Thursday, June 30, 2011

Celebrating Canada Day with Poutine!

Yay for long weekends!

I could not be more excited about this upcoming long weekend.  I will be in Montreal for a stagette with some of my closest girlfriends from university.  We went to McGill together and will be reuniting in the city where we spent our glory years.

Those 4 years were some of the best years of my life and many post-bar late nights were spent consuming the deliciousness Quebec is famous for: poutine! The Quebecois may not be so enthusiastic about Canada Day, but they do know how to make a mean poutine.

I have scoured Toronto in search of the best poutine.  Smoke's Poutinery may come close, and the pulled pork poutine I ate at a small French bistro a couple months back was pretty good, but nothing beats Mama's in Montreal (La Belle Provence is pretty damn good too).

We arrive late tonight and I plan on ordering to the hotel a delicious pound of fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds...Mmmmm....my mouth is watering as I type.

Close friends, sunny weather, nostalgia and poutine...there is no better way to spend a weekend!

Funny enough, I just got a text message from my personal trainer and it said "Have fun in Mtl! Stay away from poutine." Sorry Nate, no can do. The Fat Girl in a Little Coat will be indulging in potato, gravy and cheese goodness this Canada Day.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Fatherly Advice

I have come to realize that my father is likely the only person who reads my blog on a consistent basis (other than my boyfriend who has no choice but to read it when I send him the link to my latest post two seconds after I publish). I am totally cool with the fact that my dad is my biggest blog fan and loyal follower. So long as someone reads what I write (and hopefully tries my recipes), I am happy. 

My dad calls me or sends me an email after every blog posting with his comments, grammatical corrections, "constructive criticisms" and links to urbandictionary.com to highlight the definition of words I use in my postings- Most recently it was the definition of "guido". He is quite the character. I follow shitmydadsays.com on twitter and can't help but relate.

Today's phone call went something like this: "Great blog posting, but maybe you should try cooking stuff that won't burn a hole through my stomach. Curry and cayenne pepper?!?!?"  The next statement was "No wonder you complain about heartburn all the time." He is a doctor, so I do have to take some things he says seriously.  And, in this situation, he is not completely wrong (although, that burger recipe really isn't that spicy).  I do have heartburn complaints quite often but it is now under control thanks to a prescription antacid.

While spicy food is not for everyone, I absolutely love it.  I love the burn and the flavour and I will be honest in saying that most of my cooking, prior to my daily dose of Losec, did give me heartburn. Dr. Dad-I have it under control.

Maybe I should start using a disclaimer before my recipes. "Warning: this meal may cause acid reflux and heartburn.  Cook at your own risk". Or, according to my dad, I just shouldn't use so much spice.

Either way, at the request of my father (my only dedicated reader), I will make an attempt to post more recipes that are more stomach friendly. Okay Dad???

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Battle of the Burger

It's the first official full day of summer and I have decided that this will be the summer of the burger.  Whether I barbecue them myself, or eat them at burger joints like Five Guys (my friend is a burger connoisseur and swears that Five Guys has the best burger in the city), I am pledging to delve into the world of burgers and become an expert of sorts myself.

My boyfriend and I are going to be in Boston next month and we already have plans to go to Bartley's- which is famous for its burgers and was featured on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, one of my favourite Food Network shows. I can't wait!

But I will not wait for Boston to begin The Battle of The Burger. In fact, I think it's already begun with a clear winner. I have been experimenting with curry burgers and I believe that I have finally perfected the recipe. I will be making other burgers this summer, but I'm not sure anything can beat these Indian-inspired patties.

Fat Girl's Curry Burgers

Ingredients:
  • 2 lbs of ground veal and chicken (you can use any ground meat)
  • 1 egg
  • a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbs curry powder (I use a medium yellow curry)
  • 2 tsp of cayenne pepper (or more or less to taste)
  • a handful of chopped fresh cilantro
  • salt and pepper
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and form into patties.  Barbecue patties for approx. 7 minutes on each side. Place patties on buns (I use whole wheat or multigrain) and top with grilled eggplant and sauteed onions.  I spread some Masala mayonnaise on the buns as well. 

Masala Mayonnaise:
Mix together about 1/2 cup of light mayonnaise with Masala seasoning and cayenne pepper.  I didn't really measure it but a few shakes of Masala and a small dash of cayenne pepper should do the trick.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Weekend Mojitos

My sincere apologies to my loyal readers (Mom & Dad) for being MIA this week.  I've been suffering from a serious lack of creativity and have been unable to blog or write anything for the various communications projects I have on the go. I'm hoping that my weekend out of the city will help get my creative mojo flowing again.

It's going to be a beautiful and sunny weekend, which means it's time to bust out the sunscreen and relax with a refreshing cocktail in hand. My favourite: Mojitos!  I sampled mojito flavoured gelato the other day (I've been "sampling" gelato almost everyday these days) and it has got me craving this delicious summer cocktail.




All you need to make the perfect mojito is:
  • Rum (I prefer white rum)
  • Fresh mint leaves
  • Fresh squeezed lime juice
  • Ice
  • Soda
  • Sugar
Place about 10 mint leaves at the bottom of a glass and add two lime wedges and about 1/2 tbs. of sugar ( or more if you like it a bit sweeter). Muddle everything together and add 2 ounces of rum.  Stir to dissolve sugar.  Fill the glass with ice and top off with soda.  Stir again and garnish with a lime wedge and a sprig of mint.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend...hopefully with a mojito in hand!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Extreme Juicehead



For the past two years I have been lucky enough to have access to a very private and very exclusive gym.  By private and exclusive, I mean that I live in a condo building that is essentially a retirement home and it has a fitness centre in it.  Since most people over the age of 90 do not lift weights nor do they run on treadmills, and since the majority of the tenants in my building are in fact over the age of 90, the condo gym is always empty. This gym situation is a dream for a fitness novice like myself.  I have enjoyed working out in the privacy of my very own, very unpopulated gym.

My stint of feeling like a celebrity with my very own private gym is coming to an end.  My lease is up as of August 31st and I am moving in with my boyfriend who does not have a fitness centre in his townhouse. Thus, my search for the right gym membership begins.

Across the street from my soon-to-be home is an Extreme Fitness.  My boyfriend belongs there, so I figured with the abundance of free guest passes he has I should give it a test run...or two.

Extreme Fitness Test Run #1:

On Tuesday, my goal was to try a Smart Start Cycle class at Extreme Fitness.  I have no clue what the class is like but I figured it would be something that my boyfriend may be into so he would come with me and I would not have to face the intimidation on my own.  Unfortunately, the class started at a later time than I originally thought.  Since we had plans later in the evening, we decided to just do a "regular" workout instead.

What a stupid decision. My workout started off great. I got on a cardio machine that is sort of like an elliptical and StairMaster in one.  It's actually a really good workout and burns something like 12 calories per minute and is a lot more fun that running on a treadmill.  Once I was all warmed up and ready to do some weights and floor exercises, I followed my boyfriend to a different area of the gym.  This area was my worst nightmare.  It was like MTV's The Jersey Shore gone wrong.  I know, I know, you are probably thinking is anything worse that the The Jersey Shore? The answer is yes.

I was in a room filled with juicehead Guidos wearing cut off jean shorts and their younger sister's baby doll t-shirts.  Was I expected to lift weights with these roid freaks??? I attempted to do some reps with 10 pound weights but the meat head freaks kept getting in my way. So, I found a secluded corner, put a mat down and pretended to so some ab exercises until my boyfriend was done his workout.  On our way out he pointed out another weight room.  Apparently, the one we were in is not extreme enough for some members.  I peaked into weight room #2 only to find even more roided out freaks with veins protruding from their necks while they benched 1000 pounds. We left and I vowed never to go back.

Extreme Fitness Test Run #2:

I know I said I vowed never to go back but it bothered me that I let the juiceheads from the day before intimidate me.  So, I found a half hour Hard Core Abs class to go to and headed back to Extreme Fitness for a second attempt.  I got on the elliptical-like machine again to get in some cardio before I headed up the stairs to the abs class.  To my delight, the abs class was great! Maybe it wasn't "Hard Core" enough for the juiceheads, but the fact that there were none in attendance was fine by me. 

My Conclusions:

I will not be joining Extreme Fitness.  While my second attempt was more successful and less intimidating than my first, I cannot see myself going regularly to a gym where juiceheads roam free.  Sure, there are iron freaks at any gym, but the abundance of them at this particular Extreme Fitness is enough to make me want to look elsewhere. This point aside, the gym has a reputation of being a meat market and many of the girls who workout there show up like they are ready for a night out on the town- flawless hair and makeup and perfectly pressed lululemon outfits.

My search for a gym that fits me continues... In the meantime, I will be enjoying my retirement villa's facilities while I still can.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Moroccan Munchies

Last night I was a guest at a traditional Henna ceremony in honour of my friend's recent nuptials to her Moroccan husband. Over the next five months, I have six weddings to go to and this one started off the wedding blitz with a bang.  

This was my first time attending a Henna marriage ceremony.  The girls were dressed in very ornate Moroccan robes and their hands were adorned with henna designs.  Moroccan music played throughout the night as people celebrated the happy couple.  And the Moroccan food was aplenty. 

I discovered Moroccan flavour fairly recently and the flavours from last night's North African fare reminded me of a great recipe I have for a Moroccan inspired snack. The below recipe is the perfect healthy alternative to chips or any other salty crunchy snack.  You can make the spice blend for this recipe and save the rest in an air tight container to use when making roasted vegetables or rice (it's especially great when roasting butternut squash and carrots)

Crispy Moroccan Chickpeas

Ingredients:
  • 2 cans of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. Moroccan Spice Mix
  • sea salt to taste
Moroccan Spice Mix:
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/8- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Drain and rinse chickpeas and pat dry with paper towel.  Toss chickpeas with olive oil, spice mix and salt. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for approx. 45 minutes or until they are slightly brown and rattle when you shake the baking sheet.  Let cool and serve.


Friday, June 3, 2011

Stephanie Salad

I got an email yesterday from my friend Steph with a great salad recipe.  The recipe uses canned tuna, so my immediate thought was that my last blog posting inspired her to send it my way. I was wrong.

While sipping on some pinot grigio and chatting with my girlfriends last night, Steph admitted that she has not been following my blog.  It was simply a coincidence that she sent me the recipe for a salad that uses the only fish I will eat. This admission bruised my blogger ego, but I told her that if she started following I would dedicate a posting to her. 

Steph, I am sharing your recipe on my blog for all of the interweb community to see. Now will you follow me regularly??

Stephanie Salad

Take one can of tuna and put it in a bowl with chopped up pickles, artichoke hearts, chopped up red pepper and cucumber.  Toss with arugula (Steph LOVES arugula) and baby romaine lettuce.

Dressing: Lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, apple cider vinegar, fresh thyme and freshly ground black pepper.

In the words of my dear friend Steph, "YUMMMMMMMMMMM!".