From Ashley Lusk. Check out her blog, Metropoetrylis. Find her on Twitter @arlusk or email her at ashley[AT]borderstan.com.
Delicious healthy meals to get going. (Courtesy Power Supply)
Imagine if you left the gym — sweaty, exhausted, and hungry — with a bag of delicious prepared meals? Enter Power Supply, a new food delivery system for serious Paleo eaters (or, let’s just face it, people who are hungry for healthy options).
I caught up with Robert Morton, committed Crossfiter/Paleo eater, and partner of Power Supply. Morton lost 35 pounds on the Paleo diet, combined with regular Crossfit exercise, and was inspired to help others stay dedicated to healthy eating habits.
If you’re familiar with the Paleo diet, you know that it eliminates processed food, including grains, dairy, sugar and preservatives, from the diet and instead relies heavily on lean protein (meat and fish), fruits and vegetables and healthy fats like nuts, avocados and olive oil.
The Power Supply mission is to build healthy, accessible meals and they’ve charted benchmark and baseline standards to help users understand where their food falls. The Power Supply website is full of ideas for rounding out the rest of the week’s meals.
How it Works
- Place your order using the My Power Supply website: Meals can be ordered for lunch, dinner or both, and can be ordered in three or five day quantities. Prices range from $35 for three day’s worth of lunch meals, to $119 for five day’s worth of lunch and dinner meals. Check out this week’s menu. The program is highly customizable — you can alert the team to permanent substitutions for ingredients you eat, order two of the same meal, or leave a meal off your menu if you think it’s not for you.
- Power Supply delivers meals on Monday and Thursday to Crossfit gyms across DC, Maryland and Virginia: You pick your meals up post-workout. In Borderstan, you can pick up your Power Supply order from CrossFit Praxis (2217 14th Street NW) and BETA Academy (1353 Florida Avenue NW).
Eat Up
Power Supply meals are delivered in a bento box-type container and they are ready to eat, or nearly so after a short microwave. Power Supply is working to make the nutrition facts accessible, but for now each box comes with a label describing all of the ingredients in the meal.
Participants can give a starred review on the meal and feedback on changes instantly using a QR code on the top of each box. The meals are tasty, but if you aren’t acclimated to the ingredient substitutions of the Paleo diet, it may take some getting used to.
I tested a grilled steak salad with apple chutney and found the steak to be tender and the horseradish sauce an interesting variation from the usual salad suspects.
Power Supply, like Scratch, is based on convenience (or really just anyone with a busy lifestyle). The pick-up process is easy and I think most people would find it particularity helpful to have a post-workout meal ready when you leave the gym. For a review of Power Supply from a Paleo food blogger, check out Florida Girl in DC.
Disclaimer: Power Supply graciously provided the author with a sample meal, gratis, so she could test the product before this story.
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The simple option for curing your hangover: scrambled eggs and beer at home or at a local diner. (Ashley Lusk)
From Ashley Lusk. Check out her blog, Metropoetrylis. Follow her on Twitter @arlusk or email her at ashley[AT]borderstan.com.
Let’s be real, people.
On New Year’s Day you’re not trying to pull out your best smoked prosciutto and cheese for the people who had an “accidental sleepover” at your place.
That’s okay: we here at Borderstan don’t judge, and that’s why we have collected a series of easy recipes that will help you replace all those nutrients you lost while you were chugging celebratory champagne.
Hair of the dog. Ever wonder about that term? If all else fails for your hangover, there is always the beer or Bloody Mary option.
Keeping-it-Classy: Spinach and Cheese Strata
This dish is for the host who had the wherewithal to prepare for the next day before pre-gaming began. Thisstrata from Epicurious can “marinate” in the fridge for up to 24 hours prior to baking.
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed
- 1½ cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 8 cups cubed (1 inch) French or Italian bread (½ lb)
- 6 ounces coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups)
- 2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)
- 2¾ cups milk
- 9 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Directions
- Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then finely chop.
- Cook onion in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat.
- Spread one third of bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other shallow ceramic baking dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice (ending with cheeses).
- Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Chill strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 8 hours (for bread to absorb custard).
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Let strata stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
- Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
- Note: Strata can be chilled up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking.
What, exactly, causes a hangover? “Hypoglycemia, dehydration, acetaldehyde intoxication, and glutamine rebound are all theorized causes of hangover symptoms.” – Wikipedia
One for the Team: Hangover Pizza
Even though this hangover pizza from iVillage is simple enough already, we suggest taking it a step closer to simplicity by replacing the homemade pizza dough with that of the Pillsbury variety.
- 1 can of pizza dough
- 1 cup baby arugula 10 ounces Robiola cheese, rind removed, at room temperature (or combine 5 ounces of fresh mozzarella and 5 ounces of smoked mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of Pecorino Romano), all grated
- 4 eggs
- Sea salt and ground pepper
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of white truffle oil, or a drizzle of your favorite flavored oil
Directions
- Open pizza dough and spread on a large sheet of parchment paper; dust with flour. Roll out dough into a 10- to 12-inch rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough all over. Slide pizza along with paper onto hot baking sheet. Bake according to directions on can until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Push down dough using back of spoon. Cook another 3 minutes.
- Remove pizza and spread or sprinkle cheese, salt and freshly ground pepper. Top with arugula. Carefully crack 4 eggs on top of pizza. Put pie back in the oven until eggs are cooked, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with truffle oil. Cut into squares and serve hot.
No More Snoozing: Drunken Noodles
This is really for the person who isn’t hung over at all, but wants to nurse her bum friends back to health so that she can get them out of her house. What’s more ironic than this drunken noodles recipe from Epicurious?
- 2 14-ounce packages of ¼-inch-wide flat rice noodles*
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 12 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Thai chiles*
- 1½ pounds ground chicken
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ¼ cup black soy sauce*
- ¼ cup Golden Mountain sauce* or light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 large plum tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
- 4 Anaheim chiles or Italian frying peppers, or 2 green bell peppers (about 12 ounces total), cut into strips
- ½ cup fresh Thai basil leaves* or regular basil leaves
Directions
- Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently. Drain.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and Thai chiles; sauté 30 seconds. Add chicken and next 4 ingredients and sauté until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add noodles, tomatoes, and Anaheim chiles; toss to coat. Transfer to large platter, sprinkle with basil leaves, and serve.
- *Available in the Asian foods section or produce section of some supermarkets, and at Southeast Asian and some Asian markets.
Hair of the Dog that Bit You: Hangover Smoothie
The only thing less appealing than putting more liquids down your gullet is the thought of putting anything solid down there instead. Buck up, champs, this hangover smoothie from Free People will have you feeling better soon.
- One handful (approximately 1 cup) of washed spinach
- 4 leaves of washed dinosaur kale
- 2 bananas
- 1 cup of soy milk
- 4 to 5 drops of liquid B12
- ¾ cup of chopped ice
Directions
- Blend all ingredients until smooth.
This story was originally posted on December 29, 2011. But seeing as how tonight is New Year’s Eve and a lot of you will be partying, we thought you might like to read it again.
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From Ashley Lusk. Check out her blog, Metropoetrylis. Find her on Twitter @arlusk or email her at ashley[AT]borderstan.com.
No recipes for grief. (Luis Gomez Photos)
On Friday, after a day of watching Twitter feeds and broadcast news unravel the details of the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, I felt sick.
I picked at lunch, ate half an apple and nursed a cup of tea. That afternoon a general sense of grief hovered as the catered appetizers at our work holiday party went largely untouched.
In times like these when we and others mourn, I want nothing more than to nourish the rawness inside us with food. The great tragedy is that in these moments food is only a necessity. Here are some tips to consider when providing food for the grieving:
- Keep it easy. Avoid spicy or complicated flavors; make a meal that is simple and nutritious.
- Frozen is best. Because food is often far from the mind of those in mourning, consider creating a meal that can be frozen. Always use dishes that may be disposed of later by relatives.
- Call it in. The first few days after a death, families are often flooded with food. Consider offering to pick up the check for a delivery order later in the week.
- Avoid painful memories. Was the departed loved one responsible for the broccoli casserole at family reunions? Make something else.
- Celebrate life. After welcoming those paying their respects, a quiet meal can often be appreciated by those in mourning.Offer to take the family or friend out for a special meal celebrating the life of the loved one.
Simple Recipes That Can Be Frozen
- Broccoli Gratin from Martha Stewart
- Sweet Potato Gratin from The Kitchen
- Beef Lasagna from A Chow Life
- Lemon Chicken and Rice Casserole from Washington Post
- Lamb Shepard’s Pie from Mango Tomato
- Roasted Tomato and White Bean Soup from Once Upon a Cutting Board
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Roasted Sweet Potato, Caramelized Onion,and Blue Cheese Quiche. (Ashley Lusk)
From Ashley Lusk. Check out her blog, Metropoetrylis. Find her on Twitter @arlusk or email her at ashley[AT]borderstan.com.
This year, my father’s relatives decided that instead of facing the double food coma that accompanies two family dinners, we would hold a Thanksgiving breakfast.
This new tradition presented a perplexing challenge, however, for, once again, the matriarchs of our family will own the bacon, eggs and hash, leaving this city girl to deliver the exotic goods.
This weekend I road-tested this Roasted Sweet Potato Quiche and found it to be a worthy addition to our family brunch. There is a little time involved with the initial preparation, but once the quiche goes into the oven you can sit back and watch your cousins attempt to sneak mimosas.
Roasted Sweet Potato, Caramelized Onion and Blue Cheese Quiche
Adapted from Naturally Ella
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook time: 55 minutes
- Serves: This recipe serves 81-10 people or 5 hungry adults.
Ingredients
- 1 deep-dish pie crust
- 1 large sweet potato
- 2 large onions
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½-1 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 5 eggs
- 2½ cups milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- pinch nutmeg
Instructions
- You could make your own crust if you’ve got the time, but Sandra Dee made this quiche by using a pre-made deep-dish piecrust. Remove the crust from the package and gently poke the entire crust with a fork (this will keep your crust from bubbling). Parbake the crust for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees, just until the crust gets a little brown color. Remove from oven and set aside on a baking tray.
- To caramelize onions, slice onions into an even ¼ inch slice and heat a medium pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium low heat. Start cooking onions, stirring occasionally. After onions have cooked for 15-20 minutes, add salt. Continue to let cook, letting more time go by before you stir the onions (I go for about 10-15 minute increments.) Continue to cook and stir onions until golden, soft, and cooked down- usually 60-75 minutes. Set aside.
- To prepare sweet potatoes, peel and cut into ¼ inch slices. Toss with one tablespoon of olive oil and place on a covered baking tray. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft and begin to brown. The crust, onions, and sweet potatoes can be done all at the same time.
- Reduce or preheat oven to 375˚.
- Once these three elements are ready, layer the sweet potatoes in the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle caramelized onions and blue cheese on top. Finally, whisk eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together. Pour over filling ingredients.
Note: At this point you can cover the quiche, place in the refrigerator, and let sit for up to day before baking. My crust was soggy the next day, but still baked a beautiful golden brown. - To bake, carefully transfer quiche to the oven. Bake for 45-55 minutes until the filling domes up and barely jiggles. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
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Election night: Where will you be raising a glass? (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Ashley Lusk. Check out her blog, Metropoetrylis. Find her on Twitter @arlusk or email her at ashley[AT]borderstan.com.
Where to Go on Election Night in the Neighborhood
- Election Drink and Dinner Specials at Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe, 1517 Connecticut Avenue NW. Start with “The Split Ticket,” which includes Obama Family Chili & Mitt’s Birthday Favorite Meat Loaf Cake. Then grab a drink: pick up a Red State: with Wolf Blass Brut champagne, Sorbetto Strawberry liqueur and strawberry purée; or a Blue State: Wolf Blass Brut champagne, Broker’s gin, blue curacao; simple syrup, and lemon juice.
- Human Rights Campaign at Eatonville, 2121 14th Street NW. Head over to Eatonville where the Human Rights Campaign will have a watch party to support LGBT and allied political candidates. A $5 to $10 donation gets you a thank-you gift, in addition to a cash bar access and food available for purchase. RSVP at the HRC Facebook Page.
- All Night Happy Hour Menu at Policy, 904 14th Street NW. The fun begins at 5 pm when Policy offers their happy hour menu for the rest of the night, with $5 food and drinks and special election-themed cocktails. As part of this Policy Media Room event they’ll also be showing the CNN election coverage on three TVs–most importantly, with sound. Wolf Blitzer drinking game, anyone?
- Open Bar Rules at Local 16, 1602 U Street NW. Head to Local 16 to check out live coverage of the 2012 Presidential Election and lay down an Andrew Jackson ($20) for the open bar from 8 until 11 pm. Drown your sorrows or your joys after the announcement of the winning candidate with D.J. OMG. Tickets can be purchased in advance.
- Eat, Drink and Listen at Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th Street NW. Head to any Busboys and Poets location to watch the election coverage on their big screen TVs, where they’ll have the coverage commentary on throughout the restaurant.
- Free Drinks and Food at Darlington House, 1610 20th Street NW. It’s an election night party from 7 until 8 pm at Darlington House with complimentary cocktails and bar food.
- Live Coverage and an Open Bar at Tropicalia, 2001 14th Street NW. Tropicalia will show election coverage on two projector screens and have a $20 open bar from 8 until 11 pm. Tickets are available for purchase online.
- Music and Politics at Cobalt, 1639 R Street NW. D.J. Jason Royce will be on-hand to pump up an election results-crazed crowd. See details on the event’s Facebook page.
Election Night Specials Just Outside the Neighborhood
- The Blaguard, 2003 18th Street NW. On Tuesday you can snark it up The Blaguard where a tall boy and rye is just $6.
- Mellow Mushroom, 2436 18th Street NW. Head to Mellow Mushroom in Adams Morgan to predict which candidate the swing states will vote for, and you just might win a $50 bar tab. In addition to trivia starting at 8 pm, you and three friends can check in on Facebook to get a free pitcher of beer.
- A 13-Hour Happy Hour at Capitol City Brewing Company, 1100 New York Avenue NW. Capitol City Brewing will host an all-day happy hour with happy hour priced appetizers and drinks.
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“The Huxtable” is a special order at Pizza No. 17. (Ashley Lusk)
From Ashley Lusk. Check out Ashley’s blog Metropoetrylis and find her on Twitter at @arlusk. You can email her at [email protected].
If you haven’t been eating at Pizza No. 17, then the way I see it, that’s really a problem. Not only is Payam Yazdani an authentically interested owner, his restaurant also has really good pizza, made in a wood-fired oven. (They also have Paninis and salads.)
Yazdani grew up in the neighborhood — his family owns Java House at 16th and Q NW — and he spent time in New York City, opening his own wine and coffee shop. He returned home to DC to take over Java House when his father retired and now he manages two locations with perhaps two slightly different sets of customers.
Tucked away at 1523 17th Street NW beside Agora and just north of JR’s Bar and Grille, Pizza No. 17 opened in March and is the reincarnation of the former Pasha Bistro. The pizza spot is still figuring out its own style beside its brunch-busy neighbors — modern Pottery Barn-style lighting hangs inside, but outside, rustic lanterns cast a soft glow. Family style wooden seating gives you the feeling of a familiar patio ritual, but a neon open sign juxtaposes a real wood-burning oven.
The concept for Pizza No. 17 is single-serving dishes, what Yazdani calls “responsible portions.” The pizzas come in 8 -or 12-inches only (compared to the hefty 12-inch or more standard at many places), and the dough is homemade. There are a few distinct signals that show Yazdani cares about the food here — bottles of olive oil with red pepper flakes sit marinating at each table, soda is served in classic Coke bottles, and best of all — the only liquor Pizza No. 17 serves is the traditional limoncello. However, Pizza No. 17 has a fair selection of wine and beer as well.
When I asked him which pizza I should try, Yazdani actually recommended an item that wasn’t on the menu — The Huxtable. This tasty pizza is a throwback to Dr. Huxtable’s favorite pie and comes with fresh sausage, anchovies, jalapeños, tomatoes and olives. My dinner companion said the crust was tasty and that the traditional charred crust found on a pizza made in a wood-burning oven was happily missing here. We also tasted a vegetarian pizza — goat cheese, tomatoes, olives, and mushrooms and had a similar reaction: a filling pie with a great flavor, a crust that makes for good dipping in the house olive oil.
Pizza No. 17 is new, and the owner is invested in making a solid pizza place for the neighborhood. That’s good because we hope it will be around for a long while.
Pizza No. 17
- Where Am I Going? 1523 17th Street NW.
- When Am I Going? Sunday-Thursday 11:30 am to 11 pm, open until midnight on Friday and Saturday.
- Delivery? Yup, but expect at least 30-45 minutes for delivery.
- Paycheck Pain? You get what you pay for — more expensive than Papa John’s–but fresh, homemade ingredients are worth it.
- Say What? Although there is a single TV at the bar you won’t have to worry about shouting.
- What You’ll Be Eating: Pizza and Limoncello. Paninis and salads on the menu, too, plus some beer and wine.
North of Dupont Circle: Capital Teas at 1627 Connecticut Avenue NW. (Ashley Lusk)
Today we have a guest post from Ashley Lusk. Ashley is an active member of DC’s food community and writes for her own blog Metropoetrylis. You can find her on Twitter at @arlusk. – Alejandra Owens
In D.C. you’ll often meet people with a passion for politics or coffee — or both. They seem to go together: long hours spent working on the Hill or for an advocacy group fueled by coffee.
But have you met one with a passion for tea? Peter Martino, who, along with his wife Manelle, owns the mini-chain of Capital Teas shops, is such a person.
At their new location in Dupont Circle, Martino is in the business of making tea converts. After all, it’s another caffeine alternative for the city’s workaholics.
“We want to make tea brewing fun, easy — an experience for folks,” he says. The company’s website says they are “fifth generation fine tea merchants.”
