restaurant – Claudia's Cookbook

My friend Carly and I came up with a crazy idea to take a TRX exercise class every Monday night. For those of you who don’t know what TRX workouts entail, here are a couple buzzwords I like to use to describe the exercises: absolute hell, pain, and regret. I’m only half kidding. The workouts consist of using your own body strength and weight to suspend yourself in a number of different exercises. It’s tough, but apparently gets better/easier the more you go. Carly and I only did 30 minutes of the workout yesterday and we both can barely function. I literally cannot walk up or DOWN the stairs. Next week is a full hour of training. No pain, no gain, right? Pray for us.

I didn’t want all the energy and effort of working out to go to waste. Therefore, I am trying to eat (and now feature) some healthier and delicious recipes. This salad recipe has been on my radar for a long time. I absolutely love the Santa Fe Chicken Salad recipe at Earls Restaurant and I adore this copycat recipe. It’s one of my “go to” orders every time I dine there. The spicy/smoky flavour of the chicken, richness of the black beans and dates, combined with the sweet and sour flavours of the lime and peanut vinaigrette makes this a delicious, guilt free dish.

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April 10, 2013 by Claudia's Cookbook | 5 Comments

I recently returned from a trip to Montreal, Quebec. It’s a gorgeous city full of culture, history and delicious food. One of my favourite cities in the entire world. I had been to Montreal before but decided to make this latest adventure to the city a culinary experience. We dined at many amazing restaurants recommended by those who have either lived there or have visited and had unbelievable food experiences. Although all the places I dined in were mouthwatering, the one that stood out the most is Au Pied de Cochon. This now is my favourite restaurant of all time. Hands down. The menu is a little intimidating and features plenty of duck, pig and fois gras. Very rich. Very decadent. Very French Canadian. Every dish I had was divine.

I returned and after a few weeks I still couldn’t stop thinking about Au Pied de Cochon and how I wanted to recreate some of the food I devoured. I decided to purchase their cookbook. I haven’t looked back. I figured I’d start with a simpler recipe…something I was more familiar with making. That’s when I selected this decadent Maple Syrup Ice Cream. Not to mention, maple syrup is also a Quebec staple. I adapted this recipe by adding walnuts to create Claudia’s favourite ice cream flavour! I couldn’t be happier with it. It’s sweet, syrupy, creamy and has great texture.

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July 25, 2012 by Claudia's Cookbook | 0 comment