Learn to Cook The Most Sustainable, Nutritious Food on The Planet at Organic Lives

January 10, 2012 By
organic lives pad thai erin ireland

Vegan Pad Thai

This January, thousands of people are getting ready to jump-start their health and take control of their diet. OrganicLives wants to help.

We take cooking nutritiously, organically, sustainably, and fairly traded to the next level and are passionate about sharing what we know. Join us for this seven-part OrganicLives cooking series with OrganicLives CEO and Founder, Preet Marwaha, at the OrganicLives Education Center.

Learn hundreds of tips and tricks to gain the knowledge and tools to cook the most nutritious, organic, and sustainable food for yourself and your family. Join us every Sunday from 10am to 1pm from January 15th, 2012 to March 4th, 2012 for this seven-part series. Take one workshop ($95) or complete the series ($500) including Food 101, Juices & Smoothies, Dressings & Dips, Soups & Stocks, Entrees & Mains, Spices & Ethnic Cooking, as well as Sweets & Treats.

Together we can change the world, one meal at a time. Online registration only. To join, click here.

OrganicLives on Twitter –> @OrganicLives
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Improve Your January: Win Three Bags of Ethical Bean Coffee & Three Loaves of To Die For Banana Bread

January 10, 2012 By

 

*UPDATE*

Congrats to @MissMimoko who’s our lucky winner! Thanks so much to everyone for entering…we loved reading your coffee and baking memories!

Happy Friday, everyone!

____________________________________________________________________

Fighting a holiday hangover ? Ethical Bean and To Die For Banana Bread want to brighten your (dark) mornings with a super-abundance of coffee beans and baking…because we all know that having something delicious to look forward to makes it that much easier to roll out of bed.

Did you know that Ethical Bean Coffee was featured in O Magazine’s Gift Guide? Made from the world’s best Fairtrade Certified Organic Beans and artisan roasted here in Vancouver, this joe really is top of its class.

The Prize

We are offering three bags of coffee beans and three loaves of banana bread to one caffeine and gluten loving itstodiefor.ca reader. FYI, the bread is entirely freezer friendly. You could cut it up, ziploc the slices, and enjoy some every day for the whole month.

How To Enter

  • Leave a comment on this post describing your favorite memory or ritual surrounding coffee and/or baked goods ( for one entry)
  • Post the following to Twitter (for a second entry to increase your chances) –>
RT to enter to win 3 bags of @ethicalbean coffee & 3 loaves of @erin_ireland’s @itstodie4 banana bread –> http://bit.ly/xa6msX

Contest Ends

  • Friday, January 20, 2012 at 9am
  • The winner will be announced here on this page shortly afterwards. Good luck!
Follow Ethical Bean & To Die For Banana Bread on Twitter –> @EthicalBean & @itstodie4

Wishing you a to die for food on a daily basis,

Erin
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Metro Vancouver Lunch Rush: Bistro Pastis

January 10, 2012 By

Steak Tartare

Looking for a French bistro in Kistilano? Bistro Pastis is a good option for you.

If it weren’t for Dine Out Vancouver, January might be the least delicious month of the year.

With 225 participating eateries, anyone can indulge in our city’s best dining at a fraction of the regular price. The favorites book up in within minutes, so make your reservations quickly.

Bistro Pastis is one of the top French restaurants in Vancouver and therefore an excellent choice for a Dine Out meal.

Try one of their rich, meaty staples, like Steak Tartare — which is the reason my Paris-born server works at the 4th Avenue haunt. It’s that good, he told me.

‘Tangy!’ was my first reaction to the chopped New Year Steak, which was wonderfully tender and riddled with capers. The high grade raw meat was thickly coated in a traditional mix of Worcestershire, incredible house made mayo, and other spices.

Bistro Pastis’ well-done French classics, charming service, and quaint surroundings are worth three times what you’ll pay during Dine Out. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Bistro Pastis
2153 West 4th Ave.
604-731-5020

This article was written for Metro Newspaper by contributing food columnist, Erin Ireland.

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“To Die For” Item of The Week: Thomas Haas Double Baked Almond Croissant

January 9, 2012 By

thomas haas double baked almond croissant erin irelandLooking for the best dessert in Kitsilano or North Vancouver? Head directly to Thomas Haas where you will gawk at at the colorful, perfectly arranged cakes and chocolates in his display case and the mammoth, $4.50 Double Baked Almond Croissants.

You won’t find many $4.50 croissants in town, nor will you find any as ‘to die for’ as Thomas’. He uses 100 grams of slivered almonds and tons of butter — fully justifying the price.

Thomas Haas in North Vancouver | Unit 128, 998 Harbourside Drive

Thomas Haas in Kitsilano | 2539 West Broadway Avenue

Here’s a complete list of the best baked goods in Vancouver.

For food tips and Vancouver restaurant recommendations, follow me on Twitter –> @erin_ireland

Wishing you ‘to die for’ food on a daily basis,

Erin

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Dine Out Vancouver Celebrates 10th Anniversary with New Events and Record-Breaking Restaurant Participation

January 6, 2012 By

Local and visiting foodies are invited once again to experience Dine Out Vancouver, the largest restaurant festival in Canada. Presented by Tourism Vancouver, this year’s festival celebrates a decade of Dine Out with brand-new events, special hotel offers and the highest number of participating restaurants to date. Mark your calendars now for 17 days of culinary creativity!

Festival dates: January 20 to February 5, 2012.

Restaurant reservations open to the public: Monday, January 9, 2012.

Participating restaurants: 225 – a new record.

Menus: Three-course, prix fixe menus priced at $18, $28 and $38 (suggested BC VQA wine and beer pairings courtesy of Wines of British Columbia and Kronenbourg 1664, available at additional cost). Participating restaurants, menus and booking details will be posted on January 9 at www.tourismvancouver.com/dov.

Hotels: Participating hotels will offer rooms priced at $78, $108 and $138 per night, and some are featuring special Dine Out packages too! The list of hotels, package information and booking details will be posted by December 15 atwww.tourismvancouver.com/dov.

Events: In celebration of Dine Out Vancouver’s 10th birthday, the list of daily dining experiences has expanded to more than 70 events. Samples from this year’s tantalizing schedule include Plated & Paired at the Public Market, featuring fresh eats and wines from 10 top B.C. wineries; Kronenbourg 1664’s popular Brasserie Mystère; the brand-new Street Food Cart City; and “Salt & Pepper” events featuring salsa dancing, an exclusive chef’s table experience and more. Tickets for paid events range from $25 to $150. For event listing and descriptions, see the Dine Out Vancouver 2012 Fact Sheet.

Sponsors: American Express Canada (premier sponsor); Kronenbourg 1664 and Wines of British Columbia (festival partners); KVOS, Metro newspaper, Vancouver magazine,Where magazine and OpenTable (media partners).

About Dine Out Vancouver:

Presented by Tourism Vancouver, Dine Out Vancouver is a city-wide celebration of eating out, attracting tens of thousands of local and visiting foodies to Vancouver’s exceptionally diverse collection of restaurants for 17 days. Celebrating its 10th year in 2012, Canada’s largest restaurant festival allows diners to sample menus from hundreds of restaurants around the city, all for a prix fixe cost (price points are $18, $28 and $38 per person). Many menus feature suggested BC VQA wine or Kronenbourg 1664 beer pairings (available at an additional cost). Dine Out Vancouver also offers special hotel room rates and packages, plus a full menu of unique food-themed events and activities, including culinary tours, cooking lessons, dinner-theatre evenings and special dining experiences. Throughout the festival, diners can take part in the Best Bite Awards by voting for their favourite festival experiences and be automatically entered to win the Dine Out for a Year contest. Dine Out Vancouver 2012 runs from January 20 to February 5. Full festival information is available at www.tourismvancouver.com/dov.

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Chef Josh Wolfe Hosts “Triple D” Viewing Party at Glowbal Group’s Coast

January 5, 2012 By

Back when the sun was still shining, Guy Fieri and the crew from the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives were in town, shooting segments for the show.

One of the few Vancouver eateries to be featured was Chef Josh Wolfe’s Fresh Local Wild food trailer at the corner of Burrard and Hastings. As the world’s only mobile patio with chef prepared food Fresh Local Wild caught the eye of the show’s producers. They spent an entire day shooting with Chef Wolfe, his team, and the line-up that always forms well before lunch time.

To celebrate the premiere of the episode, Chef Wolfe is hosting a viewing party at Coast restaurant.

Where: COAST Restaurant 1054 Alberni Street

When: Friday, January 6, 2012  | Doors open at 6PM

Show starts at 7PM on Food Network

Who: Join Chef Wolfe as he welcomes the public to view the episode Fresh Local Wild is featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

SPREAD THE WORD!

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Metro Vancouver Lunch Rush: Ensemble Tap

December 20, 2011 By

Chicken Burger

Looking for the best sports bar in downtown Vancouver? You’ve found it. 
At first glance, one might mistake it for a regular pub. Wings, nachos, and calamari — the usual appy suspects — top the menu. With 15 micro-brews on tap, Dale Mackay’s new second concept is, in every respect, a sports bar.

To expect the familiar would be ignorant, however, with Canada’s Top Chef at the reigns. Ensemble Tapwill no doubt attract throngs of non-sports fans when word of its entirely unprecedented bar food gets out (if it hasn’t already).

While toiling over the menu, several staff members suggested the Chicken Burger — Mackay’s gourmet take on his favorite drive-thru item: the McChicken Sandwich. Immediately intrigued, I obliged.

Like the mass-produced original, Tap’s includes shredded lettuce and breaded chicken. Similarities end here. Killer smoky paprika mayo, crushed avocado, and crispy bacon — a triple threat — lay between Terra Breads’ dense focaccia.

‘I was lovin’ it’ so much, that this sandwich lands on my ‘best of 2011’ Lunch Rush list.

Ensemble Tap
990 Smithe St.
604.566.9770

This article was written for Metro Newspaper by contributing food columnist, Erin Ireland.

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Metro Vancouver Lunch Rush: Bel Café

December 6, 2011 By

Spiced Pulled Chicken Sandwich

Looking for the best quick lunch spot in downtown Vancouver? Bel Cafe, owned by top Chef David Hawksworth, just might be it. 
‘Cutthroat’ best describes Vancouver’s sandwich scene.

No longer is the popular lunch food built by ‘sandwich artists’ as often as they’re created by accomplished chefs using fancy ingredients and hard-to-cook meats. So coveted are these creations, that, more and more often, you’ll find them on dinner menus around the city (think Bao Bei’s Shao Bing).

David Hawksworth — whose informal new venture is named after his wife Annabel (how charming!) — has given this city another reason to lunch out with his Spiced Pulled Chicken Sandwich.

Absurdly tender chicken — draped with finely sliced caramelized onions and a melting slab of buttery provolone — lay between thin, toasted house made ciabatta bread. Despite the item’s name, spice didn’t hit my palette. No complaints here, however — the sandwich was creamy, rich, and fully to die for.

Equally satisfying were my impeccable, stylish surroundings. Bel Café is where you want to be.

Bel Cafe
801 West Georgia St.
604.673.7000

This article was written for Metro Newspaper by contributing food columnist, Erin Ireland.

Filed Under: Metro Newspaper Lunch Rush Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Metro Newspaper’s Lunch Rush: Vancouver Christmas Market

November 29, 2011 By

Classic Baked Apple ($5.50), Schupfnudeln with Bacon & Sauerkraut ($9.50), Cinnamon Apple Spice ($4)

Some believe Christmas buzz begins too early. I say: impossible. Why not maximize the most cozy, festive, joyous, wonderful time of the year?!

With its twinkling pine branches and rows of decorated wooden huts, Vancouver’s annual Christmas Market gave nuts like myself a chance to dive into the spirit as early as November 24.

Head over to downtown’s holiday haven where you’ll find German bratwurst, Bavarian Leberkaes (meatloaf), Swiss Raclette, and more.

My diverse lunch began at ‘Das Deutsche Nudel Haus’ with schupfnudeln — a dense hand-rolled German noodle with a gnocchi-like texture. Fried in a massive pan with sauerkraut and bacon, this filling entree will satisfy any salt and sour loving palette.

For dessert, try a baked apple, from ‘Das Apfelhaus’, filled with sugary walnuts and raisins. A warm drizzle of creamy vanilla sauce is a perfect finish.

Unless a tiny mug of mulled wine ($4) satisfies you, I’d go for a cup of drinking chocolate.
Merry Christmas!

For weekly lunch ideas, follow me on Twitter.

Wishing you to die for food on a daily basis,

Erin

 

 

 

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‘To Die For Banana Bread’ Interview with Tamara Stanners on 100.5 The Peak

November 21, 2011 By

Last week, I stopped by The Peak for a banana bread-related radio interview with the always perky, music-obsessed Tamara Stanners.

If she and I didn’t go way back, the mysterious, beige-colored beverage I thrust at her as we greeted may have been received with apprehension. But after revealing it was a ‘To Die For Banana Bread Smoothie’ made by the hands of the brilliant ‘juicetenders’ of The Juice Truck, she gave it a shot.

Click here to listen to the interview that ensued and to learn the news I was shocked to discover about the banana bread’s nutritional information.

Thanks to Tamara for the fun chat and to the whole gang at 100.5 The Peak!

You can follow them –> Tamara on Twitter | The Peak on Twitter

Wishing you to die for food on a daily basis,

Erin

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