Intuitive eating

I've definitely learned to listen to my body these days, it drives me nuts to hear about crazy diets, magic pills, formulas and packaged low fat foods that are on the market. Finding a balance is different for everybody but for me it starts with what I eat. Intuitive eating; eat when you're hungry, eat what you crave, stop when you're satisfied. But make sure most of the time (scroll to my post on Portland and lunch at Save on Meats if you're sick of this already!) it's clean, whole foods and includes greens galore, healthy fats and protein. Exercise, strength train, sweat, find something you love. My faves are running, crossfit, yoga and snowboarding. That's definitely not for everyone but don't stop searching until you find something that makes you want to get that adrenaline goin and that heart rate up! Portion control, which leads back to intuitive eating and eating just until you feel satisfied. We're not kids anymore, you don't have to finish your plate, save it for later!

Random shots of eating what I crave:

After a hot flow yoga class: Light lunch of toasted Persian flatbread, tomatoes, roasted balsamic asparagus, poached egg w/ truffle salt, Italian olive oil tuna, 6 yr aged cheddar, Nicoise olives. (Not shown, coconut water; hydrate hydrate hydrate, nature's natural source of electrolytes).

After Crossfit: MEAT.

Always:
Vegetables, perfectly cooked and loaded with flavor (shown here, brussels sprouts and swiss chard with leeks, garlic, white wine and bacon). When I cook with bacon I use an organic, nitrate free kind.

Snacky:
I try and prep things ahead of time so I can grab something quick or throw together a salad (shown here, steamed broccoli, swiss chard, roasted butternut squash, caramelized onion and garlic hummus)

On a cold wet, rainy Vancouver day:
Comfort food stews like Coq au Vin (Chicken stewed with carrots, onions, celery, red wine, chicken stock, bacon and mushrooms)

When I'm fighting off a cold:
When I'm sick and can't smell or taste food I get super sad, so I'll eat for texture and to fuel and nourish the body: Chili with spinach, fried egg, pickled red onion, avocado, tomato. My cure all sick concoction: Fresh juiced apple and a TON of fresh ginger, mixed with orange juice, 1 packet of orange emergenC, side of coldfx and sleep sleep sleep!

Often, very often: (Who am I kidding, ALWAYS.)
Cookies, chocolate, DESSERT. Life is not worth living for without this. But make it the best cookie, best chocolate, best dessert you can get your hands on, cheap stuff aint worth it!

A Challenge

Most challenging dinner party menu planning everr! 8 friends, all with various food restrictions. Ready for this?

-No Dairy -No Fruit
-No Sugar -No Grains -No Starch -No Shellfish
-No Nuts -No Chicken -No Beef -No Pork

I know. I thought about putting a huge bowl of spinach in the middle and passing out forks but of course that's not me. Truth be told, I love a challenge. Two of our friends were visiting from out of town, our mutual friend had introduced us as, Mary is YOU but in San Francisco! This girl loves food. I've always wanted to cook for her.

So the menu I designed had options for everyone.

-Brined Roasted Free Range Organic Local Chicken
-Local Provencal Style Chicken Sausage
-Roasted BC Sockeye Salmon

-Local Greens, Crispy Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus, Soft Boiled Eggs, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Vincotto (Balsamic Roasted Asparagus for no pork friend)

-Ratatouille (1/2 with Whole Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs and Feta, 1/2 without)

-Aged Cheddar, Butternut Squash and Kale Bread Pudding

-Truffled Mashed Potatoes

-Double Chocolate Lavender Sea Salt Ice Cream Sandwiches (No sugar, no fruit friends really can't be helped)

My awesome friend Son's helped me tie these. "You have to work fast before they melt, also I like the thicker pieces of rafia, not the scraggly ones!". "Yes Laura!". When a couple of our other friends showed up they were actually talking about ice cream sandwiches, ohh really I said, you like ice cream sandwiches? I'll keep that in mind...

Cheese factor, get ready.
Love, Heart and Soul. I truly believe these have to go into your cooking and I really do think you can taste it. 3am the night before I'm roasting off butternut squash, dicing shallots, sauteing kale and I'm happy. Tired! But happy. Why? Because I know who I'm feeding and I know how appreciative they are.

Ever wonder why the host waits till everyone gets their food? Of course to be polite, but we're also probably not that hungry after tasting and smelling it, while cooking it all day. Another reason is to sit back and watch your guests (hopefully!) enjoy themselves.

Last night? Silence (because food was being shoveled into mouths), the friend who says the bf neverr takes seconds and the friend who described my ice cream sandwich as this exquisite texture of crispy, soft and chewy and the perfect contrast of sweet and salty. I tried really hard not to smile. First time I ever met him, he knew nothing about me and said if it were possible, he would rather take a pill instead of eat real food. Knew I could change that.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Calgary for Thanksgiving because really, how could I miss out on Ma's turkey and croissant bacon stuffing? Yea that's right croissants. In my suitcase I brought back farmers market potatoes, tomatoes, grapes, local sausage, fresh shucked corn, cranberries as well Stumptown coffee.
I was in charge of the sides so I did fresh cranberry sauce with aged balsamic, brussels sprouts with bacon and shallots, garlic butter corn and green beans, beet salad with feta, dill and pickled onions and mashed potatoes with truffle salt.
See my mom's cookbook collection in the corner? Whole lot of awesome right there. I've been known to sit myself in that corner pulling books out for inspiration.

I was feeling slightly under the weather when I flew in and my very thoughtful Ma had a pot of homemade chicken soup ready to go. Yup this was my favorite bowl when I was little, look how happy the Campbell's soup girl is!

My brother, sister-in-law and I did the Grotto Canyon hike near Canmore, incredible! We came to the conclusion that what would be the point of a hike unless you have the goal to stop for lunch? We are so Asian. We also like to take A LOT of pictures.

Dessert! Ma made Pumpkin and Lemon Meringue Pie, her pies are serious perfection.

Save on Meats, not so cheap after all.

I'm a total sucker for old school classic comfort food, so I was happy to hear Save-On Meats was re-opening. I had already been there for dinner but my friend hadn't tried it yet so we headed down for lunch. We shared the chocolate shake, tomato soup and biscuit, tuna melt and opened face roast chicken sandwich. It's definitely diner food, no fancy plating but also not as greasy as some joints. We were pretty happy when the bill came, exclaiming "this is SO cheap!". Walking back to the car it took me half a second before I realized my car was no longer there. Actually slightly amused and in aw of my stupidity I realized I parked in a spot that towed after 3:00 pm. I'm pretty sure I was so excited for lunch I plugged the meter and neglected to read the signage around me. A 30 minute walk and we made it to the tow lot. I'm also pretty sure the people working there have never seen a happy customer in their life. In the end I calculated it out to be a $156.00 lunch and a regret that there could've at least been kahlua in that shake.

Farmers Market Inspiration-Sweet Corn Pancakes

Breakfast for dinner? YES! My friend Whit and I made a trip to the Trout Lake Farmers Market because Milan is back. Who's Milan? He's pretty much our version of a rock star, also known as the Tomato Man. If you've ever had his tomatoes or really anything he grows, you know what I'm talking about. Besides Milan there's Reimer's corn patch and for lack of a better description the corn actually tastes like the corniest corn injected with sugar. This stuff is so good you can eat it raw. There is also potatoes from another farm that I wait for all year and the description they have for this one particular variety is "buttery and rich". No lie, you could eat these boiled and mashed and it tastes like a pound of butter has been added to them.

I can't even explain my complete contentment from this meal. Inspired by peak of the season ingredients, we kept things pretty simple. As I took a bite of the sweet corn pancake I realized the cornmeal based batter was really just a vehicle to hold the ridiculously sweet juicy corn.

This was our brainstorming convo: Me: Hmm corn, cornbread? Corn fritters? Corn PANCAKES. Whit: YES. We need a protein. Chicken? Pork? Pork chops? Me: I have bacon and rib eye at home.. potatoes, what should we do with them? Whit: They're so good on their own, smashed and throw some fresh herbs in. Me: YES. Tomatoes, lets do a simple tomato basil salad on top of the pancakes. Whit: YES. I have fresh basil.

This meal was serious summer perfection.

Sweet Corn Pancakes with Tomato Basil Salad

Makes 8-10 pancakes

3 corn on the cob, kernels removed

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

salt and pepper

bacon fat or oil for pan frying

sea salt, Greek yogurt and honey (to serve alongside)

1. Mix together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper

2. Beat egg and add to buttermilk, add this liquid to dry mix. Mix just until incorporated, don't over mix.

3. Fold in corn

4. Heat pan on med-high heat with bacon fat or oil. Use a 1/4 cup of batter per pancake.

5. Pan fry until golden on each side. Finish with a little sea salt.

15 sungold or cherry tomatoes, quartered

6 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Toss together and set aside until ready to serve.

Portland

Portland is by far one of my favorite cities, if only because of (what else!?) the incredible food scene. Prepare yourself for these pictures. Some are slightly horrific Diners Drive-ins and Dives style but so extremely neccesary to try!

Pine State Biscuits actually was on Diners Drive-In's and Dives, this is their Farmer's Market location. Notice the lineup! It's that good.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy. Ahmazing. It's a good thing I haven't found a place in Vancouver that does a version I like or I'd be in serious trouble.

"The Reggie"-Fried Chicken, Bacon, Cheese, Fried Egg, Sausage Gravy sandwiched between a Buttermilk Biscuit.

"McIsley"-Fried Chicken, Pickles, Honey, Grainy Mustard sandwiched between a Buttermilk Biscuit. It's great to have friends that trust you when you tell them what they should try, that way you can steal a bite of theirs!

Beautiful greens

Incredible artichokes

Voodoo Doughnuts-Open 24hrs and crazy line-ups all the time.

Neccessary. I had the Maple Bacon, delish.

Cannele- Best when made in a copper cannele mold to give it that perfect carmelization with a chewy inside and crispy outside.

The Screen Door-Traditional Southern comfort food.

Hushpuppies with Sweet Red Pepper Sauce

Fried Chicken, Collard Greens, Mashed Potatoes and Tasso Ham Gravy.

Shrimp and Grits with Local Pork Belly and Cornbread with Honey Butter


I didn't even get a chance to touch the food carts! I'll be back.

Lemon Basil Strawberry Shortcakes

A couple weeks ago some friends and I went out to Krause Berry Farms in Langley to pick strawberries. SO MUCH FUN! A 45 minute drive from Vancouver, this trip absolutely called for a car full of friends, wicked old school beats and singing insanely loud to the point where I'm sure our friend driving wondered why he volunteered in the first place!

I had read some reviews of this farm and a good tip is that if you are picking your own berries, bring the lightest containers you have because they don't pre-weigh them before you pick. I had also asked if these berries were sprayed and she said the ones we were picking now hadn't been but sometimes they have to so you can call ahead and ask. At the farm they also have a patio and eating area where you can order fresh made berry donuts, strawberry shortcakes, strawberry cream pie, strawberry milkshakes, smoothies and fresh shucked corn pizza.

While you're picking it's pretty much impossible not to pick every perfectly ripe strawberry you see (and eat some too, have you ever had a sun warmed just picked strawberry?! It's on my things you must do before you die list). So needless to say I picked about 5lbs worth. Once I was home I flash froze half of them. To do this wash, de-stem and dry the strawberries, then lay them on a baking sheet in one layer and freeze. Once frozen they can be bagged and kept in the freezer. This ensures they don't all stick together which is a pain in the you know what when you want to make a smoothie.

Inspired by summer and this beautiful fruit I came up with a Lemon Basil Strawberry Shortcake. Shortcakes are my go to for summer dinner parties and potlucks because they can be made ahead of time, take no time to make, don't heat up your kitchen for very long and can easily be assembled and plated on site in a flash. Take advantage of all the amazing summer fruits because soon enough we'll be back to eating APPLES!!

Lemon Basil Strawberry Shortcakes

Makes 12

Lemon Basil Strawberries

6 cups strawberries, quartered

1/2 cup cane sugar (this can depend on how sweet you like it)

1 lemon, zest only

10 basil leaves, chiffonade or finely chopped

pinch sea salt

1/4 cup water

Basil Leaves for garnish

1. Toss all ingredients together and let sit in the fridge.

Shortcakes

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes and chilled

1 cup whipping cream

1 egg lightly beaten (to brush on top)

4 tbsp raw coarse cane sugar (to sprinkle on top)

1. Preheat oven to 400degrees F.

2.Combine flour,sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add in butter and using a pastry blender cut in butter until it resembles the size of peas.

3. Add whipping cream and using a fork stir until the dough starts to come together.

4. On a floured surface press dough until it comes together, knead gently only until all is incorporated.

5. Roll out dough 1/4" thick and using a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter cut into circles.

6. Place on a lined baking sheet, brush with egg and sprinkle with cane sugar

7. Bake for 12-15min or until golden brown.

Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

1. Chill bowl and beater in the freezer for 5 minutes.

2. Whip cream for 1 minute, add icing sugar and vanilla, continue to whip until soft peaks form

Can be served while shortcakes are still warm or at room temperature. Split shortcakes in half, pile in the lemon basil strawberries and top with whipped cream. Garnish with basil leaf.

Lobster Bacon Eggs Benedict with Butternut Squash Hollandaise

Last month I flew back to Calgary to visit my family and friends and to celebrate a belated Mother's Day and my birthday. During brunch with the fam they all had a good laugh as my Mom recalled this one time when I was 6 years old...

It was a Sunday morning and for some reason or another I got into a little huff with my mom and decided I was going to run away. I packed up my little backpack (exactly what are the essentials for a 6 year old!?) but needless to say didn't get very far, to the large tree two meters from our house to be exact because I was too scared to go any further. Honest to god I remember to this day what I was thinking as I crouched behind that tree, I was scared..and reeallly hungry. I remember thinking, what am I going to do now? I'm starving but I'm not going back in there! What seemed like ages (but was probably 10 minutes later) I heard my pops slowly open the door, calling my name and telling me to come back inside. "No thank you!" I shouted crossing my arms, "but Mom made pancaakes!" (me shaking my head but contemplating the thought of this offer) "with fresh blueberry sauceee..." (as I then picked up my little backpack and slowly trudged back in the house).

I LOVE brunch. It's sweet, or savory or even better, BOTH! I came up with this Mother's Day brunch menu while I was in Vancouver so I made sure to bring back a loaf of challah bread from one of my favorite bakeries. I love eggs benedict but usually don't order it because I find it a bit too heavy. I wanted something a little lighter than the usual English muffin so I went with toasted challah and instead of a rich hollandaise I came up with a butternut squash sauce that's just as creamy, with a touch of lemon and fresh tarragon (so really, similar to a bearnaise sauce). To finish my version I went with a mini lobster tail, crispy bacon, kale and a perfectly poached egg and served with it golden herb roasted potatoes, heirloom tomato salad and a lychee, pear, mango fruit salad.

So really the truth comes out! I can easily be bribed with food...

Butternut Squash Hollandaise

Yields approx 3 cups

1lb butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cubed
2 shallots, minced
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp fresh tarragon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
s+p
hot water or stock (to thin out sauce)


1. In a saucepan saute shallots with olive oil, just until translucent.
2. Add butternut squash and pour in chicken stock and tarragon. Cook for 12-15 min on simmer until squash is soft.
3. Puree sauce using a blender or immersion blender until smooth.
4. Place back on stove, on medium heat, whisk in butter slowly. Add lemon juice.
5. Add cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Sauce should coat the back of a spoon in a thin layer. If consistency is too thick, thin out with hot water or stock, re-season if necessary.

Garlic, Lime, Cilantro Marinated Flank Steak

A couple of months ago I started something called Crossfit, it can be slightly intense and I've finally just stopped telling my mom about ripped hands, bruises and sore muscles (oh HI mom!) but it's wicked fun and very rewarding! Sometimes it's strange what your body craves but when your body craves something, there's usually a reason for it. A couple of months ago I started craving more meat, really RED MEAT. Braised shortribs, grilled porterhouse steak with fleur de sel, marinated flank. It slightly saddens me that I don't crave cookies as much anymore, what's going on here!?

I have so many friends who are intimidated to cook with meat, of any kind but I just want everyone to know that it can truly be easy and not intimidating in the least.

Which brings me to flank steak, a favorite of mine and in my opinion one of the most overlooked cuts that if cooked and prepared right, can rival even the most expensive cuts of beef. First it needs to be marinated, it's a pretty lean cut so it lacks flavor from fat. Second it should be cooked medium to medium-rare and third, it needs to be cut against the grain and thinly sliced. That's it, that's all and you're on your way to amazingness! (Huh why do I sound like an infomercial? ShamWOW!) but really, try it!

Garlic, Lime, Cilantro Marinated Flank Steak
1 2lb flank steak
2 limes (zest & juice)
1 handful fresh cilantro (stems included)
3 garlic cloves
1/8 cup olive oil
2 tbsp raw honey
1/2 tsp chili flakes
S+P to taste

* Grain on the flank is when you can see the fibers of the meat running in one direction (it is very visible on a flank steak)

1. Score the flank with 1/4" deep cuts with a knife, against the grain*
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a food processor or chopped finely and combined
3. Marinate meat for 4-6 hrs or up to 2 days. Can also be frozen at this point
4. If using the oven adjust rack to the very top, preheat to broil. If using bbq, preheat on high
5. Scrape off remaining marinade, for oven: place on a baking sheet that has a rack on top (I used
a metal cooling rack)
6. Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side for medium rare (close oven door or bbq lid)
7. Let meat rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing
8. Slice against the grain and on a diagonal in thin slices.

Inspiration

Inspiration. Where does it come from? For me it can come from anyone or anywhere, Farmers Market is a huge source along with cookbooks or the older gentleman fishing at the beach telling me what his mama used to make him. I sometimes find it in the strangest places but that's exactly why I carry my notebook in my bag. When something inspires me, it drives me, (sometimes crazy) until I can actually implement the idea. I also find surrounding myself with positive, driven, passionate people is nice too.

Have you met Whit? She's one of my bestest's and she moved out here to go to Culinary School the same time I moved out here to go to Nutrition School and every spare minute we've had is spent exploring and finding the best of Vancouver's food scene. From finding the best $3.00 Bahn Mi (on Kingsway and it's never complete unless the same man is sitting outside hoarking in his cup while we sit in the car eating). To the once a month Ukrainian Orthodox Church Perogi Night (best borscht, lineups, go early) to the best dinner under $10.00 of charcoal grilled meat skewers and salad (Zakkushi) to the city's best chai tea (Granville Island Tea Company) that must be paired with a warm honey dip donut from Lee's Donuts.

She is ridiculously talented and always a source of inspiration to me.

I popped in to say hi before she was getting off work one day, our convo: W: What are you doing for dinner? Me: I don't know, what are you doing? W: Well I have some ricotta in my fridge, I could make a pasta..Me: I have some zucchini in my fridge I could make a salad...

Whit's Tortiglioni with Peas, Proscuitto, Ricotta and Fresh Parmigiano and the most amazing crusty bread she made at work.

Our styles really compliment each other. We're big on clean stylistic comfort food. I just made that up. That sounds fancy. We just like food!

White Truffled Zucchini Salad

Serves 4

4 baby zucchini
6 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade or torn by hand
1 lemon (Juice and Zest)
½ garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
1 tsp white truffle oil *found at Gourmet Warehouse, not as expensive as you may think!

12 spears asparagus, bottom of stalks removed
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
large handful spinach (or kale, just massage it with a little lemon juice, salt and pepper)

parmigiano reggiano, shaved (use a vegetable peeler)
Fleur de sel (French Sea Salt)

* truffle oil is optional if not to your taste or not available

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a baking sheet lined with baking paper, toss asparagus with balsamic, olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 10-12 min. Can be served room temperature or cold on the salad.

2.Trim ends off of zucchini, using a mandoline make slices as thin as possible. Then cut into ½ inch strips. Can also use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife. Toss with fresh basil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper and white truffle oil. Chill in fridge for 10 min to let zucchini soften slightly and flavours marinate.

3.Place spinach or kale on bottom of plate, lay asparagus across, top with marinated zucchini. Finish with shaved parmigiano reggiano and fleur de sel.

Enjoying the process of it all

I'm a total list maker and that most definitely comes from my mom. She alone has probably kept those post-it note people in business! I write down everything, from what I eat, to my workouts, to my grocery lists, to new menu ideas. One time a friend of mine saw my notebook and said, uhh you write down that you showerr!? I said, sure do! Have you ever made a list? It feels so satisfying to check it off when it's complete! *Friend then gave me weird look *

If I haven't added anything new around here its not because I haven't been in the kitchen, in fact more the opposite. This last weekend I did some cooking for a couple clients. I'm also taking a course right now and something was said that really resonated with me about work. Work in life, work in your work out, work in your job, whatever it may be, either way you really have to enjoy the process of it all, not just the end result. I think I'm always so focused on the end result of my work, getting things done, checking off my to do list, that I'm not always taking the time to really enjoy the moment and the process of it all before getting to that end goal.

Smoked Bacon Chili w/ Kale. Toppings of 6 Yr Aged Cheddar, Green and Red Onions, Cilantro, Green Peppers, Lime Wedges, Greek Yogurt, more Bacon. Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread

Asparagus tips must be penciled. It's a weird thing I have.

Glazed Honey Mustard Roasted Trout w/ Mango Salsa, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Roast Asparagus and Zucchini w/ Aged Balsamic, Lemon Zest and Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano

This week I really took the time to enjoy the process of my work and checking it off my to do list? Very satisfying.

*Conversation w/ one of the clients this was made for*

C: The trout was soo delicious! The salad was very onion-y but really good!!

Me: Um what salad?

C: Well I threw together the green peppers, green onion, red onion, bacon, cilantro and cheddar...

Me: Those are your chili garnishes! Didn't you read the instructions I left you! Hmm but you may be on to something here..