It’s Official!

As I gaze through this window, neatly framed with a potful of wild flowers and herbs, I come to realize that I may be having a change of heart. This may be it… vegetarian is our NEW FAVORITE! And it is here to stay and perpetually defend the top spot.

“The Table” is a vegetarian / vegan restaurant in the heart of the capital and it consistently won The Consumer’s Choice Award. Well, I am not surprised. The first time my hubby introduced the notion of dining in a vegetarian resto, I immediately thought of huge piles of crispy lettuce and tomatoes with a glob of Caesar dressing on top, or at least a choice of the usual vinaigrette or oriental (why does oriental always have to be sweet?!). Yeah, I know, how ignorant! Upon entering the cozy restaurant painted with calming, earthy colors, and accented with several pieces of artwork for sale (clever idea), little did I know that I am about to enter an unexplored territory with a whole new dimension of flavors, colors, and textures. It was a sensual feast! I must say kudos to the chefs who prepared this exquisite food for taking the flavors to the next level, and using only organic and natural products. No matter how much you pig out, you will never feel a strain of guilt, it’s all good.

My Vegetarian Platter
This was not my best plate, but merely a light afternoon indulgence to spoil myself.
The setup is buffet style, portions are weighed and you pay by weight.

Guiltless Chocolate Cakes
Dark Chocolate Fudge, Chocolate Cheesecake (rich and creamy, don’t even ask me how…), Coconut-Chocolate Smidget

Assorted Cakes
Carrot Walnut Cake, Chocolate Mousse Dome
And do you need a reminder that this is from a vegetarian restaurant?

Here are some more shots from another vegetarian restaurant called “The Peace Garden” which is more budget friendlier than the latter. It  is situated amidst the hustle and bustle of a corporate building, and the ambiance and trickles of the nearby fountain almost feels like refuge from life’s daily stress. They are more Indian inspired due to the generous use of curry, turmeric, coriander, fennel seeds and other aromatic spices.  The Samosa was extra spicy! *sniff*

Spicy Curry Samosa with tangy Salsa

Colorful Vegetable Spring Roll with Plum Sauce

We tried and will keep trying other vegetarian and vegan restaurants, the experience is always pleasant and rewarding.

Go green everyone!

Feeling a little “crepey”…

Yet another breakfast post, but what the heck! Somehow, when you are a little tired of pancakes, but sorta-kinda still love it, you would resort to a slight deviation but still in the same league. Think about creating a fashion collection, with varying designs, but still tied to a communal theme. Ok, maybe not that complicated but you get the idea, right Avril?

Crepes are so overrated and sometimes over the top. It’s just a pancake on a diet and you just throw some fruits, fluff, and squiggles and you get an overpriced platter of pile ons. Love ‘em but I prefer the home made version which will not amp my blood sugar to skyrocketing spikes. Also, it’s a good excuse to use your leftover fruits that are already showing signs of old age (age spots!). In my case, apples – which were supposed to be in a Waldorf salad, but never had the time to make it.

Apple Cinnamon Crepes

Apple Cinnamon Filling

2 organic apples, cored and sliced thinly
(here I used 1 red delicious and 1 golden apple)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
maple syrup

1. Melt butter in pre-heated pan over medium heat.
2. Once bubbling, add apple slices and evenly distribute over pan. Make sure to flip the slices and cook both sides.
3. Sprinkle the cinnamon and nutmeg and drizzle over the maple syrup.
4. Cook until fruit is softened and caramelized.

Basic Crepes

1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk (I use 10% / half and half)
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
butter to grease the pan

1. Mix ingredients with a hand-held mixer until smooth without lumps.
2. Melt butter in the pre-heated non-stick pan over medium heat.
3. Pour a thin layer of batter just enough to cover the entire surface of the pan. Slightly tilt the pan on all sides to help distribute the batter evenly. The batter cooks fast, and once it harden, turn to cook the other side.

Fill the crepes to your heart’s content. I don’t encourage putting whip cream, chocolate syrup, or powdered sugar; but if you want some extra sweetness, you can always drizzle additional maple syrup or raw honey. Bananas also make a great, no-cook shortcut. You can also add cream or goat cheese, and yogurt to any fresh fruit of the season.

From the Cradle of Civilization

Miss me?

Sorry, I have been gastronomically busy indulging in authentic Palestinian cuisine (complete with the appropriate wares) that’s definitely a treat to all my senses… from the 1st, to the 6th!  Needless to say, I have been haunted by the fragrant spectrum and aromatic smell of Eman’s Cardamom kitchen. A scent that re-wires my brain to pick up a new found olfactory perception of wholesome, exotically traditional food prepared by loving hands.

This cuisine is as complex and exquisite as the wispy and ornamental Arabic script. The undeniable creativity and range of flavors are a testament to the intellectual capacity of the people from the fertile crescent. A fact that no powerful barbarian can deny nor extinguish.

Here is a glimpse of Levant heaven from a minute, crowded kitchen in a high rise sanctuary.

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Zaatar (thyme, oregano, marjoram, sesame, salt)
spiced chicken with potatoes,
Chicken and vegetable casserole in phyllo pastry,
Khiar Be Laban (cucumber with minted yogurt)

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Baked chicken and vegetable casserole
in phyllo pastry topped with bechamel sauce

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Maqluba
(upside down rice, eggplant and meat casserole usually with allspice )

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Oozie  Rice
(rice boiled in chicken stock, topped with vegetables,
spiced beef cubes, roasted almonds and raisins)

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Kousa Mashi
(Bell pepper, zucchini, and eggplant
stuffed with rice and beef, simmered in tomato sauce)

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Baked Mashi Batata
(carved potato stuffed with spiced ground beef and baked in chicken stock)

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Sfeha (round minced lamb pie)
Fatayer Bil Sabanekh (triangle spicy spinach pie)

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Homemade Baklawa
(rolled layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts -
pistachio & almond – soaked in rose water syrup or honey)

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Roz Bil Halib
(rice and milk pudding with dark chocolate shavings and caramel sauce)
Pumpkin pie and
Cardamom Arabic coffee
(usually unsweetened to complement sweet desserts)

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Konafa
(fine vermicelli pastry with cream and drenched in sweet rose water syrup)

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Fattoush (Garden veggies with fried pieces of pita bread)

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Tabbouleh (diced parsley salad with burgul, tomatoes, mint
mainly seasoned with olive oil, salt, and lemon)

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Silky Levantine Cotton Candy
(spun sugar with flour, butter and pistachio nuts)

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Thank God for civilized people!

Autumn’s Offerings

It’s the season of wonderful foliage and falling leaves, and you think the local farmers at the organic market are already packing up their stalls, and the colorful produce are slowly withering to a dreadful plum… not so fast! Check out these vivid display of colors from our edible friends.

It’s definitely thanksgiving!

Muy Caliente! What a HOT display!

Flowering Pumpkins, a SMASHING idea!

I heard it from the tomato vine

Fallen Crab Apples

Gold cheeks down? or Rouged cheeks up?

The lonely Sgt. Pepper

Raging bonfire of chilis

Do you concur?

Farewell Smoked Meat

Summer waved goodbye, and Autumn just arrived but slowly shedding its wonderful golden fire glow. The sun is starting to follow the migrating birds and gloom is creeping in to settle for half a year. This post is dedicated to summer and the fun times we had… we ALWAYS had. As much as I loathe transforming from a happy and tanned Little Miss Sunshine, to a cold and pale Matrix agent, there’s just no escaping the inevitable.

Barbecue Lamb cutlets skewered

Chicken drumstick barbecue skewers

I would like to apologize to those people who are looking for a well measured recipe, but most often, the best results come from impromptu seasoning. A dash, pinch, splash, drop, sprinkle here and there, and hmmmm… maybe a smidgen of this will seal the deal. I always do marinades unplanned, open my cupboard, and concoct something that seems edible to my tasting mind. That’s what happens most of the time. I only search google when my light bulb is burned out. Anyway, here’s the basic BBQ marinade… just help yourself.

Barbecue Marinade

Chicken, Lamb or Pork meat
6 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
juice of fresh lemons
Tamari soy sauce
Ketchup or tomato sauce or tamarind sauce
maple syrup or brown, unrefined sugar (sometimes I substitute this with Ginger Ale when available)
lots of pepper
salt or fish sauce for a more defined taste

1. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients well.
2. Cover and store in the fridge to marinate for 2 days, or at least overnight, or at the very least, 30 minutes.
3. Pick a nice outdoor spot and grill to your heart’s content.

Au revoir!

Innspired

Inns usually recreate that old world feeling of warmth and antiquity. The baroque carvings that framed the hallway, and the scent of century old, creaking wood offers a rich history and a cool, vintage vibe. The exterior is most often Victorian inspired with chipped, white paint on the balusters and pillars, and an aged, washed-down earthy color on the entire facade.

We patronize bed and breakfast inns most of the time because of the homey feeling “away from home”… and I mean small houses with limited rooms. We adore the ornamental decors and the classic facilities such as the old heater that looks like a giant accordion and the antique, rustic furniture. There’s also the door knob with a see through key hole that provides an excellent view for peeping toms. And even peeping toms are way too archaic!

Hence, this dish is a tribute to the warmth and homey feeling of the Victorian houses we stayed in in Toronto, the firehall inn in Niagara and to the grandiose Victorian houses who stood the winds of change. The relevance may be a little off, but hey, you can’t contain and divulge certain life experiences and memories into 1 post.

Baked Shrimp

3 cups peeled, raw shrimps
2 big, plump tomatoes, sliced into cubes
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp. cilantro
cheese to sprinkle on top – feta or mozzarella
ghee
salt and pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Saute onion and garlic in ghee until you get the essences blended in. Add shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and stir until half cooked.
3. Place shrimp in a baking/oven dish and set aside.
4. Pan fry tomatoes and cilantro for a few minutes, season with pinch of salt if desired, and pour over shrimp.
   



5. Sprinkle the grated (or crumbled for feta) cheese on top and put inside oven.
6. Bake for 6-8 minutes depending on size of oven and texture desired.

Almost gone

2 Mornings…

These creations were inspired by our recent travel to Niagara and the numerous breakfast nooks there. We are breakfast people and we really value a good restaurant that serves quality breakfast. Before traveling, my hubby and I always do a thorough research with emphasis on places to visit and EAT. We do read reviews and recommendations from fellow tourists, and find out what kind of food they serve. We don’t want to throw ourselves in any resto just because we need to eat… we are critics in our own little way.

Garlic Roast Beef and Mozzarella omelet with *Garlic Baguette
* Buy a baguette, slice it and simply spread it with Provencal Garlic Butter – ethereal!

Scrumptiously layered

Montreal Style Smoked Meat with plum tomatoes, white onions and dill omelet

I promise to stay away from breakfast next time

Breakfast Espesyal

I love breakfasts!

I often have this certain excitement and recharged energy to make breakfasts. It’s fresh, warm, steamy and wholesome to nourish your body first thing in the morning – break the fast! All the desirable elements seem to synchronize together with it… the cool morning breeze, the sparkly dew, the premium sun rays, the serenity of the surroundings, and the aroma of freshly brewed, organic coffee. It feels divine when you know what you eat, and you strive to nurture your body with good, homemade-from-scratch whole foods.

I do love the traditional filipino breakfast composed of fried garlic rice, marinated meat, and sunny side up eggs. It’s a known fact that my hubby and I believe in the old, traditional animal fats consumed by our ancestors or the native people. These so called fats are scorned and modified by modern diets which explains newly developed allergies, intolerance and sensitivities.

I also use maple syrup extensively during breakfast to add a more sophisticated level of sweetness to just about anything. When you drizzle it over your coffee, it gives it that subtle but sharp woody flavor. All the while, I thought maple syrup is harvested by tapping the tree and letting the liquid flow for several days, so it’s OK to buy it from the grocery store. One day, I read an article that commercial harvesters use formaldehyde (used in embalming to preserve corpse) to extract the sap from the tree, and filters were stored using naphthalene (cockroach deterrent). I’m also not surprised that the FDA permits a certain level of residual formaldehyde because it only pose “little risk”. I guess we have to purchase all organic products nowadays, and not all organic products are equal too, you have to be a WISER consumer to distinguish the difference. The other alternative maybe is to live in a virgin forest and grow your own foods.

When there’s maple syrup, there’s pancake of course. Pancake is like a blank canvass that you can paint different flavors and textures on. For this entry, I topped it with yellow figs and cactus fruit – Mediterranean inspired!

Basic Pancake

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs

ghee / butter for greasing pan
maple syrup to drizzle on top

optional flavors / toppings:
sliced fruits
grated cheese
desiccated coconut
cinnamon or nutmeg
poppy seeds / flax / grains

1. In 2 bowls, separately mix the dry and wet ingredients.
2. Pour in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mix well.
3. Scoop the batter and pour onto pre-heated and greased pan.
4. When bubbles start to appear on the surface of the batter, it is ready to be flipped.

Another favorite breakfast of mine is the Avocado and Banana cream salad made by mother dear since I was a child. It’s fresh, cool and extremely easy to make, I can eat it every morning. Avocado also gives you the complete set of Omega 3, 6 and 9, it is a powerhouse! These two fruits are also at the bottom of the pesticide load list with only 1-2% detectable level. It’s not a good thing as we should not be exposed to toxins, but it is best to try to go organic as much as you can, especially if you are financially capable.

Avocado and Banana Cream Salad

3 pcs. avocados, sliced criss cut style and spooned off
2 bananas, halved vertically and cut into smaller pieces horizontally
1 to 1 1/2 cup whole, organic milk
maple syrup or sugar

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until the white milk turns thick and pale green from the avocado’s pigments.
2. Best served chilled.

Buenos dias!

Ode to the Kafta

Kafta meatballs pita

If other people have instant noodles as a staple back-up for quick fixes, we have portions of Kafta meat stocked and reserved for use during those days when the culinary part of your brain is impaired. Kafta is prepared, versatile and a very good, tasty, and healthy alternative to plain ground meat. I use it for meatballs, burger patties, shepherd’s pie filling, nacho topping, and just about any dish that requires ground meat. If you can afford pasture-fed ground veal, I strongly suggest you go for it!

What is Kafta?
from The Arab Table by May S. Bsisu

…Arab cooks take pride in the variety of ways they prepare kafta, a basic mixture of minced lamb or beef flavored with simple ingredients such as parsley and onions and seasoned with a mix of spices.

In Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan, kafta is most popular grilled on skewers, as in Kafta Mashwi, or baked with potatoes, tomato, and pomegranate juice, as in Kafta bi Tahini.

Most Middle Eastern Countries tend to use the basic kafta mixture of lamb, parsley, and onions mixed with allspice, black pepper, and salt.

Kafta meatballs with Mango and Shrimp paste salsa

Basic Kafta

1 packed cup finely chopped parsley
2 pounds lean ground beef or ground leg of lamb
1 pound yellow onions, minced
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. ground all-spice
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cardamon
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and knead with your hands until they are thoroughly incorporated and the dough is somewhat smooth. Shape as desired and refrigerate, covered, for up to 6 hours or freeze for up to 4 months.

Kafta pizza with white mushrooms and mozzarella

For more pictures of my Kafta creations, please visit my picture gallery.

Of Grilling

The first week of July is inspired by junk foods, BBQs and fireworks. The streets are littered with hotdog wrappings, poutine and soda cups, bloody napkins and what have you. Here in Northern America, BBQ usually means grilled burger patties and sausages, whilst back in the Orient, it generally refers to skewered chunks of meat on a fine bamboo stick… accompanied with stir-fried noodles or rice of course.

I personally prefer grilling over firewood, rather than gas or electric cookers. The flavor of smoke gives it that extra special something that is lacking in stove-top cooked meals. It also gives you that primitive edge Though grilling is not considered to be the healthiest choice, I think cooking over firewood is still better than modern substitutes such as gas and lava rocks, which can emit hazardous chemicals to your food. And of course, if you are opting for processed meat, you are likely to double, or make that triple your chances of ingesting carcinogens. Way to go!

Here I am jabbering about grilled meats when in fact the recipe for today is, well, fried. Sometimes grilling is not the quickest way to get to the bottom of your hungry stomach, so you have to explore other options. Anyhow, I am still adamant about grilling homemade, fresh burger patties due to the fear factor of seeing it slowly slither through the metal wires and drop into oblivion. I think in this case, I have to eliminate the fresh greens so it will stay put.

Sauteed Onions and Mushrooms

1 cup mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 big onion, sliced thinly
ghee / clarified butter
smidgen of salt (a hint)
optional: red pepper flakes

1. Sauté onions in ghee until semi transparent and soft.
2. Add mushrooms, season and continue stirring until cooked.
3. Set aside.

Beef Burger Patty

1/2 kg ground beef
1 onion, minced or processed in processor
1 tbsp. garlic powder or freshly minced garlic
3 tbsp. Cilantro (aka Coriander leaves), processed in processor
1 tbsp. oyster sauce or Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. fish sauce
salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Shape and flatten the meat into hamburger patties.
3. Fry patties on both sides until cooked.
4. Drain the extra oil by placing it on a tissue-layered plate.
5. Slightly warm burger buns in the toaster. Spread some mayonnaise if preferred.
6. Place burger patty and generously top it with the sauteed Onions and Mushrooms.
7. …and you know where this is going, blah, blah, blah…

Shut up and indulge.