Carlo and I just got back from five glorious days in Austin. Aside from a 24 hour visit in December, it was the first time that both of us had been there together since my brother graduated from UT in May 2008. The whole trip was a blur of laughter, smiles, hanging out with friends, and generally behaving like we were invincible 21-year olds who can survive on no sleep and far too much booze.
We also did a lot of eating; hitting up old favourites like Lamberts, Magnolia Cafe, and El Chilito, and exploring new restaurants like La Condesa and Frank, which was probably the most fun and original meal we had all week: hello, hot dog covered with bbq sauce and mac & cheese, plus they had bloody marys with bacon-infused bourbon and a strip of fried bacon as a stirrer!
On Saturday, I went to the Techmunch food blogging workshop hosted by Babette of Bakespace and Jaden of Steamy Kitchen. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but wow, what an inspirational and educational afternoon! There were a whole slew of experts discussing how to make your food blog better from selecting content to developing your brand in an effort to one day monetize your blog. My mind was just racing the entire time with different ideas and changes that I want to make to improve Recession Recipes. One of the first changes is going to be regular posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Perhaps the panel that resonated with me the most was Jaden’s discussion of Creating Personal Buzz. She talked about her decision to make food and blogging her livelihood and how she created a visual inspiration board of her goals and the life that she wanted to lead. Three years later, she has achieved the life that she dreamed of and now uses her inspiration board to remind her of her journey and why she does what she does. As someone on the brink of a huge change with our impending move this summer and me still figuring out what I want to do career-wise, Jaden’s talk hit home and I’m going to make my own visual inspiration board to reimagine the life that I really want. If you want to learn more about all of the different sessions, the Austin-based food blog Setted does an excellent job of recapping the workshop: Part One and Part Two.
When we got back to Vegas, our bodies were craving healthy food and vegetables. In fact, I bet I was the only person on my flight to Vegas who was actually looking forward to lots of sleep, no drinking, and working out once I arrived! I made this Chickpea Tagine for our first dinner back as a way to atone for our trip to Austin. We both loved the hot and sweet combination of harissa and honey in the dish, which has inspired Carlo to make some harissa and honey chicken wings tonight (so much for the health kick 
). Anyway this tasty and good for you dish makes enough for 6 generous dinners at $2.02 per serving.
Chickpea Tagine, adapted from Fitness Magazine, February 2010
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 red onions, halved and thickly sliced
4 small carrots, sliced lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
12 ounces cubed and peeled butternut squash
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 inches peeled fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon harissa paste, plus additional to taste
1 tablespoon honey, plus additional to taste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 cans 14-ounce chopped tomatoes
2 medium zucchini, quartered and cut into 1/2-inch slices
20 dried apricots, sliced
water
2 cans 14-ounce chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 lemon
salt and pepper
2 cups couscous, cooked according to package directions
In a large heavy pot over medium-low heat, warm up the olive oil and and add the onions and a little bit of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, then add the carrots and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the butternut squash, garlic, and ginger, and raise the heat to medium. Cook everything, while still stirring for 5 minutes.
Add the harissa, honey, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and stir the spices until they become fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, zucchini, apricots and stir well. Fill up 1 of the cans of tomatoes with water and add it to the pot and bring everything to a simmer over medium heat. If the tagine is too thick, add a bit more water until the mix is juicy but not too liquidy. Cover and reduce the heat as needed to let the tagine simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and not mushy, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and lemon juice to the pot. Raise the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the chickpeas are heated through and the liquid has thickened slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Season the tagine to taste with salt, pepper and additional harissa and honey. Serve the tagine over couscous for a delicious dinner that perhaps tastes even better the next day as leftovers.
