Wednesday 25 February 2015

Eat Well: #abcsofyyc #dtf

ABC's of YYC (Week 4: D)

Downtownfood (dtf)
628 8th Ave SW
Journey of Wellness Calgary restaurants                                   
                              

Photo From downtownfood website

So this past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend an FMS (Functional Movement Screening) course and was looking forward to our food adventure afterwards!  We settled on Downtownfood because we realized we hadn't gone together.  With the intention of ordering the course menu that was on the website, they had actually changed it up and had not updated the website.

No Amuse Bouche *GASP* 


Course #1: Spot Prawn Ceviche with coconut broth, Tandoori Popcorn

So this lovely first course you see above (I was so hungry to the point of hangry that I actually forgot to take a picture... which never happens....), in our opinion, the shrimp was lackluster compared to what we have had lately.  The sauce was good but a bit too acidic and overpowered the shrimp.


Course #2: Oyster Tagliatelle with Acadian Sturgeon Caviar Oyster on top

The Caviar was rich and delicious, which helped cut into the acidity of the sauce which was too strong and quite sour.  We found that the sauce was again too acidic for the dish and the pasta was undercooked, not even Al Dente.  The oyster was cooked well and tasted good and the ginger was a nice touch.


Course #3: Boneless Duck Wing with White Bean Puree and Kale

It was a great dish with great flavour.  The white bean puree was lovely and helped balance out the savouriness of the dish.  This brought the dinner back onto a positive note.


Course #4: Butcher Steak with Chimichuri Butter, Roasted Kale and a Horseradish Potato Croquette

The steak was cooked perfectly to medium rare (John usually likes it done blue rare); the steak was tender and had a good lasting spiciness in the mouth due to the delicious Chimichuri butter.  Great choice in cut, as there was a good amount of fat, which was flavourful and made the beef taste great.  The mushrooms were tender and the horseradish potato croquette was interesting (don't really know how to explain this).   

**The filter on the camera made it look like it was rare.



Course #5: Key Lime Pie with Tequila Marshmallow and Dehydrated Coconut

It was a fresh way to finish off the night.  The strong lime flavour balanced well with the tequila marshmallow.


Overall, the meal did not have a strong start, but the duck and steak helped bring it back.  

Enjoy!

downtownfood on Urbanspoon

Eat Well, Learn Well: #bababababanana

Banana Bread Walnut Cookies



***Disclaimer: I am not responsible for how many you eat, they're just really delicious.  Haha just kidding!  But they are delicious ;)



The innards!  It's like a hybrid of banana bread, muffin top like cookie. 



With only a few ingredients, and NO ADDITIONAL SWEETENER good for them Asian parents.  I guarantee they would like them!



VEGAN Banana Walnut Bread Cookies
Recipe adapted from Detoxinista <3
Made 11 and 3/4 of a cookie

1/2 cup creamy unsalted and unsweetened Peanut Butter (can use other nut butters)
1 Banana, mashed (1/2 cup)
3 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed (I used Omega Crunch with cinnamon)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup raw walnut pieces
Pinch Sea Salt (I did not use any)

Preheat your oven to 350F.  In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients.

Let it sit for 10 minutes so that the flax can gel up the batter.

Using a cookie scoop, drop it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 10 minutes, making sure to turn the pan around halfway through for even baking and colouring.  

Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes before transferring them onto a wire rack.


Amazeballs... these are fantastically delicious.  Just like banana bread, muffin tops the size of a cookie.  



"It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!"  (From eating all of them).

Enjoy!

Monday 23 February 2015

Eat Well, Love Well, Learn Well: #coconutty

Coconut Panna Cotta (Dairy-Free!)


This delightful dessert was what I made for Valentine's Day!  Definitely a favourite and it's super simple to make!

I should be studying right now, but I need a break and I wanted to share this quick post with you all!


I purchased these gelatin sheets from Community Natural Foods.  They're super easy to use so the conversion with gelatin powder to sheets is 1 (0.25oz) envelope= 1 Tbsp of powdered gelatin= 3 sheets of leaf gelatin.  

To use: soak the sheets in water for about 10 minutes and then squeeze the excess water out (it will be super jelly).





This recipe is from Detoxinista

Yields 4
1 (13.5oz) can full fat coconut milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 tsp grass fed gelatin (I believe I used about 2 and a half sheets?  I will double check)

Method

In a small saucepan, gently heat 1 cup of coconut milk and vanilla over medium-low heat whisking occasionally to prevent it from burning the bottom.  DO NOT BOIL.  As it is heating, add the bloomed gelatin sheets and whisk until it has dissolved.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the maple syrup and the remaining coconut milk.

Pour into 4 ramekins and have it set in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

Now the recipe said to remove these from the ramekins, to place them in a shallow bowl of hot water for 1-2 minutes, then flip it onto the plate.  I would go with a minute or even less or else you will get some liquid because the heat was too much for it.  

Serve ASAP!

Super duper easy!


Yum...


Enjoy!

Sunday 22 February 2015

Eat Well: #abcsofyyc #daguido

ABC's of YYC (Week 4: D)

Da Guido
2001 Centre Street N
Journey of Wellness Calgary restaurants

Ciao amici!  We finally got a chance to visit Da Guido, which we have driven by countless times.  The restaurant itself was so warm and welcoming with traditional themed decor.  We began with a complimentary dish of Bruschetta!  The bread was so fragrant and crisp with a great balance of acidity.  It was a fresh and flavourful start to the night.


Scampi Al Burro- scampi in a garlic butter served on a bed of Arborio rice.

The scampi was cooked perfectly, and was wonderful with the garlic butter.  The risotto was amazing.  It was cooked a bit passed al dente, which we prefer.  The flavour was great and I just wanted to eat a whole bowl of it.


Carpaccio Al Parmigiano- thin slices of fresh filet mignon with lemon, olive oil and shavings of parmesan.

The cut of meat was lovely with great texture that almost melted in your mouth.  The flavour was mild and hard to find after the scampi.  However, once we cleansed our palettes, the soft flavour of the beef was revealed and was quite scrumptious.


Special: Pickerel with vegetables and a white wine tomato sauce

I had this lovely dish.  There were two large filets and the fish was just a tad overcooked, however I still thoroughly enjoyed it.  John had found a couple of bones in the pieces that he had.  Other then that, the mushrooms were soft and tender with great flavour.


The Sides: Penne in a tomato sauce and steamed vegetables

The sides were lovely!  I'm glad that the vegetables were steamed and they gave you quite a bit!  That large clump of green is spinach!  It wilts when it's cooked, there was a lot!!  The penne was soooooo good.  I couldn't stop.



Galletto Cacciatora- cornish game hen in a white wine, garlic and rosemary sauce

Game hen was cooked perfectly with delicious seasoning.  There was so much meat!  John loved it.  It was finger lickin' good.



Yeah....


Tiramisu- nuff said... just kidding.  Lady fingers biscuits laced with Guido's own special liqueur and espresso infusion

Favourite Tiramisu EVER!!!!!!  And I love me some Tiramisu!  It was nice and soft and tasted amazing.  I would eat this everyday if I could.


Overall, we were quite impressed with our meal and glad we finally got to stop in.  The service was great and our servers were quite attentive.  Our favourites were Game Hen and of course the TIRAMISU!!!!  Will definitely come back.

Enjoy!

Da Guido on Urbanspoon

Thursday 19 February 2015

Eat Well, Learn Well: #themcookies

Harvest Breakfast Cookies

Last week, my cookies senses were tingling and I stumbled upon this recipe.  Healthy cookies say what?!


These lovely cookies contain bananas, pumpkin puree, raisins and lovely spices!  Also, these are made with coconut flour which is gluten free, rich in fiber, high in the GOOD fats, low in digestible carbohydrates which does not spike up your sugar levels, and it is packed with protein.  Also, coconut flour gives these cookies a softer, more fragile texture.







This lovely recipe is from Detoxinista

Yields 12-16

1 cup Mashed Banana (approximately 1 and a half or 2)
1/2 cup Pumpkin puree (I also tried mashed up papaya; turned out great)
4 soft Dates
1/3 cup Coconut Flour
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ginger (I used fresh)
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
1/2 cup Raisins

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Combine the banana, pumpkin purree and dates in a food processor or blender and blend away until everything is blended well.  Add in the coconut flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and vinegar, and blend away until a thick batter is formed.

Pour the batter into a bowl and fold in the raisins and shredded coconut.  Scoop the batter onto a lined baking sheet.  Flatten them into the shape you want because they will not spread out like usual cookies.

Use a silpat if available; if you are using parchment paper, keep your eye on them because the bottoms may burn.

Bake for 20-25 minutes (I did 15-20), until the edges are golden and the center is not too soft to the touch.

Let these cool before you transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.  

These last in the fridge for up to a week!



P.S. These were boyfriend approved!

Enjoy!