product Archives - Page 17 of 21

In British Columbia

Lululemon x Stanley Park Brewing: Curiosity Lager Review

August 10, 2015

Lululemon and Stanley Park Brewing collaborated to create the limited edition Curiosity Lager just in time for the 2015 SeaWheeze Half Marathon and Sunset Festival in Stanley Park. It comes in 500ml cans and 4.6% alcohol.

I’ve never done a half marathon and I’m not likely to start, getting it at the SeaWheeze Half Marathon wasn’t an option. Luckily, beer-drinkers can get this at public and private liquor stores in Alberta and B.C.

There are only 80,000 cans that will be available through the Fall, so who knows, maybe one day it will be a collectors item.

I went to the BC Liquor Store and got this all access pack of 8 Stanley Park beers for $17.

2 x Curiosity Lager
2 x Windstorm
2 x 1897 Amber
2 x Noble Pilsner

Not too bad since I wanted to try their other beers a well. For this review, I will stick with the Curiosity Lager.

You can also purchase them in individual cans, but the store I went to didn’t have it.

When poured, it is clear, bright medium golden yellow colour to it. It is made with chinook and lemon drop hops, to give it its citus hop nose with a taste of bready malt, subtle fruit notes, and slight crisp and clean finish.

It pairs well with BBQ meats, rich seafood dishes, spicy Vietnamese or Thai.

The beer was ok, but it wouldn’t be my top pick of beer. I tried it out for curiosities sake. I much prefer lighter and fruity beers. Just a personal preference. I think if I had this with a spicy pepperoni pizza, I think it would taste amazing.

http://www.stanleyparkbrewery.ca/our-beer/curiosity-lager/

In product

The Good Bean: Chickpea Snacks

July 12, 2015

The Good Bean creates chickpea based snacks like chips and energy bars. I saw this big bag of salted chickpea snack and wanted to give it a try. You can find it at most food stores.

The chickpeas are roasted until they are crispy and crunchy. It is gluten-free, nut-free, vegan, kosher and non-GMO.

They have these in other flavours too:

Cracked Pepper
Smoky chili and lime
Sweet cinnamon
Mesquite BBQ
Thai Coconut
Chocolate

Once I popped a few in my mouth, I couldn’t stop eating. Even though it is salted it isn’t overly salty. I found that it is very filling, so have a small bowl to the chickpeas got me full.

Instead of grabbing a bag of chips at the grocery store, give The Good Bean Chickpea snacks a try.

Website:
http://www.thegoodbean.com/

In product

Jack Links: Small Batch Beef Jerky

July 8, 2015

I was at the grocery store and saw that Jack Link’s has a line of Small Batch beef jerky. M and I love jerky, so it was a no brainer to give it a try. We got them for around $5.99 per pack, which is a bit pricey considering there isn’t a lot inside the package. Only about 2.5 oz.

For the Link family, it all started with jerky recipes passed down from generation to generation & perfected over time. Among those early recipes a select few stand out, including Original #11. We’ve brought back this family heirloom in our Small Batch product line, using the same time honored traditions we did long ago.

The ingredients include beef, soy sauce, water, salt, sugar, flavourings, msg, sodium nitrate, and potassium sorbate.

All the pieces were either small strips like the picture above or small bits. This is probably the best flavour out of the bunch, but it is quite salty with a lot of smokey flavour.

The peppered recipe #15, is slightly different with more pepper seasoning on top.

The ingredients include beef, water, salt, sugar, flavourings, msg, sodium nitrate, and potassium sorbate.

You can really taste the pepper in the jerky, but for this package, we didn’t find a lot of larger pieces, mostly small bits.

The ingredients include beef, brown sugar, soy sauce powder, water, salt, sugar, flavourings, msg, sodium nitrate, and potassium sorbate.

There is a slight sweet taste, but the dominance of the salt and smoke really mask the teriyaki flavour.

Overall, all of the flavours were very salty and smokey in taste. I wouldn’t purchase these again as there are a few place in Vancouver that make outstanding beef jerky that far surpasses store bought jerky.

Website: www.jacklinks.com

In product

Yonanas: Weird Name, Awesome Healthy Ice Cream Maker

July 7, 2015

Yonanas is a healthy ice cream machine that will turn your frozen fruit into a dairy-free healthy soft-serve treat. I’ve seen these types of machines at tradeshows, but was always skeptical until I tried it myself.

The machine easily churns the ingredients to produce a treat with the texture of frozen yogurt or soft-serve ice cream. Yonanas does a better job than a blender or a food processor.

Amazon.ca Widgets

Inside the box, you will find that machine that is already assembled. Just plug it in and you’re ready to go.

You will also find a recipe book, instructions, and a guide to prepare the bananas.

You want to start preparing your bananas when it has the black cheetah spots. I found the best way is to peel them, chop them up into quarters and then freeze them in a zip lock bag.

For myself, I prepared some of my own fruit and some others I just bought frozen bags of fruit from the store. Do whatever is easiest for you.

Your throw in the fruit into the chute.

Push the plunger down into the chute to help the fruit go into the chamber with the blades to do its magic.

Then, out comes the ice cream. It comes out like ribbons, so its definitely hard to make it look pretty.

You should alternate your bananas and fruit, so you don’t end up like what we did. You probably want the flavours to be combined a bit more.

On our second try, we managed to do this a lot better.

It’s not very appealing when it comes out straight from the machine into the bowl, but it sure tastes good.

Yonanas Recipes

[tabs tab1=”Basic Fruit” tab2=”Cookies & Cream” tab3=”Mint Chocolate Chip” tab4=”PB&J with Waffle”]

[tab id=1]

2 frozen over-ripe bananas
3/4 cup of frozen fruit

To make this, insert the banana and frozen fruit in alternating order into the Yonanas machine to have a smooth consistency of flavour.

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[tab id=2]

2 frozen over-ripe bananas
2 chocolate sandwich cookies

To make this, insert the banana and sandwich cookies in alternating order into the Yonanas machine to have a smooth consistency of flavour.

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2 frozen over-ripe bananas
1 oz frozen mint chocolate chips

To make this, insert the banana and mint chocolate chips in alternating order into the Yonanas machine to have a smooth consistency of flavour.

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[tab id=4]

2 frozen over-ripe bananas
3/4 cup frozen mixed berries
1 tbsp room temperature peanut butter
1 toasted waffle

To make this, insert the banana and frozen fruit in alternating order into the Yonanas machine to have a smooth consistency of flavour.

Then in a bowl mix in the yonanas mixture with peanut butter and serve on the toasted waffle.

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It works with any fruit, so the next batch I tried was with mangoes.

I think I didn’t thaw my mangoes long enough, so I got inconsistent ice cream, so I threw it back into the chute to make it more smooth.

I think this definitely make it a lot better if you want to avoid random chunks of fruit or ice.

When you’ve finished pushing everything through the Yonanas machine, take it completely apart and use a spoon to rescue the creamy banana goodness that will still be hiding inside the machine. There’s a good amount of it in there, so make sure you don’t waste it.

Overall, the machine is pretty easy to use and does a great job transforming the frozen fruit into healthy ice cream. Since it has the special blades inside, it really creates the smooth ice cream consistency. Clean up is also easy as you only take the black part and you can leave the silver base on the counter. No need to unplug the machine and move it around.

It’s great for those who are lactose intolerant or want to have a healthier alternative to ice cream. Great item if you have kids to get them involved in making the Yonanas especially in the summer time since its so hot outside.

They retail for $50 CDN or less. The cheapest price I’ve seen for the Yonanas was at Walmart in Canada.

Website: yonanas.com

Amazon.ca Widgets

In alcoholic cocktails

Bombay Sapphire East: Summer Cocktails

July 3, 2015

Bombay Sapphire East is Bombay Sapphire’s next offering with taste of Thai lemongrass and Vietnamese black peppercorn flavours into the original Bombay Sapphire flavour combination – juniper, citrus, angelica, orris root, coriander, liquorice, cassia bark, almonds, cubeb berries and West African grains. You sure get a gin that reflects the spices of a lot of Asian countries.

This gin packs a punch at 42%.

I’m usually pretty boring and ask for a gin and tonic, but today I got to try it in some awesome summer cocktails – Loosen the Know and Eastern Crush.

[tabs tab1=”Loosen the Know” ]

[tab id=1]

one serving

0.5 oz simple sugar water
0.5 oz freshly squeezed lemons (lemon juice can be substituted)
1 oz Bombay Sapphire East
2-2.5 oz of sparkling wine
a scoop of lemon ginger sorbet gelato

In a serving glass or a pitcher, mix in the simple sugar water, freshly squeezed lemons, and Bombay Sapphire East. Then top it off with sparkling wine and the gelato.

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It’s very refreshing and I would have never thought gelato and gin would go well together. The sparkling wine pairs nicely too to add the carbonation.

[tabs tab1=”Eastern Crush“]

[tab id=1]

one serving

3 chunks of watermelon or 2 oz watermelon juice
pinch of cilantro
0.5 ounce of sugar
¾ oz of freshly squeezed lemons
1 oz Bombay Sapphire East
a sprinkle of grounded black pepper
ice

In a shaker cup, muddle the watermelon, cilantro, sugar and lemon together. Then, add in the Bombay Sapphire East, black pepper, ice and shake away. Then, strain out the mixture into your cup of ice and then garnish with cilantro.

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I just love watermelon, I can’t get enough of it in the Summer to just cool down.

You can pick up Bombay Sapphire East at your local liquor store. If you’re looking for a different type of gin to try out this summer, definitely give it a try.

In British Columbia

Hagensborg Chocolate: Truffle Pig Bars and Bites

June 7, 2015

The lovely people at Hagensborg Chocolates sent me a variety of chocolate to try out. They produce high quality All Natural European chocolate truffles right in Burnaby, BC. Their chocolate truffles have a soft ganche centre with a hard chocolate coating around them. Chocolate truffles are usually round in shape to resemble a truffle mushroom, but they take it a step further and have it shaped like a piggy.

Oink Oink! The Truffle Pig’lets retail for $1 each and I find its a good size to get a taste of the product. If you had a bunch of these in a bowl, I would probably devour them all.

The flavours that the Truffle Pig’lets come in are:

Milk Peanut Butter and Raspberry Jam
Dark Mint Chocolate Chip
Dark Peppermint
Peanut Butter
Milk Chocolate
Caramel
Dark Chocolate
Dark Hazelnut

All of them were good and I didn’t encounter a flavour that I didn’t like. If I had to choose my favourite flavour, it would have to be Dark Hazelnut.

They also have full-sized bars if you are craving a bit more. Imagine that 4 piggies make a bar.

Their newest flavours:

Crunchy Milk Almond
Crunchy Dark Almond
Truffle Salted Caramel
Sea Salt Caramel

They also have bar sizes of the Pig’lets flavours. The Truffle Pig Bars retail for about $3.50. I really liked the Crunchy Dark Almond bar as you can tell I really love nuts and chocolate. Best combination ever.

They sell them at their store in Burnaby, or at select specialty stores around the world. I once saw it at Urban Fare in Olympic Village too.

Address:
Unit 103 – 3686 Bonneville Pl.
Burnaby BC
Canada V3N 4T6

Website:
http://www.hagensborg.com/

In British Columbia

BC Tree Fruits Cider: Broken Ladder

May 21, 2015

After almost 80 years in fruit production, BC Tree Fruits is launching their BC Tree Fruits Cider Company. What better way to use up all the apples by making cider. Plus, BC does produce some amazing apples.

Their first cider is called Broken Ladder, a blend of six local BC Tree Fruit varieties picked from the Okanagan Valley orchards.

bc-cider

Broken ladder is well-balanced, golden-straw in colour with no added sugar or flavours. It proudly lists only one ingredient on the can – BC apples. Broken Ladder, is naturally gluten- free, with a traditional full bodied, and refreshing taste. It has 5.5% alcohol. Great for patio weather.

You can find it at select BC Liquor Stores, independent beer and wine stores, and restaurants.

Website: http://bctreefruitscider.com/

In British Columbia

Saul Good Gift Company: The Confectionist Gift Basket

May 4, 2015

Saul Good Gift Company created memorable gift baskets featuring artisan products from Vancouver, British Columbia. The local companies that they choose to be part of their gift baskets create amazing food and products. It’s a great way to experience the plethora of local talent.

I won a gift basket from work, so I decided to get The Confectionist Gift Basket from Saul Good.

Included in The Confectionist Gift Basket ($88) are:

Vanilla Salt Caramels, 2 piece box
Cocolico by Wendy Boys, Vancouver, BC
Caramelized Milk Chocolate Organic Pistachios
by Beta 5, Vancouver, BC
Bean-to-Bar Single Origin Organic Chocolate
by East Van Roasters, Vancouver, BC
Ginger Chocolate Cookies
by Kitchening & Co, Langley, BC
Raspberry Caramels
The Candid Confectioner, Vancouver, BC
Salted Caramel Pecan Popcorn
Batch Sweet Kitchen, Vancouver, BC
Hazelnut Crisp
Thomas Haas, North Vancouver, BC
Raw Lemon Coconut Cookies
Hippie Foods, Burnaby, BC

Opening the box was awesome! As a person with a sweet tooth, this was what I needed after a long day at work.

I loved every single item in the box. The highlights for me were the Hazelnut Crips, Caramelized Milk Chocolate Organic Pistachios, and the Vanilla Salted Caramels.

The gift basket is definitely pricey, but all the items individually are quite expensive too. It works well as corporate gift or when you want to impress someone who is a local fanatic.

Website: http://www.itsaulgood.com/

In product

M&M’s Chocolate Bar: Chocolate with More Chocolate

March 28, 2015

We all know and love M&M’s from our childhood. When I was at the store this weekend and it’s been a while since I’ve noticed they created their M&M’s Chocolate Bar.

M&M’s just went through a merger with the chocolate bar and the result – a deliciously successful conglomerate. Now you can have your chocolate bar and eat your M&M’s too! Creamy, smooth milk chocolate sprinkled with M&M’s minis Milk Chocolate Candies creates an irresistible crunch that, well, raises the chocolate bar to an M&M’s level.

You can snap off smaller portion pieces from the chocolate bar and share with friends. You will see bits of the M&M mini’s hiding underneath.

Mmm look at that! There’s a good amount of M&Ms inside of the bar. Every bite you will find a few of those little guys. It’s a good combination and its a bit addictive because of the crunchy texture that the M&M mini’s give to the chocolate bar.

Website: http://www.mms.com/us/chocolatebar

In product

Pepperidge Farm Cracker Chips: Ketchup

March 27, 2015

Pepperidge Farm makes chips?! They just came out with Cracker Chips is various flavours. I picked up their ketchup flavour from Safeway to give it a try. I thought they only made Goldfishes, but they do more that just that.

She shape of the chip reminds me of Crispers but with whole grain. It’s very crispy and topped with a lot of ketchup seasoning. It was a little bit addictive, but it’s only because I haven’t had ketchup chips in a long time.

The ketchup flavour isn’t 100% like Lay’s, but its pretty close.

Some of the other flavours it comes in are cheddar, Cheddar + Sour Cream, BBQ, and Zesty Chilli and Lime.

It’s an interesting concept, but I think I prefer to have Lay’s Ketchup chips to cure my chip cravings.

Website: http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/ProductDetail.aspx?catID=1583&prdID=121071

In British Columbia

Little BabyCakes: Miniature Cupcakes

March 25, 2015

The idea of Little Baby Cakes was conceived in summer of 2014, when the owners discovered an untapped market that would revolutionize the cupcake scene in Vancouver. Their philosophy is to present Vancouverites with a smaller (and healthier) cupcake option, produce artisan cupcakes made from quality ingredients, and support local businesses.

Little Baby Cakes’ cupcakes are crafted with care and love. Their quarter-sized cupcakes will satisfy your cravings without sacrificing your diet. Sometimes you just need a tiny taste.

At 1.5 inches tall, the cupcakes are much smaller than the average cupcake (and consequently, lower in calories). This creates the perfect opportunity for people who are health conscious to sample multiple flavours without the guilt of packing on pounds.

The prices of these one-bite indulgence cupcakes are $7 for 6, or $13 for 12.

They currently don’t have a storefront, but you can find them at Holt Renfrew on their Skybridge from March 26th – April 4th during regular store hours.

Double Fudge is a delight! You have the dark chocolate base finished with dark chocolate frosting, then dusted with powdered sugar.

Coconut Paradise has the original cupcake base topped with a blue coconut frosting and real coconut bits.

Earl Grey has the vanilla base, topped with the earl grey frosting and bits of tea on top.

Original is pretty standard but they make it pretty good.

Red Pearl has the Red velvet base with cream cheese frosting and sugar pearls on top.

Salted Caramel was interesting. It’s good if you like salty and sweet items.

I shared them around the office and my coworkers love the flavours and thought they would make an amazing addition to a baby shower since the cupcakes are teenie tiny.

I’m not a cupcake person, but I did find the size very enjoyable to eat.

Website: http://littlebabycakes.ca/

In product

Lay’s Canada: Milk Chocolate Covered Wavy Chips

March 24, 2015

I love finding new items at the grocery store. Earlier this year, Lay’s Canada introduced milk chocolate covered wavy chips just in time for Valentines Day. But, I rarely pay attention to whats new on the shelves unless I go hunting for junk food. Trying to be healthy is hard.

Chocolate covered potato chips by Lay’s was introduced in 2013 to the States, but we didn’t get it until 2015. I wonder why there was a delay.

The bags are much smaller than the regular chip bag. At 141g per bag, thats much smaller than their usual bags.

In the bag, you will see one side of the chips are heavily coated while the other side is quite sparse. The chip is still crisp and the chocolate and salt work well together if you like the salty sweet combination.

The chocolate is quite rich, so I would have preferred it to be dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

It’s in stores for a limited time, but you can still find them at stores like 7 Eleven, SuperStore, Loblaws or Save on Foods. They sell for about $5 – $6 from the stores I’ve been to. Pretty pricey when you compare it to regular chips.

Website: http://www.lays.ca/

In Contest

Catelli: Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains Pasta

March 23, 2015

Catelli Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains Pasta just launched in Western Canada in early 2015. It currently comes in 3 cuts – spaghetti, spaghettini and rotini. It is 100% whole grain pasta, made with 100% Canadian wheat and five ancient grains – quinoa, teff, amaranth, millet, and sorghum. These grains have funny names, but they each have their own health benefits. It’s all natural with no preservatives and GMO free certified.

Coupon codes for Catelli can be found here for a limited time and quantity. If you want to enter for a years supply of Catelli^® Healthy Harvest^®Ancient Grains pasta, scroll down.

Celebrity Chef Lynn Crawford shared with us her top 10 tips for cooking Whole Grain Pasta. Some people are unsure if they should be cooking the pasta differently than white pasta. These tips will help.

Watch your cooking time: Pasta should be cooked according to the cook time guide on the package to achieve the ideal al dente texture. For a professional twist, cut one to two minutes off the suggested cooking time, drain and finish off cooking your pasta in the sauce.

Skip the oil: There is no need to add oil to your cooking water. Despite popular belief, this actually takes away from the pasta’s final texture and ability to adhere to the sauce. Skip the oil and embrace the starchiness of your pasta.

Water your pasta: When cooking pasta, use a large pot. As basic as it sounds, it will make a difference in the outcome of your pasta. You will need one litre of water to about 100 grams of pasta. Using a large pot will give the pasta room to boil and help keep the noodles from sticking together.

Think salty sea: Add a generous amount of sea salt to the boiling water to ensure your pasta is well seasoned. You may even want to taste the water before adding your pasta to make sure there is enough salt.

Avoid rinsing: For hot pasta dishes, never rinse the pasta after cooking in order to retain the starch and enable warm sauces to better adhere to the pasta.

Create the perfect pair: Delicate pasta shapes go well with delicate sauces, and heartier, ridged shapes pair well with richer sauces and ragus. For example, try long thin pasta, such as spaghetti, with a classic marinara sauce. Penne, ziti or rigatoni lend themselves to thicker sauces with more texture, such as a ragu Bolognese.

Embrace the texture: Whole grain pasta has a hearty, firm texture that’s perfect for cold or chilled recipes and marinates well in tangy dressings. The firmness of the noodles also provides a good base for both crunchy and juicy fresh vegetables.

Top it off: With a nutty, rich flavour, whole grain pasta can take on other strong, complex flavours. Ingredients that pair well with whole grain pasta include garlic, chili, anchovies, rich pesto sauces, and bitter or dark leafy greens such as kale, Swiss chard and radicchio.

Take the heat: When preparing hot pasta recipes, keep your serving plates or bowls warm in an oven set to a low temperature until you’re ready to serve. This will ensure that your final dish stays nice and hot.

Crank up the flavour: Whole grain pasta is an easy base on which to build a healthy and delicious meal. Incorporate a lean protein, plenty of fresh vegetables, and seasoning with big flavours in the pasta for an even more nutritious and satisfying dish.

We found that the best cooking time for the pasta was around 8 minutes to have a nice al dente texture that wasn’t too limp or too hard.

Below are 3 recipes you can check out:

[tabs tab1=”Chef Crawford’s Classic Tomato Sauce” ]

[tab id=1]

Makes 4 cups (1 L)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1⁄8 tsp (0.5 mL) chili flakes
1 tbsp (15 mL) tomato paste
1 tsp (5 mL) sugar
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped parsley
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped basil

Instructions:

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and chili flakes. Cook until the onions are golden brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and sugar; cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley and basil.

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[tabs tab1=”Chef Crawford’s Basil Pesto Sauce” ]

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Makes 2 cups (500 mL)

Ingredients:

3 cups (750 mL) loosely packed basil leaves
¼ cup (60 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp (30 mL) pine nuts, toasted
2 cloves garlic
1 cup (250 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

In a food processor, combine the basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, and ¼ cup (60 mL) of the olive oil. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. With the machine running, add the remaining olive oil in a slow, steady stream until the pesto has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

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[tabs tab1=”Chilled Noodle Salad with Ginger Wasabi Dressing” ]

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Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 8 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 pkg (340 g) Catelli^® Healthy Harvest^® Ancient Grains Spaghettini
2 cups (500 ml) snow peas, thinly sliced diagonally
1 cup (250 ml) shelled edamame
1 small English cucumber
2 cups (500 ml) napa cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup (250 ml) red pepper, cut into matchsticks
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1/4 cup (60 ml) cilantro leaves
2 tbsp (30 ml) black sesame seeds

Ginger-Wasabi Dressing:

1/4 cup (60 ml) seasoned rice vinegar
3 tbsp (45 ml) canola oil
2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
1 tsp (5 ml) lemon zest
2 tsp (10 ml) brown sugar
2 tsp (10 ml) sesame oil
1 tsp (5 ml) grated fresh ginger
wasabi to taste

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. Rinse under cold water until well chilled; transfer to large bowl and set aside.

In a pot of boiling water, cook snow peas and edamame until tender-crisp. Drain and rinse under cold water until well chilled; set aside.

Meanwhile, halve the cucumber lengthwise and use the end of a spoon to scoop and discard seeds; cut cucumber into julienne strips.

Ginger-Wasabi Dressing: Whisk together rice vinegar, canola oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and zest, brown sugar, sesame oil and ginger. Season with wasabi to taste.

Add cucumber, snow peas, edamame, napa cabbage, red pepper, green onions andavocado to noodles; toss with enough dressing to coat.

Garnish with cilantro leaves and black sesame seeds.

Tip: If you have time, you can chill the noodle dish by refrigerating for 1 to 4 hours.

Per serving: 590 calories, 19 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 710 mg sodium,
84 g carbohydrates, 145 g fibre, 13 g sugar, 21 g protein

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Want to win a year supply of Catelli^® Healthy Harvest^®Ancient Grains pasta? Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In Korean

Hot Kalbi Pork Side Ribs

February 1, 2015

I love Korean marinated meats and something about the flavour is so addictive. Especially when it’s spicy!

Hot Kalbi Pork Side Ribs can easily be made in a slow cooker. I wanted to make a no fuss meal and there was already a pre-made marinade from T&T.

Sempio creates a wide variety of kalbi sauces, but there aren’t a lot of brands at the store that sold the spicy version. If you are lazy to make your own hot kalbi sauce, this is a good option.

I got a pack of side ribs from T&T and it was about $14 per pack. It’s not too fatty and there was still lots of meat on the bones.

Put the side ribs and half a bottle of the Hot Kalbi Sauce in the slow cooker for 6 -8 hours on low. Make sure all the ribs are coated with the sauce.

Once it’s done, serve it with your meal and you can cut it up so they become little rib bites. There is a decent amount of spice to the ribs and not too spicy. Since the ribs are cooked in the slow cooker, the meat is tender.

Website: http://www.sempio.com/

In product

Good Life Cleanse: Classic Detox Cleanse

January 29, 2015

It’s a New Year and 2015 is looking like it’s going to be a great year. I’ve done juice cleanses in the past but I found none of them really tasted great plus I always feel like I’m slowly getting sicker.

When Good Life Cleanses sent me a 3-day Classic Cleanse, I had to give it a try. I knew there must be a juice cleanse that tastes good.

Good Life Cleanse is based out of Nanamio, BC, where creator Andrea Dershin develops the juices and cleansing programs. She thought about creating the company while living in NYC and came back to her roots in Nanaimo to launch the business and spread the good word of juicing to the Island. Andrea strongly believes she has the best tasting, most nutritionally balanced juice cleanse you can get your hands on.

Since I am located in Vancouver, the cleanse ships via FedEx and gets delivered to your door. I missed my initial delivery since I was at work, so I had to go to the FedEx depot to pick it up before they closed for the evening.

Luckily, the juices are kept cool with the insulated packaging and a few ice packs. I quickly moved them to the fridge to keep it cool for the next 3 days.

You will get a little card inside the box showing you how to do the cleanse effectively, plus how to intensify the cleanse.

The Classic Detox Cleanse comes with:

Classic Greens: apple, cucumber, romaine, celery, lemon, spinach, kale, parsley, ginger.
Sweet Life: pineapple, cucumber, apple, lime, mint.
All U Need: carrot, celery, spinach, parsley.
Master Cleanse: filtered water, lemon, organic maple syrup, cayenne.
Roots Remedy: cucumber, apple, celery, carrots, beet, lemon, ginger, parsley, mint.
Creamy Cashew: filtered water, raw cashews, dates, vanilla bean, cinnamon, sea salt.

Classic Greens has apple, cucumber, romaine, celery, lemon, spinach, kale, parsley, and ginger. This juice was really good, there were enough apples to really sweeten it up. It was a good start to the cleanse and I always looked forward to this drink.

Sweet Life has pineapple, cucumber, apple, lime, and mint. This is probably the sweetest of the drinks because of the pineapple. I could drink this on a regular basis!

All U Need has carrot, celery, spinach, and parsley. This juice was ok to drink, but I could taste a lot of carrots in this juice. I never liked any of these veggies to begin with, so it did take me a while to finish this juice compared to the others.

Master Cleanse has filtered water, lemon, organic maple syrup, and cayenne. This drink basically tastes like lemonade and quite refreshing, but the cayenne pepper kicks in a few seconds after. There’s a lot of cayenne, so it did feel like my sinuses were on fire. I found this sensation great for my allergies as it cleared my nose.

Roots Remedy has cucumber, apple, celery, carrots, beet, lemon, ginger, parsley, and mint. The beets make this whole drink a maroon red, so try not to spill it or else it will leave a slight stain. I accidentally spilled a bit all over the kitchen counter and it looked like I murdered one of my cats.

The earthy taste of the beets were balanced out by the sweet apples, lemons and carrots.

Creamy Cashew is made of filtered water, raw cashews, dates, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and sea salt. You drink this 2 hours prior to your bedtime. After I finished this drink, I was pretty full. The texture was thicker and creamier but you can really taste the vanilla bean and cinnamon making this like a dessert.

After the 3 days, you will probably be craving solid food again or some salty french fries, but try to refrain. You’re supposed to ease back into solid foods by incorporating certain foods slowly back into your meals. Easier said than done. I may have had a few hash browns here and there. It’s quite tough and you may develop some common detox symptoms like fatigue, crankiness, headaches, achy body, skin pimples, flakey skin, constipation or nausea. Fro myself, I always seem to get headaches.

If you can follow pre-cleanse, cleanse, and post cleanse instructions, I applaud you. You can choose to do this cleanse for a day or up to 7 days. 3 days seems to be a good amount of time and the first day is definitely the hardest since all the cravings really start kicking in. Out of the 3 juice cleanses I’ve done so far, these juices taste pretty good.

Website: http://www.goodlifecleanse.com/

In product

f’real: Milkshakes and Smoothies at the Gas Station

January 28, 2015

Where do my food adventures take me? Apparently to a convenience store at Shell Gas Station in Burnaby.

Our friend told us about these amazing milkshakes he found at the gas station. At first we didn’t believe him. There’s no way a gas station would be able to have the capabilities of making milkshakes. Apparently, we were wrong.

f’real makes these do-it-yourself milkshakes, smoothies and frozen cappuccino machines for convenience stores, colleges & universities, theatres, and military bases.

Chocolate Milkshake was not bad at all. You put the container into this contraption in the store and it will whip it for you. You can have the texture – regular, extra thick, or less thick. We went with the less thick option. All the Canadian f’real milkshakes use Chapman’s Ice cream.

M did enjoy it. I can see it being quite popular in the Summer time. They also have a bunch of other flavours too like strawberry, cookies n cream, vanilla etc.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie was really bad. They say it contains all natural fruit, but all the ingredients are purees and a million types of sugars. It tasted pretty artificial even though at some point, those fruits were real.

Skip the smoothies and stick with the milkshakes.

If you’re desperate for a milkshake, you can always stop by the gas station.

Website: http://www.freal.com/

In British Columbia

Costco Meat Lasagna: Lazy Dinners

January 25, 2015

We’ve all been tired after work and have little energy to cook when we get home. I just want to stick something in the oven and let it do it’s thing. My go-to lazy meal is Costco’s Meat Lasagna from their deli section. It can vary from $15 – $18 depending on the weight. This bad boy was about 5 pounds.

It’s pretty big, so it is also great for parties where you need to feed a lot of people. A great item to bring to potlucks too.

Since it’s not frozen, it takes under an hour to cook in the oven.

All you need to do is take off the plastic lid and follow the instructions on the sticker.

Once it’s all done, serve and enjoy. It tastes pretty good and it’s even better for leftovers for the next day.

Website: http://www.costco.ca/

In product

How to Open a Bottle of Golden Boy Brand Fish Sauce

January 4, 2015

I was cooking this weekend and I bought a bottle of Golden Boy Brand Fish Sauce for $2 at the store. You would think opening a bottle would be the least of your worries when cooking. Clearly, I was wrong.

The top had no tab or twist cap that you would expect. Sometimes this happens with imported items, we’re just not used to how they do it there.

I tried pulling the tip, pushing it, twisting it, stabbing it, and pinching it. I spent a good 15 minutes trying to figure this out. I’ve never felt so dumb in my life. I graduated with a BBA and I can’t seem to open a bottle of fish sauce.

Take a sharp knife and carefully slice off the plastic top. I used a steak knife and slowly cut it. I was tempted to hack it up into pieces, but I had to control my rage so I don’t accidentally stab myself.

So simple, yet so complicated to figure out.