Fantastic make ahead salad good for lunches all week. Rice noodles and spicy lime peanut sauce with fresh shredded veggies like carrots and purple cabbage and seasoned with lime wedges, peanuts,cashews, and cilantro. It’s hard to go wrong and real … Continue reading
I picked up a couple of sushi rolls and decided to round out the meal with a home-brewed pot of green tea. Then thought, why stop there? I steamed some fresh spinach and tossed it in the “blast chiller” aka … Continue reading
Alright, so this was neither paleo nor low carb but you know what, sometimes you just have to take life by the sweet gravy covered fries and enjoy it. Smokes Poutine gives massive portions with a variety of topping combinations to choose from. I ordered the pulled pork poutine, which was very hearty and filling, but I wished there had been more pulled pork. There were also not a lot of cheese curds, but an abundance of fries, perhaps to mask the lack of other toppings and make you feel your $9 was well spent?
We also ordered the Philly cheesesteak which I was not impressed with, at least in regards to the processed orange squeeze cheese that came on top of it. The flavour was so artificial it detracted from the steak/onions/mushrooms/peppers.
If I sound like a poutine snob it’s because I lived in Montreal for five years, and it honestly doesn’t get better than that. A good poutine isn’t about the add-ons, it’s about the quality of the gravy, the cheese curds, and for me, the thickness of the fries ( McDonalds poutine doesn’t cut it for me because those fries are too flimsy).
Smoke’s gravy has a distinct flavour, very down-homey like it was made in your gramma’s kitchen. It packed a lot of flavour, but it is also a very distinct taste. I would like to go back and try a regular poutine with no toppings because it was just a lot going on flavourwise, and overall very jumbled. The fries were thick cut and well seasoned, and that’s a major plus. The cheese curds, well there could have been more.
Amazing chicken shawarma atop a Greek salad from the Babylon Cafe in the West End. Omm nom nom, meat salad.
Heres a quick and easy lunch I made after rummaging through my fridge. I eyeballed the measurements as I was using up some leftover coconut milk/peanut sauce; I’m sure you’ll use as much or as little of the ingredients as you want to anyways, it really depends on what you have in your pantry and it’s not a complicated dish.
In a medium pot bring water to a boil then add rice noodles (they are gluten-free), or ramen noodles if that’s what you have on hand. Meanwhile saute garlic in oil until fragrant. Add diced tofu pieces and cook until crispy, about 5-7 mins. Add julienned carrots,onion, and a splash of soy sauce and fish sauce, saute another 2-3 minutes. Next pour spicy peanut sauce and coconut milk into pan, bring to a boil and then simmer until everything mixes and thickens up. Add noodles and make sure they are evenly coated in sauce. Serve garnished with cilantro, green onions, red pepper flakes and lime wedges. The whole process takes about 20 minutes.
Great additions to this dish could include chicken, crushed peanuts, bean sprouts, egg, or Thai chili.
Can we just take a moment and drool over these photos? Excuse me while I toot my horn for a second.
Now that we’ve taken care of that, I made a yummy snack! I’m not reinventing the wheel here people, but if you haven’t tried roasted chickpeas you probably should. Especially if you’re prone to munching on chips and other less body-friendly treats, ahem, myself included. The salt and oil measurements can be adjusted to your personal taste, as can the seasoning, plus a can of chickpeas is like what, a dollar? Hey-o to that!
1 can chickpeas ( although I would highly recommend using two cans and doubling the recipe because we ate everything within 5 minutes)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Sprinkling of sea salt, to taste
Red pepper flakes, optional, but why not spice it up a bit, right?
Preheat oven to 375.
In a medium bowl add chopped rosemary, minced garlic, and olive oil.
Drain and rinse chickpeas under lukewarm water and pat dry. If you’re patient, remove the skins. If you’re in a hurry, toss them in with the rosemary and oil mixture.
Toss chickpeas around in the bowl to fully coat. Add a pinch of salt.
Pour chickpeas out on a baking sheet and cook for 30-45 minutes,depending on how crunchy you like ‘em. After 15 minutes I shook the pan to rotate the chickpeas to ensure even baking.
Remove from heat, season with sea salt and red pepper flakes. They’ll be hot, so let them cool first. Enjoy!
