Love Well: #sayhitochubs

Homemade Dog Treats

Sorry for the hiatus once again.  Finally finished the last of my finals today and we brought Chubs home yesterday!

In celebration of that, I wanted to make him home made puppy treats!

I ordered some Bone Cookie Cutters but they did not come in in time, so I resorted to hearts.

Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Recipe by Damn Delicious

I changed the amount of the flour a bit because it was quite dry before I used the whole amount

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 large eggs

3 cups whole wheat flour, or more, as needed (I used about 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup of spelt flour and stopped there)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat pumpkin puree, peanut butter and eggs on medium high until well combined (1-2 minutes).  Gradually add flour 2 cups then add 1/4 cup at a time.  Just until the dough no longer sticks.

Lightly flour your work surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together.  Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough 1/4 inch thickness.  Use your cookie cutter of choice and place them onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake about 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden.  Keep an eye on them!

Let cool completely.

Our baby Chubs <3.

On the way home in the car, he fell asleep in my arms.

Treat time?!

 He loved it!!!  Ate every crumb.

Chubs and Daddy

Jar of Hearts ;).

Enjoy!

Eat Well: #abcsofyyc #livingroom

ABC's of YYC (Week 12: L)

Living Room
514 17th Ave SW

So we were deciding where to go for L week and the little house on 17th Ave caught our eye.  It's been quite a few years since we have been here, so we were looking forward to experiencing the wonderful food again.  The complimentary bread was awesome enough for us to comment on!  It was really soft and the butter provided a light yet delicious creaminess with notes of honey and garlic. 

Ceviche- sweet Nova Scotia red striped baby shrimp, lime, onion, tomato, plantain chips, micro cilantro

What an abundance of shrimp!  The plantain chips helped to balance out the sauce by cutting the acidity, but sadly there were only two chips.  The ceviche by itself was a bit acidic but overall it was good.

Tartare- Alberta beef tenderloin, dijon, caper, gherkin, shallot, felru de sel, potato gaufrette... It looked a lot better BEFORE they mixed it all together for you 

Mmm.. the tartare was packed with flavour and was so delicious.  It was really cool that they served each component separately and then they mixed it table side for us (sadly we didn't get a picture prior to the mixing).  From the first few bites, we thought it was a bit creamy, due to how much mustard there was, but after each additional bite we ended up enjoying it more and more.  The chips added a very nice crunch but we actually enjoyed the tartare better on its own.  The components that were mixed into the tartare resulted in a perfect balance of flavours.  One of the better beef tartares we have had in the city.  

Chicken- fennel brined chicken ballotine, spicy cacciatore, fermented butternut squash, carrot puree

Yay fiddleheads! We made them at home once but we haven't seen them since.  The chicken was so delicious.  It was cooked really well and had great flavour with a sausage stuffing that paired well with it.  The carrot puree was nice and light, so it was easy to enjoy, but boy was there a lot of it.  There was quite a wide variety of veggies too!  Everything on the plate was delicious. 

Sablefish- black sesame glaze, charred gai choy, petite tatsoi salad, picked fennel, dashi broth 

The fish was cooked perfectly and tasted amazing.  The flavour of the black sesame really came through and added a wonderful sweetness to the dish.  The vegetables were plentiful and tasted great.  The broth was clean and delicious.  

Yuzu Lemon Tarte- rosemary fluid gel

The tarte was very tasty and went well with the crisp crust.  We thought it was a little runny but it worked out well since it made the dessert light and easy to enjoy.  We tasted a faint note of ginger that came through in a few bites which was refreshing.  Our server was so sweet and thought that maybe it was one of our birthday's... close enough...  Happy early Birthday John ;).

We both really enjoyed the meal and the service.  With the exception of the ceviche, all of the dishes showed a wonderful balance of unique flavours.  From the fresh and delicious tartare, to the fantastic sablefish and delightful chicken, the food was quite enjoyable.  The ending with the lemon tart was the cherry on top.

Enjoy! 

Eat Well: #abcsofyyc #khaosanthaikitchen

ABC's of YYC (Week 11: K)

Khao San Thai Kitchen
1314 17th Ave SW

We were greeted at the door by a very welcoming host.  The decor and atmosphere was so pleasant and warm, a great way to hide from the random snowstorms we get in Calgary (like on Tuesday).  Although the snow made us extra excited for some delicious Thai food. 

Poung Chom-Poo- steamed stuffed dumpling, minced ground chicken, roasted crushed peanuts, Thai spices

These beautiful dumplings are not just for show.  When we first bit into it, we got a great burst of sweetness and crunchiness.  Personally we would have preferred a bit more meat, but we really did enjoy the dumplings.  What a delightful way to start off tonight's dining adventure.

Thai Style Beef Jerky- grilled marinated beef, Thai spices, sriracha chili sauce

The juicy pieces of beef were seasoned perfectly.  The notes of Lemongrass accentuated the beef and the sriracha sauce complemented the beef without overpowering it.  We both craved for more heat, but overall we were pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed the dish.

Green Curry- green curry, coconut milk, zucchinis, bamboo shoots, Thai basil leaves; choice of beef 

The curry was delicious but the consistency was quite different than what we are used to.  The beef was yummy when enjoyed with everything else, but a tad dry by itself.  The bamboo shoots provided a nice crunch and flavour as it soaked up the curry.

Braised Short Ribs in Massaman Curry- beef short ribs, massaman curry, coconut milk, baby potatoes, onions, roasted peanuts

The short rib was cooked perfectly and it fell right off the bone.  The sweet curry enhanced the flavours of the beef and veggies.  The onions provided a flavourful crunch as it soaked in the curry.  The flavour of the dish was pretty good and everything worked well together.  

Overall, we enjoyed our food and the friendly service.  The incredible selection of dishes was quite overwhelming so we have to go back and try some more.  

Enjoy!

Eat Well: #abcsofyyc #kimusushi

ABC's of YYC (Week 11: K)

Kimu Sushi (Sushi Kimu)
6522 4 St NE

A delightful new(ish?) sushi joint we wanted to try!  The decor was worth mentioning!  The intricacies of the wall really caught our eyes.  Anyway, without further ado, the food! 

Beef Sashimi- thin slices of lightly seared AB beef served with garlic chips, green onions and ponzu sauce

Delicious thick cuts of beef!  The sauce was sweet and a little bit of lemon juice helped cut the sweetness so it did not overwhelm the beef.  Even though we loved the thick slices, a couple pieces required some serious chewing. 

Deluxe Sashimi- Chef's choice of six types of eighteen slices of sashimi

The pieces of sashimi were huge and delicious as well!  The tunas melted in your mouth and the salmon was just as impressive.  The star of this platter was the lightly seared scallop.  This created a hint of smokiness and also made the texture more appealing.

Veracruz Roll- chopped scallop, masago, green onion, cucumber, crab meat and prawn tempura topped with spicy mayo and unagi tonkatsu sauce

Crunchy deliciousness.  A great combination of ingredients resulted in this wonderful roll.  The sauces provided sweet notes with a hint of heat.  The favourite roll of the night.

Vancouver Roll- avocado, mango, and salmon topped with fresh tuna

The roll was good, but it was underwhelming.  The flavour of the mango did not come through which could have definitely improved the roll.

Calgary Special Roll- avocado, cucumber, crab, masago wrapped with deep fried marinated squid, green onions, masago and sichime (Japanese spices) topped with steak and mayonnaise sauce

The crunchy squid was so flavourful and sadly better then the roll itself.  The sweet crab flavour was able to shine through all the various components of the roll.  On the menu, it said it was topped with beef, but we didn't get any.  Thankfully we had left over slices of the beef sashimi and put it on top ourselves.  It enhanced both the flavour and texture of the roll. 

  

That rice to filling ratio >=]

Overall, the restaurant was pretty good and the food came out super quick.  With the exception of the Velacruz Roll, we both enjoyed the sashimi more than the rolls.  They have a diverse menu so we would love to return and try some of the other dishes.

Enjoy!

Eat Well, Feel Well, Learn Well: #quinoainmybrownies

Chocolate Cranberry Quinoa Oat Bars

Sorry for the lack of posts beautiful people, just finishing up my second semester.  Almost done them finals!  Any who, I made these lovely bars about a week ago and I finally had a chance to post this!

I was definitely pleasantly surprised by these!  Only correction for myself is to cook the quinoa longer and also use leftovers so it's cold and not boiling hot.  Yeah, I cooked the quinoa fresh and I was pretty impatient; I did stir it and let the steam dissipate and stick it in the fridge for a little bit.

Recipe is from Diary of An Ex Sloth

I love how she just added quinoa because she was curious :).

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup cooked quinoa

3 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp ground flax

pinch of salt

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup dairy free milk

2 tbsp dairy-free chocolate chips

3 tbsp dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 350F; line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper

Add your dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix it together well until incorporated

Add peanut butter, maple syrup and milk; mix well

Fold in the chocolate chips and dried cranberries

Pour the mixture into the baking pan and spread the batter evenly

Bake for 20-25 minutes; be patient and allow to cool before cutting

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days (I put them in the fridge after 3 days and they lasted about a week!)

Grind up them flax seeds!

 

The dry ingredients

 

It's Peanut Butter time!!!

Them wet ingredients.

   

Nom nom nom.  Give them a try!  Try something new... I dare ya ;) 

Enjoy!