Japanese Theme Night

All photos in this entry by B., who is clearly much better at this than I am.

I know I mentioned the lack of a "real" theme night when B. and I cooked together, but looking back, I realize that we cook with the overarching themes of "pork" and/or "pizza". Recently, B. and I had a "Japanese night" complete with soup, main and dessert (we forgot to make the salad that we shopped for), but still it never really left the overarching themes...

Seeing as how B. does not like seafood and I go out for Japanese almost every week with my family (probably to the disdain of readers of Calgary is Awesome), our Japanese night was not your typical let's-bring-out-the-sushi-rollers-and-sake sort of night. We sifted through my Google Reader and came out with a detailed recipe for miso soup from scratch and three variations on okonomiyaki.

  

Shopping for this recipe was fun - we headed to T & T Supermarket and it was humbling to find that I knew so little about Asian food. We tried to find nagaimo/yamaimo powder instead of the fresh stuff so B. wouldn't be stuck with a giant root in his fridge. No such luck, but we did find wheat starch, rice flour, potato flour, sweet potato flour, arrowroot flour, you name it! It was the same in the aisle with the seaweed (konbu... kelp... nori... wakame...) and sorting through the brightly coloured packages of dashi bouillons, bonito/katsuobushi and furikake. Being able to read Chinese (and thus decipher some Japanese kanji) was of minor help.

Back in the kitchen, we cheated on the miso soup - instead of making a real dashi broth with konbu and bonito flakes, we opted for some dashi powder (which we also needed in our okonomiyaki) in water instead (about 600 mL per half a 3 g tube, according to my rough translation of the directions). We also found some miso with konbu in it, which we added to our broth (2 tbsp). We then cut up some medium-firm tofu (½ lb) before patting it dry and adding it to the soup. The soup was then garnished with some chopped green onion and dried wakame before serving - quick but satisfying.

And the main event - okonomiyaki is sometimes referred to as a "Japanese omelette" or "Japanese pizza" - "okonomi" means "as you like" in Japanese, so the dish is customizable with any toppings you'd like, but generally contains a base of grated nagaimo, and eggs, cabbage, green onions, some additional toppings (like pork belly) and topped with okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayo and bonito flakes.

We opted to base our recipe mostly on the one by Maki of Just Hungry just because we deemed it most "authentic". But we made some adaptations here too - aside from using sweet potato flour instead of fresh nagaimo, we eliminated the optional dried shrimp (B. thinks it's gross) and we also used gari instead of beni shouga. We did buy a jar of the latter, but we each had a nibble and found it way too salty. I tried to talk B. into adding it into the recipe anyway, thinking it would mellow out next to the other ingredients, but the entire jar had already made its way into the garbage bin... okonomi, right?

Okonomiyaki
Adapted from Just Hungry
Makes 2 large okonomiyaki

• ½ cup (120 g) sweet potato flour, reconstituted with ½ cup (125 mL) water
  
• ¼ cup (60 mL) dashi stock (or water with a pinch of dashi powder)
  
• 3 large eggs
  
• Vegetable oil
  
• 2 cups (500 mL/300 g) roughly chopped cabbage
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) chopped bell pepper
  
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) chopped green onion
  
• 6 thin slices pork belly
  

For topping:

• Okonomiyaki sauce (and mayo, preferably the Japanese kind)
  
• Seaweed sliced into thin strips, bonito flakes or furikake

1. In a bowl, mix reconstituted flour, dashi and two of the eggs. The batter should be loose.
   
2. Use part of the batter to make tenkasu, or fried tempura bits - heat up some oil in a small frying pan and dribble in some of the batter. You will need about ¼ cup (60 mL). Cook until golden brown. Drain off the oil (you can use it later to cook your okonomiyaki) and allow tenkasu to cool.
   
3. Add chopped cabbage and the last egg to the batter. Stir to combine. Add green onion, bell pepper and tenkasu (crumble a bit in your hands) to batter. Stir to combine.
   
4. Heat a large skillet on medium-low heat. Using a paper towel, spread around a thin layer of oil. Spread ½ batter in a circle on the pan. If you're not good at flipping things like myself, then you should probably try a little less batter to start. (Another good reason to keep B. around.)
   
5. Place 2-3 strips of pork belly as flat as possible on top of batter. Cook, covered for 5-6 minutes, or until pork belly has lightened in colour.
   
6. Flip okonomiyaki (you may need two spatulas for this) and cook, uncovered for an additional 3-4 minutes. Resist the urge to press down on the okonomiyaki! This will reduce its fluffiness.
   
7. Flip okonomiyaki again so that pork is facing up. Brush on okonomiyaki sauce and mayo, if desired. Serve cut into quarters and sprinkled liberally with seaweed and bonito flakes (if desired).

Nutrition Info (per okonomiyaki, without topping): 694 calories, 45 g fat (13 g saturated), 353 mg cholesterol, 48 g carbohydrate (5 g fibre, 5 g sugar), 19 g protein, 257 mg sodium. An excellent source of thiamin (vitamin B₁), riboflavin (vitamin B₂), folate (vitamin B₄), vitamin E, vitamin K, phosphorus and potassium. A good source of vitamin A, niacin (vitamin B₃), pantothenic acid (vitamin B₅), zinc, manganese and selenium.

And for dessert? On our way to the cashier we passed by the row of freezers filled with ice creams and other frozen treats imported from Asia. I told B. to go pick one while I stood in line. He came back with a pack of frozen strawberry-flavoured daifukus filled with vanilla ice cream and strawberry jam, which were - strangely enough - made in Taiwan.

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Dietetics Link Dump 2

Another non-food photo - this is False Creek in Vancouver, taken when I was there with family over Christmas. A welcome sight on a cold, Calgary day such as this one. (OK, I know it's been colder, but work with me here...)
The last Dietetics Link Dump was so fun that I decided to do it again! Please bear with me if some of this is old news to you - I've been hanging onto some of these links for a while.

Maki of Just Hungry is back in Japan right now, tending to her mother who was just released from hospital after a bout of colitis (glad to hear that mom is ok!). She did an awesome write-up of how the dietitians there made effective use of food models, which inspires me to make better use of mine as a teaching tool. She also has a great series of photos on Flickr.

Are celebrities crossing the line on medical advice? My knee-jerk reaction would be "Yes", but this article raises some interesting points about how celebrities like Lance Armstrong and Katie Couric have made a positive impact by raising awareness about different types of cancer, encouraging people to get proper screening and donate money to research. But then towards the end, the article loses all credibility by quoting Dr. Oz (a celebrity doctor), who is no stranger to promoting fallacies himself.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was recently doing some research on picky eating for a newsletter article I was writing and found Ellyn Satter's website. Ellyn is a registered dietitian whose practice focuses on our relationship with food - she has pioneered the concepts of division of responsibility when feeding kids, and eating competence and normal eating as adults. Her website provides a pretty good introduction to these concepts, but I'm thinking I'll definitely have to save up some money (and time!) for some of her books.

I really like Hypertension.ca, which is the portal for the three key organizations in hypertension in Canada. The Canadian Hypertension Society (CHS) is geared toward health professionals and academics, focusing on hypertension research and its dissemination. The Canadian Hypertension Education Program (CHEP) turns that research into clinical practice guidelines which are updated annually, and Blood Pressure Canada is a more consumer-friendly website. Unfortunately it seems to be more focused on proper blood pressure measurement at home and simply putting the clinical recommendations in layman's terms, but I'm hoping the Dietary Sodium Initiative and Sodium 101 will shine more light on one aspect of the dietary changes necessary to prevent/manage high blood pressure.

McMaster University has put together a literature search service called Online Best Evidence In Tackling obesitY, or OBESITY+, which compiles all the latest, best evidence related to obesity. It's free to sign up, and you can set up e-mail alerts for new, interesting articles. Users are also allowed to rate the articles on relevance and newsworthiness, as well as leave comments. The ratings and comments are sorted by the profession of the user (nurse, doctor, dietitian, etc.) so you can see how the different articles are viewed by the different health practitioners.

The Heart & Stroke Foundation wants to get more restaurants onto Health Check and I recently received a letter asking dietitians to participate in a survey of our views on the matter. You know, I know, Yoni knows, heck, even CBC knows that both the Heart & Stroke Foundation and the Health Check program have tons of room for improvement in their mission to improve the health of Canadians. So fill out the questionnaire and speak your mind! Canadians need more information on the choices that are available at restaurants, yes, but via Health Check? Not unless they toughen up.

OK, so I wasn't going to share this next link, but I recently found myself having to use it again so it may be helpful - It's a list of common GI/liver-related issues and each link provides an algorithm for treatment and referral. It's written for doctors, but I've found it to be helpful because I get to see how some of my patients may have reached the diagnoses they are coming in with, and I also get to read up on different diseases, diagnostic procedures and treatments related to all of these symptoms. I got this link via Nutrition and Diagnosis-Related Care by Sylvia Escott-Stump, who is also co-author of the popular Krause's text. I like the book because it's a quick reference for nutrition diagnoses and interventions, though occasionally I wish she ranked her points by level of evidence. It's also been a great resource for me to learn about the relatively new Nutrition Care Process concept.

Finally, earlier in the month, Marion Nestle linked to an interesting article in JAMA titled Extra Calories Cause Weight Gain - But How Much? The authors cite mathematical models that estimate that a woman with a BMI of 23 (within normal range) would need to create an "energy gap" (i.e. eat an excess of, decrease activity by, or a combo of the two) 370 calories a day above her energy needs to gain 35 lb over 16 years and become overweight (with a BMI of 29). For a 25-year-old man with a BMI of 25 (just overweight) to become obese (with a BMI of 35) within 25 years, he would need to create an energy gap of 680 calories. I'm assuming that weight loss would be the opposite - an "energy gap" of 370 calories in the other direction would only allow you to lose just over 2 lb a year (?), which is a far cry from the arbitrary "a pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories, which means if you create a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day, then you should lose a pound per week". But then, you also don't want to decrease much more than that, lest you don't meet your body's nutritional needs.

The part of the article that stuck with me the most is how adaptable our bodies are - this wasn't a new concept, but certainly a helpful reminder and the article put it in words that I feel I could use with my clients. Weight gain will eventually plateau as your body now needs the "excess" calories to maintain the new tissue you've gained and allow you to "carry" it as you move around; weight loss will eventually plateau as it senses the calorie deficit and changes up our hormones, nervous system and muscles to conserve energy (plus you need less energy to move a lighter body around). In other words, your energy needs are constantly changing and you will need to consistently decrease your intake and/or increase your activity in order to keep losing weight - that's why people put weight back on so easily after a diet and they revert back to their old habits; it may have kept their weight stable when they were heavier, but after the weight loss that isn't their body's "setpoint" anymore.

So why is weight gain so easy and weight loss so hard? Although personal choices do play a factor, the authors conclude our environment makes it difficult to make good choices. Think about it - portion sizes at restaurants are bigger, which translates to bigger portions at home (because we've been trained that that's what's "normal"). Adding an extra 300, 600 calories a day is much easier than we realize - a blueberry bran muffin at Tim Hortons is 300 calories; a Mango Magic smoothie at Jugo Juice (5½ servings of fruit!) is 334. It's going to take decades to reverse the obesity epidemic and even longer (if not impossible) if we don't also change our environment to make it harder to gain weight.

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Ceci est une recette pour la pizza, or The Pita Pizza Photoshoot

Every month, my work comes out with a newsletter for our clients, and every newsletter I like to share a recipe, along with the article. Obviously the recipe will require a photo, which gives me an excuse to try it out and make some last minute tweaks.

For February, instead of going for the obvious theme of Heart Month, we decided to go with a family health theme, as Alberta celebrates its Family Day on the second Monday in February (this year, it's February 15th). For my article specifically, I chose to focus on picky eating, and for my recipe, this quick and easy "pizza".


Pizza is a pretty kid-friendly food that can be made a little healthier if you make it yourself. Making your own crust can be a lot of work, so putting it on a whole wheat pita saves time and may help cut a few calories - a pita is usually less dense than crust anyway. I love the idea of laying out some ingredients and letting the kids have fun with it - they'll be more likely to eat their own creations and they get to touch and taste the raw ingredients (though you should make sure any meats are cooked) which could help with picky eating as well.


I must say that it did help with this "picky eater" here - I've never liked olives, though I'm the type of person who will try them every once in a while to make sure that I still don't like them. Recently I'd moved up to being "OK with having them in things", but here I tried a whole black olive by itself and... I think I like them.


Of course I would never buy olives myself or have them in my home - B. was kind enough to lend out his space, his ramekins, his cutting board, his time, his stomach, his olives, etc. and we did the "photoshoot" at his place. Being the photography buff that he is, he also shot some photos of his own on his DSLR - if he ever puts them up anywhere I'll let you know.

I should also note that this recipe is appropriate for kids of all ages - B. and I ended up eating a whole bag of pitas worth of pizzas over the weekend!

Pita Pizzas

• Whole wheat pitas
  
• Homemade tomato sauce (Recipe here)
  
• Toppings - i.e. Cheese (cheddar, feta, provolone, etc.), Mushrooms, Olives, Onions, Peppers (banana, bell, hot, etc.), Pineapple, Spinach, Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, Lean Ground Meat, Chicken Breast, etc... we used honey ham, but I would suggest avoiding deli meats if possible ;)
  
• Mozzarella cheese (preferably low-fat), grated
  

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 375°F (190°C).
   
2. Spread 2-3 heaping tablespoons of tomato sauce over pita. (The homemade sauce is chunky! If you're using store-bought, you can probably get away with less.)
   
3. Add desired toppings and top with grated cheese.
   
4. Place pizza on a baking sheet and bake in oven for 7-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Cut into slices before serving if desired.

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Jonas' Restaurant

Cross-Posted from Calgary is Awesome.

I'd driven past Jonas' Restaurant on my way home out of downtown on 6th Ave many times, but never gave as much as a thought as to whether the restaurant was even open, let alone the signage on the window boasting that it served Hungarian cuisine. Fortunately for Janos and Rosza Jonas, the husband-and-wife team from Budapest who own the cozy, family-run hole-in-the-wall, there are Calgarians out there looking for some homestyle Hungarian cooking and after over 10 years, business is still going strong for the only Hungarian restaurant in the city.

B. and I went for a relatively early supper on Friday evening in an unsuccessful attempt to finish in time to catch Rebecca Northan's Blind Date (part of High Performance Rodeo, which is running till the end of the month!) It was quiet when we - ok, he, I was 15 minutes late - first arrived, but the tiny restaurant quickly filled with a crowd that seemed to mostly be made up of regulars, and Rosza (who waits tables along with a young man who I'm guessing is her son) had no trouble squeezing everyone in.

Hungarian cuisine is a slightly different beast from most Eastern European cuisine - there's no borscht or perogies/pyrohy here, but there are hearty and soul-warming dishes like goulash, beef stew, cabbage rolls, potatoes and paprikash. I wasn't feeling too hungry that day, so I probably chose the lightest, most non-Hungarian item on the menu - a small order of Breaded Catfish with Homemade Potato ($13.00).


The catfish was pounded thin and breaded heavily, similar to schnitzel (also on the menu) - even the seafood-hating B. didn't mind trying a bite. The fish was served with a creamy, slightly sweet tartar sauce that contrasted well with the savoury fish. My favourite part was the potatoes - it had a bit of a sweet, tangy note that reminded me of potato salad... was it the onion? mayo? herbs? I don't know, but the potatoes were creamy and comforting.


Jonas' offers daily specials and Friday's was Potato Pancakes with Beef in Paprikash Sauce ($16.50), which B. ordered. The potato pancakes were not small and crisp like latkes, but much softer and more pancake-like, encasing the rich, stewed beef. Both of our dishes were served with a side of peas, corns and carrots (like the frozen stuff that comes in giant bags), which added to the humble, home-cooking feel of the restaurant.

We didn't have time nor room for dessert, but it looks like they have some homemade crepes with a variety of toppings to choose from - I would love to go back and try them some time!

Jonas' Restaurant is certainly not the place to go for fine dining, but it's a lovely, comfortable little place (with Hungarian kitsch on the walls and a waitress who looks at you funny if you don't order alcohol!) to duck into and warm your belly during the harsh winter.

Jonas' Restaurant
937 6 Ave SW
Calgary AB T2P 0V7
(403) 262-3302
Open for lunch Tues-Fri 11:30 AM-2 PM. Open for dinner Tues-Sat 5-9:30 PM. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

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Over Easy Breakfast

Cross-Posted from Calgary is Awesome.

One of the biggest local news stories this week was that popular breakfast chain Nellie's was fined $61,870 for health violations that date back to almost 12 years. I'm sure this Sunday some people woke up unsure of where to go for their brunch fix. Well, if they'd been up to date with Ceci, they'd know that there are lots of places in Calgary that serve delicious breakfast/brunch, including Avenue Diner, Pfanntastic Pannenkoek Haus and AKA Winebar & Bistro. They even serve Sunday tea at Nectar! And now I'm going to tell you about another place - Over Easy Breakfast.

The area around Edmonton Tr & 8 Ave NE has been christened by local food blogger Andree (of are u gonna eat that?) as the Breakfast Belt/Bacon Block/French Toast Township/Huevos Hood as it probably has the highest concentration of brunch places in Calgary, with Diner Deluxe, Big Fish, and AKA Bistro all calling it their home turf. Over Easy Breakfast muscled into the competition only a few short months ago, and based on the lineups late Sunday morning, it seems to be going strong.

My perennial brunch companion Tiffany and I met at around 10 on Sunday morning (her strategy to beat the crowds) and the place was packed, though the line was short and moved quickly. Even so, the hostess offered coffee to make the wait more bearable. The vibe at Over Easy is different from most breakfast places in Calgary - instead of going for the cozy (and sometimes a little kitschy) diner atmosphere, Over Easy is bright and colourful without being retina-scorching, and features modern decor with clean lines, save for the chalkboard featuring drink specials above the bar and the chalkboard-like words on the ceiling (the only visually-overwhelming part of the restaurant, I think, which is fortunately quite out-of-the-way).

Over Easy's menu features a lot of different choices, including eggs with any side you can think of (such as the "Albertan favourite", steak and eggs), eggs benny in various forms (including what might possibly be the cheapest eggs benny with smoked salmon I've seen anywhere), omelettes, breakfast sandwiches, and even pasta! Both Tiffany and I seemed to be in a "sweet" mood so she ordered the French toast ($6.99 with strawberries or blueberries, $8.99 with both) and I ordered the CPS Special - three crepes filled with strawberries, banana and blueberries topped with a pile of whipped cream and sliced almonds ($8.99).


Doesn't look very special


SURPRISE!
Tiffany and I were too busy catching up on gossip for me to ask if she enjoyed her French toast, but it looked like it had been soaked in the egg before being fried up and its cinnamon scent wafted tantalizingly over to my side of the table - she finished her plate without any trouble. My crepe was delicious too, especially since it was bursting with fruit inside (though the whipped cream and almonds didn't hurt either!) It was just a smidge on the thick and dry side but I think I've just been spoiled from living in Montreal for four years.

The thing I was most impressed about was the service. All the staff were really friendly and our food arrived very quickly - I put in a last-minute take-out order (to feed B., whom I'd just woken up over the phone to ask if he wanted anything) just before the waitress put our bill down and when she came back with our new bill, she said, "Your order is going to arrive in... no time." I thought she was exaggerating, but less than five minutes later another waitress came with the food all packed up in a box and a giant paper bag. I was thrilled - despite being open only a few short months, Over Easy clearly has its system down and was ready for the Sunday rush.

Over Easy serves breakfast throughout the week as well, so if you're someone who can't trouble themselves to make breakfast and lives close (*ahem*, B...) you should pop by even if it's just for a simple organic coffee and a bagel.

Over Easy Breakfast
824 Edmonton Tr NE
Calgary AB T2E 3J6
(403) 278-EGGS (3447)
Open Wed-Mon 7 AM-3 PM. Closed Tuesdays.

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Want some protein with your salad?

Not hashbrowns.
Usually when people want to turn their salad into a meal, the first thing that comes to mind is adding grilled chicken breast. Fancy seafood restaurants might offer a skewer of shrimp and some people enjoy the occasional steak/beef salad as well.

For those at home who are looking for a little less preparation, they might want to tip in a can of fish, chop up some hard boiled eggs, heap on a few spoonfuls of cottage cheese, make a yogurt-based dressing, sprinkle in some nuts, crumble in some goat cheese or grate in some parmesan.

Still itching for something different? Here are some vegan protein options that are probably a little bit off your radar:

Veggie "Meat"

Gardein seems to be the darling of fake meat these days and from a nutrition standpoint, I'm not really sure why - it's very close to the more established brand, Yves' Veggie Cuisine in that both are primarily made of soy and wheat protein, with most of them loaded with way too much sodium... is it because Gardein has ancient grains?

Based on what I've heard, I think Gardein wins when it comes to taste and texture (and it does help that they have a sexy vegan chef to back it to boot) but although fake meat can be fun, it's a little too high in sodium for me to truly recommend as a salad topping often (though vegans would definitely benefit from the boost of added vitamins and minerals that are more easily found in meats and animal products, such as zinc and vitamin B₁₂.)

(Smoky) Tempeh

What Yves' does have over Gardein, however, is that it makes more "traditional" veggie products, like tofu and this awesome five-grain tempeh. Tempeh is a fermented soy product like tofu and miso, but it never became quite as popular because it originated in Indonesia as opposed to China and Japan. Tempeh is different from its "cousins" in that the whole bean is preserved in the fermentation process, resulting in a product that retains some of the original texture of the soybean. I like how you can still catch a little whiff of the yeast on the tempeh, but it is very subtle. Tempeh is better known for its distinctive nutty flavour and firmer texture.


I personally like creating a rub for sliced tempeh or tempeh wedges with about 3 parts smoky paprika, 1 part cumin and a pinch of salt, giving it a nice BBQ sort of flavour. Sometimes I'll add a drop of oil to help it stick. I then brown the slices/wedges on both/all sides and add them to the salad. Yummy. I recently finished up a package of tempeh by adding it instead of my usual lentils to some soup, but I haven't actually had the chance to eat the soup yet...



(Caramelized) Tofu

There is a yummy Tofu and Almond Salad over at Appetite for China, but you can easily just pare it down to the tofu part, which not only goes well with salad but pairs well with rice and a vegetable (naturally).

  
I made it as it is written (sort of, I had to change the proportions a bit because tofu does not sell in 16 oz packages here) but if you're someone like me who likes a bit of a sweet-savoury contrast, I think it would do well with a splash of low-sodium soy sauce or tamari added to it as well.

Caramelized Tofu
Adapted from Appetite for China
Makes 4 servings

• 1 package (12 oz/350 g) extra-firm tofu, sliced into 1-inch cubes
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) peanut oil or vegetable oil
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• ¼ cup (60 mL) brown sugar
  
• ¾ cup (185 mL) water
  
• Low-sodium soy sauce or tamari, optional

1. In a wok or large skillet, heat cooking oil. Sauté tofu, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar and water; bring mixture to simmer while stirring to break up the sugar pieces and avoid scorching. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced, add soy sauce or tamari to taste if desired.

Nutrition Info (per 3 oz/88 g tofu, without soy sauce/tamari): 108 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated), 15 g carbohydrate (0.2 g fibre, 14 g sugar), 3 g protein, 7 mg sodium.

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Winter Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

I originally wasn't going to share this recipe with you because the photos I have are very "blah" and although it's good (how can a recipe with pumpkin seeds not be good?), when I brought it to a potluck over the holidays it didn't stand a chance against another salad adorned with canned mandarin slices, pomegranate seeds, goat cheese and a sweet and tangy balsamic vinaigrette.

But, this recipe ties in really well to my next entry/recipes, so I thought I should share it anyway.

This recipe was originally printed in the Calgary Herald. The salad doesn't really use any particularly hardy winter vegetables, so I'm guessing the salad is only called such because the colours are very Christmas-y - there's red cabbage, red pepper, red onion and dried cranberries, and for the green, the lettuce (of course) and pumpkin seeds. My favourite part of this salad was probably the vinaigrette though; you get the acidity of the rice vinegar is muted by the sweetness of the honey, the zippiness of the mustard, the fruitiness of the cranberry juice and the fresh herbiness of the cilantro and green onion. Perhaps if the other salad at the party and my dressing joined forces, then we would've had something going on...


This salad works best as a side because it's essentially pure vegetable, but if you do want to make it into a meal, then you should flesh it out (tehe) with a bit of protein...

Winter Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette
Adapted from the Calgary Herald
Makes about 11 cups

• ¼ cup (60 mL) cranberry juice
  
• ¼ cup (60 mL) rice vinegar
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) honey
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard
  
• ¼ cup (60 mL) olive oil
  
• ¼ cup (60 mL) fresh cilantro, chopped
  
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) green onion, finely chopped
  
• 8 cups (2 L) mixed baby greens
  
• 2 cups (500 mL) red cabbage, shredded
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  
• ⅓ cup (85 mL) red onion, thinly sliced
  
• ⅓ cup (85 mL) dried cranberries
  
• ⅓ cup (85 mL) shelled pumpkin seeds

1. To prepare vinaigrette, whisk together cranberry juice, vinegar, honey and mustard until combined. Gradually whisk in oil until blended. Stir in cilantro and green onion.
   
2. Combine remaining ingredients (greens through pumpkin seeds) in a bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Info (per cup): 99 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 9 g carbohydrate (2 g fibre, 6 g sugar), 2 g protein, 12 mg sodium. A good source of vitamin A, vitamin C and folate.

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Moroccan-Inspired Pork & Vegetable Stew

B. is pretty serious about this "cooking together" thing - in an attempt to narrow down our recipe searches, he started proposing "theme nights" - we could try different cuisines, different cooking styles (i.e. vegetarian), different ingredients... this sounds like a lot of evenings together; how much does he think I like him, anyway?

So far, I don't think the idea of theme nights has helped because we are as indecisive about what "theme" we should have as we are about what recipes we should make. And often, we only end up just making one recipe anyway, but now that I've said that here, I'm sure it's going to change - yesterday he said, "Maybe we can go out for dinner tomorrow so you have something to write for Calgary is Awesome." (Hehe!)

Last weekend, I ended up suggesting "Moroccan Night" just because I'd been talking to someone about Sultan's Tent and how much I/we would like it. EatingWell has a few recipes that I've recommended to clients before, but it was another one that caught our eye this time.


In this quick stew, cubed pork chops are marinated in a paste made with lemon juice and a load of spices while garlic, onions, carrots, squash, chickpeas and tomatoes simmer on the stove. The pork is quickly browned before adding in the stew to cook through. See? It's easy, so don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list. If you have a bit more time, I'm sure you can marinate some tougher pork cuts ahead of time then brown it a little bit before simmering it in the stew for a more "traditional" way of making it.


We threw in some beet greens just because we had them.
The result is a tangy, spicy (not spicy-hot, but spicy-interesting) stew. Do spend the extra money and pick up some fresh mint, green onion and cilantro for garnish, as they add a cooling, fresh bite. The stew is a little on the thin-side, so it's perfect for pairing with something grainy like couscous, bulgur or rice to soak up all that flavour. B. was pleasantly surprised that couscous is so quick and easy - pour some boiling water (or broth, for extra flavour) over it, cover and wait for about 5 minutes then fluff with a fork. The couscous-to-water ratio should be 1:1, and I think ¼ cup dry couscous per person should be a good amount.

A few minor quibbles about this recipe: 1) Does the pork really need to be in there? I felt that the rough, chewy pork (maybe we overcooked it) was too much of a texture contrast compared to the soft, tender vegetables. I think the stew would be perfectly fine without the pork (you still get protein from the chickpeas) or you can replace it with tofu - perfect swaps for vegans/vegetarians, or people like me, who just like vegetarian food. 2) When I worked out the nutrition info in MacGourmet, it came out with almost triple the amount of sodium that EatingWell came out with! What's going on? If you are watching sodium in your diet, remember to choose pork that hasn't been "seasoned" or "enhanced", which is basically code for "injected with salt water to make it more plump and heavy" and choose the broth with the lowest salt content you can find, or just make the stew with water instead. 3) It asks for partial amounts of canned foods and foods that are hard to measure, like squash. Yes I know you can find frozen, cubed squash these days, but you'd still be left with half a can of chickpeas and diced tomatoes. B. "solved" the problem by making the recipe again this week, and I'm sad to say he didn't save any for me (like I said, the above quibbles are very minor).

Moroccan-Inspired Pork & Vegetable Stew
Adapted from EatingWell
Makes 4 servings, about 1¼ cups each

• 1 large or 2 medium lemons
  
• 2½ tsp (12 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  
• 2 tsp (10 mL) paprika, preferably Hungarian
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) ground turmeric
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) ground coriander
  
• ½ tsp (2 mL) ground cumin
  
• ½ tsp (2 mL) freshly ground pepper
  
• ¼ tsp plus 1 pinch (1 mL) ground ginger, divided
  
• 1½ lb (680 g) boneless pork chops, (1 inch thick), trimmed of fat, cut into 1-inch/2.5-cm cubes
  
• 1 can (14 fl oz/398 mL) reduced-sodium chicken broth
  
• 1 cup (250 mL) butternut squash, diced (½-inch/1-cm dice)*
  
• 1 cup (250 mL) carrots, sliced (½-inch/1-cm thick)
  
• 1 cup (250 mL) canned chickpeas, rinsed
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) onion, chopped
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) canned diced tomatoes
  
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) preserved lemon, chopped, rinsed, (optional)**
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) tomato paste
  
• 2 tsp (10 mL) minced garlic
  
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) hot sauce, such as Tabasco
  
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) ground cinnamon
  
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) ground allspice
  
• Chopped green onion, cilantro and mint, for garnish

1. Zest and juice the lemon(s) to get 1 tablespoon (15 mL) zest and 2 tablespoons (30 mL) juice; reserve the zest. Combine the juice, ½ teaspoon (2 mL) oil, paprika, turmeric, coriander, cumin, pepper and ¼ teaspoon ginger in a medium bowl. Add pork; stir to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
   
2. While pork is marinating, add broth, squash, carrots, chickpeas, onion, tomatoes, preserved lemon (if using), tomato paste, garlic, hot sauce, cinnamon, allspice, the reserved lemon zest and the remaining pinch of ginger to the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
   
3. While vegetable are simmering, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons (10 mL) oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, stirring, until no longer pink on the outside and beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat until vegetables are ready, then stir in the pork, return to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the pork is just cooked through, 2 to 5 minutes more.

*We couldn't find any butternut squash so we replaced it with acorn squash - I think yam/sweet potato would be a good replacement too.
**We couldn't find any and the stew was great without it.

Nutrition Info (per 1¼ cup serving): 384 calories, 9 g fat (3 g saturated), 112 mg cholesterol, 33 g carbohydrate (8 g fibre, 5 g sugar), 45 g protein, 578 mg sodium. An excellent source of vitamin A, thiamin (vitamin B₁), riboflavin (vitamin B₂), niacin (vitamin B₃), folate (vitamin B₄), pantothenic acid (vitamin B₅), vitamin B₆, vitamin B₁₂, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, managanese and selenium. A good source of copper.

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Ceci n'est pas une recette pour la pizza

Back in university, as my roommate Carol was cooking through The Moosewood Cookbook, she developed a passion for making pizza from scratch, crust and all.

Now, when Carol gets into something, she goes all the way. She made pizzas so often that she started making evaluation forms for her pizzas - there were columns to rank taste, texture, creativity and visual appeal out of 10 and space to leave comments. These evaluation forms soon morphed into judging sheets for pizza-making contests - she would make the dough and participants would put together whatever toppings they wanted to. Carol was always the most creative one, making pizzas piled (too) high with strange ingredients like broccoli and purple cabbage and hummus instead of tomato sauce. She's so into pizza-making that when I visited her while she was working as an interpreter at Dinosaur Provincial Park this summer, we had a pizza-making contest and all the evaluation forms that were ever done were stapled together. I was looking back at evaluations that I'd done four years ago!

When B. and I made pizza a few weekends ago, I couldn't help but think of Carol when I saw that my side of the pizza was piled high with weird ingredients like beet greens (leftover from the previous night) and feta.


B.'s pizza was no less weird, despite being less mountainous - he had come up with the combination of prosciutto and brie, and was wondering what would go well with it.

"Nothing," I said, "Who puts brie on pizza?" And I did a Google search to prove it. It turns out that prosciutto and brie is a popular combination, especially when combined with peppery arugula or sweet pear or figs. We didn't have any of those things, so B. was initially going to put raisins on his pizza when he remembered how much he liked the roasted grapes the night before...


I was originally going to go with a simple vegetarian pizza with mushrooms, onions, bell pepper and mozzarella, but then there were the beet greens... and the feta... and the roasted red pepper... (which I used instead of the fresh bell pepper to make things more interesting)


Despite our crazy ingredients, the real "stars" of the show were the crust (we ended up using double the amount of recommended dough due to a mix-up of how big our pizza was going to be, so it was super-thick, which in a way was good because it didn't become soggy under all our ingredients) and the tomato sauce, which dominated the flavour of the pizza with all its tomatoey goodness.


I grew up eating jarred tomato sauce (mixed with ketchup on spaghetti - blech!) and so always had the impression that making my own tomato sauce would be a lot of extra work. Throughout university, my favourite comfort food was pasta - I would chop up all the veggies I could find in my fridge (carrots, celery, mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, onions, garlic...), brown a fist-sized lump of ground beef, add the vegetables to cook, pour the sugar-and-salt-loaded tomato sauce on top and simmer with some added spices for a little bit before serving it with rotini (I didn't start buying whole wheat until my third or fourth year) topped with grated cheese (sometimes cheddar, sometimes Romano). It wasn't till just a few weeks ago (perhaps the week before we made this pizza) when I was looking for a tomato sauce recipe for a client that I realized that it was so easy! As written, it goes well on pizza - though next time we'll buy the diced canned tomatoes instead of the whole ones, and maybe use less - I'm already thinking of ways to add on to it to make it my favourite pasta sauce...


I unfortunately really don't have a pizza or pizza crust recipe for you because we made the dough in B.'s bread machine and just followed the instructions from that. But if you, like me, have been secretly/openly eating jarred/canned tomato sauce, this recipe is nearly as easy, much healthier, and packs in lots of tomato flavour -

Basic Tomato Sauce
From EatingWell
Makes 2¼ cups

• 1½ tsp (7 mL) olive oil
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 can (28 oz/796 mL) tomatoes, chopped
  
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste
  
• 2 tsp (10 mL) fresh chopped oregano, or ½ tsp dried
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) fresh thyme, or ¼ tsp dried
  
• Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
   
2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and thyme. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
   
3. If using on pizza, cool to room temperature before spreading on dough.

Nutrition Info (per ½ cup): 52 calories, 2 g fat (0.3 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 10 g carbohydrate (2 g fibre, 5 g sugar), 2 g protein, 274 mg sodium. A good source of vitamin C, vitamin E, iron and potassium.

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Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Grape Sauce

When I was away for university, I usually had four kinds of meat on hand - chicken thighs, ground beef, fish and frozen shrimp. Occasionally I would spice things up with some sausage or roast chicken and I would cook up a turkey for Thanksgiving, but looking back, there isn't very much in my "meat" repertoire (which, in some ways, may be a good thing.)

I make a lot of meal plans at work and sometimes I will put in recipes that look good both in terms of numbers and taste, but I can't really vouch for the latter because I haven't tried them. My new man seems to have figured out that I'm really a cheap date and am just as happy cooking with him as I would be out being wined and dined somewhere (thus the increasingly inconsistent Chow Down in Cowtown updates - sorry, folks!), so now that I have a kitchen to play in almost every weekend (with a guy who loves taking photos at least as much as I do) I figure it's high time to try some of these recipes out.


I like to get a lot of my recipes for work from EatingWell magazine; all of the relevant nutrition info is right there (though there is usually some discrepancy between our calculations - different databases probably) and they're usually pretty good about reining in the sodium, which I find is still a bit of an issue in some of the other "healthy eating" magazines out there. Of course, the food in there isn't "diet food" and the photos in the magazine are always enticing.


Interestingly enough, pork is one of those few things in life that my mom admits to being unsuccessful at - I don't know if it's the cut she buys, the way she prepares it, or the fact that my siblings don't seem to like it anyway, but aside from ground pork in "Chinese meat loaf"（蒸肉餅） or sliced pork in random stir-fries and soups, we rarely see pork on the menu at my house.

Here, I think B. and I have it figured out - we rubbed it with some S&P, browned it in an ovenproof skillet and then threw it in the oven. The grape sauce was a little more messy (we managed to wreck a baking sheet with the burning juices - sorry!) but totally worth it - it has a bit of sweetness (obviously), but tasted to me more like a gravy with the savoriness coming from the chicken broth and the distinct flavour of thyme. B. found the sauce a little too thick so I said next time we could use less cornstarch or cut it out altogether. The next morning I found the recipe on the kitchen counter with a little note scrawled next to the word "cornstarch" saying something along the lines of "use less for a thinner sauce" - awww, too cute.


We also roasted some beets, which don't really require a recipe - peel, trim and quarter them, toss them in a little olive oil and pepper (and salt, I guess) then roast them in a 450°F (230°C) oven until you can pierce through them easily with a fork (about 20-25 min). You can still roast at a lower temperature; the cooking time will just be longer. We had parsley on hand so I chopped some up and tossed those together with the cooked beets, but I think any herb will do. I also like my beets with chevre and B. had some goat's feta on hand, which was pretty good too.

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Grape Sauce
From EatingWell
Serves 4

• 4 cups (1 L) red and/or green grapes
  
• 1 - 1¼ lb (450 - 565 g) pork tenderloin, boneless, trimmed
  
• ½ tsp (2 mL) salt
  
• ½ tsp (2 mL) freshly ground pepper
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
  
• ¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped shallots
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) Madeira* or sweet white wine
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) reduced-sodium chicken broth
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tsp (5 mL) dried
  
• 2 tsp (10 mL) Dijon mustard
  
• 2 tsp (10 mL) water
  
• 1½ tsp (7 mL) cornstarch

*Madeira is a sweet Portuguese dessert wine that you should be able to find in the liquor store. It goes well with brie.

1. Position racks in the middle and lower third of oven; preheat to 425°F (220°C).
   
2. Place grapes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Roast on the lower rack, shaking the pan occasionally to turn the grapes, until they are shriveled, 25 to 30 minutes.
   
3. Meanwhile, rub pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn the pork over and transfer the pan to the top oven rack. Roast the pork until just barely pink in the center and an instant-read thermometer registers 145°F (63°C), 12 to 14 minutes. (Watch the clock or your pork will become tough!) Transfer the pork to a cutting board to rest before slicing.
   
4. Place the pan over medium heat (use caution, the handle will be hot), add shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add Madeira (or wine) and cook until reduced by half, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in broth, thyme and mustard; bring to a simmer. Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir into the pan sauce. Cook until thickened, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the grapes. Serve the sliced pork with the grape sauce.

Nutrition Info (per serving, or ¼ recipe): 295 calories, 6 g fat (2 g saturated), 92 mg cholesterol, 23 g carbohydrate (1 g fibre, 15 g sugar), 31 g protein, 465 mg sodium. An excellent source of thiamin (vitamin B₁), riboflavin (vitamin B₂), niacin (vitamin B₃), vitamin B₁₂, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, manganese and selenium. A good source of pantothenic acid (vitamin B₅), iron and magnesium.

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VANCOUVER: Jazz Brunch at Nu

My family and I spent Christmas long-weekend in Vancouver (I had to come back for work, they stayed till New Year's Eve). In that short amount of time, we tried to squeeze in some nice meals, including a "meh" Christmas buffet at Cloud 9, dim sum at Top Gun, and a traditional Chinese dinner at Kirin. I also had my first taste of apple-beet juice from a shop at Aberdeen Centre. But the meal that was probably the most out of our family's comfort zone was the jazz brunch at Nu.

Nu is a tiny, sunny restaurant perched on the edge of False Creek (offering gorgeous views of the marina) across from Granville Island. Despite its small space, they host a lot of events and parties - in fact, my cousin once attended a wedding reception held there. Nu's focus is a farm-to-table approach, serving up food from local producers. A plaque noting that it was enRoute Magazine's Best New Restaurant of 2006 is proudly displayed in the dining room.

For brunch, there is a table d'hôte menu where you have your choice of appetizer, beverage and main dish for (I believe) under $30. My parents and sister ordered from that menu (though they don't drink, so it was probably a ripoff), whereas I resisted the siren calls of the Candy-Striped & Golden Beet Salad and the Mimosa and just ordered off the mains. But before that - freebies!


Please excuse my sloppy photo-editing skills.
We were greeted with a plate of grapes and house-made preserves as we sat down...


...and a tiny mug of rich, foamy hot chocolate and a citrus scone (which went very well with the berry preserves) as we waited for our food to arrive.

It was the Sunday after Christmas after all, and I believe the restaurant was probably short-staffed as our food took quite a while to arrive. The waitress handled it very professionally, pre-emptively apologizing and was very gracious even when my dad tried to complain, fresh from a "victory" where he scared away the host at Cloud 9, never to return for the whole evening.

The food did eventually arrive though -


My parents and sister all started off with some Deep Fried Oysters with Lighthouse Lager Shooters ($3 each; the table d'hôte came with an order of two). I didn't have the chance to try one but they were nice and crispy on the outside and warm and meaty on the inside. My sister obviously couldn't have any of the beer, but my mom preferred the oysters without it and my dad looked pretty funny trying to suck back the leftover lager from the dropper by itself.


I had the Vegetarian Benedict ($11.90), which was simple, but delicious. I'm usually not a fan of hollandaise sauce, but found that this one was rich without being overpowering and the eggs were cooked to medium, which is the way I like them (I hate chasing runny yolk around!) The dish also came with a fresh, minty salad and all the dishes came with this tomatoey sauce on the side (cooked salsa?) which had a hearty, chili-like flavour that everyone in my family enjoyed. My mom said it was her favourite part of the dish.

I didn't have a chance to take photos and get verdicts on the other dishes my family had - I think my dad had the Dungeness Crab Benedict, my grandma and cousin got the basic two eggs, bacon, hash browns and baguette and my mom had... an omelette? I think the general consensus was that the food was just "ok" for my family - they were out of their comfort zone and had to wait, which made their impression of the restaurant even worse.


My sister liked her Warm Chicken and Brie on a Baguette ($13.90) though, and I think we were all a little jealous of the fruit salad that came with it.

While I don't think my family will be going back, my cousin's girlfriend (who recommended the restaurant to us) said that she'd never experienced slow service before, so if I'm ever in Vancouver again, I'll definitely drop by and try some of their other dishes, enjoy the view, then ride the Aquabus to Granville Island.

Nu
1661 Granville St
Vancouver BC V6Z 1N3
(604) 646-4668
Online reservations available.

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