An Ode to Whyte Ave and Dadeo's

When you think of Edmonton, what comes to mind?

Cold winters.  The beautiful colours of the River Valley in the fall.  A (losing) hockey team.  The Fringe. And last but not least, Whyte Avenue.

I love Whyte Ave. 

It’s my favorite place in this great city I’ve called home for the past nine years.  I love its vibrant community of local shops.  I love seeking refuge from the harsh winter inside the warm pubs and cafes and taking in the sun from the many patios that pop up in the spring and summer.  I love that I can easily spend an entire afternoon wandering up and down 82 Ave, just window shopping and people watching.  I love the sights and smells of the Old Strathcona Farmer's Market  I love going to live theatre at the Varscona, the Arts Barns and C103. I love that there’s always live music somewhere and that I’ll usually run into someone I know.

Dadeo's: A Whyte Ave institution!

And I love going for lunch or dinner at Dadeo's.

Dadeo’s is the New Orlean’s style diner located between 105 and 106 St and Whyte.  The retro atmosphere of vinyl booths, mini-juke boxes and funky tunes is always upbeat and the Cajun-inspired food never disappoints.  The Po’Boy Sandwiches, especially, are to die-for!

We gathered at Dadeo’s a few nights ago, myself and some friends, tired and excited from our successful dress rehearsal for Orchesis Modern Dance’s Motif 2014.  We’d danced hard all week and were looking forward to some celebratory drinks and their famous Sweet Potato Fries from the comforts of the booths in the back.

“I have to apologize in advance – we are sold out of the Sweet Potato Fries,” announced our server almost immediately. Collective gasp among our group.  The breaded yam fries are the clincher to any meal at Dadeo’s and selling out of them is pure prove of their popularity.  Still, we never thought it could happen to us!

“You’ll just have to try something new!” she said brightly and left us to our menus.  No worries, we soon discovered.  The ample side options - the Coleslaw, Potato Hash and BBQ Beans just to name a few – gave us plenty of alternatives.  We ordered drinks: a mixed round of Cherry Cokes, beer and water to refresh our dancer bodies and settled into the task of deciding on Po’Boys.

All Po'Boy's are $9 on Monday and all day Tuesdays!

I found myself, as always, torn between my two favorites: Pulled Pork or Bayou Burger.  I am still quite often a creature of habit, but if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, right?

“You are not allowed to have either of those two sandwiches,” declared our server when I confessed my inability to choose between my two favorite options.  She did have a point.  By always sticking to my favorites, I was denying myself the chance to experience more of Dadeo’s amazing sandwiches.  It was time to branch out.  My friends offered their suggestions (Blackened Catfish! Philly Cheese Steak!).  Finally, I had a new order.

“Andouilli Sausage then,” I announced.  She nodded approvingly and brought out the requisite appetizer of bite-sized biscuits and sweet jalapeno jelly. Here goes something delicious!

My new Po’Boy was absolutely worth the risk of trying something new!  The thick slices of Andoulli Sausage brought the heat and spice of classic Cajun food and were perfectly balanced out by the tomato sauce and herb mayo.  The Po’Boy baguettes are always soft inside and slightly crispy outside and taste so fresh.  As for my side option, I dug into the chunky, garlicky Potato Hash, a warmed-up version of potato salad, and found it a worthy alternative to the fries.  My one warning - pop some gum or brush your teeth afterwards since the garlic and spice flavors may linger…

Andouilli Sausage Po'Boy. A new favorite!

As with any good meal, the booths fell silent as we devoured our food: an Au Felix Salad for the friend to my left, the Fritters for the one opposite me, and three other kinds of Po’Boys for the rest.  The Cherry Cokes kept flowing, as did the funky tunes that had us grooving in our seats, and the great conversation between those amazing people; my friends from all different backgrounds, brought together through a love of dance and that night, of great food.

Thank you, Dadeo’s for being out of the Sweet Potato Fries and for making me try something new!  That’s something else I love about Whyte Ave – you never know what exactly you’re going to get!

Special thanks to the Old Strathcona Business Association for retweeting this post and then reposting it on their website!  Check it out!

Colourful Egg Salad

I love colourful food and I am of the opinion that a meal should have a broad colour pallet: rich reds and oranges, bright greens, a dab of yellow or crisp white and even sometimes a pop of blue or purple (purple potatoes are delicious, in case you couldn't think of a purple food).  When I create a sandwich, like any designer, I consider the colours of the ingredients and how they will look together.  I like to build something with a range of colours  because it's aesthetically pleasing and hints at variety in taste and texture.  And let's face it, when something looks good, chances are it tastes good too. 

Such is the case for my latest sandwich creation.  The white and yellow mix of hard boiled eggs provided the basis for a lovely, multicoloured egg salad sandwich.  When mixed with some green celery, red pepper and rusty-tinged spices, the sunny yellow hue reminded me of springtime.  It's a cheerful-looking (and tasting!) sandwich to enjoy this slushy winter week.

This Colourful Egg Salad requires:

Red, green, white and yellow!

5 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 tsp diced fresh dill weed (estimated)
1 tbsp-ish of mayo
1/2 tbsp-ish of Fresh's Dijon with Chardonnay mustard
Paprika and Cayenne pepper flakes to taste
Spinach 
Bread or buns, split


Hard Boiled Eggs can be tricky, but luckily there's no shortage of tips online to try!  Some say to add vinegar or salt to the water to prevent the egg whites from oozing if the eggs are cracked and others don't; I recommend reading a few and trying whatever stands out to you.  I've used this method many times with consistent hard boiled results:

Just add water, boil, remove from heat and cover.

1. Place the eggs in a single layer and fill your pot with cold water that covers the eggs with an extra inch and a half.
2. Bring the water to a boil for 1 minute and remove the pot from heat.  I know the expression "a watched pot never boils" but it's important that you do watch it so they don't overcook.
3. Cover and let the eggs sit in the boiled water for about 12 minutes. 
4. Run the eggs under cold water and peel.  Fini!

Sandwich Creation:

1. After peeling the eggs, mash them in a bowl with a pastry cutter.
2. Add the diced celery, red pepper, dill weed and mix.
3. Mix in the mayo and mustard.  I don't like my egg or potato salads drowning in sauce, which is why my measurements were 'ish' amounts as I constantly taste as I mix.  Add more/less to suit your liking.
4. Sprinkle on the paprika and cayenne spices to taste.
5. Scoop egg salad on one bread slice/bun half and pile with spinach.
6. Enjoy! 

Chopping fresh herbs with this is so easy and they smell amazing!

Delightful!  The eggs were still warm and the spices and Dijon mustard added some zip. Since there was some leftover egg salad the next day and I was feeling inspired, I added some diced radishes, and fresh basil to the mix for even more colour and flavor!  Fresh basil smells and tastes lovely but in the leftover amount, it was a bit intense, so I recommend either using a smaller amount for the leftover batch or adding it the whole batch next time.  

For even more colour, I added some baby carrots on the side because for me, the more colours, the better the sandwich.  Enjoy!

Portobello Fun on a Bun

Where’s the meat? 

Not here…not this time!

This is a big deal because there once was a time when sandwich meat was the be-all for me; maybe I’d have some lettuce, but that was the extent of me eating vegetables on sandwiches.  The year I lived in Res at U of A, I ate a lot (a lot!!) of Subway but after my third or fourth Cold-Cut Combo in a row, it was getting old, so I slowly added more vegetables…some tomatoes, some cucumbers, etc.  Nothing really that adventurous but it was the beginning of a scrumptious turning point…

The first time I tried spicy banana peppers, it rocked my world - who knew??

Red peppers – so sweet, fresh and crunchy! 

Avocados - just like tree-butter – brilliant!

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper on a thick, juicy tomato slice – where had it been all my life?!

An abundance of vegetables on sandwiches adds beautiful colour, texture and flavor.   They can be chopped and added as-is, or grilled, spiced, or sautéed, depending on the sandwich’s needs and your own desires.  And finally, they are just plain good for you!  The Canada Food Guide recommends that women between the ages of 19 - 50 consume 7-8 servings of fruit and vegetables a day; men are recommended to consume 8-10 servings a day, so packing your sandwiches full of vegetables can help you get in some of those servings.  For more info, check out the Canada Food Guide website.

Gorgeous colours! 

Eating enough vegetables is still something I’m working on because at my core, I am truly a carnivore and my go-to strategy when sandwich pondering is to choose a meat and build the rest around it.  It’s a good tactic that’s worked well for me for a long time, but in keeping with my New Year’s goals to experiment, create and write about new, interesting and appetizing sandwiches (not just the same old meat and standard lettuce/tomato combos) and to eat more vegetables, I’m very excited to share one of my favorite all-vegetable sandwiches, the Portobello Mushroom, Veggie and Feta Bunwich.

You will need:

2-3 Portobello Mushroom caps, sliced

1 tbsp Minced Garlic

1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

Calabrese Dinner Rolls, split

3 Large Carrots, grated

2 Red Peppers, sliced

A handful of sliced Grape Tomatoes

Big handfuls of Baby Spinach per bun

Crumbled Feta Cheese, a large spoonful per bun

Fresh Ground Pepper

Recommended condiments: lime mint jelly, spicy red pepper jelly, dill mayo, mustard, baba ghanoush, tzatziki

Portobello or Portabella?  Spelling doesn't count! 

Creation Tips: 

1- Sautée the mushrooms in the garlic and vinegar over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

2-Slice and grate the peppers, tomatoes and carrots, respectively.

3-Spread your chosen condiment on the bun and pile on the mushrooms and peppers. 

4-Sprinkle a spoonful of feta and top with the grated carrot to keep the cheese in place.

5-Top with tomatoes, fresh ground pepper and spinach. 

6-For a slightly tidier eating experience, I recommend slicing the entire bunwich in half.  Or if you like it messy, just give’r!

Portobello packed and stacked just like a burger!

This extremely filling bunwich can please all sizes of appetites – hence how I ate one and my husband ate three.  The great thing about Portobello mushrooms is their meaty texture and taste, which is no surprise since they are commonly used as a substitute for meat. Even The Works Gourment Burger Bistro of a few posts ago offers a Portobello cap as one of its many patty options. The trick with sautéing mushrooms is not to go overboard with the vinegar so that they still retain some of their original earthy, mushroom flavor. The feta also gives a tangy, salty flavor to the overall bunwich and the piled-on veggies adds satisfying crunch and vibrant color.  

The possibilities of different condiment combos are also very exciting.  I tried the Lime Mint jelly for something slightly sweet and different and I want to keep changing it up the next few times. I have a sneaking feeling that baba ghanoush and tzatziki will be excellent…

Here’s to many more healthy and exciting sandwich creations in 2014! 

Happy experimenting and leave me a comment on how yours progresses!

3 Parts Mustard/2 Parts Pickles/1 Part Ham

3 kinds of mustard, 2 kinds of pickles...that's how I remade an otherwise ordinary ham and cheese sandwich.  

The experimental process

With lots of traveling over the Christmas holidays and getting the house back to its pre-holidays mess, cooking a nice, grown-up dinner just wasn't in the cards last night.  Thankfully, there was lots of leftover baked ham (sent home with us in a huge care-package from the farm from my amazing mother-in-law!), half a loaf of homemade bread, some veggies and lots of condiments in the fridge to work with. 

Since ham and cheese is pretty basic, I tried experimenting with combinations of mustard and pickles to dress things up.  What I discovered was a hot and savory mix! 

For my 3 Parts Mustard/2 Parts Pickles/1 Part Ham creation, I used:

French's Original Dijon

Sensations' Whole Grain Dijon (I love its grainy texture)

French's Class Yellow Mustard 

Unico Pickled Hot Pepper Rings

Bick's Sandwich Saver Dill Pickles

Baked Ham, sliced

Mayo

Baby Spinach

Plum Tomatoes, sliced

Marble Cheese slices

Brown Bread

Fresh Ground Pepper

Cast photo! Missing the Grainy Dijon, which was finished off.

Tips:

1. Combine the Original Dijon and Grainy Dijon on the same bread slice to make a Super-Dijon Mustard! 
2. Spread the mayo and the Classic Yellow on the other bread slice to balance it all out. (For an even bigger kick, I dare you to try Keen's Mustard instead of the Classic Yellow; it's my favorite hot mustard and it would bring this sandwich to a whole new level!)
3. Pile on the other ingredients and don't skimp on the spinach and hot peppers!
4. Add some fresh ground pepper before fully assembling.
5. Enjoy!

Spicy and grainy mustard combined with hot and garlicky pickles really rebooted this sandwich, which proves that having fun with the classics is all about the condiments.  

What's your favorite condiment combo? Leave me a comment and let me know!

A Burger at The Works

As my Maritime holiday continues, so does my quest for new beautiful sandwich and travel experiences!  

After a brief stop (delay) in Montreal, the holidays were spent visiting family in Fredericton and catching up with some old friends in Halifax. 

I have never traveled to this part of Canada before and a few things need to be stated right off the top:

1. I have never seen more beautiful and picturesque winter landscapes than those of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. 
2. The people– especially our dear family and old friends, plus the new ones we’ve met – are such kind, funny and wonderful people.
3. The food is absolutely incredible.

Today’s adventure brought all these statements together in the fun atmosphere, great company and absolutely amazing burgers at The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro in beautiful Halifax, Nova Scotia.

What?! Burgers?! Isn’t this a sandwich blog?!

This menu is incredible!

Absolutely.   I declare the burger to be a full-blooded member of the sandwich family. If you ever visit The Works, you will understand. 

Our friend took us there for lunch and it did not disappoint. They serve their beverages in measuring cups and their menu consists of over forty different burger and topping combinations with witty names like Born to Brie Wild (mushrooms, brie and bacon) and Son of a Beech (avocado, beechhouse sauce, sundried tomato and feta).  (The blogger in me definitely loved the burger names and when I told our server that I write a food blog, she gave me one of the brown paper menus as a souvenir!)  You even get to pick what your patty is made of: 100% Canadian beef, chicken breast, ground turkey, Portobello mushroom cap, or Gourmet Veggie.  You can even get Elk.  

Elk!  So Canadian!!

The Tower-O-Rings, with my Root Beer in
a measuring glass

Needless to say, it took a while for us to narrow down what to order.  While we agonized over the menu, we enjoyed the Tower-O-Rings, the best, most crispy and golden onion rings I’ve ever had.  I finally decided on the Nacho Libre Burger, which consisted of red, gold and blue tortilla chips, 5 kinds of cheese (!), sour cream, salsa and onions, with a side of fries, naturally.

It was the most beautiful burger I’ve ever seen with the colourful tortilla chips, huge dollop of sour cream and did I mention it had 5 different kinds of cheese??  Amazing!  I actually had to roll up my sweater sleeves to eat it.  The whole wheat bun was soft and fresh for each bite of burger patty, chips, salsa and 5 different kinds of cheese.  It was drippy and slightly messy but you just have to know that attempting to eat a burger that full isn’t going to be neat and tidy.  The fries also deserve credit for being the right combination of warm and crispy and topped with some malt vinegar, just the right side for that most delicious burger.

The Nacho Libre: a beautiful burger and definitely not a Jack Black movie.

My two dining partners were also thrilled with their respective choices: the Cracker Jack (peppercorn crust, banana peppers, jack cheese and ‘hotter than hell sauce’) and the Pony Express (horseradish, cream cheese, hot sauce, cheddar and tomato), both served with the Spicy Die-Cut Chips (I stole a few and they were great!).  We devoured our burgers in our comfortable booth, while the classic rock songs of Tom Cochrane and Rush played in the background and shared the great conversations that occur when old friends catch up in a beautiful old city, over a delicious meal.  Simply being with them, my husband and my dear old friend from university, in that fun and friendly place, (with excellent service, I might add) laughing and stuffing our faces, was more than just a meal.  It was an experience. 

And did I finish my Nacho Libre Burger?  Nope! 

But this time, I blame the onion rings.

Planning a trip to Eastern Canada? Make sure to check out The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro!

When in Montreal...gorge yourself on a Jumbo Smoked Meat Sandwich!

Bonjour and greetings from Montreal!  What can you do while waiting for your (delayed flight) in this snowy winter city?

Why, seek out the famous Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich, of course!!

They did not feed us on our flight from Edmonton, so it was with an extreme combination of gratitude and anticipation that we settled ourselves down at Moe's Deli and Bar for a late dinner.  I immediately scanned the bilingual menu for the sandwich section and there it was: Viande Fumee Jumbo! 

And then - voila! - there it was in front of me:  at least three inches thick of juicy, gleaming meat barely contained by the two slices of rye bread, with a giant pickle and a pile of fries on the side!  As a Smoked Meat Rookie, I knew I was in for a challenge...

I applied a small layer of mustard under one of the rye slices and took my first bite. Sharp...slippery...smokey...pungent...but all in a good way!  Move over Ketchup, this was Mustard's show!  The thin layer of mustard disappeared rapidly after the first few bites, so I resorted to squeezing a sizable portion onto my plate for dipping.  So good!  Then somehow, the first half was gone!  More or less inhaled in only a few bites; I guess was more hungry than I thought...

I dug into the second half but as Joey from Friends once said: "Here come the meat sweats..."

They were mild ones, thank goodness, and I wish I could say I was able to rally and devour the second half as nimbly and quickly as the first, but alas, the Jumbo Smoked Meat of Montreal proved too much for me.  But I have no regrets about getting only 3/4 way through a ginormous pile of pure meat - I was bested by a worthy foe and it was a noble defeat.

So next time you find yourself waiting for a plane in Montreal, go on a Smoked Meat Quest of your own.  You won't regret it and maybe you'll be able to finish what you start.  And don't forget the mustard.

Joyeux Noel!

Guacamole Turkey Club

I love guac!

It’s perfect on the classics like nachos and quesadillas (the more cheese, the better!), alongside its close amigos hot/spicy salsa and sour cream.  It’s also very lovely on a turkey club.  I admit, I was once put off by guacamole’s unique green colour and chunky texture, but it adds such a fresh, delicious flavour to the above mentioned dishes that I quickly got over how weird it looked and I now enjoy making my own.  It’s quick, easy, healthy and the true star of this sandwich’s fiesta!

To prepare the guacamole, mix the following together:

4 small ripe avocados, pitted and mashed (To check for ripeness, gently press on the outsides of the avocado for a slight give; no give means it’s not ripe and too much means over-ripe)

1 medium tomato, diced

1 tbsp. lime juice

2 tsp. minced garlic (or more, depending on how garlicky you want it!)

1-2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

Fresh ground pepper (to taste)

All red and green and festive like!  As guacamole has a rather short shelf-life, make sure to use any leftover guac with some tortilla chips or as a unique spread on toast.

For the Turkey Club, you will need:

Sourdough bread, toasted

Bacon (I use 2 strips of bacon per sandwich)

Turkey slices; I love Lilydale’s seasoned and roasted turkey breast slices (I recommend using the low sodium kind since you'll get your fill of salt with the bacon.)

Mayo

Assembly Tips:

1. Fry the bacon and drain off some of the grease with paper towel. (Make sure you don't pour the grease down the drain; it's bad for your plumbing!)
2. Spread one slice of the toasted bread with mayo and the other with the guacamole.
3. Pile on the turkey and bacon
4. Slice and enjoy with a festive Christmas Orange!

The guacamole makes this sandwich quite filling and for aesthetics, it's quite colourful: the green and reds of the guacamole, the pinks and rusts of the turkey and bacon. 

Lovely and muy delicioso!

Feliz Navidad!