Georgian Cheese and Egg Bread (Adjaruli Khachapuri) and Honey-Ginger Cauliflower

Good morning, readers! Happy Monday! I don't know about you guys, but after the ridiculously busy and stressful week I had at work, I definitely needed the weekend. I spent the majority of the weekend in my pajamas (it was fantastic) and I made a few really tasty meals!


Georgian Cheese and Egg Bread (Adjaruli Khachapuri)

Trying to take artsy shots - but look at that dough doe.

Be still my heart (and cholesterol levels)

1 lb Finally Perfect Pizza Dough
1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
Garlic powder, to taste
2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 pizza stone


Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place pizza stone on bottom rack and remove the top rack completely from the oven.


After making your Finally Perfect Pizza Dough and allowing it to rise in the fridge for up to 24 hours, place on a floured surface. Cut your dough ball in half and work the two halves into 2 equal-sized rounds.


Cut a piece of parchment paper to 10X7 and cut half to get 2 equal-sized pieces of paper. Flour each piece.


Roll out the rounds into 2 oblong-shapes 10-inches long by 4-inches wide and about 1/8 of an inch thick. The more oval-shaped the dough is, the better. Place each round on the prepared parchment paper pieces.


Meanwhile, make the filling! Mash together the mozzarella and feta cheese until combined. Make a well in the center of the cheeses and crack in 1 egg. Lightly beat before mixing into the cheeses. Set aside.


Spoon half of the cheese-egg mixture into the prepared dough, leaving about 1/2 inch clear around all sides. Pile a mound (a delicious cheese mound) in the center of the dough. Repeat with the remaining cheese and dough.


Fold the dough up the sides of the cheese mound and "think canoe". I know this is an awful description of what you're supposed to be doing but it was the easiest way for me to describe what I was doing. You want to create a sturdy barrier the cheese won't be able to escape through. Twist the end of the "canoe" tightly to keep everything contained. Sprinkle the cheese with some freshly cracked black pepper.


Once the oven is at 500, using the back of a baking sheet or pizza paddle, gently slide the "canoes" and the parchment paper onto the pizza stone. Bake for 8 minutes.


After 8 minutes, rotate the "canoes" 180 degrees and brush the sides with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic powder or any additional spices you'd like onto the olive oil (full disclosure, I didn't do this part, but darn do I wish I had). Also, this is why it's useful to NOT have extra racks in your oven. Bake for an additional 8 minutes, or until golden and crispy.


After your boats are golden and delicious, make a well in the center of the cheese in each boat and crack an egg directly in the center (again, full disclosure, I didn't follow this step and tried to "crack an egg onto a convex surface," as Nate pointed out, and my egg immediately slid off, gathered on the pizza stone and adhered itself to my oven door. Don't be like me.) Bake the boats for an additional 3 minutes or until the white just begins to set.


After your eggs are just about set, immediately remove from the pizza stone and onto your serving plates. Dot the top of each boat with 1 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces.


Now you're probably freaking out about the egg. "But Lindsey, the egg is still raw, do you want us to get salmonella?" To which I say, first off don't act like you don't eat raw cookie dough anyway and secondly, mix the egg in with the hot, bubbly cheese and it'll cook into the world's best scrambled eggs.


You eat this delicious dairy concoction by ripping apart the bread boat and dipping it in the cheese. It's like fondue without the pretext of being expected to share.


I first learned of this recipe from Food Network when I saw a video on Facebook with "the cheese pull", if you've been on the internet within the past year, you've probably seen countless videos of people stretching cheese-filled items to see how long the strands of melty goodness can get before breaking. This video was similar and immediately caught my attention. I'm very thankful that it did.


We served these boats with a bottle of Bodegas Carlos Serres 'Vega Piedra' wine we got from our monthly wine subscription at the Raleigh Wine Shop. The wine itself was good, but very one-note. Nate said he chose it because the description noted it paired well with "Gran Queso Grilled Cheese Sandwiches".


This recipe yields 2 boats, but these rich boats can definitely be eaten for at least 2 meals each. They're rich and hearty and all the bread quickly fills up stomach space.


After an extremely lazy Sunday, I decided to make Nate and I a hearty but somewhat healthy meal of Honey-Ginger Cauliflower.


Honey-Ginger Cauliflower

Look at all that fresh ginger!

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1 zucchini, cut into 1/8-inch thick half-moons
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tsp Sriracha seasoning, or crushed red pepper flake
Garlic powder, to taste
Nonstick spray
1 Tbsp canola oil
5 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp shallion, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp Tamari
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 C water
2 Tsp cornstarch
White rice, for serving


Preheat oven to 400. Line 2 baking sheets with foil and spray with nonstick spray.


Arrange the cauliflower and zucchini on the baking sheets and season each side with salt, pepper, Sriracha seasoning and garlic powder. Spray with more nonstick spray.


Bake the cauliflower and zucchini for 20 minutes.


While the veggies are roasting, prepare the sauce. In a deep skillet over medium heat, sauté garlic and ginger for 5 minutes or until fragrant. Add in your scallion and cook for an additional 2 minutes.


In a separate bowl, mix together soy sauce, tamari, rice wine vinegar, sugar, honey, water and cornstarch, for a little extra heat, add in more Sriracha seasoning or red pepper flake. After everything is combined, carefully pour into the skillet and allow to bubble and thicken. I also suggest maybe doubling the sauce recipe. It really is that good.


After your sauce is rich and thick, toss in your roasted veggies to coat and serve over a bowl of white rice.


We were able to get 2 giant bowls each out of this recipe with no leftovers (except rice, because like pasta, no one can cook the correct amount).


The sauce was sweet and floral from the honey and the ginger, slightly spicy from the Sriacha seasoning and very, very filling.


Enjoy your Monday, readers and stay tuned for more tasty bites!

March Recap

Good afternoon, readers! I know I've been neglecting my duties of keeping you abreast to my daily activity and cooking ventures and for that I'm sorry. It was definitely not for lack of want, but rather lack of available time and available brain cells not being devoted to other activities (i.e. long work hours and being dead-tired 24/7). So to make up for my behavior I'm going to give you a March Recap! I'm going to hit you with several recipes, 2 restaurant reviews and as always, funny anecdotes. So let's dive in!


First I'm going to kick this off with a recipe I made on March 7, 2018 - Pasta Rosa.


Pasta Rosa

Because every pasta deserves to be paired with a good glass of vino

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Pinch crushed red pepper flake
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 zucchini, diced
4 C fresh spinach
1/2 C marinara sauce (I used tomato-basil flavored)
1/3 C plain Greek yogurt
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
12 oz pasta, cooked according to box instruction


In a deep skillet, cook garlic and red pepper flake in oil until garlic is fragrant.


Add in the mushrooms, tomatoes and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5-8 minutes or until everything begins to brown.


Add in the spinach and allow to wilt for 2 minutes.


Stir in the pasta sauce, yogurt, parmesan cheese and pasta.


This pasta was creamy, cheesy and stuffed full of veggies! It was great! It was like the best pasta primavera and best alfredo sauce had a baby and this was it!


The recipe yielded about 6 cups' worth and was great for  leftover dinner!


Next onto the first restaurant review!


Tonbo Ramen

The magnificent Mazemen Bowl from Tonbo Ramen in Raleigh

This restaurant (located at 211 S. Wilmington St, Raleigh, NC 27601) opened up a few weeks ago in Raleigh and I've been interested in trying it ever since. Nate and I used to frequent O Ramen in Albuquerque and since our move there's been a void in my life - a void of tasty noodles and broth-slurping.


It was a Friday afternoon (March 9th to be exact), at the end of a particularly trying work week. I generally love my job. I meet interesting people, I get to work with food, I get to dress fancy and have a title, but boy do some weeks wear me out! That was one of those weeks.


My wonderful boss decided my small team needed a pick-me-up (plus she felt guilty about missing our birthdays) so she asked us to lunch and told me to pick the place. Let me start out by saying I don't do well with too many options. I'm like a kid in a candy store, except I won't ever make a decision. Do you have any idea how many fantastic restaurants are located in downtown Raleigh?! Let me tell you, at least a few dozen! That's a lot of options!


I hunkered down and remembered the that Tonbo Ramen was not only new, but also a place I wanted to visit! It was a done deal.


Décor: Unbeknownst to myself and my fellow diners, there are two restaurants located within the same building. The downstairs (Ramen Bar) exclusively serves ramen bowls and the top floor serves ramen bowls and a limited selection of small plates. We didn't spend a whole lot of time in the downstairs location but enough to be confused by 2 sets of doors - one leading to a staircase and one leading to the hostess stand of the Ramen Bar. We chose the door that opened to the staircase and were immediately thrown off - thankfully there was an open doorway connecting the two foyers and we were able to see and be seen by the hostess.


We chose to sit upstairs. The upstairs room is narrow with a reasonably sized L-Shaped bar occupying the main wall, a series of small 2-person tables and a large 6-person "family style" table in the center of the room. We sat at the family style table. The table was bar-height and made of a dark colored wood with 6 metal barstools surrounding. The space itself is kind of dark with dark woods, dark colored walls and low lighting. But this is offset by a wall of windows facing the opposite side of Wilmington Street and the beautiful historic buildings housing boutiques and bars. Each table was set with a carafe of chili oil and some kind of magical spice blend (Tajin maybe?) and durable wooden chop sticks.


Food appearance: everything on each table looked and smelled divine. We all decided to order ramen and each bowl arrived full of vibrant color and stuffed with delicious goodies.


Food taste: After much debate, I ordered the Mazemen (unfortunately the online menu doesn't provide a description) but it was a broth-less bowl with noodles tossed in chili oil, crispy fried shallot, steamed veggies, magic, wizardry, and a beautifully poached egg. It was delicious! The veggies were still crisp,  the noodles were cooked well and I couldn't help but to eat the entire giant bowl.  My bosses both ordered the Vegetarian Ramen. They said it was delicious.


Service: our server was a little inattentive but she was friendly enough.


Cleanliness: the restaurant was clean and everything was shiny and brand new. Despite the fact that it was a busy lunch hour, tables were turned over quickly and guests were out and on their way efficiently.


I'd definitely take another trip to Tonbo Ramen in the (hopefully) very near future.


Second restaurant review!


Raleigh Raw Juice Bar & Café

The Hustle Poke Bowl with Spicy Blue Crab and a Matcha Lemonade from Raleigh Raw

Nate and I have been to Raleigh Raw one other time and found the poke bowls, sushi and smoothies to be divine so I was beyond excited to take one of my work friends there for lunch this past Friday afternoon!


Raleigh Raw is a VERY small café and juice bar located at 7 W. Hargett St, Raleigh, NC 27601.


Décor: there are a few tables squished along the wall of this very narrow establishment with a few barstools available at the counter as well. Local art adorns the walls and the servers are tattooed and bohemian. The space itself feel more like a gallery than a restaurant or a juice bar.


Food appearance: this place is all about being fresh! Fresh fish, fresh veggies and fresh drinks. Everything is vibrantly colored and obviously that means it's good for you (that's how that works, right?)


Food taste: I ordered "The Hustle" poke bowl which brings me to an important point about dining here - there's a process. First you pick your set-up, of which there are 3 options. The Hustle, my personal favorite, comes with chive, dragonfruit, jalapeno, pistachio dust, sesame asparagus, seaweed salad, shallot and mixed microgreens.


Step 2: pick your base, again there are 3 options - sticky rice, greens or a mix of both. If you're a vegan or not a sushi person, feel free to stop at step 2, however if you're feeling fisky, move on to pick your protein!


Step 3: Tuna (suggested pairing for The Hustle), salmon, yellowtail and spicy blue crab (I was feeling rebellious and went for crab). There is also sweet potato for non-fish eaters.


Each bowl is served with dairy-free spicy mayo, GF tamari sauce and fresh sliced avocado. To say these poke bowls will leave you satisfied is an understatement. My bowl was beautifully colored and extremely filling.


I ordered one of their expertly made Matcha Lemonades - not too sweet and gave a great kick of caffeine.


Service: the counter people weren't exceptionally friendly and forgot my lemonade, which I was a tad annoyed by. However all sins were forgiven when I ventured outside in the beautiful sunshine and devoured (literally) my bowl.


Cleanliness: everything was clean despite the chaos that was occurring in the main room.


I would recommend the food at Raleigh Raw to anyone and everyone who enjoys sushi at a reasonable price - a Poke Bowl with Protein will set you back about $14 but I'd also recommend maybe getting your order to go and enjoy at one of the many available outside tables around downtown Raleigh.


Finally, my last recipe for this post! As you're most likely aware, last Saturday was St. Patrick's Day! So per usual, I made my world famous (ok, maybe not "world" but definitely within my social circle) Irish Soda Bread, drank plenty of Guinness beer and made some Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie!

Look at the cross-section in that Soda Bread!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie (betcha didn't know it's vegetarian!)

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 lb meatless grounds (or ground beef or lamb if you're not a vegetarian)
2 Tbsp flour
1 C vegetable stock
1 C crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 bay leaves
Pinch nutmeg
2 C frozen peas
1 Serving Mashed Potatoes (best part about these is you can just munch on whatever doesn't fit in your casserole dish)
2 C shredded white cheddar cheese


In a deep skillet over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until tender and fragrant. Add in carrots and cook for 3 minutes or until softened.


Add in your meatless grounds and cook until headed through. Once heated, stir in flour to coat, pour in tomatoes and veggie stock, seasoning and peas. Allow the sauce to thicken and everything to cook through.


Preheat oven to 350.


Arrange your filling in a single layer and smooth over the top leaving about a 2-inch gap for mashed potatoes/cheese. I was able to fit this whole recipe in a 9X9 casserole dish! Top your meat(less) filling with as many mashed potatoes as will fit and sprinkle on some delicious cheese.


Bake your casserole for 15 minutes uncovered and then under a "low" broiler for 5 minutes to get a delicious cheese crust.


The flavors of this Shepherd's Pie were (if I can toot my own horn) fantastic! Hearty, delicious, and I bet that if I had fed it to someone who didn't know it was vegetarian wouldn't ever guess! Yeah, how many times can you say that about meatless cooking?


I hope you enjoyed my recap of March and stay tuned for some more great recipes coming your way!

Firecracker Cauliflower

Good morning, readers! I know it's been a minute since I've posted so let me catch you up - Nate successfully defended his Master's thesis in science-y things (yay!), I've been training for a 5K next month and trying my hardest to run 3.12 miles in under 25 minutes, the weather in Raleigh went from a gorgeous sunny and 70 to a dreary low-40s, we attended a brewery's 5th anniversary party and stuffed our faces with arepa, bulgogi and washing it all down with delicious suds, and of course, I've been cooking a lot of recipes I've previously cooked.

Left: "La Capresa" Right: "Fish Lovers" arepas from Arepa Culture Food Truck
La Capresa was delicious and fresh! The Fish Lovers didn't need the giant hunk of mozzarella cheese and was missing the "Signature Caper Sauce" that was promised on the menu.

Because you don't see our faces enough...

Now that you're all caught up on the exciting life and times of Lindsey, we can move on to last night's dinner! After a particularly demanding day at work that kept me moving constantly, I was not feeling up to working out. I went home and collapsed in bed. You can imagine, I also didn't feel like cooking. Nate tried to tempt me with ordering a pizza, and I was so close to caving but then I remembered the head of cauliflower in my fridge slowly withering away and decided that I needed to treat this cauliflower with respect and cook it. I dragged myself out of bed and made what may be one of my new favorite meals: Firecracker Cauliflower.


Firecracker Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 Tbsp sriracha sauce
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 C brown sugar, packed
2 Tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tsp corn starch
2 Tsp water
White rice, for serving


Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.


Once your head of cauliflower is cut into bite-sized florets, toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.


While your cauliflower is roasting, prepare your sauce. In a medium-sized sauce pan (I made the mistake of using a small) heat Sriracha sauce, butter, vinegar, brown sugar and soy sauce until gently boiling. Allow the sauce to reduce and thicken by about a third.


After your sauce has thickened, create a slurry by mixing the corn starch and water. Pour the slurry into the sauce pan and allow to come to a boil. The sauce will continue to thicken.


Once the sauce becomes sufficiently gloopy (a technical term), throw in your roasted cauliflower and toss to coat.


Serve immediately over white rice.


The cauliflower was crisp, the sauce was flavorful and delicious and I think would taste great on any number of dishes (chicken, steak, pork, tofu, rice, etc.). I enjoyed this hearty meal with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and the sounds of Motorhead. This recipe yielded just enough for 1 big bowl for myself and 2 bowls for Nate. No leftovers!


Have a great Tuesday, readers!