Applewood Smoked Cashew Stir Fry

I’ve been a fan of Boulder-based Olomomo nuts for a number of years now, but the chef in the house hadn’t heard of them until a box of goodies showed up at our door from Olomomo a few weeks ago. I dropped everything I was doing and started opening up bag after bag and alternated between eating a few and shoving them at him saying “try THIS one.” Chai Bliss Almonds, Righteous Cinnamon Cayenne Almonds, Mango Chipotle Zinger Almonds, Cherry Vanilla Almonds… I had a really hard time showing restraint from stuffing my face with almonds.

But, they’ve branched out and are no longer faithful to just the almond: There’s Cosmic Maple Masala Pecans and Applewood Smoked Cashews. The cashews were the first to go, and I’m considering making them a staple in the house because they’re the perfect addition to stir fries.

I don’t have a step-by-step recipe here, as it was a really simple and quickly prepared dish, but I’ll tell you the basics and highlight the Applewood Smoked Cashews as the ingredient that tied it all together.

I fried some onion, garlic, and eggplant in peanut oil and soy sauce while boiling rice noodles. The noodles were done at the same time as the veggies, so I added them to the wok with some more soy sauce, a couple tablespoons of liquid tamarind, the juice of a lemon, and a bit of kecap manis. After it was all well mixed, I served it topped with avocado, chopped parsley, and Olomomo Applewood Smoked Cashews.

The cashews provided the needed crunch, and their flavor was a perfect match for stir fries. We’ll be doing it again- different veggies, different noodles, different sauce, and it won’t matter. Olomomo’s Applewood Smoked Cashews are the secret ingredient to a perfect stir fry.

The Boulder Passport : T/ACO

T/Aco has a Pineapple Habañero Margarita as their two-for-one cocktail in the Boulder Passport, and Sean and I found it quite refreshing on a hot summer afternoon.

We enjoyed our margs with guacamole and house made chips- a perfect pairing.

14 Ways in 14 Days- A Taste of How Much I Care, Taste 1

On my first day of giving him a taste of how much I care, I brought us a picnic lunch to share in the park. It was, after all, another gorgeous winter day in Boulder.

I rode my bike to Whole Foods for some in-house roasted turkey breast, a loaf of Udi’s roasted garlic ciabatta, cream cheese, sharp cheddar, and an avocado.  Oh, wait… and a miniature Chocolove milk chocolate bar.  Dessert is important.

I had a plan to make a good, simple sandwich.

I mixed and mashed half an avocado with approximately one tablespoon of both dijon mustard and honey. I sliced the roasted garlic ciabatta into reasonable sandwich sized slices and topped one side with cream cheese and the other with the avocado spread.

It just takes a little turkey, cheddar, and fresh ground black pepper to make a delicious sandwich. Put it together, and don’t forget a bit of chocolate for dessert.

I picked up a mini Chocolove milk chocolate bar as an impulse buy at the Whole Foods checkout. Best impulse buy of the year so far.

Chipotle Pumpkin Salsa Sandwich

Rick Bayless has done it again. He created another fantastic food product. Whole foods had a display of Frontera Chipotle Pumpkin Salsa (limited edition, seasonal recipe) and I grabbed a jar without hesitation.

Pumpkin salsa. Yum. It was so delicious I went back to Whole Foods for another jar. It goes well with chips and inspired a simple sanwhich of…

Toasted pumpernickel bread, avocado, Tillamook white cheddar cheese, and pumpkin salsa.

Best.New.Sandwhich.