Suburban: Costco's Edamame Hummus

There are few things more suburban than Costco.

Going to the mecca of mass-produced and packaged goods is quite literally a pilgrimage for many suburbanites, myself included, usually capped off with a lunch of free samples. Sure, four bitty chocolate-covered acai berries doesn't exactly count as a meal so you may have to splurge for the $1.50 hot dog and pop.

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On a recent back-to-school shopping stint, I sampled my way through Costco, stumbling upon one of my new favourite products: edamame hummus. 

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Yes, I am cheating on chickpeas. 

Eat Well Enjoy Life's hummus makes it so easy, not too mention delicious. For under $8, I purchased two tubs and I am already scraping the sides of the container to stretch it until my next Costco journey. 

My favourite accompaniment for edamame hummus is store-bought naan bread. I favour naan over pita, as it tends to be lighter and fluffier. Give it some love in a frying pan on high, flipping after a few minutes, and you'll have a toasty number to pair with your dip. 

Some like it hot and if that's you make sure to try the wasabi version, topped with pickled ginger and horseradish. Looking for some more innovative hummus creations? They also have spicy yellow or red lentil versions, and a white bean hummus topped with pine nuts. 

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Not near a Costco? Resist the urge to sob first. Then head to Sobeys, Loblaw's and Metro- all who carry the Eat Well Enjoy Life brand- to get your hummus fix.  

 

Urban: TIFF + Food Trucks

Some go for the celebrity sightings. Some for the flicks. But me? I go for the food.

'Tis the TIFF season, and for me that translates to the season of food trucks. While some may be noshing and sipping at hot spots like the newly opened Weslodge or the celebrity landing pad Sassafraz, I prefer sharing nibbles street side.

Until September 16, the city is not only be home to one of the most important film festivals, but will host food trucks from across Ontario.

Along with my beautiful foodie friend, and photographer avec iPhone, we started the evening oh-so glamorously on a GO bus to see The We and The I. From Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), the film chronicles the bus ride (irony) back to the Bronx of inner city teenagers on their last day of school. Flashbacks are told through cell phone videos, and the story unfolds with rare authenticity as the teens play themselves. In fact, the film was incepted from a workshop Gondry did with the teenagers cum actors at an after-school arts program.

You can still catch The We and The I on Saturday September 15 at Scotiabank Theatre.

Tickets in hand after a *very* long wait. 

The star attraction of the evening for us was of course the food trucks: Buster's Sea Cove, Per Se Mobile and Food Dudes. I had been jonesing for a lobster roll since the CNE, and still remember the Food Dudes catering from two summers ago (yes, it was that good!)

The lobster roll ($13) did not disappoint and was our favourite of the evening. There was loads of lobster piled into that side-split bun, all toasty from the grill and done right the traditional Nova Scotian way. That claw meat alone has the makings of food porn. 

Next stop was the Food Dudes truck, where they are known for their Captain Crunch-coated fish tacos and "sambos" aka sandwiches. We opted for their shareable fare- mac and cheese balls ($5) and Nutella bombs ($4). 

Mac and cheese balls were ho-hum, but a definite step up from the CNE's offerings by the same name. Honestly, it's hard to dislike things with parmesan though- it's simply not human. 

As two single ladies, we followed up the balls in true ball-busting style with the bombs. 

Nutella + Captain Crunch coating + deep fryer + whipped cream + bourbon caramel, need I say more?

Delish. 

Looking to get in on the food truck action too? Each day new foodie delights will be on special, so being a regular is highly, highly recommended (read as: absolutely necessary). I am looking forward to reuniting my belly with Urban Smoke Fusion BBQ (and their Nutella mascarpone grilled cheese), as well as Blue Donkey Streatery's feta fries. Happy TIFF-ing!

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The PB & J Experience

Call me sheltered. Say I never had a childhood. Tell me I was missing out.

Yes, until recently I had never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. At the age of 21, this topic came up in conversation as I tried to tell my friend NO I hadn't eaten a PB & J, but I was a curry connoisseur at the age of 5. That surely had to count for something. She thought otherwise, and it became her personal mission to introduce me to a staple in every child's diet.

Of course, my roommate at the time loved to document everything I did- including late night exam time KD feasts- so out came the camera for this momentuous time. Joy.

I am not a fan of foods touching. The PB co-mingling with the J was too much to handle. 

Nevertheless, I was optimistic. Surely there had to be a reason why so many people consume so much white bread. Other than the fact that they to are "white bread". 

My faith in humanity was obviously blown far out of proportion. No, people just have bad taste. And are cheap as hell. Not even the toaster and "fancy" jam could make the Dempster concoction good. 

There was hype. There was fanfare. Heck, there was paparazzi. But there was no faking the trademark Kodiak smile knowing I still had half a sandwich to go. 

Verdict? "Do white people ate this a lot?" 

I think I will stick with my curry, thanks.

Burger Love

This Sunday, the world record for the largest bacon cheeseburger was set in Carlton, Minnesota. That barbecued baby weighed in at over a tonne, measuring about three metres in diameter. Moreover, that's 27 kilograms of bacon, 23 kilograms of lettuce, 23 kilograms of sliced onions, 18 kilograms of pickles and 18 kilograms of cheese, according to this article from the Toronto Star. 

Rewind a few weekends ago and competitive eater Furious Pete demolished a 12x12 (that ladies and gentlemen is twelve patties with, you guessed it, twelve slices of cheese) at Burger Priest. 

People are burger crazed. Me on the other hand- not so much! To put it in context, I was always the chicken nugget kid. If we want to talk way back, play back I was actually a McDonalds pizza kid!

Sporting the war paint, but too *chicken* for the burger. 

I have never eaten a burger at the Golden Arches.  Not a Big Mac, nor a Quarter Pounder and, god forbid, never an Angus! Yet despite not being in Ronald's good books, there are a few burger joints between here and the big city that I will chow down at. 

Urban: W Burger Bar

Located at College and Yonge, W Burger Bar serves up some awesome patties and sure, the $2 shots don't hurt either. In the burger department, you can pick from traditional beef, health-conscious turkey, lamb and more, then go nuts with the toppings. For the ho-hum, there is the burger trifecta (ketchup, mustard, relish), but the more creative can load up on more unusual fixings like tzatziki, beets and cranberries. Just please not together.

Suburban: Licks

It probably has everything to do with the GUK sauce, but Licks is my weakness in the suburban burger department. From the staff singing your order to the ice cream shoppe, I always make sure to save time (and room in my belly) for Licks during a stint of Christmas shopping. 

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Honourable Mention: Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Honestly, the best thing here isn't even the burgers. The humble french fry has always been the burger's best companion, allowing their juicy partner to steal the spotlight. At Five Guys, their regular fries serves four, easily! So forgo the diet, rip open that greasy bag o' fries and dig in. 

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Where to next? My next burger to conquer has to be from The Works. There is something about a PB, bacon and banana burger that intrigues me. Call me a freak, but who doesn't want a "Hunka, Hunka Burnin' Love"?

Confession: Also have never had a PB & banana sandwich. 

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From the pie hole

I like to describe myself as a closeted foodie. 

The kind of person who can eat a mediocre hamburger without bursting into tears, but get me talking food and you might not hear the end of it. When asked what one thing I wanted to do in Toronto was, my answer was undoubtedly to find a good (and student budget-friendly) sangria. 

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My claim to fame in my circle of friends has always been food. If there is a bake sale around the university, you can count on some gourmet cupcakes. My television schedule is so jam-packed with foodie tv that I convinced my roommate that the premium cable package was not only awesome, but a necessity. And don't get me started on the Eat Street app. You want to find a food truck? You ask me.

Made for the graduating class of 2012. 

This blog was spurred by my mother who so lovingly suggested I find another hobby. One that didn't include "putting things in my pie hole". 

Motherly love...

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I began blogging in high school, and revisited that love during my internships at rock-it promotions. Being a suburban girl, my summers were not only spent boosting my resume, but navigating the TTC system (and their delays), breaking in killer shoes pounding the pavement of Queen West and finding/ trying/ raving about the restaurants of the city. 

So from my pie hole comes Suburban Girl Eats. I will chronicle some of my favourite finds from the big city and back here in suburbia- should you be brave enough to endure the commute!