Food

Jan172013

Wild Boar Burgers

If you know me, you know I have a weird diet philosophy. I call myself a vegetarian, but I will eat any wild-caught fish or hunted meat. Just my desire to go back to a more natural age before the meat industry. ANYHOW, now that you know how and what I eat, let me introduce tonight’s dinner: Wild Boar Burgers and Chips. Everything homemade, of course. It actually turned out great despite my NEVER cooking boar before and rarely (pun intended) ever cook meat. Check it out

Ingredients

2 potatoes
kaiser rolls
wild boar meat
grilled onions
tomato
spinach
pickles
garlic
dried rosemary & basil
salt & pepper

Directions

First thing I did was cut up my taters. Slice into very thin pieces, so they cook into crispy chips (fries, for you Americans)

Now, I cooked and cut up my condiments. It’s your choice if you want to do this now or later, but this is how I did it. I grilled up some onions, cut tomatoes, and pickles. I also got out some spinach to go atop the burger as well.

Now it’s time to tackle the boar meat. We got ours ground, so it was pretty easy. Put the meat in a sizable bowl so you can season it. You can season it however you want, but I used garlic, garlic pepper, salt, dried basil and rosemary. I use plenty of garlic, 2 cloves and slice it up. Oh, and a little dash of soy sauce. Then dig around and make sure it’s somewhat evened out.

Now have two pans with oil getting hot on the stove. Flatten out the patties semi-thin, just not thick. Put your potatoes in one pan and salt them up. Now put your patties in the other pan, put them on a medium-low heat, so they don’t get burnt on the outside while they’re cooking on the inside.

Now it’s really up to you to monitor the burgers and the chips. Maybe go set the table, get some drinks out. You want the chips nice and crispy and the boar burgers cooked well, but still juicy. We cooked ours for about 6 minutes. Aaaaand done!

It turned out very well, the chips were crispy, the burgers were loaded with flavor, and our bellies were very happy. I hadn’t eaten any kind of meat (last time was wild bison) in about a year. Oh, and our drink of choice, none other but gourmet root beer.

Go ahead and try out the recipe, let us know if you have any questions about anything. PS- you can see Nymeria on the step-stool in the picture above.

Cheers!

Jan142013

Boulder’s Tastes of Korea

Ever since moving to Boulder, we’ve been experiencing all sorts of great ethnic and domestic cuisine. Dot’s Diner, which we visited today, is Alana’s go-to breakfast spot; Tibet Kitchen is our favorite lunch special; Kho’s Asian Bistro in Longmont might be our top choice for dining out. However, that top spot was potentially challenged in the past few days as we decided to give two Korean spots in Boulder a try. The bar was set high because of past experiences, but I’m an easy going guy sometimes. So here are the two comparative “restaurant” reviews.

Friday night, after Tangier Moroccan was closed because of a private party (very unreliable spot), we crossed the street to finally give Korea House a try. It was a cold, dark and quiet night and we were starving. When we walked in the door, I was immediately very excited. We hadn’t had Korean food since visiting a Korean spa in Fort Lee, NJ. It was a very cute atmosphere with an overload of Northeast Asian trinkets that obviously didn’t bother me at all. Sometimes I like having more to look at.

Essentially, the music was authentic and varied, the service was friendly and efficient, and the food was delicious and healing. We had a kimchi pancake and vegetable dumplings to start. Alana had a ginger-honey tea and I had a barley tea. Her’s was delicious and mine was warming. For entrees, she got the calamari bbq while I got the beef bbq and a traditional bowl of vegetables, beef, and an egg on top. Alana’s dish wasn’t quite what she expected, but she ate most of it. My bulgogi and bibimbap were delicious! The green tea mochi ice cream was so good that I ate my half, and I don’t like mochi ice cream. It was about $60 in total, but we were full enough and it was well worth it in terms of atmosphere, service, and taste.

The next day we ventured to A Cup of Peace for lunch. It was much different so I don’t want to compare the two. They have a sign that says this is not a typical Korean restaurant. Well, it’s not quite a restaurant, but rather a cafe. Their focus is beverages including tea and coffee. The atmosphere was much simpler and the food was generally more expensive, less filling, and not as good. The service was quick but you don’t get served. It was about $30 for bibimbap, bbq beef in a different form, and a plate of mixed sides for Alana. We weren’t very full after it and while Alana loved the pickled sides at Korea House, she didn’t touch them more than once at A Cup of Peace. I’m sure there are many people that would prefer this spot, but it’s not one we’ll likely return to due to our own likes and dislikes.

Also, I have been very sick and sore lately and after having Korea House, I felt healed. After A Cup of Peace, I had some stomach issues.

So, try to find a Korean restaurant around you, grab a meal, and let us know how it is! Maybe we’ll try to stop by there on our journeys. Until then, stay hungry and fit!

Jan092013

Stir Fry Creations

Stir fry is one of my favorite dishes. It’s because there are endless possibilities. And it’s so easy to do. All you need is some veggies and a form of protein in your fridge–you can mix and match and throw things together that don’t seem normal. And that’s the beauty of it! If you have veggies, rice, and/or noodles, you have no excuse for not home cooking. Let me share with you a dish I just recently prepared, with an attempt to make it as Asian as possible for Chris.

Alana’s Monday Stir Fry

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

a bunch of bok choy
1/2 an onion
2 large carrots
1 yellow pepper
1 case of Udon noodles
1/2 pound of wild-caught scallops
1 case of tofu
wok oil & soy sauce
spices such as ground ginger, fresh garlic, pepper, salt, 5 spice, and garlic pepper

Directions

1. Let’s tackle the boy choy first. Wash the bok choy, scrub out any dirt under cold water. Cut until the stem is almost gone.

2. Cut the rest of the vegetables: thinly slice the onions and carrots. Do proper thick slices of the yellow pepper.

3. Put the wok oil and soy sauce in the wok (or frying pan, whatever you have) and heat that baby up! Crush some garlic in there and let the smells get you.

4. Once it is heated, throw those veggies in there. As you are tossing them in the oil, put your spices in, whatever they may be. I put in lots of ginger, garlic, and pepper. Make sure you are constantly tossing the vegetables so that your spices get on it all.

5. Cube the tofu, wash the scallops, and unwrap the udon noodles. Throw it all into the already cooking mixture. Again, make sure to keep stirring and tossing so that everything soaks up that flavor.

6. Cook to taste and decide when it’s ready! For me it took about 10 minutes, maybe not even that.

And there you have it, an easy 20-minute dish with tons of nutrient-filled vegetables and protein. PS- there are eggs in the picture, but I didn’t end up using them, but they are a great addition! Get creative. This is only my recipe, and it’s one of many stir-frys.

Cheers and Happy Cooking!

Jan022013

5 Baby Steps to Starting the “New You”

So you’ve made your resolutions–well done! So how do you even start them. It can be quite daunting to look at a page of things you say you are going to do…which is why it’s so important to start with baby steps. Let’s try just a few…

1. Take the stairs every time. I know you’ve heard this one before, but I want you to actually follow it. Every time. Even if you’re tired. You work on the third floor, go ahead and do yourself a favor and take those few flights. It will be worth it in the long run, especially if you don’t have time to workout.

stairs (Photo credit: moyogo)

2. Move more. Just move! That’s it! You have an office job? Print things out to the farthest printer, or the one upstairs. Use a stability ball instead of a chair. Stand up and walk around when you are drinking your coffee. Say hi to that coworker in the other department you haven’t seen in awhile. I know you’re busy, but you can make time for a few minutes each hour to just move around. This will keep your metabolism up and running.

Using stability balls (Photo credit: mediaguy4)

3. Eat frequently. This isn’t a myth, folks, the more times you consume food, the faster your metabolism has to work. This doesn’t mean go out and have steak and eggs for every meal. Small meals folks–egg on toast, fruit, trail mix, peanut butter on celery. Divide up those foods and you have something to graze on all day, keeping your body alert and your metabolism working.

Tasty Food Abundance in Healthy Europe (Photo credit: epSos.de)

4. Change your daily activities. What do you do when you come home from work? Plonk yourself down with a frozen dinner and watch the tube? Well, you know some habits are going to have to change and that is certainly one of them. I know you’re tired when you come home from work, and there’s nothing wrong for putting your feet up for thirty minutes or an hour…but not the whole night. Find something active to do, play with your kids, your dog, cook up a meal, clean the bathroom. Go shoot some hoops. There are plenty of ways to stay active even at night.

Not our cats (Photo credit: Per Ola Wiberg ~ powi)

5. Decide on a workout time. Everyone’s different. That goes without saying. But I am saying it because you need to experiment and know yourself when it comes it workouts. For example, I typically workout best in the mornings, I feel I have the most energy. But that doesn’t mean I won’t workout at night, because I often do. But if you’re just starting a workout routine, find the time where you feel most energized, refreshed, and motivated. It will make all the difference. Try working out in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening. Note when you have the best workouts.

Workout at the Beach (Photo credit: shyb)

There you have it, folks, 5 easy ways to start the “new you.” Let us know if you have any questions–we love to see people get healthy! Good luck!

Dec182012

11 Ways to Maintain or Lose Weight Throughout the Holidays

The holidays are never easy for those trying to maintain or lose weight. Never ever. You’re typically surrounded by family shoving food in your face like ham and cookies. We’ve created a guide that you should follow to weather this tumultuous season. Let’s stay on track!

Exercise or MOVE 30 minutes a day. Minimum. That sounds like a lot. It’s not. Walk the dog, take a brisk walk round the neighborhood, scrub the floors, hop on the treadmill or elliptical. You can even pick up a light sport such as golfing, cycling or even hit the gym for a few weeks. It is worth it.
Limit yourself to 2-3 treats a week. This plays a big part in maintaining all of your progress. Don’t binge on treats all the time, it’s about moderation.
Strength train 2-3 times a week. Whether that means getting on the floor and doing core work, picking up weights, or using machines in a gym facility, get your muscles working. Keep up the toning and strength work. We want to keep burning calories after our workout!
Resist temptation most of the time. Say that pack of oreos or that ice cream sundae is looking fabulous. Try to resist as much as possible, but again, have a treat now and then. When you resist the cookies, supplement it with something else like banana and peanut butter, greek yogurt, crackers and peanut butter, or fruit. Still tasty, but tremendously better for maintaining your progress.
Get your friends and family in on the exercise. Think of how funny a plank or push up contest would be with all the folks. Get people to go for walks or jogs with you. Do a 15-minute timed abs routine with your cousins or siblings. Create family time around something other than food–and make it fun. Think how hilarious it would be to see your dad playing Just Dance.
Look at ingredient labels. If it has anything like “high fructose corn syrup” on it, STAY AWAY.
Eat breakfast. A simple simple way to control your metabolism and eating for the entire rest of the day. Not very hungry? Just have some greek yogurt and nuts, eggs on whole wheat toast, or a smoothie. Just to get the metabolism started and preventing a binge-fest later.
Control your portion size.We eat with our eyes and then we feel bad if we leave food on our plate. Break that habit and get small servings to start. You can always get more if you’re still hungry, right? Be smart about these choices. Use a smaller plate or bowl.
Eat often and well. When our glucose levels drop, we usually scrounge for something to satiate it: cookies, chips, ice cream, etc. However, when we eat often throughout the day (every 2-3 hours), that doesn’t happen. Have carrots, fruit, and nuts around the house—easy fix.
When you eat, just eat. Sounds weird, but if you eat while distracted, say, while watching television, you don’t pay attention to your food or how your body is responding to it. Take the time to eat and really enjoy the food. It’s a good meditation and you won’t overeat.
Is it worth it? Look at that piece of unhealthy food. Is it worth it? Is the satisfaction going to last more than ten minutes? What about that feeling of progress with weight or lean muscle? Weigh your decisions (no pun intended). Then reward yourself with a smile and know you did the right thing.

So there you have it. Not too difficult to follow because you do get some cheats and treats every once in a while. It’s all about moderation. Be realistic, but don’t overdo it. Good cheer and good luck this holiday season!

Dec152012

Breakfast Spotlight: Dot’s Diner

Alana would probably be more fitting to write this post about Dot’s Diner because she’s been there more and she also likes it a bit more, but I can still tell people how delicious it can be. Dot’s is a throwback baby-boomer themed breakfast diner that has a little bit of a Nepali twist to it. Their Nepali cooks make sure that the daily curries and chai are up to authentic standards, but we haven’t tried any lunch entrees there yet. We go for the breakfast and have brought everyone that has visited, from parents, to grandparents, to friends to Dot’s for breakfast. Everything here is good and some things are really good, nothing bad so far for us and we’ve been nearly ten times in just the few months we’ve been in Boulder.

I’ve gotten the trout and eggs, AM sandwich, omelettes, and house breakfast. I like their eggs and they have really good home made hashbrowns, no grease or excess oil to be found. The service is typically good, usually the water is always refilled quickly, but not today. My hands are still cold and my stomach still isn’t feeling good so this isn’t the best, most in depth, lengthy post like usual.

Their standout feature, typically but not today, are their biscuits. They are made in the kitchen and typically aren’t greasy, or too hard, they just have a very nice fluffy inside and some crunch on the outside. And they’re huge, and they have this amazing jelly that comes out of a squeeze bottle, which is a genius idea. I usually have more jelly than biscuit.

Finally, it’s always busy but never so much that you have to wait, and it’s very affordable. A $20 bill for a breakfast that leaves two people nice and full.

So if you’re in Boulder and want a local breakfast spot that serves top five breakfast food, stop by Dot’s and play some baby boomer trivial pursuit and appreciate the warm decor throughout for a nice meal.

Dec122012

Berry Delicious! HEALTHY Berry Whole-Wheat Pie/Crumble

First of all, yes, yes, I know…brilliant title. I thought of it myself. And second of all, it IS healthy and GUILT FREE. Why? There’s barely any sugar in it. It’s weird. But I don’t lie. And for record, this is my first pie/crumble/whatever-you-want-to-call-it that I’ve made by myself from scratch. I took it from here, but as usual, modified. It didn’t take too long either. It was a very pleasant process.

Ingredients (Pie Filling)

2 boxes of blackberries
2 boxes of raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons flour

Ingredients (Crust)

2 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 sticks butter
1 teaspoon salt
12 teaspoons cold water

So first, let’s take care of the pie filling (will take approx…2 minutes!).

Directions (Pie Filling)

Put the berries, flour, and sugar into a bowl (take note that it’s just the 2 teaspoons of flour)

Directions (Crust)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Combine the flour and salt in a big mixing bowl (this time 2 cups flour)
Cut up the cold butter into little pieces and place in flour mixture

Next, add enough cold water for the flour to stick together and can be rolled into a massive ball of dough.

Place in the freezer for 15 minutes
Take out of freezer, and use glad wrap or wax paper to really roll it out as thin as you want the crust
Once the crust is rolled out, place half of it on the bottom of your pan (or whatever you may use)

Next, get that fruit filling in there, to make it look truly beautiful.

Using the rest of the pie dough, make the top of the crumble/pie

Put in the oven for 35-45 minutes. Mine took about 42 minutes I would say.
ENJOY!

Even though the crust wasn’t perfect, I definitely had two servings. Have fun!

Nov272012

Thanksgiving Feast: Do it Right

Okay, so we’ve been gone for…a week. But we have plenty reason why! My family came in and it was a very excellent, fun, way-too-fast vacation for all of us here in Boulder. But you’re not here to listen to my excuses about family and not being able to post. You’re here to see food. And since we’re just getting back to full-time blogging, I’ll post a nice light array of food.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. When is it not? Don’t answer that, yes I know the turkey could light the house on fire. Family, food, sunset walks, and good tv. WHAT CAN GO WRONG? Don’t answer that. But seriously, everything went well for us and we had an amazing time (kittens included). So, my parents and brother came in for the week and we had a 9-person Thanksgiving. It was beautiful and great and just LOOK AT IT ALL.

Mum’s homemade cranberry sauce, from stewed cranberries and sugar

Baked yams with shaved almonds on top

Mashed potatoes (of course)

Martinelli’s…Thanksgiving Classic

TURKEY. We didn’t eat it, but others did

My beautiful plate…you can see salmon (wild caught) as my meat in addition to a roll, mushrooms, and brussel sprouts (as well as other food covered already)

You will always find amazing salads at Marga’s house

Plate all clean! Well except for the avocado Kai dropped on the floor

One of the two pies we had. This one was a bakery-made Peach-Raspberry (yum) and Megan made a top-notch pumpkin pie that I wish still existed

So that really covers it for Thanksgiving food…except for the stuffing and gravy and other alcohol served. Everyone had a good stuffed time. How was yours?

You know it…BONUS KITTY PIC

Nov192012

Restaurant Rave: Kho’s Asian Bistro

After our workouts (usually legs) at the Longmont YMCA, we typically go out to eat. It’s our eating-out treat day. And for the past two Fridays, we’ve gone to Kho’s Asian Bistro. You can guess if this is going to be a positive review or not. WE LOVE IT HERE. It’s not just the food, which is obviously made with love, but the incredible atmosphere and service.

So this place is tucked away, literally you have to go down No Name Road to get there. No, seriously, it exists. Once you get there, it’s in a complex with other shops. As soon as we walk in, we’re blasted to Malaysia, with fountains and beautiful sculptures and ethnic items on the wall. The sushi chef is the first to say hello and wave us to a table.

After being seated, we are soon approached by a waitress (all three we’ve interacted with have been absolutely great) and offered drinks. I almost without fail can never resist a Thai Iced Tea. Chris gets his green tea which comes in a huge pot and fills us up plenty.

We’re also pretty settled upon what we want at this point and we order our appetizer (Chris gets white rice, I get Hot n Sour Soup). The thing I love about this place is that everyone here is earnest and really wants to make you happy. We’re smiling as soon as we walk in the door.

We gobble down that quickly and we order our dishes. The first time, I got a Malaysian Curry and it was delicious (I could barely make a dent in it). Chris got the Una-Don which is his favorite. This time, I got the Buddhist Delight and he got Shrimp Ramen. I can never finish the dishes here, they’re so huge and decently priced. Packed with flavor but none of the heavy sauces that always hurt my tummy.

You can just tell: IT LOOKS DELICIOUS. BECAUSE IT IS. And that’s not all. This is the second time we’ve been here and the second time we’ve received a little special something on the house. This time it was two veggie pieces of sushi. Needless to say, we were happy.

Speaking of sushi, they have the best white tuna I’ve tasted so far. Haven’t loved it (because we’re spoiled from the coasts), but I definitely ate all my pieces last time I had some. The only negative about this restaurant is that they don’t have ethnic music on…it’s current music which we dislike. All in all, this is a fantastic joint and we will be coming back every Friday. We feel so welcomed, wanted, and happy that we’d be fools to go elsewhere. Thanks Kho’s Asian Cuisine! And where else can you find such great fortune cookie fortunes…

Cheers!

Nov162012

Lactose-Intolerant? I’m Sorry…But Here’s Something for You!

Now Chris’ mom is a fantastic cook and baker, so this one is a treat. Especially for you folks out there who are lactose-intolerant (what a sad world that is) and have other allergies. She’s prepared a Pumpkin Pie Recipe (Lactose Free) for everyone out there for the upcoming holiday!

That sure looks good, doesn’t it? Now trust me, I’ve had many many things she’s cooked or baked from her amazing Thanksgiving Stuffing to her Chocolate Mocha Cake. She’s got it all and she has it down-pat.

Head over to her Etsy site for this delicious recipe and more. She doesn’t just cook–she also crafts. She makes wonderful jewelry and headbands…she paints too! It would really be worth your time to take a look at everything she’s got. And I’m not just saying this because it’s Chris’ mom…it’s because I truly enjoy her good, healthy food and you will too!

(you know it…BONUS KITTY PIC)