the causeway. Before we could get there we ran into a bit of trouble.

There is a lot of unrest in Bahrain, most commonly displayed by blocking the roads with burning tires, or other household objects, in this case couches. Luckily we got through before they blocked off our side of the road.

Home to Saudi Arabia!

Once at home I was hungry again. Which of course, keeping with the theme of the day, called for more junk food!

At least I got some veggies in there!

And dessert…dreamy…

The only way to end such a delicious day was curled up on the couch with a cuddly kitty.

The farmer has one of the kingdom’s first ever organic farms and is rightly very proud of his produce. 2012 is the year that the Saudi government is hoping that their local and organic food initiative will take off (at this point local and organic food is not a mainstream concept here), and this farmer’s dedication to organic farming is supported by the government’s program.

Since I had to wait all day till we could get our bounty I distracted myself with a tasty smoothie for breakfast – heavy on the blueberries and yoghurt!

I’ve started working as a free-lance writer for our local newspaper, so I spent the morning polishing up an article to submit to the editors. I love writing, and of course, I love to get paid for it, so this makes me really happy. Something else that is pretty cool? My grandmother used to write for the same newspaper back in the ’60s!

I also worked on some writing for school, but had to take a break because my stomach was growling so much I couldn’t concentrate. My lunch wasn’t all that pretty, but it sure was delicious.

After I was done eating I hung out for a while watching TV (Community! Just started watching it from the beginning, and I really like it.) and then headed to the gym for an hour of cardio and weights.

After the gym I went to the stables to visit my sweet boy Ender. He just started getting weekly accunpuncture treatments to help with what the vet has decided is an old back injury that didn’t heal properly. Ender isn’t lame and he doesn’t seem to be in pain, he is just stiff on one side of his back, especially when he canters. I’ve checked the fit of his saddle, had his teeth floated, and I’ve been doing plenty of massage on him with lots of stretches, but he is still tight. It’s been stiff on and off since I bought him 3 years ago and since there doesn’t seem to be anything specifically wrong we are trying acupuncture.

Ender loves it! He gets all quiet and sleepy – it’s adorable!

See all the needles in his butt? The photo isn’t that great, but in total there were about 10 – 12 needles at several different points along his lower back and back legs. They went in really, really, really ridiculously deep. It was shocking, but Ender didn’t even seem to notice.

All mellow and dreamy…

After lots of kisses and carrots, I came home and waited not so patiently for our delivery of CSA goodies. And wow, it did not disappoint. That box was bursting at the seams with the freshest, most delicious looking veggies. SO MUCH! Between me and Cody and my dad, though, I think we can get through them all in a week.

Here is what we got (the exact amount and type of produce will change from week to week, depending on mother nature!):

4 heads broccoli
3 heads iceberg lettuce
2 bunches spinach
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunches parsley
1 bunch dill
3 ears of corn
2 big lemons
2big white cabbages
2 boxes of cherry tomatoes – RIDICULOUSLY TASTY! I’m not even a tomato fan, but these are incredible.
4 big tomatoes
1 Kilo zucchini
1 Kilo Cucumber
1 Kilo Bell peppers

The first thing I did was cook up a big batch of broccoli, squash, and bell peppers, with a ton of cilantro thrown in. I like to leave big bowls of cooked veggies in the fridge so we can throw them into a million different dishes and make tasty, healthy meals quickly.

The first meal I made with our CSA veggies was for that evening’s dinner, which was a chicken and veggie wrap. We had a bit of leftover chicken and spinach from the previous day, so I tossed it together with the veggies and added lots of garlicky yoghurt sauce. It was really good! There was also a bunch of cherry tomatoes on the side, but they are hiding in this picture.

There is someone else who is loving our CSA…well, more specifically, loving our CSA box.

]]> http://voraciouseats.com/2012/01/18/saudi-arabias-first-csa/feed/ 10 http://voraciouseats.com/2012/01/15/on-the-house/ http://voraciouseats.com/2012/01/15/on-the-house/#comments Sun, 15 Jan 2012 09:00:44 +0000 Tasha http://voraciouseats.com/?p=4780 Last week Cody and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary with a delicious meal at what is now our favorite restaurant in Bahrain – Bushido.

Since that meal I have talked that place up about a dozen times with various people. It was just that good and the service was just that incredible. We actually originally wanted to eat there for lunch on New Year’s Eve, but the restaurant’s receptionist mistakenly told us that the place opened at noon, when actually on that day it was only open for dinner. We arrived with huge appetites excited for some sushi, only to be turned away at the door. The manager must have seen the heartbreak on our faces because he took down our name and number…which led to a very sweet ending to our meal there last week.

Anyway! Look at this gorgeous place -

The inside was just as stunning. (Keep in mind we got there the minute it opened for lunch, so the place was still empty. Don’t take it as a sign that this place is not wonderful – it is!)

The weather is gorgeous this time of year, sunny and in the 70s, so we of course chose to sit outside. Bushido is located in a gorgeous spot far away from heavy traffic (a rarity in Bahrain!) and right on the beach. It was peaceful perfection.

The menu was huge – packed full of so many different kinds of sushi and Japanese dishes that it took us a very long time to choose. I kinda wanted to order everything…but we finally settled on edamame for a starter…

And salmon wrapped avocado in a soy sauce foam, rock shrimp tempura (ohmygod the best shrimp dish I have ever had) and a Bushido roll – shrimp and white fish sushi with a spicy sauce topped with a jalapeno. Cody’s favorite, so much so that we ordered another plate. We ended up still not having ordered enough to really fill us up (we are both big eaters) and we will keep that in mind for next time and order another dish or two.

I had to use all my restraint not to fight Cody away from the rock shrimp tempura with  my chopsticks. They were out of this world incredible. The coating was crispy and chewy at the same time (how do they do that? I need to learn!) and the sauce was tangy and spicy and completely swoonworthy. I could have easily eaten another plate all by myself.

At this point, Cody hopped up to find the restroom, and I ordered desert. I asked for a plate of chocolate hazelnut cake and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. The waitress looked slightly confused and when they brought out our dessert, I realized why. Cody had called the night before to ask them to do something special for our anniversary – a mousse cake. So the waitress thought it was odd that I was ordering yet another dessert. But how was I to know Cody had done that? Anyway, in my world there is no such thing as too much dessert, so we were happy to finish both plates.

The entire Bushido experience was excellent. The setting was stunning, the servers were all friendly and extremely knowlegable about the menu and happily answered all of our questions, and the food was truly spectacular. By the end of the meal Cody and I were raving and already planning our next trip.

When we asked for the bill the waiter told us that it had been taken care of and it was on the house, as their way of apologizing for giving us the wrong opening time a few weeks ago. Cody and I were floored. Good customer service is not something you typically find in Saudi or Bahrain, so this was completely unexpected and pleased us beyond belief. The mix up with the opening times on New Years Eve was a tiny little blip, not a big deal at all, that was cleared up in about 2 minutes. We weren’t angry at the time, just dissapointed, and yet the manager had remembered and kept us in mind just so when we came back we would get a treat. Wow.

Bushido gets 5 stars in my book, and we are excited to go back again and again.

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