Eat Well, Learn Well, Feel Well: #fitcakes

Matcha Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Yummy, simple, delicious, quick and no bake cupcakes!

This lovely recipe is adapted from This Rawsome Vegan Life

Yield: 4

Cupcakes:

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup dates

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp Matcha

2 tbsp cocoa powder

Buttercream: this recipe makes a lot I suggest halving it

1 cup dates

3/4 cup water

juice from 1 lemon (I felt there was a lot of lemon juice in my opinion)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

Stir the chia seeds into 1/4 cup of water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

Grind the oats and coconut into a fine powder and put it into a bowl.

Blend the dates with 1/2 cup water, matcha and cocoa powder until it is smooth.

Mix into the coconut/oat mixture with a spatula until well combined.  

Spoon into cupcake liners and press it down; let them set in the fridge or leave them overnight covered.

For the buttercream, mix everything together into a blender until smooth.

Enjoy!

Eat Well: #abcsofyyc #globefish #theramenbyglobefish

ABC's of YYC (Week 7: G)

Globefish 
332 14 St NW

Globefish was a restaurant we always went to a couple years back, but since then, we wanted to expand our horizons so we haven't been back in a long time.  For G week we decided to visit one of our old favourites.

Hamachi Jalapeno- thin slices of hamachi sashimi.  Topped with jalapeno, wonton crisps, garlic chips and green onions.  Served over red chili and ponzu sauce

All of the components of the dish were superb.  A little bit of spicy with a very nice crunch provided by the wonton crisps.  The fish was good but it didn't feel as fresh as it could have been.  

Drew Tate Roll- created by Drew Tate himself.  Prawn tempura and avocado roll wrapped with wild salmon, tuna and avocado.  Served with green onion and their special spicy sauce.

It was a bit too sweet for the both of us because their special spicy sauce was more on the sweet side instead of spicy.  Overall, it was an above average roll, but it did not wow either of us.

The rice to filling ratio made me sad.

Glencross Roll- prawn tempura, avocado, cucumber and a little cream cheese.  Topped with a chopped assorted sashimi and green onion.  Drizzled with their spicy mayo.  Glencross family and teammate approved!

The flavour was on point!  It was a delicious roll with a lot of different components that came together really well.  The sweetness was balanced this time which made the roll more enjoyable.  This roll definitely provided the wow factor we were looking for.  

Deluxe Sashimi- Chef's choice

The sashimi was vibrant and plated beautifully.  The taste however was only decent with the exception of the salmon which stood out from the rest.

Overall, the quality of the food was still above average, but not as good as we remembered.  To be fair, that was many years ago and our palettes were still immature ;).  The Hamachi and Glencross Roll both provided wonderful balanced flavours, whereas the Drew Tate and Sashimi were more disappointing.

While we were there, we noticed a sign advertising a new Ramen restaurant they were opening downtown called The Ramen by Globefish!

Onward we go!!

The Ramen is currently in its soft opening phase.  This place is worth a try as all of their broth is chicken based instead of the pork broth served at other ramen places.  Chicken broth results in a cleaner and less heavy taste which provides a different flavour profile which has resulted in mixed reviews from our friends.  

Gyoza- pan fried pork and vegetable dumplings

The dish has potential as the filling was good but the skin seemed a bit too thick.  This really took away from the taste of the dumplings.

Kuro Garlic Ramen- white chicken soup and sea salt, dark garlic oil, scallion, pork, vegetable, wheat noodle

The broth was quite fragrant and it tasted good.  The pork was thinly sliced but it was quite fatty so John still enjoyed it, but he prefers the pork belly served at Goro.  The noodles were done quite well and more enjoyable compared to the other Ramen restaurants.

Chicken Paitan Ramen- White chicken soup and sea salt, scallion, pork (replaced with chicken), vegetable, wheat noodle

We came here the day after Goro and I personally enjoyed this more.  The lighter broth and the consistency of the noodles were more to my taste.  Also, I swapped the pork for chicken!  Honestly I was expecting dry white meat, but instead I got moist chicken in a sweet sauce (teriyaki of some sort maybe?).  I definitely enjoyed this lovely bowl of Ramen.

Overall, we both enjoyed our Ramen, but not so much the gyoza.  I appreciated that the server took the time to chat with us talking to us about how their broths were Paitan (chicken based) and everything is made from scratch in house. The Ramen provides a different taste profile compared to the other joints so you may find yourselves in disagreement with our opinions.

Enjoy!

Eat Well: #abcsofyyc #goroandgun

ABC's of YYC (Week 7: G)

Goro + Gun
225 7th Ave SW

We find ourselves going to Goro quite often because of it's convenient location.  So this time, we just dropped by for Happy Hour; John and friends got a couple of beers while I just got me a big bowl of ramen.

Tonkotsu Ramen- bbq pork, red ginger, green onions, seaweed

As always, the thick and juicy pork belly melts in your mouth and is so delicious.  Goro is John's favourite place to go for Ramen just because of how good the pork belly is.  Unfortunately the broth was a bit salty this time but John still enjoyed it.  The noodles were good and a splash of chilli oil  helped to enhance the fragrance and add some heat. 

Mushroom Ramen- seasonal mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, yuzu, green onions in a seaweed broth

Smoked egg yum!  I love adding egg to my ramen and I find Goro has pretty good ones!  However, I find lately Goro has been inconsistent in that there are times when the broth is great, but this time it was rather salty.  Also, I found the consistency of the noodles to be more like skinny egg noodles, whereas I prefer the thicker noodles from Shiki Menya.  They pile on the mushrooms which I really enjoyed.  

Events at Goro!

Last year, John and I attended two events at Goro!  A Sapporo night and a Blue Fin Tuna + Sake night.  Lately Goro has not announced anything, but we hope that they'll hold more events!  They were a lot of fun with new food experiences and live Taiko drum demonstrations.  Also, Ken the owner walks around mingling with us commoners ;).  

At the Blue Fin Tuna dinner, they flew a whole Blue Fin Tuna in and prepared multiple courses with it in front of our eyes!  We unfortunately don't remember how much it weighed exactly, but it was about a couple hundred pounds.  It was so heavy that the sushi chef needed assistance when he was rotating the fish.

Anywho, we hope they bring back the events soon!

Enjoy!

Eat Well, Feel Well, Learn Well: #blacksesamematcha

Black Sesame Matcha Mug Cake!
(Experiment)

After dinner last night, I had a HUGE I mean HUGE craving for a cake of some sort.  However, I did not want to eat any more eggs just because I'm pretty sure I had about 6 yesterday......

I decided to experiment and make a "Chia Egg" to replace it.  Usually when I'm looking at recipes, people are using flax eggs which I have yet to use, but I may try that next time.

Recipe

1/2 Banana, mashed

1 Chia Egg (1 tbsp Ground up Chia seeds mixed with 3 Tbsp of water mixed together and let it sit for 15 minutes in the fridge)

3 Tbsp Whole Wheat Spelt Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Matcha

1/2 Tbsp Ground Black Sesame

2 Tbsp Almond Milk

2 Tbsp Greek Yogurt

Combine everything into a mug that was sprayed with some oil.  Microwave for 2 minutes and then invert onto a plate and serve!  So simple!

I put more greek yogurt on top along with a fresh fig and a drizzle of honey.

All that goodness!

Them Benefits!

The benefits from chia seeds can be seen from my past post!

Black Sesame benefits in a nut shell.  Anti aging sorcery, increases skin and bone health, heart healthy, helps you poo poo, and acts as a lactation aid for the new mamas,  More info on this amazing seed here!

Spelt flour is easier to digest due to it's high solubility to water, which is great for those who have a wheat intolerance.  Also, it is a more soluble fibre which aids in lowering blood cholesterol and controlling blood sugar levels.  So much more information here.

Notes: not as poofy as I would have like it to be.  Also, the texture is definitely more on the gel like side, which I did not mind because it reminded me of some Asian desserts.  I'll probably try it with flax seed next time and see if there's any difference there.

Enjoy!

Eat Well: #abcsofyyc #gachi

ABC's of YYC (Week 7: G)

Gachi
2711 17th Ave SW


Dinner:

On our way back from seeing Chubs Xie (our pug fyi....), we were super excited to try Gachi!  This quaint bistro has lovely decor and music that amplified the dining experience.

Sashimi- 3 pieces of salmon and 3 pieces of tuna (they ran out of tuna)

This was so fresh and delicious and was probably the best salmon we've had in a long time!  The freshness provided great texture and flavour.  A fantastic start! 

Seafood Pancake- a pancake...with seafood :) (their website is down, so we are unable to provide you with a proper description)

We were surprised with how thick it was just because we were accustomed to the thin pancakes we've had at other places.  Even though it seemed a bit doughy, we still enjoyed it.  It was very fragrant and the flavours were balanced.  The seafood was still able to shine through all the various components.

Beef Tartar- egg yolk, beef tartar, caper mix and tomato chops on fresh pear jelly

The beef was finely minced so it melts in your mouth.  It paired well with the both the chips and crunchy soft bread which gave it texture.  The visual appeal matched the wonderful flavours.

Bulgogi Donburi- rice bowl with Korean style BBQ beef with saute veggie

The beef had great flavour and the whole dish went well together.  The taste just got better with every bite.  We were glad they did not serve it in a hot stone bowl like we are used to because we feared it would have been overcooked.

1, 2, 3 Chicken- deep fried chicken in 3 signature flavours; sweet spicy, honey soy garlic and cream sauce

It was quite exciting that they served deep fried chicken in 3 flavours.  Both John and I, in our opinion, were not a fan of the cream sauce, but it was very adventurous of them since it is unlike anything we've ever tried.  The fried chicken is crispy and tender and the sauces were good.  An unexpected soft and savoury potato salad underneath the chicken balanced out the dish nicely.

Sweet Pamplemousse- hollowed grape fruit with fresh cubes of the fruit with a grapefruit sorbet topped with whipping cream

We missed Ledoyen's dessert (see below) so much, we had to try the grapefruit dessert.  The sorbet was nice and was accentuated by the fresh grapefruit.  We could have done without the whipped cream, but it helped with the aesthetics of the dish.  It was quite a refreshing way to end the night.

(Ledoyen; in Paris T.T)

Overall, all of the dishes were seasoned perfectly and prepared well.  The plating was vibrant and beautiful with attention to detail in each dish.  We are definitely coming back...

Brunch: (we returned the next day....)

Sweet Pumpkin Black Hole- lack of menu; I apologize if this is not accurate.  Chips, tomatoes and poached eggs on top of a bed of potato hash and sweet pumpkin puree

The eggs were perfectly poached and every single bite was simply amazing.  As I got to the hash, I noticed a subtle hint of truffle oil.  This was a nice change because dishes are often drowned in it.  Usually, I do not enjoy the hollandaise as it is quite rich.  Nevertheless, I did try some and it provided a light and spicy zing to the dish.  All the flavours came together in perfect harmony.  

Black hole indeed, I couldn't help myself and I completely demolished the plate.

Hot Morning Burger- Spicy pork bulgogi, eggs, bacon, tomato, and onion served on an egg dipped brioche bun, salad, crispy potatoes, with a side of maple syrup and Sriracha 

The pork was spicy and tender and provided a strong delicious flavour for the burger. The burger was soft and easy to cut into and the gooey cheese held everything together. There was a perfect balance of flavours and the Sriracha provided extra heat which John enjoyed.

Best brunch we've had so far!  Everything was fresh and had amazing flavour.  There were so many components and they managed to make it mesh together very well.  Typically after brunches, you feel disgusting from the grease and heaviness but we felt wonderful.  Our server remembered us from dinner the previous night and provided us with a complimentary mango smoothie!  It reminded me of a mango coconut bbt, which hit the spot.

Both our brunch and dinner experiences at Gachi were sublime!  The taste of the food was fantastic and the presentation just made it extra special.  The garnish of fruits also were not just for show.  They were super fresh and provided a nice balance with the dishes.  Some of the menu items that took longer to prepare had a time listed beside it, which they were quite efficient in following.  Also, the service was superb!    

I know we used fresh and delicious about 100 times but that is the definition of this lovely restaurant.  All of their ingredients were vibrant and colourful.  The garnishes can be enjoyed as part of the dish since they actually tasted great.  Both of us are very impressed and will definitely make this one of our regular spots.

Enjoy!