Mediterranean Couscous Salad with Arugula and Spinach

Lately I’ve seen couscous take a back seat on the quinoa bandwagon, so I thought it was about time to bring it to the foreground again. Mixing the couscous with arugula and spinach stretched out the ingredients and we were able to get two delicious meals of it.

This was a great meal for a hot summer night, and was even better the next day after the flavours had soaked in. Add some sliced avocado for a little extra umph and put it into a whole wheat pita with humus for lunch the next day. Yummers.

Mediterranean Couscous Salad

1 cup couscous
1 big clove garlic, minced
1 roma tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup each of cucumber, red, yellow, and orange peppers, finely chopped
red onion, finely chopped (to your taste)
4-5 depitted olives and a splash of olive juice
a big handful each of arugula and spinach
juice from half a lemon. Garnish with extra lemon slices and/or zest
fresh feta, to your taste.
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp olive oil

Pour 1 cup uncooked couscous into 1 cup salted boiling water. Remove from heat and let stand for 3 minutes. When cooked, drizzle with olive oil and fluff with a fork.

Chop tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, olives, and onion to similarly sized pieces. Add vegetables to couscous along with minced garlic, parsley, crumbled feta, and the juice from half a lemon. If you’ve bought bottled olives, adding a splash of the juices extends the flavour without having to use a lot of olives.

In a large salad bowl pour two tablespoons olive oil over arugula and spinach. Add couscous and mix. Salt and pepper to taste, garnish with lemon zest or additional lemon wedges.

I had every intention of making my own rosemary/garlic/thyme/lemon chicken, even bought all the ingredients… then I stumbled upon Jackson’s Rotisserie at The Public Market and everything smelt so good and it was all ready to eat … so I caved a bought a pre-made chicken. It was delicious, but next time I will make my own.

Garlic Basil Bites & Strawberry Feta Bruschetta

I have two fresh summer snack ideas for you today. One recipe is sweet, a great treat or appetizer, while the other is a savory revamped take on your classic garlic bread. They are quick and simple and delicious.

Strawberry Feta Bruschetta

1 Baguette
1 1/2 cups strawberries, rinsed and chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup feta cheese (goats cheese also works well) but let’s be honest with each other, you’re gonna use as much cheese as you want
Dash of salt
A liberal drizzling of balsamic reduction (balsamic vinegar does the trick if you’re not up to making the reduction)

Warm the whole baguette in a 350 degree oven. Meanwhile in a medium-sized bowl mix together all other ingredients. When the bread is warmed through, remove from oven, slice horizontally and spoon the strawberry mix onto each slice. Drizzle with more balsamic, serve and enjoy!

BASIL GARLIC BITES

1 Baguette
5 finely chopped basil leaves
2 finely minced garlic cloves
3 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated parmesan (optional)

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. When butter starts to bubble add minced garlic and basil. Sautée until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

There are a couple of ways to prepare this:
Warm the whole baguette in a 350 preheated oven. Slice and brush with basil butter, serve.
Or, if you have access to a BBQ, slice your bread diagonally and grill before brushing with garlic basil butter.
Or, slice open your baguette lengthwise. Brush either side with the garlic basil butter, top with grated cheese and broil until golden.

Nomnomnom! This goes great with a red sauce and of course, a bottle of wine. Happy Eating!

Just A Quick Bite To Eat

So life has been hectic yet rewarding the past couple of weeks. Activities included 5 days in Las Vegas followed by 2 days moving/setting up a new apartment. Now that the dust has settled, I’m happily in my new apartment with a sweet tan and a not-so-sweet extra 5 pounds round my mid section. I haven’t had a lot of time to cook, so here are some photos of the meals I encountered.

Browns Social House

I go to Browns for their daily drink specials (on Monday it was a wicked spiced apple Whisky Sour). I’ve been for appetizers and drinks in the past, and those were alright (liked the chicken wings and dry ribs) but nothing has ever stood out. This was the first time I tried their entreés.

#28 Dragon Bowl

Surprisingly good, this dish came with choice of teriyaki chicken or tofu over coconut rice, vegetables, red cabbage and spicy yogurt sauce. Exactly what I wanted after stuffing my face with burgers and steaks in Vegas. Would have liked a few more vegetables but other than that no big complaints. I would order this again if I returned.

Fettuccine Carbonara , C

“alfredo sauce, smoked bacon, sweet peas, blackened chicken, garlic toast”

Sounds good, right? I was so torn between ordering this or the #28 Dragon bowl. Luckily I went with the dragon bowl because I didn’t like this dish at all. I thought there was nothing special about it, I could have made it at home the flavours were that bland. Phil liked the taste of the blackened chicken, and said it was exactly what he was looking for post-Vegas.

( Sorry for the horrible photo. I think it’s indicative of the quality, Phil says I’m dramatic and a picky eater)

EARL’S 

I’ve been to Earl’s for lunch and had their very well priced Soup-Salad-Sandwich combo. Loved it. I was very impressed with their dinner menu as well.

Dungeness Crab and Asparagus Linguini,

“saffron cream sauce, tomatoes, asparagus, lemon oil, prawns and Dungeness crab”

I’m obsessed with crab right now. I loved this dish because they cut up the prawns and crab meat so every bite with filled with seafoody goodness. This also meant I had to eat every bite in order to get all the seafoody goodness and I was quiet full by the end. The lemon oil was present without being overpowering or artificial.

7oz Certified Angus Beef Top Sirloin 

“Yukon Gold garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal fresh vegetables”

Good steak, slightly undercooked for what Phil asked (medium but it came medium rare). The seasoning was spot on though, and the mashed potatoes amazing. He wished he ordered the 9oz. They gave him a good handful of veggies though, unlike the Keg where your lucky to get more than a green bean and piece of red pepper.

The Gluten-Free Dom order the salmon feature and ate it all before a photo could be snapped. Hungry Girl.

Jeera Chicken Curry

 ”authentic spicy Indian curry, tender chicken, coconut jasmine rice and fresh baked naan bread”

I really liked the presentation of this dish. The only complaint I heard (repeatedly) was that the spice level was too low. I’m not sure if this was directed towards the seasoning or the heat level, but everyone finished their plates regardless.

Cinco de Mmmmmayo Baja Shrimp Tacos

Happy Cinco de Mayo everybody! For those of you wondering what Cinco de Mayo is all about, google it! Or Wikipedia it! For us it meant splurging on delicious Americanized Mexican food, and gosh darn it the meal was amazing.

 If I can depart any wisdom on my readers it is trust staff recommendations. The first time I entered Chronic Tacos, wide-eyed and hungry, one of the colorfully tattooed cooks took me under his wing and guided me through the ordering process. Battered fish/shrimp Baja style is the way to go, and he was 100 percent right.

I ordered three tacos, the battered shrimp (pictured above), grilled fish, and the carnitas (shredded pork). They recommend getting it “baja style” which includes fresh squeezed lime, cilantro, and Baja sauce. DO IT.

The heaping tacos are made to order with fresh ingredients and varying degrees of hot sauces. My only complaint is that guacamole was an extra $1.00. Other than that, the prices are reasonable for the amount of food you receive.

I was told my battered shrimp was going to take a while, as they were making it fresh. At 9:00pm this was welcomed, proving again the freshness of their products. The shrimp was well worth the wait. There were about four large shrimp, enough for each bite to be delicious. Crunchy on the outside, tender inside, I recommend trying this. It was also loaded with fresh tomato salsa, cabbage or lettuce, and cheese. The grilled fish wasn’t as outstanding, and didn’t have as defined a flavour. The only thing that stood out for me was the taste of the tomatoes, so I don’t think I would get it again.

Baja Style Battered Shrimp Taco

By far the shrimp was my fave, with the carnitas coming in second. This taco came with guacamole,  probably why I liked it haha, but compared to the bursts of flavour in the shrimp the carnitas was only so-so. They don’t skimp on portions though, this taco came filled with meat and had a hardy spoonful of guacamole.

Carnitas

If you’re hungry and craving good fast food (yes, I believe there is such a thing), go for Chronic Tacos. Today they are featuring Cinco De Mayo drink and food specials  at all their locations, and festivities at their Gastown location!  Might just have to make a repeat appearance….