Gastown Grazing

January 30, 2015March 12, 2015 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

One of Kale’s favourite foodie activities in Vancouver is hanging out in Gastown for a progressive dinner with friends. They hop from restaurant to restaurant for different courses throughout the evening. It can be called a dine-around or dinner crawl, depending on their mood; but the places are spontaneously selected and no two evenings are the same. That’s the fun part! For those of you less familiar with Vancouver, Gastown is a stylish, historic neighbourhood in the city centre and considered a hub for unique dining. Since most of Kale’s gastronomic experience of Gastown is nocturnally-driven, she thought a progressive lunch would be a good Kake2Kale challenge. And, to up the ante, Kale wanted to find comfort dishes, with superfoods, that can be eaten in a bowl. At first, I was skeptical and thought we could only eat pasta and soup. But Kale convinced me to be open and surprised by what we might find. I’m glad she did, and without any plans, here is how we grazed our way through Gastown on a rainy January afternoon!

Flying Pig
The Truffled Cauliflower Gratin with 4 cheeses on the menu of the Flying Pig restaurant peeked our interest. Kale and I knew we HAD to have it. As we were giving our order, the server suggested we order the brussel sprouts as well. They were served in boats, which was bowl-like enough for us. Wow, the brussel sprouts were outstanding. They were roasted with capers, which brought a brightness to the earthy flavor of the sprouts. The cauliflower, however, was a little underwhelming as they were under cooked. Please bear in mind I am not a restaurant reviewer, but I do know what I like. The cheeses were yummy though – white cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan. Cauliflower and brussel sprouts are both cruciferous vegetables which have indole-3-carbinol and promotes a healthy balance of good estrogen. They also have anti-tumour properties and are high in fibre. So we were off to a good start!

Jules Bistro
For a romantic meal where you feel like you’ve been whisked away to an intimate, pretty, little jewel (pun intended) of a restaurant in France, Jules Bistro is the place for you. More importantly, the food is delicious as well! We ordered a bowl of mussels with a leek cream sauce, which turned out to be light and flavourful. The sauce was sooo delicious, and I couldn’t stop dipping chunks of baguette into it. We went in search of our next course after being fortified with protein, Omega 3’s as well as minerals – like calcium, zinc and iron – from the mussels. Continue reading →

I Want to Be a Spice Girl

January 23, 2015March 12, 2015 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

I don’t really do resolutions anymore, because I realize something about myself (which is probably true of a lot of people) and that is – I have no trouble starting something, but sticking with it is a whole other matter. This doesn’t stop me from trying something new!

“Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want” I want to be a Spcie Girl! It’s because I want to use more spices in my cooking and which one to start experimenting with? In the last few years, turmeric has been gaining popularity in the supplement world because of its powerful active compound curcumin, which is actually a golden orange hued pigment. It has antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory properties and may even be instrumental in slowing down the effects of Alzhiemer’s disease. It has also supports the liver as a detoxifier.

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New Year New Food!

January 16, 2015March 12, 2015 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

What do aliens eat? Do they have the same food groups as earthlings? Do they care about eating local, organic and fair trade? What do their fruits and vegetables taste like, look like? Do they even eat? Or, have they done away with eating, which would be sad. I am fantasizing about alien cuisine because I’ve got food fatigue. That is what I am experiencing more and more these days. You must have those days too where you just can’t stomach another boring bowl of oatmeal, spring mix salad, or chicken breast. I want to travel with my tongue.

And so it was with gratitude that I came across 2014’s top ingredients of the year. And I find myself behind the food trend because it is now 2015 and there are foods from last year’s list that I have never heard of, ie. shishitos, leaf lard (I didn’t know leaves have fat) and gribenes to name a few. But I am happy to say there are many ingredients that are staples in my pantry.

The number one ingredient of last year is the spice mixture, zaatar, I remember reading about it a few years ago when it first burst onto the culinary scene, but have never tried it. Until now, it is a new year and new food, well, at least for me. So I went on the hunt for zaatar, and found it at a Mediterranean market. What exactly is zaatar? It is a mixture of herbs – thyme, oregano, marjoram – sumac and sesame seeds. You may be familiar with the first three ingredients, but sumac? What the heck is that? When I had gone to Turkey in the past, I brought some sumac back and didn’t really know what to do with it. But it is a berry that is dried and then ground into a powder. It has a tangy citrusy flavor.

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The Ultimate Hot Chocolate

January 9, 2015March 12, 2015 / Kake2Kale | Culinary Travel Adventures

Is it too early to talk about chocolate? Valentine’s Day is a month away, but oh what the heck. Chocolate never goes out of style, is never passé, and no one will ever says “Chocolate is so yesterday!”

One year when the season of Lent was approaching, I was wondering what I would give up for 40 days. Christians observe Lent by going through a season of self-denial to make room for the presence of God in our lives, and as a preparation for Easter. One should give up something that will be missed, something that will hurt a little. And so I gave up chocolate for 40 days because it had become something I had to have every day. It did hurt, but it made me aware of how much I thought I needed it. Was I on my way to becoming a chocolate addict? This might be overstating it, but I want to live a life where I am free to choose. And the act of giving up chocolate was a stark slap in the face, that is – I wasn’t free to choose chocolate as it had become something I had to have and not something I “get” to have. Once Lent was over, that first bite of chocolate tasted divine!

My relationship with chocolate has since become more balanced, and I don’t have to have it everyday. When I do have it, it should be really good. So, as I think about some food related highlights from 2014, I feel that visiting Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France with {Kale} was one of them. You can read about our visit here. We had the drinking chocolate and I have been meaning to make a version that was a little less rich, but no less satisfying. As a result, here is my ultimate hot chocolate!