Mediterranean Breakfast Hash

Two poached eggs over kale, red pepper, onion, green olives and bacon, with a side of avocado and kiwi. De-Lish!

Gordon Ramsey’s Perfect Scrambled Eggs

These are not your average eggs; they’re Gordon Ramsey’s perfect scrambled eggs. Somewhere in an underground lair Paula Deen and Gordon Ramsey are conspiring against my paleo diet; the not-so-secret secret ingredient to these scrambled eggs is butter, lots of butter. And then there’s the creme fraiche. So not exactly paleo friendly, but if you’re committed to living the Dino-lifestyle I have used his technique to make these without the added dairy (it can still satisfy your scramble egg cravings).

Breakfast must-haves to accompany my eggs included bacon – cause really whats the point of breakfast if there isn’t bacon – a heaping bowl of fruit salad, and a shot of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. The Union Jack coffee mug completes my English breakfast.

Quick Oats with Almond Butter and Jam

There’s not much you can’t accomplish when you start your day with a well-balanced breakfast like these quick oats with almond butter, jam, and banana. Almond milk is such a great lactose alternative, especially in this dish, where it lends a creamy nutty flavour,

Oatmeal with Almond Butter, Blueberry Jam, and Banana

1 1/2 cup quick oats
3 cups water
1 tsp vanilla
1 banana
1 spoonful almond butter
1 spoonful sugar-free blueberry jam
almond milk

In a medium pot, add a pinch of salt to three cups water and boil. When boiling, add oats and stir, turning heat down to medium. Cook until oatmeal has a thick consistency. Stir in vanilla. Chop up banana in the bottom of your bowl, top with oatmeal and a scoop of almond butter and jam ( I used blueberry). Top with banana slices and almond milk.

Best enjoyed with the morning paper and a cup of coffee.

Chocolate Almond Milk Pancakes

Waking up early on a saturday morning to make these is worth every bite. Healthy, chocolate pancakes – which can be made with almond milk or soy – are much more satisfying than anything you pour out of a box.

1 cup flour
1 cup chocolate almond milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
pinch of salt

Top with sliced banana, blueberries, powdered sugar, and of course, maple syrup.

Brunching it at Caffe Barney

Mm, mm, brunch, my favourite weekend past time.

Last Sunday we decided to try out Caffe Barney, a small South Granville restaurant with a big reputation for their eggs benedict. at 11:45 we didn’t have to wait for a table, however I have seen line-ups outside the restaurant before. The atmosphere was casual; service staff were a bit hard to pick out, as there was no uniforms or name tags. Our server was friendly at first, but I think he got peeved after I changed my order (sorry dude!), and he didn’t return to our table to quality control, only to drop off the bill. Luckily for him, everything was delicious, and the couple sitting beside us shared their hot sauce and ketchup with us.

Obviously I had to see what was what and put in my two-cents so I ordered the chorizo benedict. It  came smothered in a delicious hollandaise over two perfect poached eggs and a fabulous tomato salsa. Oh, and a whole wheat English muffin. My only complaint would be there was not enough salsa or hollandaise! I’m a saucy girl, what can I say.

Phil, the egg-hater, got the cranberry turkey sandwich with a side of fries. They certainly didn’t skimp on the fries, although there wasn’t a lot of potatoes on my benny ( maybe our server was still mad about the switch? Or maybe i’m just a greedy little girl with eyes too big for her own stomach). The fries were light and crispy, although Phil particularly liked the cranberry sauce in his sandwich because it didn’t taste “artificial or canned.” 

We also ordered two glasses of orange juice. Fresh tasting with lots of pulp, these drinks were 4 bucks each. All in, we spent about $35. I would go back because I want to try more bennys!

Slickity Jim’s Chat ‘n’ Chew

This was an impromptu lunch at Slickity Jim’s on Monday after an impromptu night of drinking on Sunday. It is a cute little joint with a quirky interior and unique menu titles. There was only one – but very friendly - waitress working and one cook. The food took as long to come out with only one person cooking it all.

Our waitress informed us that they had a very busy weekend, and were out of the pulled pork. THE HORROR and disappointment in Phil’s eyes was almost too much to handle on an empty stomach. He settled for his second choice, a grilled chicken and brie sandwich called Watching The Angels Fall, $10.50. It came with his choice of soup, roasted potatoes, salad, or coleslaw.

The chicken was extremely tender, despite how lack luster the sandwich looks. But overall I thought it was just okay, kind of missed the mark somewhere.

When I asked Emilie what she liked about her Artichoke Heart Brie Burger, $11.50, she said “What didn’t I like. It was brie.” Well said Emilie, well said.

But in all seriousness, she said eating this burger didn’t feel unhealthy. The bun was quite substantial, and the vegetables fresh. It was like a homemade burger, filling without being unfulfilled. She opted for a lean ground beef patty but you could also choose from turkey, chicken, or a house made veggie patty.

I had The Breakfast of Broken Dreams for $9.50. Two easy poached eggs over an English muffin with caramelized onions, spinach, and warm gorgonzola sauce. I found it very satisfactory and only somewhat broken, as the “warm” gorgonzola sauce was actually stone cold. Like, ugggghhh, really?

Caramelized onions harmonized in TRIUMPH with the gorgonzola sauce, which despite being luke-warm at best actually tasted good. I was surprised by the uncooked spinach; it was interesting, definitely not bad but I assumed based on the menu description that it would be steamed or something.

Phil also ordered a mocha milkshake which took for-ever to arrive (granted the ice cream had been frozen like a rock according to our server) but when it arrived it was good. And topped with whipped cream. So worth the wait. However, I didn’t think it was as good as my fresh fruit smoothie!

Will I go back? Yes. Why? Because I’m just too damn hungry not to, and the dishes were intriguing enough to warrant a second sitting. Also, Slickity Jim’s has really cute plates. Oh, and Phil wants to try the pulled pork. And I hear they have a good dinner menu with chicken pot pie. And a fried egg and cheddar burger, one of my Bucket List meals. Ugh, I’m so hungry.