Squeezing in the fibre

Living in Calgary, my family usually has a traditional Chinese dinner served with white rice. Occasionally, I can sometimes eat 1½ cups of the stuff in one sitting!

Coming back to Montreal, I knew I had to make a better choice, but I still had quite a bit of rice left from my last purchase (I buy it 10 kg at a time). So how do I get more fibre without wasting all this food?

The answer is - wild rice. It is a little annoying to make it in a separate pot (white rice has a rice-to-water ratio of 2:1, whereas wild rice needs 3:1) but the wild rice (which I add 1 part to 2 parts white rice) adds interesting colour, texture, and a yummy nutty flavour. More importantly, it adds a little bit of fibre. I'm not usually one for numbers, but here's a little table for comparison:

	375 mL (1½ cups) long grain white rice, cooked	250 mL (1 cup) long grain white rice, cooked + 125 mL (½ cup) wild rice, cooked
Calories	326	305
Carbohydrates	71 g	66 g
Fibre	1 g	2 g
Protein	7 g	8 g
Fat	1 g	1 g

The effect would obviously be better if the proportion was 50-50, or even more tilted toward the wild rice. Optimally, I would be eating brown rice, and now that I'm out of white rice, I'm kind of curious to check out some of those blends from Lundberg.

Now I just have to work on cutting down my portion sizes... Three servings of grain products for dinner? I'm such a carb fiend...

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Yogurt Poppyseed Loaf

The Tribune is in full swing again, and before I volunteered to be their temp copy editor for my five weeks in town, I decided to show up to the first-ever news meeting, knowing that I would be too busy with my internship to take a story. Of course I couldn't come empty-handed...

I had a glut of limes from my last subletter (who was from Martinique) and a tub of yogurt. Plugging these two ingredients into my Google Reader to two very similar recipes for citrus yogurt loaf cakes by Dorie Greenspan and Deb of Smitten Kitchen.

I took Deb's idea of subbing in poppyseed for blueberries (yum) and in a regular situation I would have used applesauce in place of the oil, but the point of this cake is to bring out the flavour of the oil, AND I happened upon a bottle of walnut oil in the fridge (from a previous subletter also, perhaps?) I then switched the flour to whole wheat and cut the sugar in half in a mini "health" spaz; the end result was just in that stage where it wasn't cloyingly sweet, but also not so bland so it could be considered a bread. I think it would've gone great with jam.

Yogurt Poppyseed Loaf
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan and Smitten Kitchen
Makes 1 loaf

• 375 mL (1½ cups) whole wheat flour
• 10 mL (2 tsp) baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 125 mL (½ cup) sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 lime
• 125 mL (½ cup) plain yogurt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 mL (¼ tsp) vanilla extract
• 125 mL (½ cup) walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• 85 mL (⅓ cup) poppyseed

1. Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Generously butter an 8½" × 4½" loaf pan, place the pan on a lined baking sheet and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and keep near by.
2. Put the sugar and zest in a medium bowl and rub the ingredients together until the sugar is fragrant. Whisk in the yogurt, eggs, and vanilla. When the mixture is well blended, gently whisk in the dry ingredients. Switch to a spatula and fold in the oil and poppyseed. The batter will be thick and shiny. Scrape it into the pan and smooth the top.
3. Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until it is golden and starts to come away from the sides of the pan; a knife (or uncooked noodle) inserted into the centre of the cake will come out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then run a knife between the cake and the sides of the pan. Unmold and cool to room temperature right-side up.

Nutrition Info (per ¾" slice): 208 calories, 12 g fat (2 g saturated), 53 mg cholesterol, 21 g carbohydrate (3 g fibre, 9 g sugar), 5 g protein, 131 mg sodium. An excellent source of manganese and selenium.

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100 Chinese Foods to Try Before You Die

Last night I burnt out completing the 100 Japanese Foods to Try list, so I've left the 100 Chinese Foods to Try... Before You Die(!!!) list for today. Since I'm nerd of nerds, I've also included the Chinese (traditional) translations :)

Almond milk 杏仁茶
Ants Climbing a Tree (poetic, not literal, name) 螞蟻上樹
Asian pear 鴨梨 - I went through a phase...
Baby bok choy 白菜苗 - My mom makes this really yummy, with lots of garlic.
Baijiu 白酒
Beef brisket 牛腩 - I'm assuming this means prepared in a Chinese manner, because I'm sure something like Schwartz's wouldn't count!
Beggar's Chicken 乞丐雞
Bingtang hulu 冰糖葫蘆
Bitter melon 苦瓜
Bubble tea 波霸奶茶
Buddha's Delight 羅漢齋 - My grandma makes it for my mom sometimes, but I've never touched it myself.
Cantonese roast duck 燒鴨
Century egg, or thousand-year egg 皮蛋 - I'm slowly developing a taste for it.
Cha siu (Cantonese roast pork)叉燒 - Along with Cantonese roast duck, they're my staples when I invite people over for a Chinese dinner.
Char kway teow 炒粿條/炒貴刁 - I've had flat noodles before, but not this Singaporean/Malaysian kind.
Chicken feet 雞腳
Chinese sausage 臘腸
Chow mein 炒麵 - We used to go to my grandma's house every Sunday for congee and chow mein before our lives got too busy.
Chrysanthemum tea 菊花茶 - There was a phase in my childhood where I took a box of Vita chrysanthemum tea with me every day to school. Then I got sick of it and switched to apple juice.
Claypot rice 煲仔飯
Congee 粥
Conpoy (dried scallops) 干貝/江瑤柱
Crab rangoon 炸蟹角
Dan Dan noodles 擔擔麵 - Had some in Shanghai; spicy, peanutty goodness.
Dragonfruit 火龍果
Dragon's Beard candy 龍鬚糖
Dried cuttlefish 墨魚乾
Drunken chicken 醉雞
Dry-fried green beans 乾扁四季豆
Egg drop soup 蛋花湯
Egg rolls 蛋卷 - No if you're talking about the crappy American-Chinese version, yes if you're talking about the awesome cookie version.
Egg tart, Cantonese (蛋撻) or Macanese (葡國蛋撻)
Fresh bamboo shoots 鮮露筍/竹筍
Fortune cookies - There is no Chinese name for this because they're not Chinese! Seriously, when I was young we called them "faw-chun cok-key"
Fried milk 炸牛奶 - They used to be an integral part of every large Chinese gathering. I don't know why they stopped making them.
Fried rice 炒飯 - Can't get enough. Seriously, as a young child, our domestic worker in Hong Kong made this and I　could eat three bowls! And I was 7!
Gai lan (Chinese broccoli) 芥蘭 - My mom likes to tell people this is my favourite vegetable the first time she serves it to anyone.
General Tso's Chicken 左公雞
Gobi Manchurian - I have no idea what this is called in Chinese, but it looks yummy!
Goji berries (Chinese wolfberries) 杞子 - I'm sure this has found its way into some Chinese soup or another, but I haven't eaten them by themselves or baked them into cookies, which seems to be all the rage these days.
Grass jelly 涼粉 - An integral part of my childhood; I liked how the can made ridges in the jelly.
Hainan chicken rice 海南雞飯 - Go get it at a HK-style café today!
Hand-pulled noodles 拉麵 - Once when I was really little my parents took me to this Beijing cuisine restaurant where the guy made it in front of us and let me take some of the dough. I wrecked the perfect noodles and put them in with my Play Doh set.
Har gau (steamed shrimp dumplings in translucent wrappers) 蝦餃
Haw flakes 山楂餅 - One of my ex-roommates really like these. I just associate them with Chinese medicine now (a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down?)
Hibiscus tea 芙蓉茶
Hong Kong-style Milk Tea 港式奶茶
Hot and sour soup 酸辣湯
Hot Coca-Cola with Ginger 薑汁可樂
Hot Pot 火鍋/打邊爐 - A favourite winter activity
Iron Goddess tea (Tieguanyin) 鐵觀音
Jellyfish 海蜇
Kosher Chinese food 猶太中國菜
Kung Pao Chicken 宮保雞丁
Lamb skewers (yangrou chua'r) 羊肉串
Lion's Head meatballs 獅子頭
Lomo Saltado - How is this Chinese? I do not understand.
Longan fruit 龍眼
Lychee 荔枝
Macaroni in soup with Spam 午餐肉通粉 - Although I liked macaroni in soup with HAM better.
Malatang 麻辣湯 - Do you really think I'd put myself through this?
Mantou, especially if fried and dipped in sweetened condensed milk 镘頭
Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐
Mock meat 齋肉
Mooncake (bonus points for the snow-skin variety) 月餅 - Just served some up this past weekend, though I'm too ghetto for the 冰皮 kind
Nor mai gai (chicken and sticky rice in lotus leaf) 糯米雞 - The boy just had his first one on Saturday.
Pan-fried jiaozi 煎餃子
Peking duck 北京填鴨 - When I was looking up the Chinese on Wikipedia, I just realized that the "填" refers to them being force-fed. Gross!
Pineapple bun 菠蘿包/菠蘿油
Prawn crackers 蝦片 - Weren't we just talking about them yesterday?
Pu'er tea 普洱茶 - My dad used to love this stuff.
Rambutan 紅毛丹
Red bean in dessert form 紅豆甜品 - They're technically called adzuki beans in English, but I've had red bean dessert soup, red bean popsicles, red bean in pastries...
Red bayberry 楊梅
Red cooked pork 紅燒肉
Roast pigeon 燒乳鴿
Rose tea 玫瑰茶
Roujiamo 肉夾饃
Scallion pancake 蔥油餅
Shaved ice dessert 刨冰
Sesame chicken 芝麻雞
Sichuan pepper in any dish 花椒
Sichuan preserved vegetable (zhacai) 榨菜 - My dad is a big fan of this in fried noodle with meat.
Silken tofu 滑豆腐 - I tried the Western way of eating this, as in making it into a smoothie, once. It's so much better in miso soup and the like.
Soy milk, freshly made 豆漿 - My aunt in Vancouver has a bean grinding machine. It's so good.
Steamed egg custard 墩蛋
Stinky tofu 臭豆腐 - I had a roommate who brought vacuum-packed versions of this stuff from Taiwan, and then he would heat it up in our communal microwave. Gross.
Sugar cane juice 庶汁
Sweet and sour pork, chicken, or shrimp 咕嚕肉、雞、蝦
Taro 芋頭 - I hate this stuff and I hate how my mom tries to compare it to potatoes. No, it's different, it's gross, and it's purple when depicted artificially.
Tea eggs 茶葉蛋
Tea-smoked duck
Turnip cake (law bok gau) 蘿蔔糕 - My dad loves this and my mom makes an awesome version for Chinese new year.
Twice-cooked pork 回鍋肉
Water chestnut cake (mati gau) 馬蹄糕
Wonton noodle soup 雲吞麵 - While wonton soup is generally reserved for the non-Chinese, we still love our wonton NOODLES.
Wood ear 木耳 - In some random Chinese dishes. The texture is weird.
Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) 小籠包 - Only my favourite food EVER and I still can't get over how some of the ones in Shanghai are so filled with soup that they SAG.
Yuanyang (half coffee, half tea, Hong Kong style) 鴛鴦
Yunnan goat cheese 雲南乳餅

64/100! If this was a measure of how Chinese I am, I think I'd pass, right?

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Asian Lists

Back in high school (and probably beyond that), I was always the one who filled out those ridiculous e-mail surveys and passed them on. So it's no wonder that these "100 foods that you should try" lists intrigue me. Maki of Just Hungry has a list of 100 Japanese Foods to Try and Diane over at Appetite for China has a list of 100 Chinese Foods to Try Before You Die. Serious Eats helpfully has links to descriptions of lesser known foods on both lists.

Before we get to the lists, I must say there's a reason both of these blogs were already on my blog roll—Maki, who is a Japanese expat living in Switzerland, shares great Japanese recipes and a deep knowledge of Japanese food and culture in general. Diane, who is a Chinese-American expat living in Beijing, shares a lot of restaurant reviews (including some from her trips to Hong Kong!) and easy Chinese recipes—many of which are vegetarian.

100 Japanese Foods to Try

1. Properly washed and cooked, top quality new harvest white rice (shinmai)
2. Freshly made tofu, as hiyayakko or yudofu
3. Properly made misoshiru and osumashi - I've had properly made misoshiru, but probably not osumashi.
4. Properly made homemade nukazuke
5. Very fresh sanma (saury), sizzling hot from the grill, eaten with a drizzle of soy sauce and a mound of grated daikon radish
6. Homemade umeboshi
7. Freshly made, piping hot crispy tempura. I prefer vegetable tempura like shiso leaves, eggplant and sweet potato.
8. A whole grilled wild matsutake
9. Freshly made sobagaki with sobayu
10. Mentaiko from Fukuoka, or tarako
11. Onigiri with the three classic fillings: umeboshi, okaka, shiozake - I have had onigiri with shiozake only.
12. Assorted fresh-as-possible sashimi - Once upon a time I went to Japan and had "live sashimi", where they cut the fish right out of the tank! (Not the ocean, unfortunately)
13. Saba oshizushi
14. Mugicha - Why why why have I not had this? What is wrong with me?
15. Kakifurai
16. Morinaga High-Chew candy, grape flavor
17. Karasumi
18. A pot of oden, preferably with homemade components especially ganmodoki, boiled eggs and daikon radish - I'm pretty sure hot pot is close enough, especially since my mom doesn't skimp on the daikon.
19. Ika no shiokara
20. Calpis - I have probably had this at one point in my life.
21. Ankou nabe
22. Unadon - An integral part of dinners at Japanese restaurants with my family in the early '90s.
23. Komochi kombu or kazunoko
24. Yamakake, grated yamaimo with maguro (red tuna) cubes (or just with a raw egg)
25. Properly made gyokuro shincha
26. Milky candy - Most likely in my childhood.
27. Wanko soba
28. Omuraisu with demi-glace sauce
29. Handmade katayaki senbei
30. Yohkan (yokan) from Toraya
31. Ishi yakiimo: sweet potatoes cooked in hot stones, available from street vendor carts
32. Natto
33. Fresh seaweed sunomono (can also have some tako in it)
34. Ikura or sujiko
35. Tonkatsu
36. Goma dofu
37. Chawan mushi or tamago dofu: the same dish either piping hot or ice cold
38. Freshly made mochi, with kinako and sugar, grated daikon and soy sauce or natto
39. Gindara no kasuzuke
40. Hoshigaki
41. Inarizushi
42. Chikuzen-ni
43. Surume - Another integral part of my childhood.
44. Yakinasu with grated ginger
45. Tamago kake gohan
46. Kabuki-age
47. Nikujaga
48. Spinach gomaae
49. Fuki no tou
50. Okonomiyaki
51. Yakitori - An integral part of my brother's diet.
52. Ohagi
53. Japanese style curry, with rakkyo and fukujinzuke as condiments
54. Kenchinjiru
55. Yakult - 你今日飲咗未呀?
56. Kakipea - I'm pretty sure my brother went through a phase...
57. Takoyaki
58. Sakura mochi
59. Buta no kakuni
60. Daigaku imo
61. Kappa Ebisen - Mmm prawwwwwwnnnnn
62. Chicken tsukune
63. Hakusaizuke
64. Hayashi rice
65. Goya champuruu - 苦瓜 for you Chinese folks
66. Dorayaki
67. Ochazuke
68. Sakuma Drops
69. Stewed kiriboshi daikon
70. Takenoko gohan (or in fall, kuri gohan)
71. Cream or potato korokke
72. Fresh yuba - 腐皮 in Chinese, but I doubt I've ever had it fresh.
73. Real ramen - I will assume that it's real, because it was in Kyushu.
74. Monaka
75. Ekiben of all kinds
76. Edamame
77. Chicken karaage
78. Kuzumochi
79. Mitarashi dango
80. Konnyaku no dengaku
81. Yukimi Daifuku - Droooooool... They're so cute in their little two-packs and their tiny plastic fork. I've had mini ones before too and they're not the same.
82. Sukiyaki
83. Nama yatsuhashi
84. Panfried hanpen
85. Nozawanazuke or Takanazuke
86. Kiritanpo
87. Amanatto
88. Narazuke
89. Aji no himono
90. Baby Ramen
91. Kobucha
92. Kasutera
93. Tazukuri
94. Karintou
95. Sauce Yakisoba
96. Kamaboko - Hehe, I think T&T in Calgary (and other cities with a significant Asian population) sells these with the most ridiculous designs, like FACES.
97. Oyako donburi - Just had some at Misato in Calgary (an integral part of our weekly life) before I came back to Montreal.
98. Atsuyaki tamago
99. Kuri kinton
100. Japanese potato salad - is kinda like Hong Kong/Chinese potato salad...

That was the most exhausting 27/100 ever. I don't think I have the energy to do the Chinese list now; will come soon.

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On Being Prepared

This summer, between sailing around the Baltic and eating my way around Calgary (and surrounding area) I tried to finance my endeavours by holding down a job as a nutrition consultant at a gym. One of the things I learned from this experience (besides the fact that I suck at sales) was that a lot of people know how to eat well; it's just a matter of doing it; so instead of doling out info on cholesterol, trans fats, and whole grains, I made a few handouts on quick and easy ideas, healthy eating while travelling, and tips to get more veggies in your diet.

Now that I'm back in school (and doing my internship, no less), it can get harder to eat healthy.

The excuse that I heard most often was that people "didn't have enough time," making fast food, vending machine snacks, and frozen dinners look all the more tempting. It's really not hard to have home-cooked food for all three meals (and snacks!), but it does require a little bit of effort. A few of my favourite tips include setting time aside right after you do your groceries to prep some food before throwing it all in the fridge, and engaging in "weekend projects" where you invest a bit of time into making something that you can have for the rest of the week.

After one of my shopping trips at the beginning of the school year, I managed to cut up some raw veggies for snacks, whip up a bowl of pasta salad, and put together a little salmon salad (canned salmon WITH bones for extra calcium, Miracle Whip—although low-fat yogurt works too—, chopped fresh dill, and loads of pepper) for sandwiches in no time.

One thing that I learned the hard way is that cut-up vegetables spoil a lot more easily; aim to cut enough just for 3-4 days, and then cut some more up mid-week. I also ended up being a little overprepared, as my dinner leftovers started adding up too, and vegetarian red curry is a little more attractive to me than a salmon salad sandwich, so by about a week and a bit those started getting a little *too* fishy as well.

Something that did *not* spoil, was the pasta salad. The pickle juice and lime juice gave enough acidity to keep it going and tasty for a while longer than the other dishes.

I got the recipe from Mylène, who was my roommate two years ago. The ingredients may seem a little odd, but it's all very tasty.

Mylène's Pasta Salad
Makes 4 servings

• 170 g (½ package) whole grain rotini (or other short pasta)
• 1 398 mL (14 oz) can of hearts of palm, sliced
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• ½ 500 mL (17 oz) jar of sweet gherkins, chopped
• 30 mL (2 tbsp) olive oil
  
• 30 mL (2 tbsp) brine from sweet gherkin jar


• Juice of ½ a lemon or lime

1. Bring a medium pot of water to boil and cook pasta until al dente.
2. Drain pasta and immediately rinse with cold water to cool pasta and to wash off the starch (so it doesn't stick together.)
3. Toss pasta together with hearts of palm, red pepper and gherkins.
4. Mix olive oil, brine, and juice together in a small bowl and pour over salad. Toss again.
5. Season with pepper (and salt, maybe) to taste.

Nutrition Info (per serving): 227 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 38 g carbohydrate (5 g fibre, 13 g sugar), 6 g protein, 282 mg sodium. An excellent source of vitamin C, magnesium and manganese. A good source of folate (vitamin B₄), zinc.

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More lists

Inspired by Very Good Taste's Omnivore's Hundred, many other food bloggers are coming up with their own "you must try this" list. My friend Stephen pointed me toward The Vegetarian Hundred by Barbara of Tigers and Strawberries, and Serious Eats featured The Traveling Omnivore's 20 by Sarah DiGregorio of Fork in the Road, but I'm zero for 20 on that one...

Same rules apply for The Vegetarian Hundred—bold the ones that you've eaten and cross out the ones that you probably won't ever try. Stephen says this list is much less exciting than the Omnivore's Hundred, but the fact that I'm MUCH closer to finishing this one gives me a sense of accomplishment ;)

1. Real macaroni and cheese, made from scratch and baked - I've made many a non-baked mac & cheese, but not a baked one... should get on that.
2. Tabouleh
3. Freshly baked bread, straight from the oven (preferably with homemade strawberry jam) - I've made bread before in the past, and just had some at a dinner at a friend's house before I left Calgary. No strawberry jam though.
4. Fresh figs
5. Fresh pomegranate - So good, but such a pain to eat.
6. Indian dal of any sort- We made it in food lab once, I hope that counts...
7. Imam bayildi
8. Pressed spiced Chinese tofu
9. Freshly made hummus
10. Tahini
11. Kimchi
12. Miso
13. Falafel
14. Potato and pea filled samosas
15. Homemade yogurt
16. Muhammara
17. Brie en croute - Had this at the DC conference. What a treat!
18. Spanikopita
19. Fresh, vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes
20. Insalata caprese
21. Stir-fried greens (gai lan, bok choi, pea shoots, kale, chard or collards) - My mom likes to tell everyone who tries her gai lan (芥蘭) that it's my favourite food
22. Freshly made salsa
23. Freshly made guacamole - With extra garlic!
24. Creme brulee
25. Fava beans
26. Chinese cold sesame peanut noodles - I don't think this is an actual Chinese dish, but maybe it's cuz I'm from the south...
27. Fattoush
28. New potatoes - One of my roommates loved making this into a salad, and I actually had some with dill dressing at the same dinner where I had the fresh bread.
29. Coleslaw
30. Ratatouille - Made it last Christmas
31. Baba ganoush
32. Winter squash
33. Roasted beets - One of my favourite foods
34. Baked sweet potatoes
35. Plantains
36. Chocolate truffles - Makes me think of Bernard Callebaut
37. Garlic mashed potatoes - I make these sometimes. My mom buys the powdered stuff and my sibbies are ALL OVER IT. Blech.
38. Fresh water chestnuts
39. Steel cut oats
40. Quinoa - Made it in food lab, but definitely something I should invest in on my own.
41. Grilled portabello mushrooms - If grilling it on a George Foreman counts... although I'm sure I've ordered it on a burger in a restaurant somewhere.
42. Chipotle en adobo
43. Stone ground whole grain cornmeal
44. Freshly made corn or wheat tortillas
45. Frittata - Made one for French class in grade 12. We were split into groups where we went to one of the group members' houses and made food for everyone. Also had one on Air Canada's business class on the first day that economy had to start paying (I still remember them making that announcement)
46. Basil pesto - I made a mean pesto back in the day. So good on pasta!
47. Roasted garlic
48. Raita of any type
49. Mango lassi
50. Jasmine rice (white or brown) - Just white. I'm going to be such a bad dietitian!
51. Thai vegetarian coconut milk curry
52. Pumpkin in any form other than pie - Mmmm pumpkin tempura... I also tried to stuff a decorative pumpkin once; it ended up being undercooked but I still ate it.
53. Fresh apple pear or plum gallette - When I first read this I was like, "How does a fresh apple pear compare to a plum galette? Then I realized that it's a fresh apple pear galette OR a fresh plum galette. I'm such an idiot.
54. Quince in any form
55. Escarole, endive or arugula - Definitely had arugula sprinkled somewhere before. Should eat more of these different greens instead of spinach or spring mix all the time.
56. Sprouts other than mung bean - Mmm alfalfa...
57. Naturally brewed soy sauce
58. Dried shiitake mushrooms - A staple in most Chinese homes.
59. Unusually colored vegetables (purple cauliflower, blue potatoes, chocolate bell peppers…) - One of my favourite things in the world.
60. Fresh peach ice cream
61. Chevre
62. Medjool dates
63. Kheer
64. Flourless chocolate cake - Made a killer one for my 21st birthday last year.
65. Grilled corn on the cob
66. Black bean (or any other bean) vegetarian chili
67. Tempeh
68. Seitan or wheat gluten
69. Gorgonzola or any other blue veined cheese - In freshman year, my friends made a salad and sprinkled it in. It tasted like compost.
70. Sweet potato fries - One of my favourite foods. Ming and Broken City in Calgary make great versions.
71. Homemade au gratin potatoes
72. Cream of asparagus soup
73. Artichoke-Parmesan dip
74. Mushroom risotto - Made some before. Also had some on the cruise this summer.
75. Fermented black beans - 豆豉 in Chinese; my mom used to buy canned dace in fermented black bean sauce, or 豆豉鯪魚 and it's on the steamed pork ribs my dad likes at dim sum.
76. Garlic scapes
77. Fresh new baby peas
78. Kalamata olives - I hate olives.
79. Preserved lemons
80. Fried green tomatoes
81. Chinese scallion pancakes
82. Cheese souffle
83. Fried apples
84. Homemade frijoles refritos
85. Pasta fagiole
86. Macadamia nuts in any form - I had these Macadamia nut chocolates once and I got a sore throat immediately after.
87. Paw paw in any form
88. Grilled cheese sandwich of any kind
89. Paneer cheese
90. Ma Po Tofu (vegetarian style–no pork!)
91. Fresh pasta in any form
92. Grilled leeks, scallions or ramps
93. Green papaya salad
94. Baked grain and vegetable stuffed tomatoes
95. Pickled ginger
96. Methi greens
97. Aloo paratha
98. Kedgeree (the original Indian version without the smoked fish, not the British version with fish)
99. Okra - I went through an okra phase a couple years ago. I don't know why.
100. Roasted brussels sprouts

My attempt at making these failed miserably (but I ate them anyway), but I think this pan-fried version from Heidi of 101 Cookbooks that I make is pretty close to the real deal. Hasn't converted my boyfriend, though.

Only 47! Not as far along as I initially thought...

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Banfffffff

Between brunches, lunches, home-cooked meals (Thanks, Mom!) and Taste of Calgary, the boyfriend and I went to Banff. While the main purpose was to get away from the family for a weekend, we did manage to score some good eats, and my boyfriend set what I believe was a personal record of four steaks in three days (one of which was at Moxies the night before we left).



We arrived in Banff on a Friday evening, and because of the fact that my boyfriend is King of Slow Metabolisms, we did some walking around to work up our (read: his... my stomach was growling) appetites and also to figure out where we wanted to settle down and eat.

With a menu that featured reasonable prices and elk and bison prepared in various ways, we decided to head to the Elk and Oarsman. Since the boy still wasn't hungry, we ordered some beers and shared a garden salad.

Finally, my boyfriend was hungry enough to order. Here he is with Steak #2 in two days.

I opted for an elk burger, which was a little anticlimactic in terms of the meat itself, but the addition of pineapple as one of the toppings was a perfect touch. For my two sides, I chose tomato soup (too salty, but we'd already had salad) and sweet potato fries, which are my favourite side ever.



The next morning, after flipping through a few guides, we decided on Melissa's for brunch. My boyfriend had the "classic" steak and eggs, while I went for the "fancier" crab and asparagus omelette.

I'm not a huge fan of Hollandaise sauce, so I'm glad they left it on the side, because the omelette was hearty and rich enough on its own. Crab and asparagus are rare omelette fillings to come by, and the price at Melissa's was still pretty reasonable (perhaps because the crab is probably canned/frozen, and the asparagus is probably frozen too :P)



After brunch, I used up all my energy and camera batteries as we took the gondola up Sulphur Mountain and took the one-and-a-half hour walk down before hitting the Hot Springs.



While my batteries recharged, we went to Bumper's for supper, because "if you haven't been to Bumper's you haven't been to Banff!" I got the Ladies' Cut while he got the Regular Cut of roast prime rib (Steak #4), which comes with free trips to the salad bar. I built an impressive salad loaded with stuff like baby corn, beet, and cottage cheese (and a little bit of pasta salad on the side). The steak itself was perfectly cooked, while the horseradish was surprisingly spicy. A great meal and a great atmosphere.

The next morning we slept in and the boyfriend decided that he was craving pancakes. Unlike Montreal, few places in Banff served brunch past 11 am, let alone pancakes. We circled around the town for a little bit before we finally settled on Café Soleil. Their brunch menu was small, but it had French toast, which was close enough.

He ordered an omelette.

I got boring old eggs and ham, but I couldn't get over the hash browns. Not your regular crispy ones, but the scallions (and maybe something else) gave them a bit of an Asian flair for some reason.

The trip to Banff was fun, and I got to go places/do things that my mom/family would never want to go/do. The fam actually took my brother's girlfriend to Banff a couple Fridays ago just for a day trip and all they did was shop, soak in the Hot Springs and go to Sukiyaki House for lunch. BOR-ING.

Elk and Oarsman
119 Banff Ave
Banff AB T1L 1B5
(403) 762-4616


Melissa's
218 Lynx St
Banff AB T1L 1A9
(403) 762-5511


Bumper's The Beef House
603 Banff Ave
Banff AB T1L 1B3
(403) 762-2622


Café Soleil
208 Caribou St
Banff AB
403-762-2090

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Omnivore's Hundred Update

Tried pistachio ice cream (#20) at Bilboquet last night (No pics because I didn't have my camera and it was dark out anyway). A bit of a disappointment, really, it was just plain (sweetened) ice cream with a couple of pistachios. I don't think that's what they intended in the Omnivore's Hundred...

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Taste of Calgary

Like the Stampede or the Folk Fest, Taste of Calgary is one of those things that I try not to miss in the short Calgary summer. This year, however, maybe because it was the last day, and maybe because the weather wasn't as nice as it could've been, but it was a bit of a disappointment. It was nice that we managed to avoid the crowds, but it felt too quiet. And although tickets cost only 75 cents each, the fact that most places charged five or six per sample (i.e. $3.75-$4.50) made everything seem like a rip.

The evening started out on a good foot with some fresh oysters from The Embarcadero. We got a Pacific one and an Atlantic one, but we couldn't tell the difference; we just slurped them up. So good.

Next I got some calamari with some delicious tzatziki from the Pegasus booth while my boyfriend chose the more substantial "Roasted Lamb on Pita".

It started going downhill about here as we juggled trying to taste things that were interesting but still substantial enough to fill us up as a dinner while our tickets quickly dwindled. I dropped some tickets on some SoHo gyozas from the eponymous SoHo Bar and Grill. They were unfortunately a little too thick-skinned and spicy for my liking, and not very photogenic, either.

Finally, I closed off the night with a nice plate of Curry Chickpea and Potatoes with Rice from Caribbean Choice. Mmmm carbs... The boy missed out, as he is not a fan of curry from any ethnicity (Indian, Malaysian, Jamaican, Japanese, you name it) and we pooled our last few tickets together to get a Coke. (Four tickets = $3.00 :( )

Missed the beer gardens for the third consecutive year, but despite the fact that it's becoming more and more of a rip-off, I'll be back.

Taste of Calgary
@ Eau Claire Market
202 200 Barclay Parade SW
Calgary AB
403-264-6450

The Embarcadero
208 17 Ave SE
Calgary AB
403-263-0848

Pegasus
1101 14 St SW
Calgary AB
403-229-1231

Caribbean Choice
2235 Centre St NW
Calgary AB
403-230-1880

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Calgary for Lunch

When we woke up early enough so that we could have a proper breakfast and when we played around with our work schedules so that we weren't too busy, my boyfriend and I went out for lunch.

The first time we did, we'd spent most of the day hanging out at a Starbucks on the famous 17th Ave (aka The Red Mile), feeling a little defeated that the free wireless is not as prolific in Calgary as it is in Montreal.

There are a lot of lovely eateries on 17th, and after stumbling out of Starbucks and wandering for a little bit, we finally settled on Fiore Cantina.

The place feels a little awkward, because you can tell it's trying to come off a little upscale as opposed to a noisy, family-friendly place. But then it offers a $8.99 steak sandwich everyday until 4 pm and $7.99 pasta from Sunday - Tuesday, possibly because 17th is where a younger, hipster crowd hangs out, and a high school is right across the street.

We got a beautiful, sunny spot on the patio.


It was a Monday (I was off for Heritage Day), so we both took advantage of the pasta specials. He ordered a Spinach Fettuccini Mare e Monte and I ordered a Fusilli Salmone e Pusilli. (The sun is a finicky thing - sometimes great, sometimes terrible for photos)


I loved my dish, and was pleasantly surprised by the smoked salmon, which I'd expected to be the raw slices that I'm used to seeing. I would have preferred a lighter sauce in this kind of weather, but overall, it was a really yummy dish. And *nutrition bonus*, you can switch your pasta for whole wheat penne for just $.99, but the curls of the fusilli won over this time.

I of course had to bring the boy to one of my favourite places in Calgary—The Farmers' Market.



While my girls and I usually make a beeline for Simple Simon Pies whenever we're at the market, my boyfriend was a little more tentative and we wandered around a little bit before setting our sights on two different cuisines. I'd always been curious about the different dishes at Shef's Fiery Kitchen, and was glad I chose the colourful Thai salad despite the fact that they had a full barbecue going on outside, but the ground white meat (chicken?) was a little too spicy for me.



My boyfriend went the "safe" route and got some Russian food. I'd tried their borscht (more tomatoey than mine) and rye before, but he got their lunch special; a plate of assorted Russian treats like sauerkraut, oladi, latkes, cabbage rolls, and sour cream.



Our last lunch out came as a result of sleeping in on a brunch recommendation from Chowhound. We didn't make it out to Buffalo Café in Inglewood until about 2:30, and by then they were well into serving lunch (obviously). The food was *still* delicious. I got a nice big bowl of chai latte (without that sickening sweetness that you get from those that make it with syrup) and a Jamaican Quesadilla filled with jerk chicken and cheese with a side of some of the best mango salsa I've ever had.


But seriously, check out this side salad—



Forget yellowed lettuce with maybe a few slices of cucumber and tomato; check out the chickpeas! And the sprouts! It was dressed just nice and light too. Too bad the lighting was kind of wonky for photos, but Buffalo Café was really a treat, and our quick walkabout in Inglewood wasn't that bad either.

Fiore Cantina
638 17 Ave SW
Calgary AB T2S 0B4
(403) 244-6603


Calgary Farmers Market
H6-4421 Quesnay Wood Dr SW
Calgary AB
(403) 244-4548

Buffalo Café
1309 9 Ave SE
Calgary AB
(403) 265-6406

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