Picking your Battles: A convenience story.

I don't really have fussy eaters, but like all kids they pick and choose what foods they like to eat and when. Sometimes it is nothing but PB and jelly sandwiches other times only bananas will do. On occasion Billie will eat nothing but the beans on her plate and leave the rice and vice versa. More often than not it is twin B, Elijah that is more particular. So today when the three of us were shopping to restock our refrigerator and shelves (we have been away for nearly two weeks) I was surprised when they requested hot dogs for lunch. They have only ever had them a handful of times in their three and a half years of life. 


The hot dogs that they requested were veggie dogs. As someone who eats a mostly vegetarian diet I am not all that fussed on replacing my proteins with faux meat products. I sometimes have a block of tofu or veggie/nut burgers around but they are not a substantial part of my diet. I tried to explain to Billie and Elijah that they were not "hot dogs" but then quickly realized; why? Hot dogs come in fun little hand held packets of bread, you can dress them up anyway you want and can be tailored to suit individual needs. For a parent, what's not to love?


The best thing about making them at home is that I can control the quality, cooking and toppings. 

Dogs in Pockets AKA the "Hot Dog"

The mummy version.

For best results, wieners the way you like them, fried, boiled, grilled in a lightly browned hot dog style bun, topped with condiments of your/their liking. 

I used whole wheat buns, veggie dogs, ketchup, mustard (yellow & brown seed), relish, grated 1 yr old cheddar cheese and sprouts (for me). 


As for the dog debate, real meat, meat replacement. I don't have the answer to that, just an opinion or two. I found a handy little comparison here, of course it is just one companies comparison so take it with a grain of salt. When I buy meat products for my family in general I look for sustainably raised, antibiotic free, hormone free and absolutely must not have the phrase "may contain". The latter goes for vegetarian "organic" convenience products as well. Most of all, all types of dogs are an occasional food in our house.

photos by me, greedily eaten by my children.

Jumping Jiminy crickets...

Last night with some friends, my husband and I went our for dinner to our mutually favourite restaurant, Vij's. If any one is familiar with Vij's they may know where this post is going. A little over a year ago Vikram Vij added something to the menu that caused a bit of a stir, crickets. 


I have heard that it was his wife Meeru Dhalwala that was behind this push, she wanted to introduce a dish that would utilize a local sustainable alternative protein. She points out in a June 08 article for the Vancouver Sun, that crickets are similar to prawns and lobsters sharing the distinction of arthropods.- Who knew? 


The crickets are roasted and ground into a flour that is  then used to make spicy indian styled flatbread called a paranta. The paranta is paired with a tomato-cumin chutney, and celeriac salad. The moisture and acid from the tomatoes and crisp texture of the celeriac add a nice contrast to the flakey crunch of the bread. 


The fist time I had this dish I was dining alone. It arrived with  a side of roasted crickets that stared apathetically away from me as I ate (maybe they were trying not to be noticed). I devoured the bread, ladled on the chutney and salad but couldn't get over the ick factor enough try a whole cricket.  I tried logic: I ate the bread the bread was good ergo the crickets would be good. My meal eventually ended and the crickets were still on the table. I suspect that this was the case for many diners, enjoying the bread but not wanting to look at what they were eating, so the crickets all but forgotten were left in the kitchen until requested.


Last night was the second time I ordered spicy parantha,  as it is an appetizer it makes a good sharing dish and armed with a couple of other brave souls we decided to bite the bullet and try a  whole cricket. When it arrived, it was without the tiny arthropods, if I hadn't had this dish once before I wouldn't have thought to ask about them. Without hesitation the server brought  a tiny mound of roasted crickets trapped in a ceramic dish,  my table mates and I  all looked to one another for courage. Sensing hesitation I picked out a nicely darken specimen  and popped it into my mouth. I was....surprisingly underwhelmed. It was crunchy from the roasting and slightly grassy but had no other discernible attributes.


If you like Indian styled cuisine Vij's is guaranteed to never disappoint and the spicy paranta  with or without the whole roasted crickets lives up to those expectations. 


Vij's


1480 W.11th Ave
Vancouver BC
694.736.6664


drawing by me.