Chu Chai: Faux Meat

Fake meat not your thing? Mine neither…until I tried Chu Chai, a vegan Thai restaurant in Montreal that prides itself in its fake meat creations. This swanky restaurant with an outdoor area overlooking the busy street of St. Denis is a fun ambiance to try some daring food. Starting with the crispy seawood appetizer, which we had heard had been ranked as one of the best appetizers in Montreal, we were blown away. The fried seaweed in soy sauce coating was unbelievably delicious. We followed the appetizer with the “duck” in a simple garlic sauce. The duck was actually made from a form of seitan, and as a former meat eater, I can say that this was better than any real duck that I have ever consumed. We also got mixed vegetable dishes with sticky rice that had a complexity of flavor that was complemented with the perfectly cooked rice. The friendly waiter encouraged us to visit the restaurant stateside as the owner is hoping to open a branch in NYC in the near future!

http://www.chuchai.com/

(514) 843-4194

4088 rue St-Denis, Montreal H2W 2M5

Healthy Soft Serve

As an ice cream fanatic, I am constantly in search of the perfect form of ice cream, soft serve or frozen yogurt. While I am willing to spend time sampling many treats in my search for perfection, this weekend I made my own soft serve that came pretty darn close. Using this recipe that I found in Self Magazine, I decided to break the current heat wave in New York with the peanut butter, chocolate and banana frozen yogurt. This recipe can be a great a last minute decision as the few ingredients are probably currently in your fridge. The only preparation was freezing the two cups of greek yogurt (I used zero percent Fage) in an ice tray as well as 1/2 inch pieces of two ripe bananas in Ziploc bags. Throw these ingredients into any blender along with four teaspoons of peanut butter and chocolate chips with some cinnamon sprinkled on top and your healthy summer treat will be ready to eat!

Ingredients
2 six ounce containers of nonfat Greek yogurt, frozen in ice cube tray
2 small ripe bananas, frozen in 1/2-inch pieces
4 teaspoons peanut butter
Cinnamon
Optional chocolate chips

Preparation
1. In blender, combine yogurt cubes and bananas on high for around 3 minutes (be sure to periodically scrape the sides)
2. Add peanut butter and blend on high until has soft serve consistency
3. Optional stir in chocolate chips and add cinnamon

According to Self magazine
159 calories per 1/2 cup, 4 g fat, 19 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 10 g protein