The Week in Yum - Lentils, Sous Vide, Recipe for Change


So, it's done. Another year, another batch of exciting lentil recipes for the contest over at Canadian Lentils. This year I deep fried them, I roasted them, I turned them into caramel and praline in my attempts to not hide the lentils, but to whip them into submission, force them to break out of their little lentil rut and celebrate them.  All in all, I am pretty exited about all three recipes and encourage you guys to try them out and see how delicious a lentil can be.


Behold!

Za'atar Scallop on Beet and Lentil Puree in the appetizer category

Dulce de Lentil Ice Cream with Lentil Praline in the dessert category

Caramel K Corn is quite possibly one the tastiest things I have ever concocted and is my "freestyle" entry

So, because it was a jam packed week, I think we will just do a photo roundup:



The week was off to a great start with a Saturday afternoon trip to the Yonge St Galleria for some Korean supplies and, of course, lunch! I still prefer the store at Don Mills and York Mills but this one will do. Shack got a bulgogi rice bowl from Hwanggane Food and I grabbed a bowl of bubbling kimchi stew from the other stall, Wow Korean Restaurant.                                                                                                                                   


There is a third food stall that serves Chinese looking dishes but I am not going all the way to Yonge and Steeles to eat Chinese food from a food court kiosk in a Korean grocery store, you know what I mean?

















After the high of Saturday's Korean feast, we sunk to a new low with road dinner at Harvey's. I eat one, maybe two burgers a year and I am already regretting that I allowed one of those burgers to come from Harvey's instead of The Burger Priest or The Wren or something. I apologize to myself.

Monday was family day here in Ontario but it was also the day for our virtual baby shower for fellow blogger, Jan from Family Bites. What in the hell is a virtual shower, you may be askin? It's what happens when a group of bloggers are scattered across the country but would still love to celebrate an occasion so we all make something that we would actually show up with if we could, in fact, gather in someone's living room and celebrate together.

In order to add some counter balance to the delicious, sweet offerings of the other ladies, I decided that I had to do something savoury. My contribution was a virtual platter of these savoury canapes - blue cheese, spicy beets, smoked salmon and toasted za'atar pistachios IS my double chocolate flourless cake with ganache.

OH MY GOD MY SOUS VIDE MACHINE FROM ANOVA ARRIVED!
I'm sorry but I am about to go on a sous vide tirade so hold on to your hats because this is going to be a perfect cooked, encased in food grade plastic ride. I spent the entire first day doing onsen tomago (fancy pants Japanese term for eggs soft poached in their shell) so that I could figure out the exact temp and time. No more kitchen juggling with thermometers, crock pots, boiling water and ice cubes. God, I love a great gadget.

I finally mastered the falafel. Okay, it's not mastered mastered and I am now going to start perfecting it but, using the recipe in the cookbook Jerusalem, I made a batch of wonderful falafel. No more dicking around with cooked and/or canned chickpeas, trying to bake them to make them healthy. These are made from soaked but uncooked chick peas, passed a couple of times through the meat grinder and DEEP FRIED.
Yes, you heard me. I DEEP FRIED. Nobody died. The house still stands. Go me!


I ended the week with another What's For Dinner cooking demo at Loblaws. Despite the fact that it was -6889F outside, 9 committed women braved the extreme cold and showed up to enjoy a little cooking lesson and left with two new recipes to try out at home.

Happenings and Food Stuff Coming up:

You may have noticed that, once again, I ignored Valentine's Day. Honestly, almost every other food blogger and online food site certainly picks up the slack for me so nobody needs one more recipe for heart shaped chocolate cakes. When The Kid was in elementary school I liked to make it more about him and I always baked treats for school but now that he is no longer a wee tot, making me macaroni VD crafts, I have no use for it and will most likely continue to ignore it. Every day with Shack is Valentine's Day.


Recipe for Change




 It's not too late to score a ticket for this annual gastronomic party in support of Food Share and their innovative school food programs by clicking here and getting off of your fat wallet. Food Share works with communities to not only provide healthy breakfasts and lunches for Toronto children but provides food education, deals with issues of food security, teaches them about growing and preparing fresh food and gives older children kitchen experience - from beekeeping to community gardens and everything in between.

As always, there will be delicious food offerings from 30 Toronto chefs from all walks of the food industry. If that's not enough, 4 wineries and 2 craft beer breweries will help you to forget how damned freezing it is out there.

The event is going down this Thursday from 6pm to 9pm at the St Lawrence Market North Building and I, for one, will be there, eating all of the things (check out this year's menu here ). Silent auctions with prizes like a new GE stove and a trip to Montreal are also on the evening's agenda and it gives a rare opportunity to mingle and chat with all of the chefs while you try some amazing food. Last year I was impressed with the lack of big line ups so that I was truly able to try everything I wanted to taste, which is not always the case with these types of food events.

a photo from last year's event taken right before I scarfed back a couple of these sweet potato gnocchi with wild boar ragu from Le Select Bistro

If you go, look for me - I will be the chick in the black glasses, juggling two glasses of wine and a plate piled with Lamesa's Sisig Lumpia while I attempt to take pictures with my iphone but I won't be able to say much, due to a mouthful of Santo Pecado's Stuffed Pork Loin.

Read my post from last year to learn more about Food Share



 Yum Cha: I may not like Valentine's Day but I loooooove Dim Sum so I can get behind Yum Cha , a celebration of dim sum happening this Saturday at 585 Dundas St E from 11am to 4pm. Click that link and get your tickets!

In the Land of Sea and Honey Dinner: On Tuesday, Fat Girl Food Squad in conjunction with Render, a group of feminist food peeps are putting on a four course meal with wine pairings to celebrate women in the kitchen with Chef Charlotte Langley. Tickets are $65 and click here to buy 'em.

Pin of the week: My next big recipe re working inspiration

Instagram of the week: He Needs Food's feed will make you eat your own foot

Facebook share of the week:

Post by The Yum Yum Factor.

Tweet of the week: 

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