Food Musings

A Winnipeg blog about the joy of preparing food for loved ones and the shared joy that travel & dining brings to life.

Come N’ Eat in Neechi Commons

March5
come4.jpgNeechi Foods Co-op at 865 Main St. in North Point Douglas is incorporated as a worker cooperative, owned and operated by its staff and the Neechi Commons’ building with its exposed brick walls and sunlit rooms was beautifully designed to let the sun and sky flood inside, while at the same time keeping the prairie wind at bay.  We wound our way up the spiral staircase to their restaurant dubbed Come N’Eat and found the last available table tucked next to the window.  The inauspicious dining room is pristine and unadorned with the exception of huge paintings on the north wall.  We shopped many times at Neechi Foods when they were located on Dufferin for pickerel, wild rice and blueberries and I had pretty much decided that I would go with one of these authentic ingredients.  Would it be the bannock French toast covered in blueberries or the wild rice and sweet potato croquettes?  I knew too that Come N’Eat would be memorable because I had also visited the Tallest Poppy Restaurant just down the street.  The connection?   Talia Syrie who operated the novel little café in the Occidental Hotel is now the Food-service Manager at Neechi Commons.  I was also familiar with her talents from her work with Raw-Almond, the temporary pop-up restaurant on the river near the Forks.    

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In the end, I opted for the Pickerel Burger.  The cost of this local fish is forever accelerating which makes me happy for the toiling fishermen of Lake Winnipeg.  But the dear price of the fish must be a challenge for chefs who are trying to prepare affordable dishes incorporating our local delicacy.  Come N’Eat chooses to economize by preparing a patty of potatoes and some minced pickerel which delivers a delicate fish flavour.  In truth, I would have liked to have known this in advance because the menu description of Breaded Pickerel had me salivating for a different taste altogether. 

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The grilled bun was set aside and instead I tucked into the House Salad of wild rice, cucumber, corn and apple.  The dressing was light and the nutty full-bodied taste of the rice was allowed to shine.

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My luncheon date decided upon Talia’s New Breakfast which proved to be a casserole of sautéed mushrooms, peppers, bacon and potatoes, crowned with two glorious poached eggs and triangles of bannock.  Glistening green kale poked out of the casserole.  She remarked that she had never tasted kale prepared in this way before.   The cook had gone easy on the salt and the entire dish “felt” and tasted full of nutrients and very healthy. The fruit accompaniment was a nice light extra.

This is a lovely spot for delectable food at breakfast and lunch.

Come 'n Eat on Urbanspoon

Kath’s quote: “Eggs taste best in the spring. Fresh eggs are given to young mothers to drink, and popular wisdom holds them to be good for newlyweds too.”-Pellegrino Artusi

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Love-that is all.

Asia Caribe-Isla Mujeres

March4

2014 was significantly different for the three sisters on Isla Mujeres: Sister #2 had already been and gone, visiting the island just after Christmas so that her daughter (who became an Islaholic on her own steam) could make the trip with them before the latter returned to her new home in Australia.  With them was a new family member; we call him “The Aussie” and the brave man demonstrated his deep love for our niece and us all, by visiting Canada for the first time in the winter, which to our dismay has turned out to be the coldest recorded in over 35 years.   He is now appropriately initiated to Island life. 

Sister #3’s dates were only slightly different than my own but her Isla network has widened to such an extent that I call her “Islapedia” and she is the perfect resource to chum with if you are new to the island.  So too, she is friends with so many of the locals and such a loyal one at that, she fills her time on Isla with repeat visits to their businesses.  I, on the other hand, am still trying to visit every restaurant on my “must visit” list at least once and I still have not spent enough time on the island, even though the days would tally almost 100.  So too, we had our own “newbie” in our entourage as “The Frenchman” spent his first week on Isla.  All this preamble is to say that Sister #3 visited many restaurants that I did not have the pleasure of and even though she is at this moment watching her last Isla sunrise, she has already written and emailed me this guest blog post.  

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I give you, Sister #3: “Walk down Hildalgo, the main restaurant thoroughfare of Isla Mujeres, any night of the week and you are sure to meet Annalise, an endearing woman doling out samples of yummy sticky ribs. Annalise and her husband, Chef Peter, are the proprietors of Asia Caribe which opened in a smaller location in 2008. 

The year they opened was the first time our gang visited their establishment which specializes in Thai and Chinese cuisine as well as sushi.  Mexico may seems an odd location to open an Asian restaurant but the reality is that people from across Asia have been in Mexico for many generations; helping to settle coffee plantations and build the railway.  They brought with them ingredients like limes, coconut and rice that are now staples in what we know as Mexican food. 

Over the 6 years since our first visit to Asia Caribe, our gang has grown and the kids are now young adults and they have discovered this restaurant themselves. They find it a great place to satisfy their sushi craving and their desire for healthier options, as Asia Caribe offers lots of items suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

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We didn’t get to Asia Caribe on our visit last year so were determined to make a stop this year and were very glad we did.  Everything was beautifully presented.  The service was attentive and most importantly, the food was delicious.  We started with cocktails of strawberry margaritas and mango daiquiris.  You could actually taste the tequila in my margarita and the fruit in both drinks was obviously fresh and not a bar mix.   

The waiter started by bringing us a plate of marinated cabbage with little dollops of sriracha chilli sauce. The cabbage is a perfect balance of sour, sweet and spicy and is a great amuse bouche to awaken your palate.  

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My dinner mate and I decided to share two entrees; Garlic-Ginger Shrimp and Pecan Encrusted Grouper.  Both were served with fluffy rice garnished with daikon radish and slivered carrot, a medley of carrots, chayote, water chestnuts and snow peas and a bit of slaw of jicama and carrot. 

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The grouper melted in your mouth and the tamarind sauce was a nice balance of sweet and sour which still managed to not over take the fish.  The ginger in the garlic shrimp was a nice addition adding another taste and a bit of heat. 

Our only regret of the night was not having room for a delicious dessert.  We have sampled both the coconut cheesecake and the chocolate Kahlua mousse in the past and would have enjoyed that to finish but instead made due with our fortune cookie and a stroll around town to try and work off some of the fullness in our tummies. “

Kath’s quote: “I think somebody should come up with a way to breed a very large shrimp. That way, you could ride him, then, after your camped at night, you could eat him. How about it science?”-Jack Handey

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Love-that is all.

P.S. To Annalise from Kathryne.  I mistakenly called you Lori the last time I saw on Hidalgo.  I love your name and will forever remember it.

 

Post Holiday Confessional-Healthy Eating on Isla Mujeres

March3

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Just got back this weekend from our winter break in paradise.  In spite of walking for miles all around the island and eating the whole and healthy food of the locals, my jeans were a little snug this morning and I went back over my tropical diet to figure out why.

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Most breakfasts were eaten in our fabulous little apartment of yoghurt, fresh fruit and granola.  When we are home I select no fat, plain Greek yoghurt, but alas, the Balkan style has not yet hit Isla grocery stores.  We opted instead for vanilla yoghurt but speculate now that it was far sweeter with a higher fat content than we are use to.  So too, I make my own granola sweetened with moderate amounts of honey and/or maple syrup and the variety that we purchased there was far sweeter.

Lunches were typically left overs or sandwiches that I made up for the beach or to nibble on while swinging in the hammock of egg or chicken salad.  I packed my own no-fat mayo with me but it was hard to resist the lime mayo that they sell on the island.  We love the freshly baked tortas that are sold from carts, market stalls and in the groceries but were also able to purchase seven grain bread like home to avoid the white processed flour whenever possible.

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Ziggy’s Coconut Shrimp & Garlic Shrimp served at Monchi’s

We did dine out almost every evening.  I told myself that I would stick to grilled fish but had to have one feed of coconut shrimp and the frutti de mare pasta that I so love.  Whole wheat pastas have also not yet found their way to the Yucatan.

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Snacks on Isla Mujeres are tempting too.  The Sabita brand potato chip is yummers and so are the local tortilla chips.  Almost every restaurant serves house made chips and salsa and although the pico de gallo is sensational and oh so healthy, the grease laden chips that the restaurants prepare are required to scoop it up.

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I also celebrated my time away with a scoop of coconut gelato and a mango popsicle, which I was pretty happy about because I could have easily treated myself to one every time we strolled down Hidalgo.

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I managed to stick to vino tinto on most evenings but the from scratch mango margaritas and pina cooladas were hard to resist on a couple of occasions.  But do you know what the killer was?  The cervesas!  In many cases the cost is equal to water in the restaurants which is one excuse for my abundant consumption.  In addition, many of our Isla traditions revolve around them i.e. a celebratory beer both to and fro on the Isla ferry, a cold one on the beach with a home-made sandwich or when you have arrived home from the beach and are about to hop in the shower.

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The reality is, cerveas tastes absolutely exquisite on Isla.  When D, Daughter #1 and our niece ordered a round with a fajita lunch, we all declared that they were the best beers we had ever tasted!  We remembered to keep our little apartment fridge stocked with them but I did not always remember to refill and chill my water bottle.  So this in the end was my downfall, because I drank too many cervesas for one simple reason: I was thirsty!

If the waistband is a little snug, was it worth it?  Oh my YES-I will do an extra couple of days of Zumba to make up for my indulgences.

Kath’s quote: “How long does getting thin take?”-Winnie the Pooh

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Love-that is all.

 

Healthy Snackbox Cookies

February19

One last recipe to clean out the provisions and pack for our trip.

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Healthy Snackbox Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Snack
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: scads
 
Ingredients
  • ½ c canola oil
  • ½ c honey
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1⅓ unsweetened chunky applesauce
  • ¾ c whole wheat flour
  • ½ t baking soda
  • ¾ t cinnamon
  • 1 c quick oats
  • ½ c bran
  • ¼ c ground flax
  • ⅔ c coconut
  • 1 c raisins
Instructions
  1. Preheat to 375 degrees.
  2. Mix together oil and honey.
  3. Add egg, vanilla applesauce and stir.
  4. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, oats, bran, flax and stir.
  5. Add coconut & raisins and ensure everything is evenly blended.
  6. Spoon onto 2 cookie sheets sprayed with canola spray.
  7. Bake 12 minutes (or longer if crispier cookie is desired).

Kath’s quote: “I am still convinced that a good, simple, homemade cookie is preferable to all the store-bought cookies one can find.”
-James Beard

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Love-that is all.

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Peach Pecan Muffins

February14

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Two sleeps and we will be off on our winter vacation and so I am trying to use up groceries in the house AND bake up some healthy snacks for the car ride to Minneapolis where we will catch our flights.  I had a bag of frozen peach slices in the freezer and this whipped together in no time.  I poured the half thawed peach slices right into the batter without chopping them first and I was pleased with the hearty look of the finished product as well as the delicious taste of a meaty peach.

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Peach Pecan Muffins
Author: 
Recipe type: Snack
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24
 
Ingredients
  • ½ c canola
  • 1½ c honey
  • 600 g bag of sliced frozen peaches, slightly defrosted
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 t vanilla
  • 3 c whole wheat flour
  • 1 T baking powder
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1 c pecans, chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Spray 24 muffin tins with canola spray or line with paper liners.
  3. In a medium bowl mix canola oil and honey.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla and stir.
  5. Add peaches and stir again.
  6. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
  7. Add nuts and stir again.
  8. Combine ingredients of both bowls and stir just until blended.
  9. Evenly portion into muffin tins.
  10. Bake for 20 minutes.

 

Kath’s quote: “An apple is an excellent thing — until you have tried a peach.”-George du Maurier

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Love-that is all.

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