Let’s “Reinvent a classic” with Alexia Fries

by kitchenrunway // June 30, 2011 // 10 Comments

: photo courtesy of Alexia Foods

Summer is upon us… that means it’s time to dust the cobwebs off the barbecue and prepare for summer grilling season. What goes better with a burger than some delicious French fries? It’s a classic combination, but we’re inspired to spice things up a bit and create some great new French fry flavors, and we would like to reach out to our readers for some input and ideas on what you consider the perfect fry. Kitchen Runway was selected as one of 25 food blogs that will be putting its kitchen to use in helping Alexia Foods “reinvent a classic” with a new flavor profile for its French fries. In the next few weeks, we will be testing and feeding our friends and neighbors our French fry creations. Then the Alexia R&D team will narrow down the top 4 French fry creations. The top 4 finalist will be flown to the annual Foodbuzz Festival in San Francisco to showcase their creations. A winning French fry creation will be selected based on votes on the Alexia Food’s Facebook page… the winning French fry will be produced and sold nationwide Fall 2012! Last year’s winner was Parmesan Lemon Russet Potato. Fun, right?

We are looking forward to brainstorming and adding a twist to this classic.

What do you think will be the next American classic? Is it a waffle fry with sea salt and truffle oil? Is it a thick russet potato wedge fry with a spicy barbecue seasoning? Is it a julienned sweet potato fry with a maple syrup drizzle? We want to hear some of your ideas as we will be spending the next few weeks in the kitchen and on the blog sharing some of our triumphs… and some of the ones that fell short on the test kitchen table.

Please weigh in…

What type of potato do you want to see us use?

Russet Potato, Yukon Gold Potato, Sweet Potato

What is your favorite fry cut?

Waffle, Wedge, Julienned, Crinkle Cut

Most importantly, what kind of seasonings or flavors do you want to have on your fries?

????

We want your input, please leave a comment with your idea for a winning fry flavor below. We look forward to hearing your ideas and testing them out! Thank you in advance for your help.

Alexia Foods is compensating us for our time and products needed to participate in this challenge, but all opinions and thoughts are our own.

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Zucchini Bread

by kitchenrunway // June 29, 2011 // 19 Comments

Derrick’s parents gave us a few zucchinis the other weekend and I secretly “forgot” to use them in a stir fry and saved them for quick bread. Shhhh…. don’t tell.

Zucchini bread is very similar to carrot cake. The vegetable flavor itself is very mild and the spices really shine. It’s like when you take a bite of carrot cake, you see carrot bits floating in the cake but in the end it’s all about the moist cake, beautiful spices and the decadent cream cheese frosting. No one says – “wow I love this cake; it taste like a carrot stick!” It’s the same thing with zucchini bread. So if you’re hesitant about putting green vegetables into bread, don’t be because it’s delicious! The zucchini lends to a very moist and light bread. The spices are warm, inviting and comforting. It’s a great bread to enjoy all year long and incredibly easy to make. It’s also a great way to get your vegetables in for the day… even if it’s in a very sweet, but satisfying way.

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Grilled Rib Eye with Chimichurri Sauce

by kitchenrunway // June 20, 2011 // 17 Comments

Summer is one of my favorite seasons. Mainly because I associate it with grilling and that’s Derrick’s domain. I’m grateful that when Derrick cooks it helps free up some of my nights and I can kick back and relax. We like grilling steaks, and rib eyes are especially good on the grill. It’s has beautiful marbling which lends to a juicy and flavorful steak. We created this simple but mouthwatering recipe for the Cattleman’s Finest’s #GrillUpYourSummer contest. Cattleman’s Finest is Smart & Final’s own line of beef.

The steaks are seasoned with sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. It’s grilled to perfection and then topped with a fresh and bright chimichurri sauce. Chimichurri is a traditional Argentinean sauce and it’s sorta like a South American version of the Italian pesto. The base of the sauce is flat leaf parsley, oregano and garlic. It’s then combined with olive oil, red wine vinegar and crushed red pepper flakes. The flavors are fresh, bright, herb-y and tangy with a bit of a kick from the pepper flakes. It’s great on meats, chicken and even French fries.

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Taylor Thursday & Peach & Arugula Salad

by kitchenrunway // June 16, 2011 // 17 Comments

Here's Taylor dressed up as a salad! I think we'll have to consider this for Halloween...

When Taylor’s fur is long it’s a lot like Velcro… attracting all sorts of things to her beautiful golden coat. After a play session it’s not uncommon to find twigs stuck in long feathery tail, burs between her fuzzy toes, or weeds tacked to her slender legs and long ears. Weeds are spiny and sticky and is the worst thing to pick out of her fur. This is what happens when Taylor and her boyfriend are allowed to run in the trails. They run, chase each other and wrestle. Lucky, a cream color lab, with his short coat shows no signs of running wild in the trails. Taylor, on the other hand, looks like she’s camouflaged and ready for combat. That or she looks like she was tossed in a bowl of salad.

Which brings me to a recipe for a simple yet delicious Peach and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese & Pine Nuts. (I know I’ve been all about salads this week – first with the Kale & Quinoa Salad and now this) A couple of weeks ago we had a market salad at Pizzeria Bianco in Scottsdale. It was a beautiful salad with juicy but firm yellow peaches, arugula and goat cheese. It was lightly dressed in a red wine vinaigrette. The wonderful thing about fresh quality ingredients is that you don’t have to fuss with it for it to be good. The ingredients speak for itself. We have been taking advantage of the fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables that we’re finding at our farmer’s market. When we saw delicious sweet white peaches at the market last weekend, we couldn’t resist buying a few to recreate the salad at home. The sweet peaches sit on top of a bed of peppery arugula and is topped with fragrant toasted pine nuts, a sprinkle of tangy goat cheese and a light red wine vinaigrette. It’s a great summer salad that is incredibly easy to make.

It looks like summer on a plate right?

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Kale & Quinoa Salad with Apple Lime Vinaigrette

by kitchenrunway // June 14, 2011 // 17 Comments

Have you had kale? How about quinoa? I know some strange names… but they’re so good for you. Kale is from the cabbage family is is one of the most nutritious vegetables. It’s chock full of vitamins such as A, E, C & K and is hearty and filling. I talked about quinoa’s health benefits in a previous quinoa salad recipe post. It’s high in protein and is mild in flavor. This super duo is paired with a sweet and tangy Fuji apple & Lime Vinaigrette.

Derrick and I are trying to make healthier food choices. It’s been pretty hard considering that we both love to eat, enjoy trying new restaurants, and I love to bake (with bacon occasionally). So this recipe is an attempt to add a healthy but flavorful dish to our routine. You have to try this salad if you’re trying to eat better or looking for ways to amp up your meals with good for you things. This kale and quinoa salad is satisfying and delicious. I’ve added shredded carrots, apples and almonds for some extra color, crunch and nutrition. The great thing is that you can make this salad ahead of time and it’s good to go the next day. It’s important to let the raw kale marinate in the vinaigrette overnight to help soften the leaves. It’s perfect for entertaining, pot lucks and parties. It’s so simple and the flavors are bright and cheery.

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