A Kale of Two Cities (and by cities I mean jobs)

So by "week" last time I apparently meant "month". Apologies for the delay in posting, but I just started a new day job while still working 3 days a week at the old one. And for some reason the day job doesn't want to pay me to write blog posts when it's slow. (not that it has been as of late. Yay filing...) And after working 8 hours at the day job and 7 at the night one, the only thing on my mind is surprisingly enough not 'Food blog!'

Anyhoo, tally ho and on to today's new thing.

(image source)**

Kale. It's green. It's leafy. And apparently the best thing you can eat on the the whole planet. Kale or borecole (who the hell calls it borecole?!) is a member of the cabbage family and is closely related to brocolli, cauliflower and collard greens. It's apparently high in beta-carotene, vitamins K and C and has anti-cancer properties because of it's high levels of sulforaphane. According to wikipedia (a very trusted and highly reliable information source) sulforaphane inhibits something that cancer does that's bad. The wiki page has all the scientifics of it, and if anyone reads this blog and is relatively science-y, I'd love to have you explain it to me in English.

After much perusing of the interwebs, I decided on Kale chips to test this leafy super food. I did two batches each with different flavours to see if I could fully appreciate the versatility of it's kale-y goodness. The first batch I sprinkled with curry powder. Interesting, but I think I cooked them for too long and the curry was a bit over powering. The second batch I did with cajun spice. DEEEE-LISH. I think the kale needs something with a little kick to balance out all of the greeny goodness it gives. The chips are also really light, so you can eat a whole bowl and only feel energized instead of quietly weeping while your hands slowly stain the couch sweet chili heat orange.

On a side note, if there's something you want me to review/cook or you just want to add something or just generically troll, please comment! I'd love to hear from my dedicated readers! (all 2 of you!)


**another note: the picture I got was from a blog called WTF Foods. Hilarious and informative! Like my blog, only better written. :P

That Sounds Radicch-u-lous!

Yay updating!

I went to the taste of Edmonton this week with my mom for the first time and I'll admit I was quite impressed. though thrying to get through the throngs of people was a bit of a pain, the food was sooo good. Our plan was to go out for wine and desserts, but as we stood outside of the wine tent we realized I didn't bring my ID. *face palm* So we went into the Alberta art Gallery instead and enjoyed some tasty tasty flan from El Ranchero and took a stroll through the Andy Warhol exhibit as it rained thunder and lighting from the heavens.

the thing i like about the Taste of Edmonton is that it gives people who normally wouldn't be able to afford the food from a lot of upscale restaurants in the city to get a sample of their delights without breaking the bank. It also exposes the greater Edmonton population to a lot of the amazing local places that you may never had heard of. And I'm a big fan of local. If you want to learn more about the Taste of Edmonton Festival, click here. And if you want to learn more about local businesses, restaurants, and food producers, click here at the Live Local website.

Now that that's out of the way... Review time!
This Week: Radicchio! This Italian veggie looks a lot like a little burgundy cabbage but it's actually a type of chicory (that addictive stuff they sometimes put in coffee to make it super bitter). It's known for its bitter taste that mellows out when cooked.

(image source)

I decided to grill the radicchio because it seemed like a fairly common recipe and sounded like it would be pretty tasty. I live in a tiny apartment with no barbeque, so stove top grill it is! It ended up getting these sexy char marks on it and then I tossed it in some balsamic vinegar, with salt pepper and a little dijon mustard.

Result: It was tasty, but the bitterness kind of socks you in the face like a bag of hammers. Red wine chaser did improve this though.

Next time I think I'll cook it a little longer and mix it with some regular purple cabbage and maybe some roasted nuts just to cut the flavour a bit.

That's all for this week, but I may post again this week with something green and leafy. Verrry leafy.