not just for guacamole

Recently, a representative from Avocados from Mexico asked me if I’d like her to send me some avocados so I could try out a breakfast recipe or two.

Come again?

Yes, please. Please send me one of my most favorite fruits that I, sadly, almost never buy. Rahul is allergic to them so I got out of the habit of eating them.

I browsed the breakfast recipes and decided to try the Avocado Pineapple Smoothie since I’ve always wanted to try an avocado smoothie and never have. Most of the time, I think of avocado as solely a condiment, but you can do a lot more with it than guacamole if you think outside the box.

I decided to throw in a couple almost-too-ripe strawberries in with the mix, so the color looks a little icky, but trust me: the smoothie was great. It was incredibly creamy and nice to discover a dairy-free smoothie alternative that makes it as creamy as yogurt. A little healthy fat never hurt anyone!

Be sure to browse the website and learn more about avocados. I enjoyed educating myself on the vitamins and other health benefits of avocados and looking for some recipe inspiration. I’m also going to try an avocado face mask tonight! I’ll report back.

restaurant review: Red’s Porch in Austin, TX

Recently I met one of the owners of Red’s Porch here in Austin, a venue I had heard a lot about. As soon as I checked the menu online, I couldn’t believe that I had never visited! The menu boasts a cool mix of cajun dishes and Tex-Mex specialties. Well, I was given an offer I couldn’t refuse (free food!) and took my camera along to snap some pictures.

So my friend Emilie and I headed to Red’s, along with two of her out-of-town guests, Caroline and Diana. Nothing starts off dinner like a cocktail: the spicy Voodoo Queen. Best Bloody Mary I’ve had in Austin, hands down. And the waiter even made sure mine had a smiley face for the picture!

Glancing at the appetizer menu, we decided on the Boudain Balls and the Cheese Biscuits with Bacon Gravy. Any time I see biscuits and gravy on a menu, I simply must eat it. At one point the waiter tried to clear our plate when there was just crumbs and gravy left and we slapped his hand out of the way. I believe I actually said, “You never take gravy away from a Southerner.” I’m sure he loved me.

Then came the main event and no one could decide. Caroline and Diana ended up ordering a burger and a sandwich and splitting, so Emilie and I did the same. We split the Oyster BLT and the Smokey Goat burger. As a Virginia girl, the combination of fried oysters and bacon took me right back to the marshes of my youth. And we know that I am a sucker for anything with goat cheese on it. They were both delicious in their own way, but I think the burger was my favorite.

I think Emilie liked the BLT.

I threw caution aside and dove right into my burger, covering myself in ketchup along the way.

As we digested another round of cocktails and our burgers, we sat back and took in the scenery. I love the fact that I can eat outdoors at the restaurants of Austin almost every day of the year. And Red’s has an incredible view, especially from the top floor of the porch!

Eventually dessert arrived and we enjoyed the Fruit Cobbler and the Fried Snickers Bar. We all agreed that, while delicious, the cobbler was not a traditional cobbler. It was more like a cake than a cobbler, but still good with melty ice cream on top! However, the Fried Snickers Bar was the best. I’ve had deep-fried Snickers at the Virginia State Fair but this was way better! It was as if it has been fried in crepe batter and not just heavy breading. Delicious!

My arteries made the sacrifice to taste that for you. This is just my cross to bear.

All in all it was a delicious evening at Red’s Porch with good service, tasty cocktails, and amazing food. If you’re in Austin, head to Red’s Porch on S Lamar (across the street from Broken Spoke) and relax on the porch!

restaurant review: El Arbol in Austin, TX

Last night I had the pleasure of spending happy hour at El Arbol here in Austin, TX. Disclaimer: I was asked to review the restaurant and given a coupon for a happy hour appetizer. My opinions are 100% honest.

When the restaurant contacted me, I kept asking myself “Do they know that I study hispanic literature? Do they know I once lived in Argentina?!” The menu is full of food I used to eat while living in Argentina, from steak to gnocchi. And empanadas!! It was my personal goal in Argentina to eat empanadas at every restaurant that offered them on the menu (and I do believe I did). So Mary and I headed out, as she wanted to try the food and is now the unofficial co-photographer of An Epic Change!

The restaurant is beautiful. My pictures of the outside didn’t turn out well but still, they don’t do it justice. It feels very modern, yet still old-world. The namesake of the restaurant is a very old oak tree which is also what the restaurant is built around. It is a spectacular venue!

The staff were very welcoming and attentive. I think my water glass was refilled every few sips!! Our waiters were very nice and answered any question we had.

Since it was happy hour, there were great drink and appetizer specials. The prices of the restaurant reflect its quality, but don’t quite fit in with a graduate student’s budget. However, happy hour was VERY reasonable and I’d definitely go back for the full menu for a special occasion.

Mary and I started out with a round of mojitos — they were delicious.

We nibbled on the bread basket while waiting for the empanadas! How can you not like them? Meat, vegetables, and anything else imaginable baked inside pastry. I had the Empanada Cerdo (pulled pork, almonds, raisins) and Mary had the Empanada Carne Suave (sirloin and potatoes). They were very authentic, in my opinion, and tasted like many empanadas I ate in Argentina. And the chimichurri sauce was quite good.

Next up was our actual appetizer, the Bruschetta de Bife Ancho. You guys… I need to take a moment to myself before I can talk about this dish.

It was impeccable. Phenomenal. The ribeye was so rare it melted in my mouth like butter. The mushrooms were the perfect texture. The bread and the carmelized onions were buttery smooth. The aioli was creamy. Audible moans were heard by all waiters attending my table. Sonnets were composed. Birds sang. Rainbows shined.

It took Mary and I a few moments to compose ourselves. We literally had to stop talking to each other for a few seconds just to comprehend the food in our mouths. When food stops Mary and I from girl talk, you know it has to be good.

I mentioned how it would be cool to meet the chef but was too embarrassed to ask. Then Mary flagged down a waiter and asked and we were told he’d be right up to see us. I need to keep Mary around. Just as the waiter promised, the chef came right upstairs to talk to me. I was surprised he wasn’t actually South American, but a born and bred Texan, because his food was so incredibly legitimate. I told him that the food was impeccable and that I hadn’t had ribeye treated that way since I left Argentina (where I made a sizable dent in the cattle population). He stayed at the table and chatted for a few minutes, which was very nice of him, and I could do nothing but compliment his food. He’s doing something right — thank you for some wonderful food, Chad! I was also invited to go down into the kitchen and take a picture of their custom made 1700 lb. oak burning stove. Yes please.

I also spoke to the General Manager for a moment and he, too, was very welcoming. I made sure he knew how I felt about the dishes we tried and the restaurant because I was just very impressed all around.

For all those who live in Austin or are thinking of coming to Austin: go eat at El Arbol. It has a cozy yet upscale atmosphere, incredible food, and a great wine selection. Considering the restaurant probably didn’t realize I had lived in Argentina and consider myself well-versed in Argentine cuisine, I was really happy to find food similar to that which I feasted upon during my stint down in the Southern Hemisphere. I highly recommend El Arbol and plan to go back soon!

product review: Blistop

So I have a bad habit of whining on Twitter. However, sometimes it gets me good things! The particular occasion of which I speak is, of course, when I was wearing one of my favorite pairs of shoes that were suddenly giving me horrible blisters. Like, my ankles were bleeding. Not attractive in any way. I couldn’t understand it; I’d worn these shoes as recently as March or April and they hadn’t caused problems.

Has Texas caused my feet to swell? Have my feet grown even more freakishly huge?

Well the folks at Flexitol make a spray called Blistop and they suggested I try their product. After a few messages, I wound up with a sample in the mail.

So I grabbed the same shoes that had caused the offensive blisters and decided to try it out. Besides, haven’t you all always wanted pictures of my feet?? Don’t answer that.

I have gotten ankle blisters my whole life but now apparently my little toes have morphed? So I gave a liberal spray to my little toes (both feet, naturally) and my ankles now that they’ve stopped bleeding and healed. I let it dry and finally ventured to put on my favorite flats.

I have to admit I was very skeptical and packed flipflops in my backpack, but I ventured off to a full day on campus complete with tons of walking between buildings, bus stops, and libraries and guess what? NO PAIN. NO BLISTERS.

This stuff is miraculous. I wouldn’t care what it is made of, if the aerosol made it bad for the environment, if it was super expensive… I wouldn’t care. I’d buy it. I have had blisters all my life, and this is the first thing other than a band-aid that has prevented them. Seriously, miracle cure.

Thank you to the kind people of Flexitol Blistop who let me try their product — I’ll be stocking up on this pronto (available at most drugstores)!!

Product review: ZYM electrolyte tablets

Hey everyone! The awesome people at ZYM sent me some samples of their electrolyte tabs. This is my 100% honest opinion of the product.

(Source)

I really recommend them as a lighter, less syrupy tasting alternative to Gatorade, Powerade, etc. and a much better alternative to other electrolyte powders and tablets I’ve tried. If you have any questions, just leave a comment or visit their website!

ZYM Orange Rival: 8/10. I personally don’t like orange flavors of anything, unless it is a real orange, so this might just be my personal taste preference and you could love it! But the flavor, to me, tasted too much like Tang (nostalgia, anyone?). However, this tab is flavored with Stevia and has 0g sugar, which is awesome. Thumbs up, ZYM! This is the newest flavor from ZYM and, like the other products, is a quick dissolving tablet with electrolytes and vitamins to give you a natural boost during your workout.

ZYM Berry Catapult: 9/10. I really liked the flavor of this, typically berry-flavored drinks are too heavy and sickly sweet for me, but definitely not this. No gross aftertaste and this one has a blend of guarana, 0g sugar, and 100mg of caffeine for a boost during your workout. It also has vitamin B12 to help prevent caffeine jitters — and it works! I get the jitters from a few sips of Diet Coke, so I appreciated this added addition. Added bonus of B12 (not stated in company literature, but something of my own discovery): B12 helps prevent hangovers. Just sayin’.

ZYM Lemon-Lime Endurance: 10/10. I loved this flavor, being that Lemon-Lime was my favorite Gatorade as a kid when I had the flu and during all those years of competitive swimming I did. However, this is a much lighter version! 1 g sugar and lots of good vitamins and electrolytes made me really feel hydrated. I really liked this one!

None of the ZYM tablets gave a chalky after-taste, or a sickly sweet after-taste, which I appreciate. I loved that I was only taking in 7 extra calories during a workout, as opposed to 100+ from a bottle of Gatorade. You burn off 7 calories just sitting here reading this post! These tablets dissolve quickly and completely, another bonus, because who likes to drink chalky water? They fizz like Alka-Seltzer and then turn flat. I like the taste a lot and, if nothing else, they encouraged me to actually drink my water during my workouts, something I’m not always the best about doing. If you want nothing more than a better way to keep hydrated, I recommend these! If you want the added bonus of the vitamins, the caffeine (in the Berry flavor) or a naturally sweetened tablet (Orange flavor), I say go for it. If you’re looking for an alternative to a typical sports drink or just plain water, I say visit http://www.gozym.com and read up on the products.

Thanks, ZYM, for letting me try your products! I really enjoyed reviewing them!