I love using recipes but sometimes it’s just fun to look into my fridge/freezer and figure out if I can get creative and create my own recipe!

Specifically I had some pineapple and a piece of salmon….plus a jalapeno.

I decided to bring out my Philips AirFryer to create my meal as I knew it was going to be the fastest way to cook this dish. Not to mention, no odour and minimal cleanup. #winwin

1. First, I cooked the salmon. (see previous post).

2. Then I shmeared (is that a word?) 2 slices of pineapple with the agave, and then sprinkled it with some finely diced jalapeno. Notice the brown specks? That’s grated nutmeg on it.  I also decided to take the other 2 slices of pineapple and shmeared it with Nando’s Piri Piri Sauce.

3. I popped the pineapple slices into the Philips Airfryer and 6 minutes later  (at 200 degrees) it was golden and cooked!!

4.To complete the meal I made some some quinoa with fried onions and some spices from Jaswant’s Kitchen.

Voila. LUNCH.

Disclosure: The Philips Airfryer was provided to me however all opinions are my own.

I grew up eating smoked meat. Infact, I remember my dad bringing home a package of smoked meat for my sister & I as well as a package of smoked salmon for my mom …every Sunday morning! My relationship with smoked meat had a break for about 20 years but guess what? I’m back on track with smoked meat again. I’m not eating it regularly so trust me, I’m no expert. I think I visit a deli once a year…even though I don’t live far from many of them. Deli’s like Pancers, Yitz’s, Centre St. Deli, Caplansky’s are all close by including Ben & Izzy’s.

This restaurant opened up almost a year ago and I’m pleased to say that I finally went! It was on my list for a LONG time.

The space is not what I expected for a kosher restaurant along Bathurst St. I was impressed…it was much brighter, cleaner and trendier than I had anticipated.

Even though there are plenty of options to eat at Ben & Izzy’s – I knew what I would be ordering!! (see the top left corner?)

Our sandwiches looked like this…

Naturally…..Cherry Coke,  Cotts’ Cherry Soda and Vernon’s are available.

Again, I’m no “deli” expert but I certainly enjoyed my meal and would certainly recommend it to my friends who are looking for decent deli!!

ps Check out their website. It’s awesome!

For more information:

Ben & Izzy’s Deli; 3513 Bathurst St. Toronto, ON 416 787 3354

Hours: Sun: 12 – 9 | Mon & Tues: 11 – 8
Wed & Thurs: 11 – 9 | Fri: 11 – 2

Twitter: @benandizzys

Facebook: www.facebook.com/benandizzys

It’s Passover this week and this means it’s often challenging as there’s quite a few restrictions (i.e no flour, no beans, no corn, no this… no that…).  For me, it’s not so challenging as my kitchen is dairy  and I consider it as a week of clean eating ie. lots of fruit, veggies and fish.

Here’s a menu plan of what I served in 2011.

I’m going to share with you one of the recipes that I often serve during Passover (and throughout the year too).

Recipe: Waldorf Salad (taken from the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen)

3 large apples, cut in chunks

Juice from 2 lemons

1 large orange, cut in small pieces

1 stalk chopped celery

1/4 cup raisins or craisins

1/2 cup toasted cashews

Dressing

1 cup yogurt

1 small ripe avocado (mashed)

1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

3-4 tablespoons of honey

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients

2. For the dressing: Puree till smooth (or mash well – like I did. However it’s best to add all the ingredients into a blender or a Cuisinart so it’s super smooth)

3. Combine the ingredients with the dressing.

FINAL PRODUCT

 

This salad is super simple to prepare AND super tasty too.

Happy Cooking.

I feel like going down memory lane. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I had my birthday last week. Who knows? I want to share with you some of my favorite childhood restaurants in Ottawa AND in Toronto (as I spend many weekends visiting friends when I was a teenager).

Here’s my list of fav childhood restaurants in Ottawa!

1. The Red Barn: This was a fast-food chain with over 300 locations throughout the States and Southern Ontario in the 1970’s. Lucky me – there was one in my neighbourhood!

2. The Green Valley Resort: I spent many happy occasions here and fondly remember their Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Dessert.

3. Bagel Bagel – this restaurant was opened 24 hours and my friends spent many Saturday nights here after a night of dancing in Hull. (Remember Tobasco’s?)

4. Golden Palace (2195 Carling Ave) – another hangout when I was a teenager. This restaurant is still around and I regularly drop by for their epic egg rolls! The decor is right out of the 1970’s….worth a visit.

5. The Revolving Restaurant:  I also remembering going to the revolving restaurant to celebrate my birthday. It closed after 38 years and is now an event space, operated by the Marriott.

6. Tramp’s and Yesterday’s – both restaurants were pretty popular spots when I was a teenager. Have no idea what we ATE but I can certainly remember groups of us going to these restaurants on a pretty regular basis.

Here’s My List of Childhood Favorite Restaurants  in Toronto

1. Pickle Barrel (in the Peanut Plaza). Again – no idea what we ate here but I remember groups of us (ie 20 or more) visiting this restaurant on weekends.

2. Inn on the Park – there was a cafe in the hotel that we use to hang out at.

3. Toby’s Good Eats – I fondly remember a brownie dish.

4. Mr. Greenjeans  (220 Yonge St) – I don’t think I’ve been back here since I was 16 but I should! Maybe one day.

What are your favourite childhood restaurants?

About once a month I buy a box of party sandwiches for dinner or for a snack. There’s never ANY leftovers. EVER. I will repeat – EVER. I usually pick them up at Bruno’s, Pusateri’s, Daiters, or What A Bagel.

When I was trying to figure out what to serve at my birthday party last week,  it dawned on me that party sandwiches would be a welcome change from the usual sushi platter.

I contacted Lesley’s Party Sandwiches & Catering and made fast friends with Lesley who also shared the same birthday as me!! (too funny). I found out that she’s been in business for 29 years and was the first independent party sandwich supplier in the city! I also found out that I could drop my off my platters and she would will fill them up with an assortment of party sandwiches, such as:

• brie and fig preserve
• cream cheese and cucumber
• egg, tuna, and  salmon salad,
• smoked salmon and cream cheese and MORE.

So I dropped off my platters and witnessed how party sandwiches are made! There is a reason why I’m not making party sandwiches!!

Just before the party – they were delivered. HOW SWEET IS THAT? This is what my platter looked like. Pretty….Don’t you think?

Lesley’s Party Sandwiches are perfect for baby showers, baby namings, tea parties, office parties, engagement parties, graduations and more!! She also makes a variety of salads and beautiful fruit platter and vegetable platters too. #justsayin’.

For more information:

Lesley’s Party Sandwiches: 55 Glen Cameron Road, Unit 19, Thornhill, ON (905) 660 0551

Disclosure: Lesley’s Party Sandwiches provided me with an assortment of party sandwiches. However all opinions are my own.

 

 

Seeing as it was my birthday the other day, I thought it was only appropriate for me to check out a new restaurant!! Wouldn’t you agree?.

The chosen restaurant: S. Lefkowitz, which is owned by Ezra Braves who also owns Ezra’s Pound. (also worth checking out if you haven’t been). I’ve known Ezra for years as I used to supply him with Boylans back in the day when I was a food sales rep. When I heard about the opening of this restaurant, I thought to myself “What a brilliant idea”.

The menu certainly appeals to me. Take a peek. Notice the line at the bottom of the menu: We use only organic chickpeas, meat, tahini, eggs & olive oil. Ezra has always been committed to serving organic food (as much as possible) as well as operating a restaurant that is environmentally friendly as well.

Of course, I tried the hummus. My initial thought was: OMG IT”S WARM. My next thought was OMG IT’S DELICIOUS.

Then I tried the Labneh. My initial thought was: I’m so glad I’m eating alone so I can eat the whole plate. (which I did). It was creamy and silky and perfect.

I can’t wait to go back on a weekend with a group of 5 friends so we can try all 5 types of hummus….AND more labneh.

Congratulations Ezra on your new concept. I have no doubt that this restaurant will be embraced by Torontonians.

For more information:

S. Lefkowitz 923 Dundas St. W, Toronto, 647 346-8448

Hours: 10:30 am  to 530 pm every day. CLOSED MONDAYS.

Twitter: @hummuslefkotwitz (love this username)

As always, my trip to Vegas would not have been complete without a trip to Target. Naturally I bought some clothes and naturally I ended up in the grocery section as well.

Here’s a few products that caught my eye:

a) Kellogg’s Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Cereal: Yup – I bought a box. I couldn’t resist as I’m a sucker for packaging and chocolate!!

b) Betty Crocker Watermelon Cupcake Mix:  This DID not appeal to me. Not even close.  c) PB2 – Powdered Peanut Butter: Ok I liked the packaging but couldn’t get my head around the fact that I had to mix water with this product in order to make peanut butter. I rather have the calories. What do you think?d) Beer Chips: I should have bought a bag but I didn’t.  Hoping that the Neal Brothers will develop something like this product. Pretty Please?

e) M&M Birthday Cake: My birthday is on April 2nd so I figured it was an appropriate purchase!!

As always, my trip to Target was a success!!

I’ve just returned from my 7th visit to Las Vegas with my mom. Our trip includes a lot of suntanning (with sunscreen) and eating. Naturally I did a lot of research before our vacation started and made a point of researching restaurants that were OFF the strip. You see, a few years ago we learned that there’s some amazing food to be found that’s NOT on the Strip. Here’s a list of the restaurants that we enjoyed that were just a short cab ride away from our hotel.

1. Night #1: Hot N Juicy Crawfish – we discovered this restaurant a few years ago and even though we try not to go back to the same restaurant twice….we decided that we HAD to go back to this restaurant. The seafood is beyond fresh and we love how your meal arrives to your table in a steaming hot plastic bag. Naturally plastic bibs and even plastic gloves are given out to guests. Not to mention…a roll of paper towels are on your table  as well.

Top Left: The meal arrives. See how happy we are? Top Right: What our table looks like AFTER our meal. Bottom: Love the fact that they have been on The Cooking Channel.

2. Night #2: Chada Thai & Wine. I discovered this restaurant after posting on Chowhound. I then read enough fabulous reviews on Yelp and Urbanspoon to know that we would definitely  be dining a this restaurant. We were NOT disappointed at all. I asked our amazing waiter (Bank) to assist us with selecting 4 dishes and he delivered 4 perfect items. The food was fresh, flavorful and light. My mom and I were beyond happy.

Top Right: Pad Hed (Shitake and Shimeji mushrooms stir fried with brussels sprouts and lotus root). Bottom Left: Yum Kai Nok Kata (Fried Quail eggs topped with dry shrimp, cilantro, onion. Spicy lime dressing). Bottom Right: Pla Nua Tod (crispy beef tossed with rice powder, spicy tamarind sauce, onion and mint, served with fresh cabbage).

Not kidding: I would order all of these dishes again in a heart beat.

Save room for dessert!

 

Night #3: In – N – Out Burger. I don’t know where to start to describe this burger. Let’s just say it’s perfect and this restaurant makes me happy (just like the song…sorry, couldn’t resist). In-N-Out Burger has never chnaged their menu and there is a reason why they haven’t changed it. THERE IS NO NEED. Sadly I forgot to order the Animal Style French Fries which is on a “secret menu” and was kicking myself. #nexttime.

I also discovered a restaurant called Eat which is only open from 8 to 3 during the week and on weekends from 8 to 2 pm. The reviews I read were outstanding so off we went on a cloudy day for lunch. Even though I love sitting in the sun, I was thrilled that we had this day to discover this restaurant and go shopping!!

Top Right: Cinnamon Biscuits with warm strawberry compote Bottom Left: Green Chili Chicken Posole Bottom Right:Truffled Egg Sandwich.

On our last night: We celebrated the end of another mother/daughter Vegas trip with our usual jello shots from Fat Tuesday & Chippery inside Caesars Palace. We’ve been going to this little gem of a spot for 6 years to enjoy this $2 treat. LOL.

As you can see, I had another amazing trip with my mom and would like to thank her for this perfect birthday gift. I’m so lucky have a mom who also loves to travel, sit in the sun and eat good food. I’m already looking forward to spending my birthday with her next year in Vegas!!

For more information:

Hot ‘N Juicy Crawfish 4810 Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas,  702 891 8889

Chada Thai and Wine  3400 S Jones Blvd. Las Vegas, 702 641 1345 (reservations recommended)

In-N-Out Burger (2 locations in Las Vegas)…4888 Dean Martin Drive or 2900 W. Sahara Ave.

Eat 707 Carson St. Las Vegas (702) 534 1515

Fat Tuesday & Chippery: Forum Shops at  Caesars Palace, 3500 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas.

 

I’ve been a huge fan of Mother’s Dumplings since their original location was on Huron. Then they  moved to a much (much) bigger space at 421 Spadina and just recently they opened a second location at 840 Danforth East. I was eager (curious?) to check out this location even though the Spadina location is closer to me. So I grabbed a friend (who had never been to Mother’s Dumplings) and off we went.

The outside of the restaurant (on Danforth) looks like this and looks pretty similar to the Spadina location (except smaller)

The inside of the restaurant looks very different than the location on Spadina. i.e exposed brick wall and booths and smaller.

As always, I ordered their wonton soup. I’d like to announce that I like their wonton soup better than ramen or pho. I’d also like to announce that I like their wonton soup better than the dumplings!! There is something special about this wonton soup. It has all sorts of dried things floating around, seaweed and more. Not to mention that it’s CHEAP. A large bowl for 2 costs only $5.70.  I have recently introduced this soup to two friends and both friends loved it.

We also ordered an order of dozen steamed  shrimp, chive and egg dumplings. (B3). Like their location on Spadina, you can watch the dumplings being made.

The bill came out to $16.27 for two people. Not bad eh?

I seriously hope that this location will get as much love as their Spadina location.

For More Information:

Mother’s Dumplings, 804 Danforth Ave. Toronto 647 350 8988

Newsflash: There’s a new appliance in my kitchen. It’s the Philips Airfyer. Take a peek… Isn’t she beautiful?

Besides being gorgeous, here’s a few other first impressions:

-It’s simple to use: i.e. one dial is the temperature control and the other dial is the timer. This could not get easier.

-The cord is in the back and slides beautifully into the appliance. No more dangling cords that need to be wrapped around an appliance!!

-You don’t need to use any OIL. (or if you do..it’s less than a tablespoon). The technology in this airfyer is genius.

-My kitchen didn’t heat up and I’m anticipating using the Philips Airfyer ALL SUMMER LONG.

So what did I make?

-baked potatoes (in 12 minutes)

-a piece of salmon (in 10 minutes exactly)

Voila…dinner!!

For more information:

 http://www.philips.ca/c/home-cooking/viva-collection-airfryer-with-rapid-air-technology-hd9220_26/prd/en/ 

Disclosure: The Philips Airfryer was provided to me however all opinions are my own.