Soup for Breakfast

Everyone knows breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Americans traditionally eat eggs or cereal to start the morning. I like both. Bout have you ever tried soup for breakfast? Yes, soup. I know you're probably thinking "are you crazy?" But you'd be surprised how good it feels in the morning to have a hearty, warm bowl of soup.

In fact, in many countries around the world it's tradition to start the day with soup, especially Asian countries such as China, Korea and Vietnam.

Breakfast of homemade miso soup, green tea and Mandarin oranges 

My first venture with soup for breakfast was miso soup. It seemed like an easy soup to make since there were just a few ingredients.

I found miso broth at Whole Foods. Then I added the following to the miso broth - sliced garlic, spinach, ginger, garlic salt, and mushrooms.  Once the broth and vegetables simmered a bit so that the flavors had a chance to meld together, I added cubed silky tofu and a package of rice noodles (purchased at our local supermarket in the Asian aisle). It was that easy.

Miso soup is also easy to experiment with.  For example, try substituting kale instead of spinach or other greens. Or use a combination of greens and different vegetables. Or add more ginger or garlic for a stronger taste. 

In fact, I substituted vegetable potstickers for the rice noodles. It gave the soup a whole different taste. Make your own dumplings or do what I did and buy them already made. The brand I like best is from Whole Foods but you can find potstickers in most all food stores in the frozen aisle. 

In case you still think I'm crazy about having soup for breakfast here's a few articles about the health benefits of miso soup here and here.

Also, check out what people all the around the world eat for breakfast here. 

If you have an interesting healthy breakfast idea, let us know. 

- Charles 

"The Counter" at Whole Foods in Columbia, Maryland

Whole Foods in Columbia, Maryland recently debuted their new menu at "The Counter", the in-store diner-like area, open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Charles and I were invited to a private taste testing party for bloggers to try some of the new menu items. We were allowed to bring two guests. We choose two of our favorite Centennial High School teachers, Mrs. Bagley (Independent Research) and Madame Doff (French).

Charles and I with our teachers

You might look at The Counter pictures and say "wait, hasn't that spot always been there?" Yes, it has but now it features new menu items to enjoy.

Chickpea Fries with Truffle Salt

Here's some of the items we tasted -

At quick glance, the Chickpea Fries looked like regular steak-cut fries. The taste, however, is completely different. It's much more bland.It doesn't really tastes like chickpeas. It's hard to really compare the flavor to some other dish, it is just so unique. On the bright side, these fries are healthier than normal fries, and you won't notice the difference if you dunk them in ketchup.

Sweet & Spicy Brussel Sprouts 

Although the Brussels Sprouts were billed as"sweet and spicy", but they were more sweet than spicy. I'm not necessarily a huge fan of brussels sprouts, but this dish changed my perspective entirely. The brussels fluctuated from being initially crispy to a soft state, which made an interesting quasi crunchy texture.

The Stack

"The Stack" (wheat-less pancakes served with apple butter and maple syrup) was surprisingly good. I wasn't too sure how wheat-less pancakes  would taste but I was pleasantly surprised. The pancakes were delicate and fluffy. I've actually never tried pancakes with apple butter before, and after tasting this, it certainly won't be my last time.

The Counter Fave

The Counter Fave consisted of braised kale, caramelized kielbasa, fried egg, and aged cheddar on a whole wheat english muffin. Although this sandwich has many similarities to The Biscuit (see below), the kielbasa sausage is what gives this dish a true distinctively sharp taste. Madame Doff ate kielbasa as a child and thought the potent sausage was a great choice for a breakfast sandwich. If you don't like kale, don't worry. It didn't stand out in the sandwich, it just complemented the other ingredients.

The Biscuit 

The Biscuit breakfast sandwich consists of fried egg, sautéed spinach, chipotle remoulade, and American cheese on a biscuit. I'm a huge fan of sautéed spinach, so this ingredient made the dish all the better. However, the biscuit was just a bit too flaky for my liking. I enjoyed the Counter Fave the best, but The Biscuit came in a close second.

The Scramble 

The Scramble includes southwest tofu and aged cheddar scramble. The tofu tastes like egg whites, which I very much enjoy. If they had a choice, both of my teachers would prefer regular eggs instead of tofu. However, I think the dish is a nice change up from the traditional eggs for breakfast, definitely worth a try.

Currylaska

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        One world to describe the Currylaska soup -  inferno. This is the spiciest soup I have ever tried in my life, and I don't mean spicy in a good way. I mean it can send you to the hospital spicy. I couldn't even take two sips without running to get an entire glass of water. My teachers had the same reaction, waaaaay too spicy. But, hey, if you like VERY spicy foods (can't emphasize this enough) THIS is your dish.

Chicken & Biscuit
fried chicken thighs, buttermilk biscuit with sausage gravy 

The Chicken & Biscuit photo doesn't do it justice. The aesthetic of this dish can be quite deterring. However, you'll be in a state of serendipity when you indulge in this dish. It satisfied all my taste buds - crispy, buttery, sweet, salty and flakey. If you like fried chicken, I'd give this one a try.

Avocado Tacos:
deep fried avocado, cabbage slaw and chipotle remoulade

I've dubbed these tacos "The Bomb" because they explode vegetarian goodness in your mouth - the combo of the avocado, crunchy on the outside & velvety ripeness inside, with sweet slaw and tangy chipotle sauce. Perfection!!!!

Tuscan Kale Salad
The salad is comprised of shredded kale, cranberries, sunflower seeds and citrus vinaigrette. In all honesty, I can't eat kale by itself. The vinaigrette proved that all you need is the right dressing to make a dish taste amazing. The dressing made each kale leaf radiate with zest. In additions, the raw onions' firm texture acted as a foil to the pliable kale. Whole Foods knows how to make a salad. 

The Columbia Burger
1/2 lb short rib blend, brioche roll, caramelized onion, mushroom and
special sauce

Doesn't this picture look beguiling? Just look at the beauty of this burger. It tastes exactly as it looks - big, juicy, sautéed golden onions, gooey warm cheese on buttery brioche. Incredible!!! It deserves to be called The COLUMBIA Burger. Hail to the CB!!

                                               My brother Charles (left), one of the amazing WF chefs, and me                                                  

Cacio e Pepe
Spaghetti, Pecorino Cheese, Butter and Cracked Black Pepper 

The Cacio e Pepe Italian pasta dish is something we make at home often. Although we don't call the dish anything special, just pasta with butter and cheese, it's a feel good meal. Cheesy sharp pecorino melted with sweet butter over warm pasta. This is comfort food at its best and WF does a pretty good job (and it's not even an Italian restaurant).                                                                                              




                                                                       


The Counter is a great place to chill whether you are eating alone on a counter stool watching your food being prepared or with friends at the very long wooden communal table. It's open for breakfast through dinner - serving breakfast all day long (how cool is that!)

We've been back since we attended the taste tasting party. If we see us hanging out at the counter, come say hi.

Thank you Whole Foods for inviting us "Dudes" and our high school teachers to this special party. It was a great night and we loved trying all the new menu offerings at The Counter.

 - Thomas

Gift bags for the taste test participants

Whole Foods Thanksgiving Meals, Nationwide

The Whole Foods Columbia, Maryland store invited local food bloggers to a taste testing party to sample their Thanksgiving meals. 

Our invitation included one guest each, so we asked our Grandma Alberta and Grandpa Charles to join us. 

Upon arrival, we were greeted with a warm welcome by Whole Foods Chef Patrick, Katie Malloy and Mia Hinckle. The cafe was transformed into a private dining area for us with a gigantic table with printed name plates, menus and Fall decorations.

(left to right) Charles, Chef Patrick and Thomas 

Tasting menu  

The Holiday Taste tasting took place in the cafe area overlooking the lake

Before the event started, it was exciting to hang out with some very cool food bloggers including @theunmanlychef, @3beansonastring, @HoCoBlogs co-founder Jesse Newburg and @thebaremidriff and @hudsonandemily.

Then, Chef Patrick introduced the appetizers and the parade of holiday food began.....

Chef Patrick introducing the appetizers 

Coconut shrimp (left) and shrimp dumplings with dipping sauce  

We started with appetizers - a coconut shrimp and a shrimp dumpling with sweet and sour sauce. While the dumpling's thin skin was fork tender filled with a tasty, well seasoned mixture of shrimp filing, the star, for all of us, was the coconut shrimp,  It was a huge, pump shrimp lavishly covered in sweet, coconut flaked coating. The right amount of sweet and salty. We washed down the shrimp appetizers with a sweet apple cider that was another stand out. 

For the first course,  the Organic Triple Squash Soup was "smooth and tasty" with "a very faint hint of cinnamon", the "perfect Fall soup"  The  Organic Cream of Mushroom Soup  had a "strong earthly mushroom flavor." We spilt on which one we liked best - Grandpa and I  liked the Squash Soup and Grandma and Thomas the Mushroom Soup. 

Roasted Free Range Turkey with Gravy, Organic Biscuit & Mushroom Stuffing,
Butternut Sweet Potato Casserole,  Mashed Potatoes,
Cranberry Orange Relish, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, and
Glazed Carrots with Pecans

Then the second course came out - a gigantic plate of mouth-watering Thanksgiving classics.  We all agreed the Organic Biscuit & Mushroom Stuffing was star of the plate. "Much better than regular stuffing"(Grandma) and "biscuit added a depth of flavor and texture" (Grandpa). Both potatoes -  Butternut Sweet Potato Casserole and Mashed Potatoes, were well seasoned with a smooth and silky texture but "had a thinner consistency than we make at home"(Grandpa).

Cranberry Orange Relish was "very good and sweet" (Charles), "not a jelly more of a jam (Grandpa) and "very flavorful with a hint of orange" (Grandma). 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts - "tender, easy to cut" (Thomas), but "needed a bit more seasoning or salt" (Grandpa). 

Roasted Free Range Turkey with Gravy was sliced thicker than we are accustomed to at home but the turkey was "very flavorful" (all of us) and with it lathered in the chunky mushroom gravy it was a real hit. 

Glazed Carrots with Pecans -  although "tasty" (Grandma) and "tender" (Thomas) we would prefer the carrots be a bit more sweet.

Pumpkin Pumpkin Pie 

Grandpa and I are not pumpkin fans, so only we let Thomas and Grandma give the 411 on this Pumpkin Pumpkin Pie - "clever play on the classic pie with the two different layers of pumpkin pie (the top layer a mouse and bottom layer was the classic pumpkin pie custard)" (Thomas) but "the crust was thicker than we preferred" (Grandma).



As the dinner ended, we were stuffed. It felt like Thanksgiving. You know that feeling when, even though you want to eat more because it tastes so good, but you just can't eat another bite. That was us.

When we left we were given "Yum" goodie bags stuffed with 365 (Whole Foods house brand) Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake cookies, daelias Biscuits for Cheese (almond with raisin flavor) and Hammond's Mitchell Sweets (vanilla caramel & marshmallow).

In summary, this was a VERY cool event. It's our first taste testing and hope its not our last.

We decided to incorporate some of the items we tasted into our Thanksgiving meal. We're definitely ordering the coconut shrimp appetizer, organic biscuit and mushroom stuffing, mushroom gravy and pumpkin pie cheesecake cookies.

Check out all of WF Thanksgiving meals here (Columbia store here). There are so many items to choose from including kosher, organic, vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian. WF offers its Thanksgiving items as package dinners (serves 2 people or up to 16 ) or as single servings. From sides, breads, game birds, soups, gravy, relish, cheese platters, pie crusts and even holiday flower arrangements, there is a big selection to choose from.

Thank you Whole Foods. We had a great time.

- Charles