Enrico’s Tazza D’oro

I met up with my friend Kat for Thai this afternoon. After a few days of cruddy weather, this gorgeous sunny day was a wonderful change! The skies were blue and the air seemed almost warm, so after lunch we headed to Highland Park to walk around for a bit. I’d seen Tazza D'oro around the internet quite a lot – apparently they have extremely talented baristas! We headed in for a warm drink, looking forward to this talent.

source

The atmosphere was warm and cozy with beautiful handmade pottery lining the walls. There were students and professionals busy tapping away at their laptops while sipping coffee and refilling it from large personal pots. Aside from coffee and espresso, they offer a menu filled with delicious-looking food all from local sources. Tazza D’oro was already a winner, and I hadn’t even ordered my drink yet!

I ended up with a chai latte – and then stared at it for a few minutes! So beautiful! I was way to full from lunch to try any of their menu items, but everything sounded great. A counter full of pastries and desserts also looked amazing, but it just wasn’t happening. The chai latte was amazing though. It was served at the perfect temperature and was just so delicious.

 A delicious ending to a beautiful day!

Harvest Grains with Spinach and Blue Cheese

 I came home from work and a post-work workout this morning exhausted and starving. I hunted for something I could make that would stick to my bones and keep me delightfully full while I slept. I found this bag of Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend and my decision was made!

Each bag contains “a savory blend of Israeli style couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa.” Sounds great, right? You can’t really see the quinoa, but they’re buried in there somewhere. I’ve never had Israeli couscous before, so I was really pumped to get cooking!

I wanted to beef up the grains a little, so I chopped up 1/4 of an onion, one celery stalk, and one medium carrot.

  

I sautéed the veggies in a saucepan on medium-high for about 8 minutes. I also added a little salt and pepper.

I decided to cook the grains in vegetable broth instead of water to give them a little more flavor. This is a little over a cup of broth.

  

I followed the directions on the package – bring liquid to a boil, add grains (I added 1/2 cup), bring to a boil again, turn down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. It turned out wonderfully! I also added a handful of spinach and a few crumbles of blue cheese. This made the grains super creamy and more voluminous! The more the better, right?

 

Ohhh man this was so good. Everything was smooshed together in a creamy mound. The small amount of blue cheese added the perfect amount of tang and creaminess! I also loved the variety of textures. The slight crunch of the veggies and the chewiness of the couscous. Also, the quinoa didn’t cook all the way, so it added a wonderful crunch as well.

 

I roasted some asparagus to accompany the grains. This was such a great meal. Easy, filling, delicious!