Columbus Inn (Wilmington, DE)

http://www.columbusinn.com/

My husband an I went to Columbus Inn for City Restaurant Week.  The price-fixed options were pretty plentiful and it was one of the only restaurants participating that had a vegetarian option.  The outside of the restaurant is a bit rustic, with a stone exterior and and a patio overlooking Route 52.  As you enter the front door, you are greeted by a hostess stand and a staircase.  To the left, in a separate room, is the bar area and the outdoor seating.  To the right (looking into the windowed wine cooler) is the dining room.  The Atmosphere is upscale, yet comfortable; dark, but inviting.  The employees were quite friendly and our server was excellent – suggesting drinks to pair with our meals and acting in a genuine manner.

I ordered the Mixed Greens Salad and Goat Cheese Gnocchi as the first part of my three-course meal.  Before our food arrived, we were offered a bread basket with warm rolls.  The rolls were good, nothing special, but felt and tasted almost fresh-baked.  I like it when restaurnats do that!  The salad greens were crips and fresh, with a few cherry tomatoes in the mix, and a savory dressing (unfortunately, I cannot remember what it was).  The gnocchi was a larger portion than I expected – enough for two servings if I wanted to save room for my third-course dessert!  The gnocchi is served with cherry tomatoes and covered in a fresh basil pomodoro sauce and goat cheese “parm”.  Excellent!  I loved the soft gnocchi paired with the roasted cherry tomatoes.  Everything was creamy and the sauce coated it nicely – not too much, not too little.  I am a definite fan! 

After I had the remainder of the gnocchi boxed up, it was time for a big decision: dessert.  They let you choose from any of the options on their regular dessert menu.  I opted for the homemade vanilla gelato with peanut butter and chocolate chunks.  The gelato was rich and the peanut butter and chocoalte chunks provided a nice crunch against the soft the otherwise soft and creamy texture.  They gave me two scoops, which I was unable to finish, but ate most of it again.

The food at Columbus Inn is delicious and I definitely recommend it for vegetarians AND omnivores J

Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo

Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo (slightly adapted from AllRecipes, Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes, Servings: 8)

Ingredients

·         1 Tbsp. olive oil

·         1 medium onion, chopped

·         1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

·         5 stalks celery, chopped

·         2 cups vegetable broth

·         4 (15 oz.) cans black-eyed peas with liquid

·         2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles

·         2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Directions

1.      Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook the onion, pepper, and celery until tender.

2.      Pour in the vegetable broth, and mix in black-eyed peas, diced tomatoes and green chiles, and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Add water if soup is too thick.

I made some changes to this recipe based on what I had on hand and what I could get at the grocery store.  I used one 16-oz. bag of dried black-eyed peas because two of the grocery stores that I go to didn’t have canned.  I soaked them overnight in seven cups of water and then rinsed them.  I had to cook the dish about 30 minutes longer and add about 2 cups of water, but it worked out!  I also removed the rice that is in the original recipe because we didn’t have any in the pantry.  Instead, I served this with cornbread – which was an excellent move!

I found that the veggies and peas stay pretty crisp during the cooking process and that texture was a nice difference to the soft tomatoes.  I added a couple dashes of hot sauce, but I should have added more!  I didn’t initially because of my husband’s sensitivity to spicy food.  I don’t know if I will make this again, because, overall, it is pretty bland, even with hot sauce and two cans of tomatoes with green chiles.  Maybe tomatoes with jalapenos would work better.  It is a good mix of carbs and healthy protein, though, and is full of veggies! This one may stay in the recipe box, but get moved to the back.

Coconut Curry Tofu

Coconut Curry Tofu (from AllRecipes, Total Time: 40 minutes, Servings: 6)

Ingredients

·         2 bunches green onions

·         1 (14 oz.) can light coconut milk

·         ¼ cup soy sauce, divided

·         ½ tsp. brown sugar

·         1 ½ tsp. curry powder

·         1 tsp. minced fresh ginger

·         2 tsp. chile paste

·         1 pound firm tofu, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

·         4 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped

·         1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

·         4 oz. fresh mushrooms, chopped

·         ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

·         4 cups chopped bok choy

·         salt to taste

Directions

1.       Remove white parts of green onions, and finely chop. Chop greens into 2-inch pieces.

2.       In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, mix coconut milk, 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, brown sugar, curry powder, ginger, and chile paste. Bring to a boil.

3.       Stir tofu, tomatoes, yellow pepper, mushrooms, and finely chopped green onions into the skillet. Cover, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in basil and bok choy. Season with salt and remaining soy sauce. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender but crisp. Garnish with remaining green onion.

Our bi-weekly CSA package included bok choy, so I went looking for a recipe that incorporates the ingredient.  I saw this and was excited because it looks really good!  While I was making it, the smell was fantastic – I wanted to slurp up the sauce before adding the veggies and tofu.  Unfortunately, the taste did not follow suit.  I found it kind of bland, as did my husband.  It seemed almost like all of the spices/flavors cancelled each other out.  It certainly wasn’t a bad taste – it was just a little sweet with a little heat over veggies and tofu.  I will say, though, that the sauce did permeate the tofu, which is nice.  I hate it when tofu cannot sponge up a sauce.

I think that maybe a little more curry powder or chile paste would give it the taste that it needs.  I served over a bed of brown rice, which was great for sopping up additional sauce.  The bok choy was easy to cut and cook.  The bell peppers were the only thing that added crunch to the dish.  If I made this again, I’d probably skip the mushroom and tomatoes and add more bell peppers and green onions.  However, I do not think that I will try this again, unless there is more bok choy in my next CSA bag!

Pretzel Bark

Pretzel Bark (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes, Servings: 10+)

Ingredients

·         1 cup chopped pretzels

·         3 pkg. (4 oz. each) Semi-Sweet Chocolate, broken into pieces

Directions

1.      Place chocolate pieces into a microwave-safe bowl.  Put in microwave for 30 seconds, then stir.  Repeat until chocolate is melted.

2.      Stir pretzels into chocolate; spread onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet.

3.      Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.  Break into pieces

I loved this chocolate bark!  The recipe is so easy and quick.  I served it as part of a Progressive Dinner in my neighborhood and it went fast. In fact, there were a couple of people politely arguing over the last piece.  Even though this is made with semi-sweet chocolate, it tasted a bit more like dark chocolate. The original recipe calls for pecans in addition to the pretzels, but I opted not to use them because my husband is not a huge fan of nuts and I wasn’t sure if any neighbors had nut allergies.  This is a definite keeper in my dessert box!