San Francisco | Shikha la mode

Yo, Imma be real with y’all right now – peanut butter is not the business.

But you know what is? Macadamia nut butter.

While it sounds weird and borderline bougie, the process for making this delight is exactly the same: pulverized nuts (insert boy groan here). With their delicate and smooth flavor, macadamia nuts transform this spread into another, tropical dimension that I can only dream about since I live in foggy SF.

I nabbed a jar of the good stuff from a neighbor back home after the infamous brunch. My lovely blogger friend, Erika, had baked a batch of cashew nut butter muffins that day that were astronomically delicious, so I knew I had to replicate them. I don’t just get jars of this erryday, y’know. (Incidentally, neither do you, but you can if you order them here!)

Macadamia nut butter, like most nutty condiments, are full of protein and healthy fats. However, the high protein content risks drying out baked goods, which is why when you get those [insert dietary restriction]-free peanut butter whatevers at the healthy food store, they often look and feel like crumbly messes.

My solution was to mix in some mango jam, another recent gift (gift yourself some here). Mangos and macadamias naturally go together like muffins and brunch. The jam adds the right level of moistness (that is such a weird word) and sweetness, so you don’t have to add a ton of sugar, making these muffs a healthy mid-morning snack and perfect segue into your tropical daydreams.

Sorry, peanut butter.

PS. I’m off to Ecuador for the next 8 days (I know, random, but awesome), so there won’t be any posts next week, but stay tuned for all the cool new eats when I get back – it’ll be a series of Vacation E.A.T.s!!

Mango Macadamia Nut Butter Muffins

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup oats
1/2 cup macadamia nut butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mango jam
1 Tbsp flax seeds
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together nut butter, eggs, and honey. In another bowl, combine the flour, oats, flax seeds, and salt.
Add dry mixture to wet and stir until just combined. Add in mango jam and gently swirl together. Pour evenly into muffin tins, filling each about 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The Sunny Side Burger, with a side of my sweet Photoshop skills

As I meander into the weekend, one of the pressing thoughts in the forefront of my mind is of course, where am I gonna eat? Since you’re probably wondering the same thing, let me help you out: Eat at Roam.

So many options!!

With two locations in the city, the second one standing ground in Pac Heights, Roam is a solid meal any time of the day or night (well, maybe not breakfast, but it’s not open that early). It goes along with the recent trend of build-your-own meals – in this case, burgers.

Step 1: Choose your patty. I obviously got the veggie, but there is an elk option if you’re feeling adventurous or from Alaska.

We split the Market Veggies salad, in an attempt to be healthy.

Step 2: Choose your style. You can also create your own, but why go through the trouble when there are 8 options that deliciously combine vegetables, cheese, and sauces for you? On my first visit, I tried the Tejano, and the corn strips just about did me in. This time, I was in a bro-tein mood since I had just worked out, so I got the Sunny Side, which comes with an egg and sweet, sweet chili sauce. And because I have a strange addiction, a milkshake was a must. Dairy has protein, right?

Blue Bottle Coffee Milkshake – So SF and so delicious.

Although this is not a huge burger, it is very filling, especially if you decide to carb out and eat the entire bun, which is quite a lot of bread. That said, it is well made and lives up to its artisan name, all the way to the organic, free-range egg. This ain’t In-n-Out, that’s for sure.

Verdict: Roam is a great place to nom at with friends for a fast-casual meal, but it’s fancy enough to bring a date to. Disclaimer: If you bring me here on a date, be prepared to watch me inhale a coffee milkshake and probably not offer you any. Truth.

Gotta get my protein.