Searching for Noorishment

A new vegan/raw/organic restaurant has opened in Edmonton and I really have wanted to give it a try. I went there for their grand opening and, well, it did not go exactly as planned (Click here for more info on that one). So, I vowed to try and come back so I could blog about them during Vegan MoFo. So, tonight my James and I made our way to the southside to give the restaurant another try.

Note the tank and scarf/funky hat combo. Nothing matches. This is what James refers to as a hipster.
The iPhone is a must to complete the look. Extra points for live tweeting through the meal.

Unfortunately, a very similar scene to the opening was before us. Staff that had no idea what was going on, no one knew where to seat us. Reservations were getting lost, menus were made out of paper and they ran out. We were able to get a seat though, so I was seeing this through! 


The menu is small and a bit lacking in my opinion. Salads, a soup, pizza, burger, quinoa and nachos. It actually really annoyed me, because this is what I am generally stuck with at all other veggie-friendly restaurants around here. I was really hoping for something different!!

The menu, nothing special on paper, but everything was amazing  once it got to the table

The menu may not have been all that original, but the food? I thought it was fantastic. We had a little bit of everything so that I could give my true honest opinion of the restaurant. First up was a berry blast elixir. Oh man, was this tasty. It was whole berries and it looked super seedy when I got it, but it wasn't (Seeds are my pet peeve in smoothies). The have a citrus one as well as a couple hot ones to choose from. I wish i could make a smoothie as good as that was!


Next up our main course. You have to order from the counter and pay up front for food here. I am not personally a fan of this in a sit-down restaurant. You have to tip before you eat or really have any service. That makes it difficult to gage. When we ordered, the girl at the counter unfortunately was not really an employee, but helping out that night, so she couldn't answer any questions I had about the food. C'est la vie. I paid and she took my name so they could call when the food was up. Unfortunately the person calling out the food did not get names with it and they don't have (or weren't referring to order numbers) so they just call out what the food/drinks are. Our food took a little trip around the restaurant before coming to us.


For an entree, James had a raw pizza which he did not like at all, I loved it though. I think if you are looking for the taste of a traditional pizza, this one will not do it, but I adored the combination of flavours and all the colours on the plate. So pretty and yummy at the same time! The pizza was one a sunflower crust and had a salsa base, veggies... many veggies, and cashew cheese on top. It comes with beets, carrots and some ginger salad thing that go really well with the pizza. I highly recommend this if you go!

This soup didn't look like much, but it was in the top 10 for soups I have ever tried.

Wilted Kale salad. Almost perfect, but the kale wasn't very wilty.

I ordered a wilted kale salad and Peruvian inspired soup. The salad was tasty, but the kale wasn't really wilted. They need to massage that kale a little more. It was very simple, but very good. Something I should make at home sometime. The soup, also simple tomato-based soup had the perfect combination of spices. It looked a little blah, but it tasted like heaven! I was a good friend and traded James soup for pizza. I missed my soup, but it was a good trade to get that tasty pizza.

What does raw, vegan pizza look like, please see above. mmmMMmmm

For dessert I had kiwi lime pie. It had a chocolate coconut crust and some kind of coconut topping. The first bite, I didn't really like this one, but by bite two, I was in love. It was so good, yet not heavy at all. I love that about vegan food. James had a brownie. Again using a lot of coconut, I thought it was good, but wasn't as good as I hoped. I think they need to add some banana to that brownie and maybe some spice. 

Kiwi-Lime Pie. Nuff said.

Brownie - Pretty good, but must like coconut to enjoy this one!

Overall, the people are nice at Noorish. While they were pretty useless if you had a question, needed a table, or wanted them to fulfill a reservation, it was obvious that it was not intentional, they just don't know how to run front of house at a restaurant. The food is amazing. We ordered almost a third of the menu and I was impressed with everything we got (and, might I add, we got the food fairly fast! Hard to find in this city).


On the downside, the menu was a bit flat for me. It did say daily on it, so if they plan on changing it daily, then that would good, but something tells me they aren't. The restaurant appears to be a a sit-down place, but the food is much more cafe. poor James was starving after his food and while I was not so much, I think the dinner menu would have better been used as a lunch menu. The biggest issue is just the complete lack of organization. There were too many people working and not enough people leading. A yoga class broke and everyone just poured into the already full restaurant making it kind of uncomfortable. People coming in with reservations couldn't get a table and I think they were running out of some food so people that should have been running the front were out buying fruit.

James getting his greasy food fix after dinner. I much preferred Noorish, but it is not for everyone.

I will go back to Noorish, but not for a while unless I am getting it to go. They need to get their shit together. I seriously think that they could do well. They got the customers, but the chaotic environment inside will drive them all away if they don't fix it.


If you are in the 109 st area, I do think you should check it out. It is worth it for the food, but be warned if you go during a dinner rush.. things may not be so smooth when you get there.

One last thing, if anyone reading this works at Noorish or knows someone that does, please tell them to put their phone number on their website!!

More pumpkin! And the Perfect Muffin Formula

Well, this may be the last of the pumpkin recipes for a while. I am starting to feel a little pumpkin'd out! I already made a soup and a dessert, so I figured it was time for breakfast. I Have heard of a few ways to incorporate pumpkin into breakfast. Oatmeal, smoothies, breads and muffins. I have one cup of pumpkin left, so I get a choice of one of these. I have decided on muffins and maybe if there is a bit left over I will see if can incorporate it into a green smoothie! Maybe I'm not so sick of pumpkin yet.

I am not sure what else I can say... pumpkin is awesome. It is such a versatile vegetable. 


So, muffins... have you ever heard of the perfect muffin formula? Well, you are in for a treat! There are a few of these out there, but they all generally end at the same result. Good muffins. All you need is to have the formula of how much dry and wet ingredients are required to get the right consistency. This is my formula:


Perfect Muffin Formula
Makes 12 muffins

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup earth balance or oil (butter makes it more cakey, you can use more, but I wouldn't go over 1/2 cup)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 chia egg (1 tsp chia seed and 2 Tbsp water)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cup of choice liquids (flavour): apple sauce, vegan yogurt, sour cream, juice, mashed banana, milk, pumpkin, fruit etc. If you are using a thini liquid like water, use 1 cup, if you are using thicker luiquid, use 1 1/2 cups

The dry ingredients:

• 1-1/2 to 2 cup flour (depending on how much wet ingredients you have)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 - 1 tsp salt
• Extra dry ingredients: herbs, spices, zest, fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate etc.

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Get two bowls and mix your wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. Add the dry into the wet and stir until just combined. It's OK if your batter is lumpy. Next if you are adding chocolate chips, nuts sees etc. Add them last (If you didn't do this, that's OK). Bake for 20 - 25 minutes for muffins. 


*Note: You can make this recipe into a loaf, just bake at 350 F for 50 - 60 minutes.


Here is how I made my muffins:


Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

• 1/4 cup earth balance
• 1/2 brown sugar
• 1 chia egg (1 tsp chia seed and 2 Tbsp water)
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 3/4 cup milk

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup oat meal
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp all spice
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Follow the above instructions. I put the chocolate chips in last and then topped each muffin with a walnut and a little extra brown sugar.

Prepare the wet and dry ingredients..

Add dry to the wet and stir

And.. bake

So next time you want to have some muffins and want to show off that you don't need a recipe, remember this basic formula. Also remember that you want a somewhat thick batter at the end (in between cakes and cookies). If yours is too thick, add a little more milk, too thin? Add a little extra flour. There are no real rules.

Potato mushroom leek soup

I know when fall is ending and winter is around the corner when I start thinking about soup. I like soup, but only in the winter do I think about it. All week, I keep thinking of recipes I could put together for a good soup. I was planning to do this one yesterday, but realized I had not broth when I got home, so here it is today.

Shrooms and soup... perfect for a cold night

Soup is something that a lot of people grab from the can or tetra-pack. Once you have home made soup I don't know how you can go back to the canned stuff. It's just not that good. plus it is full of sodium and in a lot instances, animal products. Before I went vegan, I don't think I ever made a soup from scratch. It seemed like a lot of work and a lot of time. This just simply is not true. You can make an amazing soup in 30 minutes... and if you can stand it, 60 minutes will really get those flavours blending. 


Soup is a perfect one pot meal. When you make it yourself, you control the ingredients and the salt and fat levels. So load up your soup pot with whatever you are feeling. Tonight, I am feeling a craving for potato mushrooms and leeks. 


Potato, Mushroom and Leek Soup
Takes about 45-60 minutes, serves 4

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 2 large leeks, greens removed, halved and then sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp sage
• 2 cups of mushrooms, any type (I am using oyster and cremini)
• 1 small pear, diced
• 1/2 cooking wine if you have it (I didn't..)
• 4 small red potatoes, diced
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup milk (soy, almond, etc)

First get a large soup pot and heat oil on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add the herbs and saute for another 5 minutes for until the onions are soft. Add the mushrooms and cook a little longer and a splash of water if things are starting to stick. Now add in all remaining ingredients, except for the milk. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to low. Simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Start with sauteing your onions and base vegetables. It will add depth to the soup

Next add the other vegetables..

Now add your liquid. You can always adjust later, so add just enough to cover everything

Lastly add in the milk and simmer another 10 minutes. And soup is ready! If you want you can take an immersion blender and blend out the soup a bit, or leave it chunky, that one is completely up to you. I tend to do a half and half. i think it makes a perfect consistency.

And last, garnish is you want. Or better yet, just eat out of the pot and save a dish

Next time you pick up a can of soup... think twice. For 10 minutes of work, and an hour of sitting around, you can make the perfect, personalized soup. Want to make it fancy? Add some sauteed mushrooms on top, or fresh thyme, cilantro, or toasted nuts (walnut, pine nuts I think would work well). 

This made a lot of soup, but I am planning to freeze it. Easily half this recipe if you don't want this much soup.